Orange Buffet

On Sunday, November 6, 2011, my boyfriend and I ate dinner at Orange Buffet in Orange Park, Florida. Orange Buffet is a Japanese buffet. The neat thing about this restaurant is that it mixes the traditional style of a Japanese hibachi restaurant with the set-up of a true buffet.

One of my favorite types of food is sushi. So of course that was the part of the buffet I visited first. My boyfriend and I both filled up our first plates with one of each kind of sushi. Next, we went up for hibachi. The way Orange Buffet has it set up is different from the traditional way, but it was really cool. They had a bar with all the raw meats and vegetables. You filled one plate with all the vegetables and rice you want and a second plate with the meats you want. Then, you hand it to the cook behind the grill, and he cooks it in front of you. When the food is almost done, the cook has you choose which type of sauce you want on your meal. For my dish, I got just about every vegetable available; zucchini, carrots, onions, peppers, and bean sprouts. I also got rice, chicken, and shrimp. For my sauce, I chose soy. It was absolutely delicious, and the best part was that it was exactly what I wanted because I was able to choose my own ingredients. My boyfriend got steak instead of chicken and shrimp, which I tasted, and it was excellent as well. Afterwards, we were so stuff there was no chance of trying the rest of the buffet.

The thing that surprised me the most was the pleasant atmosphere of the restaurant. In past experiences of dining in buffets, I have found the service to be almost non-existent, a lack of cleanliness in the buffet areas, and almost complete chaos. Orange Buffet was different. Our server was frequently at our table to remove plates and fill our drinks, the buffet areas were next to spotless, and everything in the restaurant seemed calm and oriented. I have never felt so calm and relaxed at a buffet. I think this was the first time I can truly say I enjoyed dining at a buffet. I definitely would recommend Orange Buffet to anyone who asked. The atmosphere is calm, the employees are friendly, the food is excellent, and the prices aren’t too expensive. It is approximately $11.00 per person for the buffet. My boyfriend paid $26.71, including drinks but not tip, for the two of us eat dinner.

When you walk into the restaurant, they have a beautiful Japanese picture with a building that looks like a castle, and what I assume to be an orange tree. So, on the wait out I asked the hostess if she would take a picture for us. She said yes, but she said it in a way with such enthusiasm that she almost seemed as if she was excited about it. The restaurant has been across from my neighborhood for about two years now. I cannot believe that this was the first time I have eaten that, but I can say that it will not be my last.

The Seminole Paintings by Eugene Savage

On Sunday, October 30, 2011 I went to the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens with my boyfriend and his younger sister. We went to see the art exhibition The Seminole Paintings by Eugene Savage.

Eugene Savage is an American artist and is considered to be a muralist. In the 1930s, Savage became captivated by the Seminole Indian tribe and looked to primitivism for inspiration because of the idea that primitive cultures were superior to industrialized societies. So, in 1935 Savage traveled into the Florida Everglades to study the tribe. Because of his extensive interest, Savage ended up documenting the life of the Seminole Indians from the early twentieth century through his artwork.

With his arrival to Florida, Savage intention was to study the Seminole Indians in the tribe’s natural habitat of the Florida Everglades, but at this time the American enterprise was transforming the area of South Florida. Savage’s artwork depicts the essence of the Seminole culture including clothing, customs, and traditions. But because of the American transformation of the Everglades that was occurring, his work is also effective in expressing the sorrow, worry, and devastation as the Seminole tribe felt as they faced the invasion that was threatening the Seminole way of life.

My visit to the exhibition, The Seminole Paintings, by Eugene Savage was very enlightening. I learned a lot about Florida history, especially the history of Seminole Indian tribes. Looking at some pieces I felt as if I was there; for those paintings with water, I felt that if I touched the painting I would draw my hand back and it would be wet. When I looked at other paintings, I could almost feel the pain and sorrow they depicted as the Seminole way of life was being threatened. The following painting is one of the many pieces of art by Savage really took my breath away. According to the Seminole folklore, a Seminole woman who compromised herself by having relations with a white man becomes referred to as “Ho-la wa-gus” which in English terms means “no good”. A woman in this situation is then banned from the culture. She is given a knife and a boat and forced to a remote area of the swamps to fend for herself. This folklore is what is depicted in the picture below.

Savage’s art was so beautiful and realistic. All his paintings were oil paintings on canvas and I believe this use of oil is what allowed Savage to produce works that were so beautiful with the realistic characteristics the paintings contained. I have always loved looking at paintings and other various kinds of artworks, but never have I seen such work that was so enchanting and captivating.

After visiting the exhibition, we went and visited the gardens and all the other exhibits the museum had to offer. If you do not have the chance to check out this awesome Seminole exhibition by Savage while it is on display, still visit the museum, especially the gardens. They are absolutely beautiful.