A lot of Things Get My Goat These Days...

As some as you know I hail originally from the South and many times I know from confusing looks I must be speaking a foreign language with some of my Southern idioms/word choices. I also must admit I can butcher any idiom. I'll blame it on 'other language interference.'

Anyhow something did get our chickens last week, leaving strewn feathers everywhere and no bodies. 3 to be exact MIA and after a couple days we did catch the culprit in a live bait cage. By looking at this pic you'd think what a sweet face. This vicious critter took our sweet girls and has been relocated. What's that idiom about a wolf in sheep's clothing?

Well, this brings me to something that really 'got my goat'.  OK, nothing really got our milk goats here in the End of the Rainbow Valley as they are safe in their pasture and barn but for those not familiar with the idiom, here is Urban Dictionary's:
  

Basic Definition: To annoy you to the point of getting pissed. 

Sub Definition: Goat: The goat is a metaphor for your state of peacefulness. When your goat is with you, you are calm and collected. When your goat is stolen, you become angry and upset. ( I definitely can fully understand this anger.)

You see I had, and that is the correct tense of the verb, a new favorite site on FB called 'La Crosse Foodie,' originally started to let restauranteurs and others communicate about local eateries, both old and new. If you were a chef/ representing a restaurant, it was asked for you to state that in your comments. I really appreciated knowing both chef specials and hearing others's impressions and experiences (Always 'love me some food porn). 

One day, there's this comment from an individual who can remain nameless regarding his displeasure about seeing the Rainbow imposed profile pic of the website's originator, Despina Kozidis owner of Gracie's Gyros & Wraps, a Greek restaurant. (Many of my friends and myself included had also changed our profile pics too in solidarity when marriage equality was sanctioned.)  Anyhoo, this individual was incensed that the restaurant would serve the LGBT community and stated he would not frequent her establishment. Despina responded after much consideration and a conversation with daughter Sofia:

Here's the FB correspondence:

Good for Despina for standing up for what is right but unfortunately hate mail continued from others too to the point that the decision was made to remove La Crosse Foodie from FaceBook. 

That really got my goat and apparently a lot of other people's too. I made it a conscious choice to patronize Gracie's more often since this all happened. 

So you know what happened? Yesterday Spead Love & Good Food was held. 

Mother Despina with Daughter Sofia...

The community was invited to come and support Gracie's as well as the owners also extended an invitation to La Crosse's LGBT Center who set up an info table in addition to receiving a portion of the day's receipts. 

Business was brisk... Word has it that even at 7p.m. all of the tables, both inside and out were still filled and there was a line waiting to order.

Photo by Carol Lloyd Neill (7pm ish)

And by day's end there were 'a lot' of receipts. 

If Middle Eastern food isn't your thing, no problem, just send friends who do, to eat at Gracie's. It's well prepared, tasty, moderately priced food. I'll be back with friends and hope when you are in the La Crosse area/ live nearby you, too, will patronize Gracie's Gyros and Wraps at 1908 Campbell Rd across from UW-L's Cartwright Student Union and support small locally owned restaurants who serve everybody.

photo by M. Shaw 

             *Special thanks to M. Shaw for sharing pics from 

                 Spread Love & Good Food on August 4th.