So I never thought I'd be writing a blog; but, this year, my favorite magazine on food, drink, and thinking about the same was suddenly and devastatingly canceled. For the past 9 years, since my then boyfriend (now husband) gave me a subscription for our 5th anniversary, I have looked to Gourmet magazine for various things: when I was 22, I looked to the "Gourmet Every Day" recipes for fast and inexpensive recipes and read the travel logs to dream about going to the ends of the earth to sample strange and new foods; when I got married, I looked through all of my back issues for great cocktail party nibbles and drink ideas for the reception; when traveling to another part of the world, I looked for travel logs from Gourmet contributors and tried to check out a restaurant they recommended; when I was in grad school and didn't want to read my homework assignments, I started reading the "Politics of the Plate" articles and became alternatively disgusted and outraged; when my husband and I would have to road trip to anywhere, I would go through all of the Roadfood articles to find places where we could make a tasty pit stop; when my husband and I started working in an office for 12 hours a day but we committed ourselves to cooking dinner on the weekdays (rather than ordering in), I went back to the Gourmet Every Day recipes; and when I wanted a show-stopping dinner party menu or even a cozy Sunday night dinner for two, I mixed and matched my favorite recipes from different menus throughout the years.
By the time it was canceled, I read Gourmet cover to cover for excellent recipes, well-matched wines and spirits, great restaurants around the world, travel logs that focus on eating your way through new places in order to experience the "real" culture of the place, and articles that force you to think hard about what you eat and where it comes from. Without Gourmet, I have struggled to find a new source to feed my varied interests in food consumption, and ended up having to cobble together several different websites and blogs to feel like I was getting the full picture. But no more. I've decided to create a space for people like me (or not like me, but interested in these things nonetheless) to get their food and drink fix.
A few things you should know about me. I live in the greater Boston area, home to Julia Child's butcher, Savenor's, and many nearby farmer's markets and organic food markets. I am an unabashed "foodie", but to me, that means I love a perfectly fried potato chip as much as a 10-course tasting menu with wine pairings. I am an omnivore and these days I struggle to find a middle ground between eating all kinds of meat but wanting that meat to be sustainably raised and without unnecessary cruelty. Unfortunately, that means I am constantly feeling guilty for my love affair with goose liver pate, and hate myself just a little when I enjoy my husband's wonderful spaghetti and meatballs made with veal, pork and beef. I am lucky to be able to find without much effort sustainably and locally raised meats, which I have found to have more flavor and juiciness than their mass-produced competitors. I generally try to purchase produce that is local and seasonal, but sometimes I just want a strawberry in February. I love to cook, and after a long day at the office, I often enjoy the feel of a strong, heavy, sharp knife in my hands and an onion that needs chopping. My husband and I also stay within a weekly grocery budget to maximize our dollars and find multiple uses for leftovers. Over the years, I have become much more comfortable with trying different recipes and making my own tweaks to save time or money or just change things up a little.
I hope this blog will be a home for people who like to eat, drink, cook and talk about food. If I find interesting articles about food or food politics, I'll post them here, and I hope readers will too. I still work 12 hours a day in an office and cook dinner with my husband when we both get home, so you may have to help me out a little if you see a great article or read a great book that I've missed.
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