Tuesday, April 23, 2013

I.Love.Food.

Quite frankly, I could begin and end this note just with the title and really feel that I have adequately expressed myself. But what fun would that be for any of us?

So allow me to start again...

I.love.food. Yup, I guess that really is the only way to put it.

I had a very special opportunity this evening to listen to the one, the only, Anthony Bourdain. And for any other fellow foodies out there, or even just avid television watchers, I would fully expect that this name rings a bell. I'd like to claim that he is a hero to me. Not that I believe in heroes, or should necessarily look up to a former crack head who swears non-stop (ok, let's be honest, I kind of respect the onslaught of curse words), but damn if I don't respect the way that man thinks about and preaches the gospel of food.

Following a Power Point presentation of the abhorrence that is Paula Deen's cuisine (see The Lady's Brunch Burger), Tony - as I like to think he has given me permission to call him - offers a mantra that I support:

Food matters.

And it does. It's not just a means of nourishment and sustenance, but it's a way of showing who we are and what we are about. I judge people by the way they look at food. And I'm ok with that, even if you aren't. I haven't always been this way, but it's certainly something that I have learned as I've gotten older and learned more about how to respect myself, my body and those around me. Food is not just about eating...don't get me wrong though...I.also.love.to.eat. But these are two very different things.

I respect my body and myself with the food that I put into it. I like fresh and unique ingredients. Especially over the last few years and a significant weight loss, there is an inherent need to control what goes into my body. Processed foods and fried foods (while at times still delicious and necessary for hangover recovery) are not a way for me to show respect to myself. This is what fuels my desire to cook. And my love for cooking is enhanced when I'm able to share this product with those around me.

Cooking is a way that I express myself and show respect for those around me. It's a way that I connect with people and bring my friends together in a home environment. And on an even more personal level, it's a way that I have found to share and enjoy time with James; we love to cook together and share the foods that we enjoy with each other. From planning the perfect combination of flavors, selecting the right ingredients, and spending an evening putting it all together, it's a way that we relate. All because of food.

Ok, here's the part my Richmonders are not going to like. So fair warning, stop reading now - you won't like this next bit should you hail from or love the city of Richmond.

Despite what Richmonders think about this town, the food culture is depressing. I hate selecting restaurants here for several reasons. The first being that there is a severe lack of diversity in the food here. While there are a few gastro pubs and farm to table style restaurants, and one fantastic Italian restaurant that I enjoy, I have crossed off every restaurant that interests me in this town. And I don't need a reservation to get into any of them. Which brings me to beef #2...I don't need a reservation for anywhere. I think there are some pros to this, but half the fun of going to a great restaurant is the wait and anticipation of getting to go. In Atlanta, my best girlfriend and I had a long list of restaurants that we would call down 2 weeks ahead to see what we could get into. After taking 2-3 reservations (usually in the 9-10 time slot, which is all that is available 2 weeks out) we would continue to deliberate over which reservation to keep based on the menu that most deserved our patronage. After finally coming to a carefully calibrated decision, we would then study our menus in order to maximize sharing and enjoyment of our event. This was an evening, not a meal. Richmond has absolutely nothing comparable to offer. Sorry.

I would like to follow Tony around for the duration of his stay in Richmond to get his take on the city and see if he's able to find any gems that I have yet to discover. Or atleast to sit and have a beer with him. But not in a stalkerish kind of way. Or maybe in a stalkerish kind of way. I admit to nothing.

In short, let it be known...I.love.food. And I want everyone to love it too because of the value that it holds in my life, not just to sustaining my life, but in helping me respect myself, relate to those around me, and express who I am.

Thank you, Tony, for a wonderful regaling of  your tales of the world, beautiful synopsis of the role food should play in our lives, and the much needed derision of Guy Fieri and his penchant for Ed Hardy.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

This One's for the Girls

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I haven't written in a while. Ya, it's true, just check on the monthly log directly to your right. It's been almost 4 months. Crazy, no?

The crazy part is that I honestly thought I was only about two weeks behind. Whoopsies...

Of course, you know me, and I would only be here typing to you now if I have something of the utmost importance to say. I would surely never ramble on and on about random items - things like my Mickey, or how Jackson has a new bowl cut. Definitely not going to tell you about the 10K I'm running this weekend, my current time standings and the frustrations that go along with a strained calf... Mom's visit this weekend, signing a new lease on an apartment, or the latest bet that could result in a new tattoo (not on me, because I know my Braves won't let me down). No, no, no, only important stuff here tonight.

So, what's eating Cindy Lou Who?

Women!

Geez, ain't that the truth? Mmmmhmmm.

I read an article last night that has really just got me all wound up. Please feel free to peruse said article here: Said article

For any of my single lady friends around my age, and really maybe just any of my lady friends in general, I think you will see my immediate frustration with the content of this piece. This is what I get for opening a Fox News article in the first place, I really should have known better anyway.

Essentially, modern society, at least the one that I live in has spent so much time and effort in teaching women to focus on embracing their individuality and discovering who they are in order to ultimately be better wives and mothers should they one day chose to go that route. At least, that's been my major take away. We have time...in theory. Patience is a virtue.

But now, there seems to be a new message, maybe it's retro chic vintage, like a used clothing store that infers that women have to set aside marriage and children should they chose to follow career paths. And surely prioritizing careers is not really an option but a causation of modern thinking. A woman chooses career over embracing marriage. That's a lofty assumption to put out there, IMHO.

But alas, the piece that really grinds my gears is not so much the message itself; we are all entitled to our opinions, but instead the mixed messages that women send to other women. As if there is only one route to take and that must be the chosen route for all women. As if we are all one broad category of person. And according to said article, I've already missed my time to find a husband. And since I am supposed to embrace marriage and not focus on a career...where exactly does that leave those who don't follow this "sage" advice?

Most of my girlfriends fall into the 25-35 demographic. And the big difference between these single friends and the married ones is that we all identify ourselves as 20s and single. It's a breed, it's a specific descriptor, and one that I think is vastly misunderstood and over analyzed. We are a group of women that aren't necessarily prioritizing our careers or choosing not to embrace marriage, but we are just a group of gals trying to do the best with what we've got. Some of us are recovering from heart break, learning how to invest wisely, purchase property, train for marathons, maybe even just trying to figure out how to get our dogs to stop peeing on visitors. It's not some major life choice that we made that has lead us to this infamous destination.

We didn't find a husband in college, and that's ok. We didn't find one 5 years after, and that's also ok. Because you know what? When we do find one, we will have years of Facebook history to help us figure out what we do and don't want in our wedding photos and how we will and won't make our baby announcements. (Assuming we haven't all sworn off Facebook by then...who knows, maybe Facebook won't even be around by then!) There's nothing wrong with us, so please stop asking what is. Moving into Q4 of my 27th year, I feel better than ever, and I wouldn't trade that for anything. So, suck it.

The stigma that comes along with being late 20s and single in this society is...bullshit...there I said it. We live our life based on what Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda have taught us over the years of late night TV. We wake up, we go to work, we have a drink, we work out, we bitch about men, go on bad dates, meet great men, and nothing is wrong with us or where we are headed. And some days, it's easy to forget that, but in the spirit of women giving advice to other women....I won't do it. We all have to make our own path and it's not on anyone else to tell us how to do it or make us feel bad for doing it differently.

That's what I will hopefully get to tell my daughter someday, and what I wish someone had started telling me a long time ago. So before I get any closer to a girl power rant, which is not my intention here at all, I digress. Some days, we ladies just want to be left alone. When we talk about gender equality, it's not in relation to sexual escapades or job compensation, it's in terms of pressure and judgment. Can't we just be left the hell alone like men? Let's write some more articles about grown men who still play video games or call their mothers 5 times a day. Let's spend more time judging men who can't match their socks together and think it's ok to take a girl to Taco Bell for a date, because those things aren't ok and there probably is actually something wrong with them, which is why THEY are single. Spend some time judging them and making them feel bad for a while.  What's their window to find a wife?

In the meantime, I'll be on the couch eating Spaghetti-Os and watching FRIENDS reruns and listening to some Martina McBride..

CLW out.