My Most Prosperous Meal

Today I hit a prosperity milestone --

Andy and I spent more on a meal than we ever have before.

Now, that may sound downright silly to you, but hear me out.

We like to dine out ... a LOT. And we like fine food and fine wine. We are foodies, for sure (could I be any other way, growing up in New Orleans?)

And fine dining is certainly something that a lot of people would associate with success.

I'm talking about walking into a restaurant and ordering whatever you want, as much as you want, and never even looking at the prices on the menu. Now that is a certain form of freedom that simply must be experienced to be understood.

Have you ever gone out to dinner and as you're browsing the menu, you think, mmmmm lobster, that sounds delicious! But then you were too intimidated by the words "market price"?

Go on, admit it. I know I have.

I've even gone so far as to want the lobster, but was too embarrassed to even ask what today's market price was. For fear of looking like I couldn't afford to pay whatever the market price was.

Of course, if I wanted something, and was too afraid to even ask about it, I would certainly be poor indeed. But not the kind of poor that money can fix.

Do you know what I'm talking about here?

So to make a decision that it's our last night in town, and we are gonna splurge -- to me, that is prosperous thinking.

(NOTE: I am not recommending that you spend money you don't have. This is more about avoiding lack thinking that would have you say, "well, we could spend a lot, but does it really make sense to spend that much on one meal? I could buy so many other things instead....")

We had not had mudcrab since we've been here, so we decided we were going out for Tasmanian mudcrab. Deeeeeeeee-lish!

We got a recommendation from the hotel concierge, but for some reason, we didn't have a lot of confidence in that person, so we didn't make a reservation yet. Since it was our last day in town, we went out opal shopping and to find me a didgeridoo (it's a musical instrument).

Turns out, the place where we bought some opals (keepsake necklaces for the girls, and a gorgeous pair of earrings for me) was owned by a very cool man who, in addition to knowing absolutely everything there was to know about opals, also happens to know the owner of a fine dining establishment known as Kingsley's Crab and Steak House. And guess what their specialty is? Mudcrab! He made us a quick reservation and we grabbed a cab back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

This place was absolutely divine, located on the finger wharf in Woollomolloo (where we had previously dined at Manta, another fabulous meal earlier in the trip).

The waiter convinced us to order a fresh snow crab and a fresh mud crab, instead of two mudcrabs.

Really? What's the big deal? We get frozen snow crab all the time.

Not like this apparently. These suckers live 3000 feet (1000 meters) under the ocean and they have the sweetest meat you will ever eat. And apparently, it's called the "lucky crab" because there are a very few people in the world who are lucky enough to eat fresh snow crab from Australia. We ordered it the chef's recommended way -- steamed with salt & pepper (which actually means salt, black pepper, heaps of butter, and some garlic)

So we obliged, and we also ordered the best wine we had tried all month. We barely blinked at the $135 price on the wine (like I said, it was the best -- the best Chardonnay I've ever had. If you feel like splurging, try it yourself: Leeuwin Estates Art Series 2004 Chardonnay. It's unlike any Chard you've ever tried, trust me on this one) and I got a fresh mozzarella salad and Andy got some spanner crab crepes and we got a side of kumera that was absolutely fantastic.

Mudcrab are these huge crabs that live in shallow waters (3 feet or less, usually) along the coast of Tasmania (a southern island of Australia. They have an earthy taste and are typically steamed and coated in a delightfully sticky spicy-sweet plum or spicy Thai sauce (this one was Thai).

Well, that worked out perfectly, because I started on the mudcrab and Andy started on the snow crab, and when we got halfway through, we switched. And after each finishing our first leg, we looked at each other and wanted to switch back. So we got to taste both, and enjoy the one we really loved.

Now I'm not sure I can fully describe to you the messiness of eating these crabs, but I will make an attempt here.

For starters, before the crab is even brought out, our server brought us each a large finger bowl and two extra napkins apiece.

Then she brought us each two large empty bowls. I later found out, one is for the piece of the crab you're currently working on, and the other is for the shells.

Next, she brings us each a bib.

These were not the cheesy bibs you see in most restaurants, with a cartoon image of a big red lobster. These were full-body bibs. I'm not kidding -- it fit like an apron, with a tie around the next, and another around the waist. And the bib starts right under your chin and goes all the way down to your knees.

We laughed, but the look on our server's face was so stone-cold serious that we soon put them on.

And I'm glad I did -- 5 minutes into the mud crab, a sticky chunk smacked down on my leg. My pants leg stayed perfectly clean, thanks to the giant apron/bib I was wearing.

I think it took us an hour or more to devour these crabs, with help from a number of metal implements. Our wine glasses were soon coated with a sticky mess, but we certainly were enjoying ourselves. The wine was a perfect complement, it was truly a divine meal.

During our obliteration of these two huge crabs, our server had to replace both bowls, and also our finger bowls which were already quite murky.

When we were done, we got more fresh finger bowls and additional napkins. Andy had to use the facilities, so he went away and came back stating his hands finally felt clean again. Oh, while in the bathroom, he had found a piece of crab in his hair, and another on his shoulder.

After the finger bowls and the napkins, I was thinking my hands were pretty clean. But then I got up to use the facilities, and when I got there, out of ambient light and into brighter light, I was shocked to see all the sauce that was not only on my hands, but under my nails and around my mouth as well! (Fortunately, no crab in my hair)

It was a spectacularly delectable evening, and I was most appreciative that we had found the place, ordered such ideal food, and enjoyed the spread and each other's company so much. While we were waiting for our food, we were planning our next 2 trips to Australia, and I was feeling really excited about all the possibilities of returning to Oz sooner rather than later.

Are you wondering what we spent on this delightfully decadent meal for just 2 people?

$350.

Is that a lot?

I don't know -- it all depends on your perspective. I felt it was well worth every penny. But even at a different place and time, I could have felt differently. I'm just grateful to have the means to afford such an experience, and it gives me great delight to teach other people how to do the same.

There's really no difference between me and you, you know.

I teach people exactly how to increase both their income AND their level of consciousness.

The only reason I can spend $350 bucks on a meal is because someone showed me a new way of thinking. And I am eternally grateful for that. And I take great joy in passing this wisdom and knowledge on to others.

Today's QoD:
Are you ready to increase your income AND your wealth consciousness?

Have you considered one-on-one coaching with me? Individualized attention, private telephone session, and massive breakthroughs, that's what it's all about. If you're not coaching with me, who ARE you coaching with? Every great success has a coach (including me). Work with me, or work with someone else, but by all means, GET COACHED!

Otherwise, you might never get over your fear of "market price." :-)