tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231815172024-03-13T20:23:06.050-05:00A Page in the LifeEssays, insights and pointless philosophizing about the joie de vivre--food, family, friends, the writer's life and laughing at life's little absurdities ... because, well, it's cheaper than therapy.Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-57184251969098056262015-06-25T09:57:00.003-05:002015-06-25T09:57:42.636-05:00Same Great Blog, New LocationThis is just a note to any followers and visitors of this page that I have moved! I hope that you will follow me at my new location: <a href="http://pageinthelife.com">pageinthelife.com</a> on WordPress.
I have set this page to automatically forward to my new location, but I encourage you to save the new page and visit me there. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Thank you for reading! Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-65001100064157913812015-05-06T10:23:00.002-05:002015-05-08T15:20:52.577-05:00Curses and Cures: A Story of Trains, Lost Things and ... Mayo<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-IBtrD1v4nEamLbx2QVP9Ye6W5Wiim5c-r5LZgL3w52u5enAbU3TGN3ViSLjw1GPgkCZnHE6YIdJXemvKmvhHDPMSe_EykfYupSree_B2Q_NNkwGNjCXyqoau9imoz_-2eFj9g/s1600/IMG_2076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-IBtrD1v4nEamLbx2QVP9Ye6W5Wiim5c-r5LZgL3w52u5enAbU3TGN3ViSLjw1GPgkCZnHE6YIdJXemvKmvhHDPMSe_EykfYupSree_B2Q_NNkwGNjCXyqoau9imoz_-2eFj9g/s1600/IMG_2076.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For the longest time, my husband and I had a running joke
about me losing my car in mall parking lots.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Of course, rather than admitting to a poor-to-middling sense
of direction, I decided that I was cursed. Then one evening, I was wandering
through the parking garage of the Galleria in Houston with a coworker looking
for my car, and to save face, I shared with her my story about the Parking
Curse. She laughed and rolled her eyes, but played along.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Weeks passed before my coworker confronted me in the hallway
one afternoon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Hey, you gave me your curse!” she says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“What curse?” I like to forget about embarrassing things
like losing my vehicle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Your parking curse. I lost my car at the Galleria today,
and it’s your fault.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I admit, I couldn’t hide my grin. The Curse had finally been
broken. I had passed it along to someone else, and I was free. After that, I
went weeks—months even—without losing my car.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I would like to say that I have never lost my car again. In fact,
I will say that, but I advise you not to believe me. Still, there was something
to this “curse” thing in my head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Not long after I shook free of the Parking Curse, I acquired
a new scourge, this one sandwich related. I named it the Overdressing Curse
after I had a good four- or five-time streak going. Basically, anytime I
ordered a sandwich anywhere, it would have an excess of mayo and/or mustard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But Jessica, you might be saying, that is just American
food. Maybe you just like less dressing than the average person. And you may be
right. However, the reason I feel justified in making this claim, is that in
most cases, I had a control group—another person at the table also eating a
sandwich, sometimes the same type of sandwich—and they did not have a cup of
mayo oozing out of their lunch’s back end. Over and over again this happened,
until I was positive it was my new curse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">During this dark time, I had many electric yellow shirt
stains and went through copious amounts of napkins. I even did something I had
never done before…asked for “light” condiments (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">please</i>). When things became desperate, I tried to pass the curse on
to my husband, but he never took the bait. Eventually, the curse waned,
although from time to time it reemerges to remind me not to get to cocky—and to
bring an extra shirt <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">just in case</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My theory about curses was always lighthearted until last
year. I was going through a frustrating time as a writer, filled with rejection
and defeat and derailed goals. Things were getting serious. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Around the same time, a new curse emerged. I call it the
Train Curse. The first day I was stopped by the train on my way to an
appointment, I sighed, turned up the radio and tapped my fingers impatiently on
the steering wheel but let it go. When I was stopped again on my way home, I
bemoaned my bad luck but shook it off. But then it started happening day after
day—even if I left ten minutes earlier, ten minutes later, or took an alternate
route—there it was: the train.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After a couple of months, I was beside myself cursing and
railing against the Fates. To me, the train now represented all of my
frustrated goals, all of my dashed hopes. My life wouldn’t get better until I
could break the Train Curse. Silly as it was, I believed it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Was it going to be a good day? Would I finally have a
breakthrough? Only the train knew. And every day I met the train, a little hope
left me. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Today must not be the day.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The first day I managed to miss the train or beat the train,
you would have thought I had made the New York Times Bestsellers List. I called
my husband to tell him the good news. And then a day became a week, and I was
sure it was a sign. Life was looking up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But lately, I have been meeting the train again, sometimes
three times in one day. And funny enough, it has been a rough few months, and I
could feel the Curse bubbling up from deep in my psyche. The fear, the anger.
This time it is different though.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I meet the train, I laugh. I mean, deep belly laugh. If
I am honest, it kind of tickles me. My curses are meant to be playful and
silly, not drenched in existential angst.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Ah, the train. We meet again.” And I snap a photo and text
it to my husband.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, when I see the train, I see it as life telling me to
take a breath, slow down, and be in the now. For the next three minutes or so
(definitely “or so”!) I can’t move forward, I can’t go go go. That decision is
out of my hands. But I can be with what is and choose to be okay with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And if I’m patient, the train will pass, and life will move
again. It always does.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-80631472839797773422015-04-22T10:50:00.002-05:002015-05-08T10:50:20.949-05:00A Defense of the Liberal Arts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInM2GR8FAgYEqvJh6VwohXmbLf29WV2vIqS7sBPdIB8_bzJ_btvFw7RGhUBtPSzrpmaS8ppJUHOdLSrXQ7qH5BJt5vk9KmSnuG503FKKIzwsuz4OrVLnKFszg0CCK3zJehuTdHg/s1600/1662075_735477109818738_156021444_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInM2GR8FAgYEqvJh6VwohXmbLf29WV2vIqS7sBPdIB8_bzJ_btvFw7RGhUBtPSzrpmaS8ppJUHOdLSrXQ7qH5BJt5vk9KmSnuG503FKKIzwsuz4OrVLnKFszg0CCK3zJehuTdHg/s1600/1662075_735477109818738_156021444_n.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So April is National Poetry Month, and I thought it would be
a great time to discuss something that has been on my mind a lot lately: the
disappearing liberal arts education. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last year, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2014/05/20/new-study-is-no-degree-better-than-a-liberal-arts-degree/" target="_blank">Forbes reported</a> that only 1.6 percent of hiring managers actively sought out candidates with
liberal arts degrees, preferring instead engineering, math, computer science
and business (actually, practically any other major). Plus, 64 percent said
they would consider someone with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">no
college experience at all</i>. Yay for the unschooler, but what the what?!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This kind of statistic is disheartening to someone like me,
who is proud of her BA in English. And it’s sad not just because I believe I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">am</i> a valuable contributor to society and
I am proud of the quality college education I received, but also because I see the reverberating effects in the corporate world. Decision-makers in business are increasingly
not putting a priority on the creativity, communication skills and well
roundedness that a liberal arts education provides.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In fact, American entrepreneur and investor Marc Andreessen
was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/successful-liberal-arts-majors-2012-12" target="_blank">recently quoted as saying</a>, “I’m sure it’s fun, but the average college
graduate with a degree in something like English is going to end up working in
a shoe store.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And while the <a href="http://factually.gizmodo.com/one-in-four-self-made-american-billionaires-dropped-out-1656784411#" target="_blank">media lauds the idea</a> that one in four
self-made American billionaires is a college dropout, what many people may not know is that <a href="http://elitedaily.com/news/world/one-third-billionaires-never-got-college-degree/1006305" target="_blank">among the top 100 billionaires, more hold arts degrees than math, science, finance or economics</a>. Yet STEM continues to get priority over liberal arts programs at several
universities...and when it comes to a paycheck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have nothing against STEM. We need STEM, and we need STEM
opportunities for women. And true, engineering degrees still remain a top
choice for as a major because of their high-earning potential,
meanwhile, liberal arts degrees continue to sag in value. But we don’t need a
country full of only engineers and MBAs. Visionaries exist across the
disciplines, and the value of a degree shouldn’t just be its earning potential
anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We need to defend the value of a liberal arts education in
our universities and our businesses. Yes, we want college students to get a
degree with value, worth the investment, and a degree that can get them a job.
But if we reduce our universities to technology and trade schools and gut them
of classic education, we are missing the point of what higher education is all
about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A vibrant workforce is a diverse workforce with a rich
background not just in finance or technology, but in the backbone of life and
culture—philosophy, history and literature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As Robin Williams’ character, Professor Keating, states so
eloquently in Dead Poet Society: "We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So in honor of the month, unleash your inner poet, and also embrace the inner <span style="color: #262626; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span><o:p>poet in the workplace.</o:p></span></div>
Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-59188077777300819942014-11-06T12:07:00.000-06:002015-05-08T10:48:50.183-05:00Why You Shouldn’t Save It for Later<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmIU1Kd-7DGJIZ6tu2CDd0biaai7IsJBoDHZLxWT6xVDUcVQFCQR38M7b0cCE9A6VF447xz5VNMQK2DWf4nGGYf3ZCU3ut5YOprbwRqbmKoKhrzRVeX7zvCQTKCTpuFXgtcjWBA/s1600/IMG_0003_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmIU1Kd-7DGJIZ6tu2CDd0biaai7IsJBoDHZLxWT6xVDUcVQFCQR38M7b0cCE9A6VF447xz5VNMQK2DWf4nGGYf3ZCU3ut5YOprbwRqbmKoKhrzRVeX7zvCQTKCTpuFXgtcjWBA/s1600/IMG_0003_2.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But sometimes all those books come in handy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about hoarding.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
No, I am not in any danger of having a house filled several
feet deep with old newspapers, empty pizza boxes and cat poop. Or at least, I
don’t think I’m in danger of that. I am guessing the man currently tunneling
through an apartment piled to the ceiling in filth at one time didn’t think he
would ever be living like that, and yet…there he is.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
No, I am thinking about my own personal hoarding demon.
Perhaps a more insidious form of crazy because it’s less obvious. I am thinking
about the way I endlessly pin things on Pinterest for “later” that I never look
at again—clothes, decorating ideas, DIY projects and recipes. I am thinking of
the GB of emails and files I have saved to “read later” and for projects I never
get around to. I look at the box of “too small” clothes in the spare closet
that I might fit into again one day, and the box of “too big” clothes I may
have to wear again one day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then there’s the “just in case” food storage rotting away in
the cupboard, the flower pots I bought for an herb garden I haven’t
started…yet…two years later. The cracked watercolors and warped paintbrushes I
have lugged around since college through several moves, packing and unpacking
but never using. Because one mysterious and magical day, I will have time again to
paint and have a garden and do all of the cooking and DIY projects I imagine I
could do…probably in the same imaginary world where I am a size 2 again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mostly I think about why I keep all of these things. I know
the reasons I give my long-suffering husband, especially about the piles of
cooking magazines and endless Tupperware collections. I tell myself I am being
thrifty, not wasting or throwing away “perfectly good” ratty towels and squeaky
shoes, and how I will need all of these things later. Probably tomorrow
actually. But why am I really hanging on?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7RQUn9T6k8kRQqCuWv1yoioPFygg_M6zlvnY2U-ZsfBkUIh-uW1UKTxogtZPL4Gw1AiBHotNl53dZAAuEpMVZxXqmXv2F9MvqGQqTpaGBXTfTKFWqgILWmVAol6XUUb3Irdy_JQ/s1600/IMG_3130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7RQUn9T6k8kRQqCuWv1yoioPFygg_M6zlvnY2U-ZsfBkUIh-uW1UKTxogtZPL4Gw1AiBHotNl53dZAAuEpMVZxXqmXv2F9MvqGQqTpaGBXTfTKFWqgILWmVAol6XUUb3Irdy_JQ/s1600/IMG_3130.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cats enjoy when I hoard boxes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I remember during our last move, I finally went through a
bin of old college notes and papers I was saving for when I went to grad
school. And I couldn’t just throw the entire bin away, I had to pour over old
handwritten notes I didn’t even really understand anymore. I wasn’t throwing
away college notes and papers, I was throwing away a dream, a dusty,
deteriorating dream that sat in a closet too long.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other day, I was trying to remember some Shakespeare
minutiae during a random conversation. I can’t even remember why it was so
important that I recall a bunch of factoids from an old college class, but it
suddenly struck me how much I had forgotten about a subject I used to be very knowledgeable
and passionate about. I finally had to admit that I wasn’t sure anymore.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You know, you can’t hoard knowledge,” I said to my husband,
feeling a little deflated. “If you don’t use it, you lose it.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This realization is disheartening. A part of me wants to
save as much as I can—ideas, things, plans—when they’re available, and even if
I don’t use something for a decade, it should still be shiny and new and just
as useful as the day I stored it away. But in real life, that doesn’t happen.
Pant seams fray, that gaudy “gold” ring turns brassy, the colors fade on that
poster you planned to frame eventually, and the last few drops of your favorite
perfume sour while you wait for the special occasion to use them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t understand what fears of mine are being assuaged by
holding on. But I am starting to understand that if you hang onto something that
you aren’t using, you are wasting it. And by the time you finally get around to
using it, there probably won’t be much left to work with anyway. If you don’t use
it, you lose it, even if it’s still stowed safely in a drawer somewhere waiting
for the perfect moment.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-22051240999734150922014-09-02T09:50:00.000-05:002015-05-08T10:49:43.218-05:00The Truth About Writing for Hire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhsl7UFjK9TqdrxKg6V58djoznGXUgU43VgC1XCQ4KAk-Su9MOBapkyJBSVRpvz-AhgdfOaOCL96BBre3CLdU2Os2w6nE2ZKBQpc096B1WxPHd-cZDiXkLsHo-r8fHzYwo33tXw/s1600/IMG_8943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhsl7UFjK9TqdrxKg6V58djoznGXUgU43VgC1XCQ4KAk-Su9MOBapkyJBSVRpvz-AhgdfOaOCL96BBre3CLdU2Os2w6nE2ZKBQpc096B1WxPHd-cZDiXkLsHo-r8fHzYwo33tXw/s1600/IMG_8943.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I spent a few years working in the oil and gas business, and
when people asked me what I did for a living, and I told them I was a landman,
the reactions ranged from confusion to boredom. Or the always fun joke, “You
mean, land-WOMAN?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, when I tell people that I am a writer, inevitably the
reaction is very positive. People get excited, ask questions, and tell me how
lucky I am to be able to work from home. (And oh, they have a book they are
going to write, and could I look at it?)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But the reality of the writer’s life, which first prompted
me to change professions a few years ago, is that very rarely can the full-time
writer support themselves writing just what they <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">want</i> to write. Friends are shocked when I tell them that article I
wrote in blah magazine was not something I chose to write about. It was
assigned to me, with a word count and often, specific editorial direction. And
more often than not, isn’t what I would write if I had any say about it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few months ago I was assigned an article on getting back
in shape after having a baby. I don’t have any children, so I decided to ask
mothers who were friends of mine on social media to write about their
experiences with post-baby fitness. The response was overwhelming, and I was
struck by the unrealistic pressures many new mothers experience right after
having a baby.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I then interviewed the owners of yoga studios and gyms
around town and got some wonderful stories from them about their own struggles and
realizations about post-partum fitness. Most of the stories focused on the
mother’s need for emotional wholeness more than fitting back into their pre-pregnancy
jeans in six weeks. And if anything, these women often resented the media
pressure to “bounce back” like so many magazine celebrities immediately after
giving birth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I tell you all that to say this: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I didn’t get to write about any
of that.</i></b> My editor wanted a 300-word article listing fitness centers
around town that offered post-baby fitness classes. And that is what I gave
her. And this story is the same story as so many other article assignments I’ve
had over the years.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That is what writing for hire is like. All the stories I
want to write remain mostly untold. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Years ago, when I got my first full-time job as a magazine
editor, one of my jobs was to interview emerging artists for a short column.
For most of the artists I interviewed, I had just 250 words to write about
their art and career. I was still a newbie, so I would spend 30 minutes to an
hour on the phone with every one of them collecting fascinating stories about
why they became artists, what they love about their craft, career setbacks and often,
many stories that were personal and that I knew were not meant for sharing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I didn’t realize at the time how little of those interviews
would actually make it into the final piece. Each month as I struggled to cut
750 words down to 250, I learned how to find the essential truth and wonder
about every person’s story. It was a great but hard lesson. And I don’t think
anyone I have ever interviewed will ever understand how painful it is for me,
as the writer tasked with telling their story, to keep editing and cutting down
the story far past what I wish I could share. Or worse, I don’t even get to share the story I want to tell at all.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the writer’s life. I spend most of day writing about
things I don’t care about, or if I do care about them, I can’t write about them
in the way I would like. And for this privilege, I am asked to charge less than
what I am worth, wait months to be paid and sometimes not even get paid at all.
Many times I don’t get any feedback: “Great piece.” “Nice work.” or even “That sucks, please try again.” And some days,
like today, I find out something I wrote and am very proud of isn’t going to
run at all because of an editorial goof.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So why do I write? Some days I don’t know. Maybe it is the
naïve hope that one day, I will actually be able to support myself while
writing what matter most to me. (And some days I wonder what it is that even matters most to me. What would I write about if I could write about anything?) For now, I take comfort in the little
victories—the interview where I really connected with my subject, the chance to
tell someone’s story that needs to be told, or the opportunity to eat good
food and get paid to write about it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why do I write?</i></b> I ask myself this question every morning.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I write
to connect with people, to understand them, and have the privilege of sharing
their stories. I write to connect with you, to understand you and to hopefully
have the privilege of writing something meaningful that touches you.<o:p></o:p></div>
Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-80211956570104830622014-08-20T12:28:00.000-05:002015-05-08T10:53:30.293-05:00You Won’t Believe What This Blogger Did Next <div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5gX1fGvKHep1LlJyiFIr4ooOUU0wqo2U4W8fwWpS0EuqZInAFuZFSmA1G2W5Q-7pLvt7WqBVPfznipifjkfMrI-_y6JiONT0wlMY-xauQu5VSXfxfq0v2-QvinOA6HG_iwOr0w/s1600/IMG_8424_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5gX1fGvKHep1LlJyiFIr4ooOUU0wqo2U4W8fwWpS0EuqZInAFuZFSmA1G2W5Q-7pLvt7WqBVPfznipifjkfMrI-_y6JiONT0wlMY-xauQu5VSXfxfq0v2-QvinOA6HG_iwOr0w/s1600/IMG_8424_2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<b>It was then I realized I finally had hit rock bottom.</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After years of ________________________ <i>(favorite vice)</i>, I
felt _________________________ <i>(depressing adjective)</i>. I didn’t know what to do
or where to go from here. I had lost _________________ <i>(noun, person)</i>, my job
as a _____________________ <i>(noun, vocation)</i> and even _______________ <i>(noun,
something else heartbreaking)</i>. I was overwhelmed with guilt over my
____________________ <i>(noun, transgression)</i> and what I had done to
________________ <i>(noun, person)</i>. I knew something had to change.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Every morning I see multiple confessionals in my email and
newsfeed—well-meaning blogs meant to inspire me, I suppose, by showing how
other people have overcome their demons.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Initially, I found these posts interesting, though I’m not
exactly sure why. Was it the shock value? Or the sad way we are drawn to the
gory details of other people’s tragedies? Was it so I wouldn’t feel quite so
bad about my own messes? Or was it simply an excuse to avoid my work for a few minutes?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But after I while, I became bored with reading about
everyone’s drug habit/binge drinking/eating disorder/career crisis. I wasn’t
sure what I was supposed to be gaining by reading these stories, but it was
clear it wasn’t empathy anymore…it was impatience.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They all started sounding like the same self-indulgent
story.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe they are all the same story, if you just swap out a
couple of details: an abusive father switches to an abusive boyfriend, a drug
habit becomes a porn addiction. But my irritation over these stories piqued my
curiosity. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why exactly do they bother me?<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After all, I am a fan of confessional memoirs like Chelsea
Handler’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me,
Chelsea</i> or even darker reads, such as Augusten Burroughs’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Running with Scissors</i>. Maybe humor is
part of it. But I also enjoy more serious memoirs like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Diving Bell and the Butterfly</i> or my new personal favorite, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Three Little Words</i> by Ashley
Rhodes-Courter.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What makes these books better than the average blogosphere
offering? Is it the author’s time commitment, the careful crafting and editing, or just plain talent?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think it is something far simpler. Audience.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Is the writer writing for only themselves or are they
writing to communicate with others? Is the writer even aware of their audience
at all? When a blogger treats their posts as a personal journal entry, they
tend to be far more egocentric. There is little or no awareness of an audience,
and what might be of interest to them. It is just another generic self-involved
entry in an already overfilled anthology of narcissism and egomania.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t think it’s the confessional nature of the subject matter
in and of itself that’s the problem. It’s the intention. As a reader, what am I
supposed to do with it? Why should I care? <i>Are you even aware I’m here?</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Your story is yours alone, but it isn’t that unique. As the Ani
Difranco lyric says, “Like the rest of the human race, you are one of a kind.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We all have these stories. I won’t read your story just
because it happened. Too much of our social media life is just about shouting
our own story and trying to be heard rather than actually having a conversation.
We aren’t sharing our lives in order to honestly connect.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Telling my story for me is easy. Telling my story in a way
that makes you see your own story differently is a completely different matter.
That’s where the magic is.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Writing is an extreme
privilege, but it’s also a gift. It’s a gift to yourself and it’s a gift of
giving a story to someone.”</i> – Amy Tan<o:p></o:p></div>
Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-12896223537504406762014-05-01T10:24:00.000-05:002015-05-08T10:52:08.479-05:00Runner's Corner: Identity Crisis - How Do I Know I Am Still a Runner?<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3S3Hht6tuDoBrtLeYdJvXVQlfXybWbHAqXsAZyGYdXvCLDqhTNcWT9CnNFEdGXz-C4lX6nm2JMXDIs2xxKrvOTnBk9X1pCu7yV-AEbV-zQmY6QcIhoyDrFP2NaukHnLy1KGNAw/s1600/634723433188622345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3S3Hht6tuDoBrtLeYdJvXVQlfXybWbHAqXsAZyGYdXvCLDqhTNcWT9CnNFEdGXz-C4lX6nm2JMXDIs2xxKrvOTnBk9X1pCu7yV-AEbV-zQmY6QcIhoyDrFP2NaukHnLy1KGNAw/s1600/634723433188622345.jpg" title="" width="265" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"I am taking a break from marathoning," I told my husband a little over a month ago. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Really?" he said, incredulous. "Are you sure?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Oh yeah. I think I need a break. I'm just going to work on my short runs, run a few 5Ks and get my groove back again," I said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You see, for several months, I have been a mentor with Team in Training. It was a wonderful experience, especially when you see new runners realize they <b><i>can</i></b> run a marathon, and you witness the sense of accomplishment that comes when they cross that finish line. But, if you have been following my running posts at all, you know I have an on-again, off-again relationship with running.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few weeks ago, over enchiladas at Joe T's, I met a lady from Louisiana. After bonding over all of the usual why-we-love-NOLA things, somehow we got on the topic of running.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Are you a runner?" she asked. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, looking at her, I assumed she was a runner because she has far more of the stereotypical runner's body than I do. In fact, my body doesn't resemble a runner's body at all. It's just that when you see my body running, you have to admit that I am in fact running, and this is my body. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I guessed she was a runner, and so I was ashamed to admit that at that moment, I hadn't run in almost two months. I paused, then started to say no.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Yes. Yes she is," my husband interrupted. "She just ran a half marathon in November."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Oh, yes you definitely <b><i>are</i></b> a runner!" she agreed. "I can't run a mile to save my life."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But I wasn't so sure any more. Once the TNT season ended, so did my running motivation. If I was going to keep running, I needed a goal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I told my husband I signed up for El Scorcho again, a 25/50K midnight race that happens every July in the hottest part of Fort Worth summer, he just shook his head. Soon, I convinced my uncle--who ran the 180-mile Grand Teton Relay with me last summer--to sign up to run the Big Sur Half Marathon in Monterey Bay this November.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And today I started the Bad to the Bone Virtual 50K that an acquaintance of mine created as a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Everyone who runs 31.1 miles in the month of May gets a medal and t-shirt with this awesome design:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZ4ppmGbA0Gsxk0ypgqq_TufKLOLEbTAIfWh3iC8GTUSWllpNs7Fal8i7aKjJIUITx9RC-EnYBjC6pPnh9g6PtzMDjzRT7aMNKZ2a-SnfPCqNM4syRE-HT8xwGU243iMw7instg/s1600/1013585_10202515108692419_6260659753696022488_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZ4ppmGbA0Gsxk0ypgqq_TufKLOLEbTAIfWh3iC8GTUSWllpNs7Fal8i7aKjJIUITx9RC-EnYBjC6pPnh9g6PtzMDjzRT7aMNKZ2a-SnfPCqNM4syRE-HT8xwGU243iMw7instg/s1600/1013585_10202515108692419_6260659753696022488_n.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can still sign up through May 3 here: </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a class="" data-reactid=".oo.1:3:1:$comment1477598082470718_1477598359137357:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$range0:0" dir="ltr" href="http://pages.teamintraining.org/ntx/txsmntri14/dbryan" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: #444444; cursor: pointer; line-height: 15px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://pages.teamintraining.org/ntx/txsmntri14/dbryan</a></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVOSSQTszllszKCq8cnxaHeWns2MaVnQYIrZoDDb5HKUthnokCTXTiTAsWZm1jf8oL5Mel9ka55ehUyj_sgbJGL7PWcAKnNo3_ctFiLkREPo8AmBJB_rbui6T5l7SEnMADX8mKQ/s1600/10171062_10152083668738994_3269482119902899354_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVOSSQTszllszKCq8cnxaHeWns2MaVnQYIrZoDDb5HKUthnokCTXTiTAsWZm1jf8oL5Mel9ka55ehUyj_sgbJGL7PWcAKnNo3_ctFiLkREPo8AmBJB_rbui6T5l7SEnMADX8mKQ/s1600/10171062_10152083668738994_3269482119902899354_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A couple of days ago, an envelope arrived containing my Big Sur Half Marathon training shirt. I excitedly opened the package and held the shirt up for my husband to see.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Not running any more half marathons?" he asked. "I better not hear you tell anyone you aren't a runner."</span></div>
Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-54669113087211653582014-04-10T13:10:00.001-05:002015-05-08T10:55:02.413-05:00The Noteworthy Nosh: Grilled Pork Vermicelli @ Noodles at Boba Tea House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfQp4yJDvoshcsotCoM3U_S33HZeypjLThyRd7bgLQZGxMVlZnEEte6ncbu4v0rddGwI1tqmJi_M6GZ1hnE8hlwJlQmkKStAx8Lu2pQ-mmb0k25PbyiFALtQBSizPX8zLmOvYIA/s1600/photo-19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfQp4yJDvoshcsotCoM3U_S33HZeypjLThyRd7bgLQZGxMVlZnEEte6ncbu4v0rddGwI1tqmJi_M6GZ1hnE8hlwJlQmkKStAx8Lu2pQ-mmb0k25PbyiFALtQBSizPX8zLmOvYIA/s1600/photo-19.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For this week’s nosh, we head to north Fort Worth outside
Loop 820. Noodles at Boba Tea House, a Vietnamese fusion eatery at the
intersection of Basswood Blvd. and Beach St., is a frequent haunt of mine. In
fact, I have been known to visit once a week for lunch when I have an
insatiable craving for pho or bun. And I never fail to find a packed dining
room during lunch hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In addition to the namesake boba “bubble” tea, the
restaurant offers several classic Vietnamese dishes, including pho, bun and
spring rolls, as well as decent sushi selection. I have yet to try the sushi,
but the chicken pho and classic spring rolls with peanut sauce are always a
good choice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, their best dish in my opinion, and one I have had
more than a dozen times, is the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bun thit
nuong</i>, or Vietnamese grilled pork with vermicelli. Thin slices of tender
marinated pork are served warm over chilled vermicelli rice noodles with a
sprinkling of crushed peanuts. Fresh mint leaves, bean sprouts, matchstick
cucumber, shredded carrots and lettuce, as well as a savory and delicious fish
sauce, accompany the dish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mint, sprouts and sauce are added at the user’s discretion,
but I never fail to add them all. The combination of hot and cold, the crunch
of the fresh vegetables with silky noodles, the pop of mint, and the tender and
garlicky chunks of pork make this dish unforgettable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For over-the-top deliciousness, add the BTH egg roll to your
bowl. I always let the egg rolls sit long enough to soak up the goodness at the
bottom of the bowl before eating and save one eggroll for my last bite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Noodles at Boba House may be a little out of the way for
some, but worth a visit if you happen to find yourself on the north side of
town. They offer classic dishes and consistently good quality. And if you’re
not a boba tea fan, like me, don’t pass up their classic Jasmine tea served
with a small pitcher of simple syrup.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Noodles at Boba Tea
House (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">noodlesbth.com</i>), 7355 N Beach
St., Sun-Thurs 10:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Fri-Sat 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do you have a favorite
pho or bun place in the DFW area? Please feel free to share.</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-9654511328322507352014-04-08T11:49:00.000-05:002015-05-08T10:56:02.413-05:00On the Road: Making Friends for the Moment<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last November, I ran 8 miles of the Big Sur half marathon
with a fellow runner whose name I don’t remember, but I can tell you why she
started running, how long ago, and how much she loves racing with her daughter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On any given trip, dozens of chances arise to connect with someone
new. The stranger in line ahead of you at the pastry shop, the guy sitting next
to you on the street car, or the server at that little seafood place the guy on
the street car told you about. Often these chance meetings are interesting,
sometimes useful, and other times, just plain bizarre.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But every once in a while you connect with someone, and it’s
almost magical. These are the moments that make a trip uniquely yours. And
these are the moments you remember years later. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’ve bonded with a front desk clerk over riding motorcycles
in a rainstorm, shared dinner stories with the couple at the next table because
they’re also from Texas, and discovered why a scuba diving instructor in
Cambodia decided to sail yachts in BVI.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I was younger, I felt the need to get names, exchange
contact information and promise to stay in touch with everyone I met on one of
my adventures. Now I take these meetings on their own merits, and realize (with
only a twinge of regret) that our paths will probably not cross again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of my favorite chance meetings happened in St. John. I
never got his name, but he singlehandedly made the rented condo in Cruz Bay
feel more like home. He just appeared on my second story balcony the first
morning of our stay, and hopped in my lap.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUlD3JsxpdzOdpMal4aUgvuRH49Ml1t3bTrChnEqIcPb3BFnMn_4BYwnZ3KS5vL9S5pAYW94TeiqD9QsHdCTWP0DRG-ZTp1WeoTr3VqNj2oXkEfQKu6kd5YJ5B71PZxuZ257SgtQ/s1600/IMG_0068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUlD3JsxpdzOdpMal4aUgvuRH49Ml1t3bTrChnEqIcPb3BFnMn_4BYwnZ3KS5vL9S5pAYW94TeiqD9QsHdCTWP0DRG-ZTp1WeoTr3VqNj2oXkEfQKu6kd5YJ5B71PZxuZ257SgtQ/s1600/IMG_0068.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then he came back each morning and evening thereafter. After
a few days, we bought a couple of cans of food and fed him on our patio, but
mostly, we would just sit on the balcony together and watch the sun peak up
over the bay.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCAdfW3R7cM-RqPPjT8fQfut5L81IFiueTNg_CAUBZfYmwmSnMlkhguux5HNDU1fjxXgESQyNdEmA-EUEGqHbmpfWMnj5e-dLUgDC1XRNm9WrsGt6cfsPR1hxdipW1fMmbQTjrQ/s1600/IMG_0369.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCAdfW3R7cM-RqPPjT8fQfut5L81IFiueTNg_CAUBZfYmwmSnMlkhguux5HNDU1fjxXgESQyNdEmA-EUEGqHbmpfWMnj5e-dLUgDC1XRNm9WrsGt6cfsPR1hxdipW1fMmbQTjrQ/s1600/IMG_0369.jpg" width="240" /></a><o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The couple across the way from us told us they have visited St. John every
year since their honeymoon (except the year they sent their first kid to
college). They said the feline was actually the condo </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">cat.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkaxT4qvskLsiVn_Ns7KsBWNBkiemRusxoBTX2xo7lsTlRzgSnO1nSp65SefD9jjt88tA1l25pt7OsR_Z_LS38Lj-600c5Xq7Z7rV-wyoLRVnvEnYJGPIKw9OGww88rYYFJoTeTA/s1600/IMG_0131_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkaxT4qvskLsiVn_Ns7KsBWNBkiemRusxoBTX2xo7lsTlRzgSnO1nSp65SefD9jjt88tA1l25pt7OsR_Z_LS38Lj-600c5Xq7Z7rV-wyoLRVnvEnYJGPIKw9OGww88rYYFJoTeTA/s1600/IMG_0131_2.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoN1WGmABwnnluecZ4xKzT0LuI36e2GVBo00nJBU1bnSA6QjdkDeO7cMLta41SUK2nxmvnnVfIHGLxgU9_NdzEmtGABwbdxZ_8l39DpLWo7Pn4QtANkL3zTIQuyaR2DQK3pOGaw/s1600/IMG_0115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoN1WGmABwnnluecZ4xKzT0LuI36e2GVBo00nJBU1bnSA6QjdkDeO7cMLta41SUK2nxmvnnVfIHGLxgU9_NdzEmtGABwbdxZ_8l39DpLWo7Pn4QtANkL3zTIQuyaR2DQK3pOGaw/s1600/IMG_0115.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It turns out, the feline population in Saint John outnumbers
human residents, and more than half of them are homeless. Thanks to a
trap-neuter-return program, the island has helped spay and neuter strays and
kept the homeless kitty population from spiraling out of control.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was hard to part ways with my friend at the end of our
journey, but I like to think that every morning he is sitting with a new
companion watching the sunrise over Cruz Bay and helping them fall in love with
St. John like I did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Do you have a story to share about meeting someone on a trip that you have never forgotten? Please feel free to share.</b></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-78211458424253250012014-04-05T09:38:00.003-05:002015-05-08T11:06:39.242-05:00Chef's Apprentice Files: What Else Can I Do With Infused Olive Oil?<span style="clear: right; color: #cccccc; float: right; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcmI33juUpGPZQx2f1bHTs5988364Pqrs6G8IBFw2U-fPpIHAm4On8EwIfYPs03FoY-KBIcKwAkSC-nhyphenhyphenYuTLVpXHc0bQdTt5HAZ9fesNqsENTb_pZoA92UerAFPplKi6vM8DJA/s3200/IMG_9788_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcmI33juUpGPZQx2f1bHTs5988364Pqrs6G8IBFw2U-fPpIHAm4On8EwIfYPs03FoY-KBIcKwAkSC-nhyphenhyphenYuTLVpXHc0bQdTt5HAZ9fesNqsENTb_pZoA92UerAFPplKi6vM8DJA/s3200/IMG_9788_2.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you have dined out at an Italian
restaurant any time in the last decade, you probably have had the pleasure of
dipping a loaf of warm bread into a bowl of seasoned olive oil and Balsamic
vinegar. What you may not know is that infusing olive oil is an easy way to
garnish and give depth to a number of dishes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Restaurant chefs often have more
than one squeeze bottle of chili or herb-infused oil on hand to add color to a
dish. A swirl or dots of red or green on a finished plate requires no cooking
school training and is an easy way to impress dinner guests. </span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What home cooks
may not know is that replacing plain olive oil with a home-infused oil can add
layers of flavor to otherwise ordinary recipes or take a dish from good to
great.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are some simple swap-out
ideas:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Spoon a little over a fresh
vegetable soup and add a dollop of goat cheese.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Add to cooked pasta along with
fresh grated Parmesan cheese, grated citrus and a chiffonade of fresh herbs for
a simple pasta sauce.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Use instead of plain olive oil
when making vinaigrette.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Toss with grilled vegetables and
add a squeeze of lemon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Brush on slices of French
bread before broiling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. Add to a bowl of cooked white
beans or chicken chili for a colorful and flavorful garnish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7. Drizzle over pizza right out of
the oven.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8. Use to baste chicken for
roasting or grilling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9. Finish your next stir-fry or fried rice with a swirl of homemade chili oil.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10. Paint on sandwich bread for
your next grilled sandwich.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Basic Herb-Infused Oil</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 bunch of fresh herbs, such as
sage, thyme, rosemary and/or basil<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3 cups of extra virgin olive oil<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUvv71OOBL2OeWoXYTmqSTEmumx_964xASQlbsc8xvHJyp9EZFloy8mAApC6uVenXmvcpX1Dag9zDjIjimsK1i729TvA-z62l096XaPzRHmh4XwbnPBTQXHEpOZ5mi3I5qPhMnsw/s3200/IMG_9789_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUvv71OOBL2OeWoXYTmqSTEmumx_964xASQlbsc8xvHJyp9EZFloy8mAApC6uVenXmvcpX1Dag9zDjIjimsK1i729TvA-z62l096XaPzRHmh4XwbnPBTQXHEpOZ5mi3I5qPhMnsw/s3200/IMG_9789_2.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Remove the leaves from the stems,
discarding stems. Place the leaves in a mortar and pestle and bruise the leaves
to release some of the oil. Add leaves and olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pot
and warm through for about 30 minutes over very low heat. This will release
more of the flavors in the herbs. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then remove from heat and allow to
cool completely before placing in a clean, quart-size jar.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can also place warmed olive
oil and bruised herbs in a jar and leave in a sunny window for a couple of
weeks instead of heating on the stove.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Store the jar in a cool, dry and
dark place for a few days. Once the flavor profile is right, the leaves can be
strained out. The bottle can be stored in the fridge. The oil will last about 2
or 3 months.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><u>Note:</u></i> A simple chili oil can be
made by heating 2 cups of olive oil over low heat with about 4 teaspoons of
crushed red chili flakes. Heat gently for about 5 minutes. Or alternatively, gently
sauté fresh chopped chilies in oil for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool
completely and then store in a glass jar with lid in the
fridge for up to one month. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This week’s noteworthy nosh comes from Dallas. I don’t get
the chance to make it over to The Big D all that often, and I am totally fine
with that. But this meal was definitely worth the trip.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you find yourself in the University Park area and are an
adventurous soul, you must try Dallas’ only raw vegan eatery. The menu is
extensive, with several juice and smoothie options, but also soups, salads,
sandwiches, wraps, noodle bowls, pizzas, and desserts. The entrée selections
include a raw lasagna, “bliss burger” and even a raw take on spaghetti and
“meatballs.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A friend and I stopped in recently for a leisurely lunch.
The atmosphere was relaxed and not overly crowded (though parking is interesting),
the waitstaff is friendly and eager to answer questions about the menu, and
Chef Cesar Vallejo was more than happy to talk about customer’s favorite dishes
and how they are made. I am not vegan, so I had plenty of questions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In addition to trying a fresh juice blend and cup of pineapple
cucumber gazpacho, I tried one of Be Raw’s most popular dishes, the coconut
kale enchiladas. The tortillas are made from coconut, red bell peppers, dates
and agave that are dehydrated into rollable shells. They are stuffed with
marinated kale, and topped with pico, "nacho cheese" and a cashew “sour cream,”
then served with red and green salsas on the side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjSgKjmTSuXlw7zaRfdTt9zq0F92oNonXuGgfCFotnXEHU_fFmCBSxoxAfS9Xv0JcWr2AjW-yWaQUb73agg0BsD_E8ajGLy0rIBUqN22cf2-qEgp6cyiSnGHSmM3DlKVcGuAimQ/s3200/photo-18.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjSgKjmTSuXlw7zaRfdTt9zq0F92oNonXuGgfCFotnXEHU_fFmCBSxoxAfS9Xv0JcWr2AjW-yWaQUb73agg0BsD_E8ajGLy0rIBUqN22cf2-qEgp6cyiSnGHSmM3DlKVcGuAimQ/s3200/photo-18.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was pleasantly surprised first by the cheesy flavor of the
enchiladas. The shells had a slightly sweet flavor that was unexpected but not
unpleasant. At first, the texture of the shells vaguely reminded of fruit
rollups I ate as a child, but the spicy heat of the dish kept the sweetness
from being at all cloying. Perhaps most impressive was the marinated kale
filling, which was delicate but flavorful, and it didn’t have that
stereotypically unpleasant texture that sometimes makes raw kale difficult to
eat.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although the difference between traditional enchiladas and
raw enchiladas is vast, I think taken on its own merits, the dish is
successful—offering traditionally Hispanic flavors of chilies and cheese, light
but filling and a uniquely fun variation on the norm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Be Raw Food and Juice
(<i>berawfoodandjuice.com</i>), 6005
Berkshire Lane in Preston Center, M-Sat 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Sun 11:00 a.m.
to 4:00 p.m.</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-10557074320368893702014-03-31T17:24:00.002-05:002015-05-08T15:23:26.297-05:00On the Road: The Meal Not Taken<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I never thought pea soup would feature prominently among my biggest
unfulfilled travel regrets, but life is strange and full of surprises. Also, I
am very susceptible to the power of suggestion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Richard and I were taking our first road trip down Highway 1.
I had completed the Big Sur Half Marathon in Monterey the day before, and we
were on our way to Los Angeles. It was mid-November, but warm enough to have
the top down on our rented Mustang convertible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the landscape changed from sandy beachfronts to spacious
vineyards and farmland of the 101, we saw the first billboard: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">110 miles
to the home of split pea soup</i>.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Did you just see that sign?” I asked the hubby.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Pea soup? Yeah, that’s random.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But the billboards continued—one, then another and another
counting down the miles to supposed culinary bliss. The conversation understandably
turned pea-centric, both of us drunk with conjecture about the nature of this
unassuming and usually dull soup… And the nature of a region
that would prioritize pureed legumes that much.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwNmZNR3yW4RhJYQiS0PUPiKzZ_mU4LAaxZPrm9fhyphenhyphenLXet9kY8vQ8gIVPL8Mz5Q6h5m_Hg3GH-Vh3NnEH20m7dw-1mrFBUIHBIm_dYk0Bgm2UDFyC93xqo8hE1mzSWQEQ_1vmuZw/s3200/Buellton-Home-of-the-Split-Pea-Soup450x337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwNmZNR3yW4RhJYQiS0PUPiKzZ_mU4LAaxZPrm9fhyphenhyphenLXet9kY8vQ8gIVPL8Mz5Q6h5m_Hg3GH-Vh3NnEH20m7dw-1mrFBUIHBIm_dYk0Bgm2UDFyC93xqo8hE1mzSWQEQ_1vmuZw/s3200/Buellton-Home-of-the-Split-Pea-Soup450x337.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The anticipation built until the moment of truth: an <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Exit Now”</b> command that if followed, would
take us straight to Andersen’s in the little town of Buellton and a steaming
hot bowl of pea green delight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That morning I didn’t want split pea soup. In fact, I wasn’t
interested in soup of any sort. But suddenly, we were in crisis. Should we take
the detour and satisfy our curiosity? We weren’t even hungry, but this had to
be one hell of a soup to warrant not one, but several, billboards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you can probably guess, we didn’t take the road to split
pea nirvana, and we had good enough reasons. Responsible reasons. Most
importantly, we were meeting friends for dinner in Venice and were already
running way behind schedule.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That didn’t stop us both from giving the cartoon chef on the
Andersen’s sign one last wistful look as we continued on to Santa Barbara. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My thoughts remained back in Buellton for the next hour
afterward, and my regret only intensified when I finally googled Andersen’s,
which has been “splitting peas since 1924.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“We’ll be back,” Richard said, consoling me. “We’ll go next
time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next time hasn’t happened yet, but I have to wonder if the
soup would live up to the hype if we planned a visit to the roadside
restaurant. I believe the magic of the inspired road trip detour is that you
have to act on your intuition the moment you feel it. If you ignore it, that
moment is gone and can never be recreated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Can planned pea soup be magical? I don’t know, but I doubt
it. No, the magic of the next detour is unknown, but next time, I’ll take it.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-90577528063038459692014-01-15T23:08:00.002-06:002015-05-08T11:10:08.354-05:00Runner's Corner: Chasing the Runner's High<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lEFRTQZ4Y6VqzU8zOGduqzd2UQu1zpDldgmLK_uP1ED9V8I9xRK1LEK2TBFVbi9kXP2GKABmuwTlW2LYy4nMPSvroRMGbYkmT-6tK1xEztwiHW5jlT0ec3pe6bVzyDg3yjFibA/s1600/photo-16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lEFRTQZ4Y6VqzU8zOGduqzd2UQu1zpDldgmLK_uP1ED9V8I9xRK1LEK2TBFVbi9kXP2GKABmuwTlW2LYy4nMPSvroRMGbYkmT-6tK1xEztwiHW5jlT0ec3pe6bVzyDg3yjFibA/s1600/photo-16.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the cold predawn, I wake up before my alarm—as in, two
hours before my alarm. After some fitful tossing and turning, I realize that I
will not be getting back to sleep any time soon. A seven-mile run looms before
me, and I will have to do it on just a few hours of sleep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The biggest battle of the day is sometimes that moment where
I try to talk myself out of bed into the cold darkness of the bathroom to put my
running gear on. By the time I am done setting up the team water stop, I am just
beginning to not hate the fact I am awake. I may even catch myself feeling
hopeful as I watch packs of runners pass me on the road back to our team
meeting point. I imagine myself to be more like them—faster and more graceful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But this particular Saturday will be the worst run I’ve had in
a while. All runners have bad days I tell myself as I struggle to keep moving. I
am on a new diet. I am PMSing. I am tired. I give myself these excuses to
explain why I am dead-legged, out of breath and just plain miserable. Anything
to avoid the truth: I am out of shape. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am miserable the entire time, and also very self-conscious
about it because I am running with a team. Not only that, but I am supposed to
be mentoring this team. I am supposed to be upbeat and tireless with unending
energy—not this huffing and puffing mess. Luckily, the team is not as hard on
me as I am with myself, and the running camaraderie of the morning helps ease the
intense disappointment I feel about my own sorry performance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After four years as a runner, I am in the middle of a slump.
I can go six weeks without running and really not miss it at all. (I know—don’t
tell my running friends!) Which means that lacing up my running shoes has been
quite the battle lately.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I miss how I feel after a run. I miss the sense of
accomplishment. I miss the fitness. But I don’t know that I miss the act of
running. And slogging through a seven-mile run of shame certainly doesn’t help
matters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course, I am a stubborn soul. Just ask my husband. And
so, I refuse to give up so easily. In fact, my entire running career has been an
exercise in stubbornness more than anything else. I have spent more time as a
runner injured than not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So the next day, a sunny-and-60s Sunday, I decide a short
solo run will set things right. And I am wrong. Still dead-legged, I spend a
very long hour fighting high winds and hills just to get four miles in. (Yeah,
I know. Don’t remind me of my pace, as I am very aware of the math.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After back-to-back disasters, I made the hard decision to defer a half marathon I was supposed to run in Houston this weekend. And then I went out and bought new running shoes just to confuse myself.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But one of the things I absolutely love about running is
that you can only have so many bad running days before you are blessed with an
absolutely wonderful one. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I saw a quote once that I haven’t been able to find
again, which said that there are no bad runs because you learn from them all,
and the difficult ones make you stronger. (Imagine a quote much more poetic
than this paraphrase.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And today was an absolutely wonderful sunset run. The
weather was my idea of perfect running weather—chilly and dry. It was short, it
was fast (for me), and it was oh-so sweet. Most of all, it gave me hope. And it
gave me a place to start again.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-32815962805920653052013-12-19T13:12:00.001-06:002015-05-08T11:12:25.250-05:00Runner's Corner: Running, You've Lost That Loving Feeling<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtdCoHUoXB9QyYXSqYIZU1K0K8bnPXBcW4xyMs6v_PCIHcJB5gjcWytceFr3AU03DEahW3F50v7-LQ4eDv9Di368-LrzJ4uaaY-hMBvDIlQoHxSjE3yEdiEjzaimRaE5hsTFFLQ/s1600/photo-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtdCoHUoXB9QyYXSqYIZU1K0K8bnPXBcW4xyMs6v_PCIHcJB5gjcWytceFr3AU03DEahW3F50v7-LQ4eDv9Di368-LrzJ4uaaY-hMBvDIlQoHxSjE3yEdiEjzaimRaE5hsTFFLQ/s640/photo-14.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the start line with Wrath of the Tetons for the Grand Teton Relay</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyone who has ever been sidelined by injury probably
understands the new perspective you gain after a forced hiatus from an activity
you love. You realize how much you took for granted, and you long for just a
few minutes back out on the track (or the field) doing what you love. So when I
was given the go-ahead to run again after six months on the bench, I promised
myself—no more excuses. There wasn’t going to be a day too rainy or windy or cold to put my
feet on the pavement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As a direct result, 2013 has been a big running year for me.
And no, I didn’t PR. In fact, ever since I suffered a stress fracture last
year, my running times just haven’t been the same. And considering I am a
Corral K girl to begin with, that fact has been more than a little
discouraging.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But it has been a
year of several “firsts.” My first time fundraising and mentoring with Team in
Training, my first 25K, my first midnight race, and my first 180-mile relay. Then
last month, in Monterey, California, I completed my tenth half marathon. It was
my second time running Big Sur, and it remains my favorite race to date.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaFqKm5sof1vBsJtfoGVGiZD-dgfnhy471-zeKCw5j5kLGoMC5bkSegJFEJpmFC2ooKlEstBeIvooW4VF4x_cMf55Mte8hxdHstHdg3dnzB2aEB7FWVP42nOdQeU5CUaXCKUogdg/s1600/photo-15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaFqKm5sof1vBsJtfoGVGiZD-dgfnhy471-zeKCw5j5kLGoMC5bkSegJFEJpmFC2ooKlEstBeIvooW4VF4x_cMf55Mte8hxdHstHdg3dnzB2aEB7FWVP42nOdQeU5CUaXCKUogdg/s320/photo-15.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Midway through the Big Sur half in November</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Those of you who read my <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://pageinthelife.blogspot.com/2010/09/why-i-run-novice-runners-manifesto.html" target="_blank">Why I Run: A Novice Runner’s Manifesto</a></b> back in 2010, may remember
that I have only been running since 2009. When I completed my first half, the
Rock n Roll Mardi Gras, in 2010, I barely limped across the finish line and
swore never to do it again. But then something happened, and for some unknown
reason, I kept running.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It took me a long time before I was even comfortable calling
myself a runner. Whenever my newfound hobby came up in conversation, and
friends would tell me how much they hate running, I would say, “Oh I do too,
but....”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">what</i></b>? But when I ran, I felt stronger.
First it was just one mile and then one loop around the park and then five
miles and ten. And then I believed I could take on other insurmountable things
in my life. I turned myself from an undisciplined, nonathletic non-runner into
an undisciplined, nonathletic runner. And it felt great.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So last week, when the words “burnout” passed my lips, I
felt ashamed. The idea that I don’t want to run seemed impossible to me after
this year. In fact, any year but this year makes more sense. And yet, there it
is. I have lost my desire to run, which is very inconvenient, since I am
supposed to be running the Aramco Houston Half for the fourth time in less than
five weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back in August, during the second leg of the Grand Teton
Relay, I had a crisis of faith. I had expected to start later in the day, and
so I shivered in the cold, predawn in my shorts and t-shirt waiting for our
teammate at the transition point. I had only about an hour of sleep, and the
sun was just peaking out over the mountains ahead. My dead Texas legs were
going to have to carry me a 1,000 feet up to the Targhee Outlook (elevation
7961’), but I didn’t know how.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I cursed my decision to run the relay, and the person who
decided the only girl and the only Texan should complete this monster climb,
and then I cursed my decision to run at all, and probably at some point, my
very existence. I was, in no uncertain terms, completely unprepared for that
moment and for the existential angst that came with it. But eventually I
sputtered and cursed my way to the top and to one of the most spectacular
sunrise views I have ever seen … fueled by my own anger and stubbornness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis24sH1fkKUQ6I5my1u_4MLpURZMprucNjaHm8xvIodbWQ7sxSc7YK22UGoxTPOourjVTjtsWhDl-1h_ZVaUJbfKBARutaMDuD0pQqVHmj91cMxx8ZMOVCBRhyqnZbBMI_LXAngQ/s1600/photo-13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis24sH1fkKUQ6I5my1u_4MLpURZMprucNjaHm8xvIodbWQ7sxSc7YK22UGoxTPOourjVTjtsWhDl-1h_ZVaUJbfKBARutaMDuD0pQqVHmj91cMxx8ZMOVCBRhyqnZbBMI_LXAngQ/s400/photo-13.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my husband and uncle at Targhee Overlook</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The questions from that climb are still hanging on me. Why
do I run? I am not in better shape or faster than I was a year ago, so what am
I doing? Is it just self-punishment or some sort of perverse willfulness? And
is it possible for me to reconnect to the joy of that first sunny seven-mile
run around Audubon Park where running and I first began our love affair?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last year, my husband Richard bought me a necklace for my
first Big Sur half. “Run” it says simply, and on the back is etched “Try Easy.” Try
Easy is a mantra I adopted from a yoga teacher several years ago. It’s a
reminder to embrace what is instead of fighting. Trying hard is hard work—it’s
forced effort. Instead, why not adopt an attitude of ease and flow instead of
wasting energy on forcing a result? The tap of the necklace on my chest as I
run says, try easy, try easy, try easy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maybe that advice is just as valuable right now, with the
necklace resting quietly with me in this moment of stillness.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-40796285256080791652013-12-09T16:19:00.001-06:002013-12-18T11:42:13.819-06:00LOST: One Childlike Sense of Christmas Wonder<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM41BuWUhcQg4015cjBVIl6F-QN3F1tWmJ6P9HAmhm7jRELuMH8FgRZZsSA02bM72dCInO0FnmWuL_R-99JWjGf-avwLw0t0Q3i2MeHai8FIbluoxnGER0pVejx8Dlky1CITKZRA/s1600/photo-11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM41BuWUhcQg4015cjBVIl6F-QN3F1tWmJ6P9HAmhm7jRELuMH8FgRZZsSA02bM72dCInO0FnmWuL_R-99JWjGf-avwLw0t0Q3i2MeHai8FIbluoxnGER0pVejx8Dlky1CITKZRA/s400/photo-11.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first Christmas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nothing reminds me of how tricky time is, how it stretches
and shrinks on its own accord, like reflecting for a few minutes on how
Christmas felt as a child. December seemed to go on forever then, in
anticipation of that magical morning.</span><br />
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of my favorite Christmas accessories was the advent
calendar. Each morning we would open a new door on our paper calendar, one
chocolate square closer to the Big Day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was a little avarice…okay maybe a lot… that unapologetic
avarice children do so well. The Strawberry Shortcake bike, the EasyBake Oven,
the dollhouse I “couldn’t live without.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelsrRMFYniM61r-lZdOfMP-HJe1Y1I6DQ2C3IdsE9qRGrwp5CjltIf0dCNvahgBrghN3CM2CTz63vW_hCZ_tn02yC__23-6e71hfHzVzFXUMXy942VMGdBfcF0A2YapAs-BeN4w/s1600/photo-12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelsrRMFYniM61r-lZdOfMP-HJe1Y1I6DQ2C3IdsE9qRGrwp5CjltIf0dCNvahgBrghN3CM2CTz63vW_hCZ_tn02yC__23-6e71hfHzVzFXUMXy942VMGdBfcF0A2YapAs-BeN4w/s320/photo-12.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But the season was more than that: it was Christmas movies on
cold nights, stringing colored lights around trees and bushes, singing carols door
to door and making cookies in shapes with sprinkles and colored frosting. It
was completely enchanting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am not sure when December started to speed up, rushing
past me in a blink. Maybe it started when it became dominated by semesters and
finals. Or maybe it was later, in a blur of office Christmas parties and
deadlines and “scheduling” days off. I don’t remember when it happened, but for
a while now, I am ashamed to admit, Christmas has felt like just another
obligation, more often dreaded than anticipated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWI2DRup602r8PP5gXViovDT8ZdFrgPDsC9EbNaFR5DPYVcq0g10A-_fkcED8kYAV6ROMJS4xMyPO0KwWLnXQH_SY5BL0uTKovIxKUJIrt6WOoTDQQdaFkpZyevFPdluHclHHKw/s1600/photo-8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWI2DRup602r8PP5gXViovDT8ZdFrgPDsC9EbNaFR5DPYVcq0g10A-_fkcED8kYAV6ROMJS4xMyPO0KwWLnXQH_SY5BL0uTKovIxKUJIrt6WOoTDQQdaFkpZyevFPdluHclHHKw/s320/photo-8.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This year's decorating effort</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The angst over how many days we can “afford” to take off,
the tree and lights and ornaments that never come out of the box, the crowds
and traffic and mad rush of shopping is what Christmas has become. The bullet train
from Halloween night to Christmas day is a nonstop 30-minute commute, with no
time for magical wonder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don’t get me wrong. I watch White Christmas every year. I still
put Bing Crosby on the sound system. I have my red Christmas sweater and
sparkly earrings ready for the party, and hang the stockings above the
fireplace. But I look at my advent calendar now and realize a week has passed
without my notice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZGDqMOCv1bRiKf3uJ4Rbd63OgEL0_EyE9aLVpW7tFXCJVnqbzBW3K4aM7PgLod6ICfZvPaWCzp9cl1FsUKkdOxvYqSAC8O2p4qvgpM_rX5zznAsHhGsnZ1v4oAuDoldCVwCcRnQ/s1600/photo-10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZGDqMOCv1bRiKf3uJ4Rbd63OgEL0_EyE9aLVpW7tFXCJVnqbzBW3K4aM7PgLod6ICfZvPaWCzp9cl1FsUKkdOxvYqSAC8O2p4qvgpM_rX5zznAsHhGsnZ1v4oAuDoldCVwCcRnQ/s200/photo-10.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nativity advent calendar, <br />
a gift from my parents</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;">I know Christmas as an adult will never be the same as when we were children, but I miss those December days that would unfold leisurely enough for me to actually enjoy them…when the only thing on the to do list was “bake cookies.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Christmastime may be made for children, but perhaps there is
still time for the lost child in us to find that wonder again. I just can’t for
the life of me remember how.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg131dvci6H4cA_Unky-Y7TqkcOmJT4-6cNZfYM9SC3qiB1CYr8Sq87b1AwGv2JSk0J_Qcsq_YProZvQ2qKQqhcUWn87s9x_KZZAULyLIOCFsIkEVbMUm9q3mhjSUuX8ncXYsghMQ/s1600/photo-9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg131dvci6H4cA_Unky-Y7TqkcOmJT4-6cNZfYM9SC3qiB1CYr8Sq87b1AwGv2JSk0J_Qcsq_YProZvQ2qKQqhcUWn87s9x_KZZAULyLIOCFsIkEVbMUm9q3mhjSUuX8ncXYsghMQ/s400/photo-9.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hubby and I - November 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-89165615811671494032013-11-25T12:58:00.002-06:002013-12-18T15:02:43.245-06:00My Favorite Mistakes, PART TWO - The Abuser<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-ZmJKy4njP6Ngl-qEH5xll5xvfvdBzUdnKBFk38-VeP3u1XKw82hpDvhV1w_te_bFP8edSMXm402h1yV4F9UpaZUYy_Gk8YhPYnW0N-imvFWr4fg7hkzZnVPeWjAxNGPZ1tDFg/s1600/IMG_7674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-ZmJKy4njP6Ngl-qEH5xll5xvfvdBzUdnKBFk38-VeP3u1XKw82hpDvhV1w_te_bFP8edSMXm402h1yV4F9UpaZUYy_Gk8YhPYnW0N-imvFWr4fg7hkzZnVPeWjAxNGPZ1tDFg/s320/IMG_7674.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“How can you be so stupid?” he said, agitated and angry.
This man, who I saw in church every week, whose house I cleaned and kids I
watched and phones I answered. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was not the job I signed up for. I had been promised an
entry level sales position at his company, but that job never materialized.
Instead, I regularly cleaned up after his many children and dealt with his
verbal abuse at his office.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On this particular day, I found myself trying to learn
QuickBooks so I could fill out several years of his unfiled tax forms. He had
dropped the project on me an hour earlier and when he found me reading the
Quickbooks manual, he lost it. In his mind, I was wasting his time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After letting him rant and sputter, I stood up, told him to
shove it, and walked out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nobody ever intends to end up in an abusive relationship.
That bewildered 20 year old believed that if she kept working harder,
eventually he would be satisfied, eventually he would give her the job he
promised…eventually she would be recognized for all of her patience and hard
work. Luckily it only took her a few months to realize that was never going to
happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It only took a couple of months because I knew the signs all
too well…I just wasn’t expecting them from my boss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I said, nobody intends to end up in an abusive
relationship. In fact, in my experience, an abuser is usually quite charming at
first, all smiles and eager to please.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My first experience with an abusive boyfriend started with
the attention of a talkative boy following me home from high school. Despite my
reluctance to indulge him, his persistence eventually paid off. And then things
started to change. At first, it was subtle … I would look so much better if I
changed my hair or my clothes, and then, I really should work out because I was
getting fat, and then, why couldn’t I look as good or be as cool as some other
girl in our class?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My ideas weren’t good enough. My friends weren’t right. I
was too uptight and uncool. And then there were accusations—where had I been?
And with who? And the inevitable distrust and punishments, followed by feigned
remorse and gifts. But even then, he would keep track of how much gifts or
dinners he bought me cost him and sometimes demand the return of some gift I "didn’t deserve."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would love to be able to say that when he started yelling
at me, calling me stupid (or worse) or any of the other indignities I allowed
myself to suffer, that was when I left.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“He grabbed my arm and called me stupid so I told him to
shove it and I left.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, that was not the case. But eventually I did
come to my senses. And when I recognized that behavior in subsequent
boyfriends, I ran.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I say all of that to say this: we like to make a lot of
judgments about how people end up in abusive relationships, how they are weak
or have poor self-esteem. Why can’t they save themselves? But on the job, I
have seen dozens of people put up with insane levels of degradation and not
walk out. And I include myself among them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In my professional career over the last 15 years, I have had
screaming bosses that throw stuff, bosses that undercut the self confidence of
everyone around them, lying bosses who think everyone must be as dishonest as
them, bosses that sexually harass or say racist things to those who report to
them, and bosses that berate coworkers in front of their peers. I could go on,
but I think you get the point. And what happens to these bosses? Most of the
time, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">nothing</b>. No one calls them on
it, no one quits and no one reports them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why do we put up with something from a boss we would never
tolerate from a friend or significant other? Is it simply the paycheck or is it
something else? I asked myself this question and often the message I get is,
“Stick it out.” If I want to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">get ahead</b>,
I need to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">follow through</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">pay my dues</b>. If I can’t take the heat, should
I be barefoot in the kitchen?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The last time I walked out on an abusive boss, he had called
our team in after work and threatened to fire us all for screwing up a
project. When I arrived (still in yoga clothes because I was on my way to the
studio), our boss was not there. He was hopped up on painkillers and calling us
every name in the book by phone. He did not fire us that day, although he made
us work for several hours to “fix” a screw-up we continually denied. Only later
did we find out that we were right and had not messed up the project at all. It
was all just a misunderstanding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unlike my 20-year-old self, I never told him to shove it. I
gritted my teeth, smiled, thanked him for employing me, and put in my two
weeks.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-82992839152460079572013-11-12T13:52:00.001-06:002013-11-12T21:55:51.566-06:00The Most Important Meal of the Day Is Going Away<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcsjetbous-Fr1L9r48zy7ZiIc6JXJY6M27z6dXSNk9dYWIxc0upvaHlBzv2nzdde8dcCu2x4pH89FJZaQoxKaSH-XbZ9JrrBPl_UJlF5Dqk-B6sNqyICIyalJTf8oDhZJWOjKjw/s1600/409735_10151003189048994_1472772702_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcsjetbous-Fr1L9r48zy7ZiIc6JXJY6M27z6dXSNk9dYWIxc0upvaHlBzv2nzdde8dcCu2x4pH89FJZaQoxKaSH-XbZ9JrrBPl_UJlF5Dqk-B6sNqyICIyalJTf8oDhZJWOjKjw/s400/409735_10151003189048994_1472772702_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Old-fashioned oats with chai, ground flaxseed, </span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">acacia honey and fresh blueberries</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I read a very sad piece of news today. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/12/cereal-industry-trouble_n_4220458.html" target="_blank">It appears breakfast cereals may be going the way of the dinosaur.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Don’t get me wrong. I have never been a huge Fruit Loops
kind of person. In fact, growing up, my parents were much more likely to serve
oatmeal or shredded wheat than Lucky Charms or Captain Crunch. Actually, the
impending cereal extinction (if it happens) rests partly on my shoulders since
our household often only has one box of cereal in the </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">cupboard most of the
time. And that one box is more likely to need carbon dating than milk or sugar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I first read the story, I thought, well <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">of course</i>. Ever since this hate-on
started for carbs and wheat and corn and gluten and sugar and preservatives,
there have been plenty of breakfast foods that have moved from the healthy
category to the “eat this only if you want to die” category.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I hope that one day soon wheat toast with butter and jam,
two sunny-side eggs and a glass of cold milk will be considered a nutritious
breakfast again, but that is not my biggest worry.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPUMHsv5o48peb0k_jCJ9m3YUkA0TAiG3JbEW40Hdf5pCgGXni7qGzF0TtPScr1pfBQKZlinexULim0Vz4qG3Shlm_Rgm0NXMdXDue2RpLFA42k7ERQHkG1bX2fqjX-usTopuBuQ/s1600/photo-7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPUMHsv5o48peb0k_jCJ9m3YUkA0TAiG3JbEW40Hdf5pCgGXni7qGzF0TtPScr1pfBQKZlinexULim0Vz4qG3Shlm_Rgm0NXMdXDue2RpLFA42k7ERQHkG1bX2fqjX-usTopuBuQ/s400/photo-7.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Homemade yogurt with mandarin oranges, <br />granola and a drizzle of honey</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The part of the article that struck me most is the fact that
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">less than half of Americans eat breakfast
at all</i>. The article states: “And people just don’t have time to sit down
for a bowl of cereal anymore.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We don’t have time to eat a bowl of cereal? Seriously? I get
that we may not have time to cook up a pot of slow-cooked oats, but pouring
cold cereal from a box into a bowl is now too time-consuming?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And that isn’t the only thing I have heard a lot lately. Coffee-only
breakfasters are finding that brewing up coffee in a pot is now a time waster.
Instead, more and more folks are willing to pay top dollar for Keurigs and
other single-K cup machines to shave a few minutes off the morning routine.
Because we don’t even have time to drink “breakfast” in the morning apparently.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We invent more and more gismos and shortcuts designed to
save time, and yet our free time continues to dwindle down to nothing. Even
breakfast isn’t sacred any more, <a href="http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/most-important-meal" target="_blank">despite scientific reasons why eating this meal is so important.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am a big proponent of breakfast. I will eat breakfast for
dinner or late on a Sunday afternoon (yes, I know technically that is brunch
but really it is breakfast for lazy people like me). But I especially miss
having breakfast for breakfast. Some of my favorite memories are eating
breakfast with my grandfather as a child. He would cook up cinnamon oatmeal
with raisins, waffles and pancakes, or scrambled eggs with cheese and crumbled
bacon, and often he made up fresh loaves of bread served hot with butter and
homemade preserves or honey. Now THAT is breakfast.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RPNSiP8Uv3ryZG79S7X4_xGzVAcOkMeWLf9oNZPzCuVbemjM9FpluBUDreDszmzbGxgsese6_Fzpdklrim9rq6-yXhRrBzi-i1lbFCuWtucWWjvzesd1ySodjLs8HiCxVdDH3w/s1600/photo-5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RPNSiP8Uv3ryZG79S7X4_xGzVAcOkMeWLf9oNZPzCuVbemjM9FpluBUDreDszmzbGxgsese6_Fzpdklrim9rq6-yXhRrBzi-i1lbFCuWtucWWjvzesd1ySodjLs8HiCxVdDH3w/s640/photo-5.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Ham, egg and cheese breakfast casserole and hash brown casserole</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But even in the rush of school year breakfast, it was still
a moment for my family to sit around the table, exchange pleasantries and talk
about plans for the day before the rush of commutes and classes and meetings
began. I remember actually having time to eat my breakfast, not just shoveling food
in as fast as possible while I ran out the door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To me, the ritual of breakfast matters more than the “what
we eat” of breakfast. Eat a protein bar and a yogurt if you want, but do it at
your own breakfast table. Take 15 minutes and actually <i>taste</i> your food, have a conversation or read the news, and take a
deep breath before diving into the day. After all, it <i>is</i> still the most important meal of the day … and it deserves to
stay that way.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><b>PLEASE NOTE: All breakfasts pictured here actually created and consumed by blogger.</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Dollar waffles</span></span></td></tr>
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Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-20955687575054340052013-10-30T01:37:00.000-05:002013-10-30T01:54:03.023-05:00My Favorite Mistakes, PART ONE - First Crush<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWqmBL-ILF-hJJqBWCzTlF-BiPloOSsOTKuFW548UpYOTHpdqL-i23iEOStLT3q-YoiXvKKPo9J9a1VHA_K7La_KW66mN5gM5B5TxwFa1S1HFCtuosarBGo-2cRxKMOGrUL7TtA/s1600/photo-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWqmBL-ILF-hJJqBWCzTlF-BiPloOSsOTKuFW548UpYOTHpdqL-i23iEOStLT3q-YoiXvKKPo9J9a1VHA_K7La_KW66mN5gM5B5TxwFa1S1HFCtuosarBGo-2cRxKMOGrUL7TtA/s400/photo-4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“If only my professional life were going as smoothly as my
personal life,” I said to my husband over dinner. “If only I could find a job I
like as much as I like you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was just an offhand comment, or was it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My career path has been on my mind a lot lately. Its stops
and starts, the surprising turns in the road, and of course, the
disappointments. Oh, the disappointments. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Most of all, I have been thinking about where I am headed. With
perspective, it is easy to pinpoint what about a past job experience was good
or bad, but sometimes it is more challenging to see how each job fits into the
Big Picture. What lessons do I need to learn to help me on my career path
moving forward?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have been happily partnered with a man I love very much
for several years, but I haven’t been able to say the same for my career
partnerships in quite some time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I find the Big Picture is much easier to see when reflecting
on my dating life. I see how past relationships helped guide me to the place and
person I am now. Could I look at my professional life in a similar way? Aren’t
old jobs a lot like old boyfriends? And would comparisons reveal anything that
could help me find a better career match in the future?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Consider the first crush.</b>
My first crush lasted through most of my adolescence. Because it was an
unfulfilled infatuation, it lurked persistently in the background of my early
relationships with other less “perfect” dating partners.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My crush flamed on even after learning in a very brutal way that
my fantasy in no way matched reality. When I finally managed to get a date to
the dance with my Romeo, he spent the whole night pursuing <i>his</i> crush (obviously not me) in front of all of my friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is not easy for me to admit my fervor for my crush
remained mostly unshaken for another three years despite the humiliation of
that night. I was not able to drop my infatuation until college, long after Mr.
Romeo and I parted ways. I happened to run into him unexpectedly after class
one afternoon, and he asked <i>me</i> out.
When we finally had the date I had waited all my life for, it was tedious
enough to break the spell forever (Romeo who?).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I couldn’t help but see a parallel to an early job I also
crushed over for quite some time (though not for several years, thank goodness).
It was my first professional magazine job, and I wanted this job <b><i>so
much</i></b>. The employer played hard to get but I refused to give up.
Although it was obvious that I wanted the job more than the job wanted me, it
didn’t matter. As soon as they got me, they would see why we were meant to be
together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After <i>almost</i>
hiring me three separate times, eventually my dreams came true, and they
actually did. <b>Sort of.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was so thrilled I said yes even though it meant a hefty pay
cut to work contract, and they could only commit to me one month at a time.
They promised to hire me as soon as the hiring freeze lifted, which surely would
happen any day now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Months later, they were still stringing me along. I offered
to work after hours and on vacation for no extra pay to show my commitment, but
the promise of long-term employment never materialized.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To make matters worse, I was working in an office about as
exciting as a morgue and about as friendly as you would expect any corpse to
be. None of my colleagues went to lunch together, so I ate alone most days. The
office was quiet as a library during business hours. No one laughed at anyone’s
jokes (even mine). Instead of seeing this environment as the unfriendly,
unimaginative place it was, I found myself questioning my own talents instead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Still, I maintained this was the Job of My Dreams…I just
needed to hang on a little longer. And then the news dropped: the whole magazine
was moving to another state—and almost everyone wasn’t invited. Only then did I
realize the job I was in love with existed only in my mind. The reality was
crap. Instead of desperately hanging onto the job for the last few months
before they dumped me, I decided my contract wasn’t renewable at the end of the
month.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Both crushes gave me the exhilaration of hope but were devastating
when the spell broke. They taught me a hard lesson in the difference between an
ideal and reality. I had imagined the relationship being one way for so long,
that even when confronted with a reality that was entirely different, I still
saw my fantasy as real.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And while they both gave me a glimmer of the kind of relationship
I wanted and hoped to find one day, they also showed me what I <i>didn’t</i> want…once I woke up. I learned to
distrust the rush of infatuation, but I also learned self-respect. Compromising
that wasn’t an option, so I had to pick myself up and move on, a little broken
but a little wiser.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Have you ever had a
job crush where the reality didn’t match fantasy? How did you handle it? What
did you learn?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tune in for the next
installment when I compare more ghosts of boyfriends past with equally disappointing
vocational choices.</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-11704618352851699282013-10-11T11:55:00.002-05:002013-10-30T01:55:06.021-05:00Approaching Burnout<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQcwom49RRA_-WXpHk_Zo4O8Ur6UGs82uODyperLNeDB51EgxECHOmn2Jc6HR0mWF813e7ECZ7RZFybHv8ZE6kSttv0DYKAweLvFp9Jj-UStiljX9HIEzain_RxYPQvu0Rd_qyiA/s1600/36-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQcwom49RRA_-WXpHk_Zo4O8Ur6UGs82uODyperLNeDB51EgxECHOmn2Jc6HR0mWF813e7ECZ7RZFybHv8ZE6kSttv0DYKAweLvFp9Jj-UStiljX9HIEzain_RxYPQvu0Rd_qyiA/s400/36-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10,000 ft up Beartooth Highway in Montana feeling on top of the world.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have been delaying making the decision for over a month. And
every time I said, “Today’s the day,” I would come up with a reason to delay. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think that usually you don’t realize you have
overcommitted yourself until it is too late. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I was laid off from a job I
hated 6 months ago, my schedule opened up in wonderful ways. I could write, I
could read, I could run. I could even yoga. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All of the things I never seemed to
have time for.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So of course, the best thing to do when you finally have
time to do what you <i><b>want </b></i>is to completely pack your schedule until you are out
of free time again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Yes, I will run a 180-mile relay with you in the mountains.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Yes, I will ghost write your book.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Yes, I can do that rush assignment.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Yes, I will volunteer for more training.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Yes, I will be a fundraising mentor.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Yes, I will cook brunch for 30 people.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Yes, I will work every Friday and Saturday night. Who needs
a weekend?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Until suddenly, YES becomes a prison of your own making. How
did YES become so so wrong? Each YES gives away ownership of real estate in
your own life. And then you begin to wonder why you can’t say NO.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I operate under the belief that it is very hard to find that
“just right” amount of busy. Life tends to be feast or famine in many ways, and
so a certain amount of imbalance is to be expected. Plus, a lot of what I’ve
said yes to has been worthwhile. Life is short. Live it to the fullest, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the exact moment when I say yes, I genuinely want to say
yes … <b><i>well, at least 8 times out of 10</i></b>. And every time I confess to my husband
that I signed up for another half marathon or agreed to bag lunches for kids at
the food bank or took on a new case, he shakes his head. He knows what I often
forget.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Not only are there only so many hours in the day, but we
each have finite energy reserves. We can only make withdrawals from that
internal bank so often without depositing before we reach burnout. We can schedule
each day <b><i>down the second</i></b> but if we don’t allow ourselves time to recharge,
things we once enjoyed doing just become another obligation, another box on the
<b>To Do List</b> to check off. And that is no way to live.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To make matters worse, whenever my husband relaxes with a
FIFA soccer video game or goes off to play golf, inside I think, “Gee, must be
nice to have so much free time.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>How ridiculous is that when my own lack of downtime is
entirely my own fault?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Last month, I began looking at the October calendar with all
of its colorful dots marking future obligations, and I felt anxious. How is so
much of my time already spoken for? A lot of these dots represent things I want
to do—a vacation with family, a football game with friends—but taken as a
whole, I felt trapped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I knew it was time to drop something from my list. I say
“something” but I knew what that something was. I wanted it to be anything <b><i>but</i></b>
THAT something. I couldn’t deny, however, that my weekends were becoming a
battlefield between family obligations and my hours at the restaurant. So after
an intense, month-long war with myself, I decided to take a hiatus from my
apprenticeship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6rYjz7L7DxEhA_vUzIxuQR0ixbEfYSOCGFNiKUObplfhfAjvoXcN4f34uTgrRbu7L63CsPzB_5o9XVqFiBlHGixBdE9IzSvpKI70rIOwKysR2o27zoxYCAkpTrIw-1qgYjQ_5Q/s1600/photo-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6rYjz7L7DxEhA_vUzIxuQR0ixbEfYSOCGFNiKUObplfhfAjvoXcN4f34uTgrRbu7L63CsPzB_5o9XVqFiBlHGixBdE9IzSvpKI70rIOwKysR2o27zoxYCAkpTrIw-1qgYjQ_5Q/s400/photo-2.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">So hard to say goodbye!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I am sad. I am relieved. I am sad again. But it is only the
close of one chapter. And I when I start writing the next one, I won’t try to
jam a whole book into a few pages.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-72134048601563346222013-10-08T16:20:00.002-05:002013-10-30T01:55:23.382-05:00Saying No to Your "Dream Job"<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBYFz3BLdJa4ipDYBPD3DecOC_qFj24Yj9x05IMlCx08hHJOWQSwBFKKFH0aI26mIgVl4iBik45qgS9BWcolwfHj_HmtvkcXhVMb0vm00c-oVyiXJQY0UfEC0n74kJMHdnAkIIuw/s1600/photo-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBYFz3BLdJa4ipDYBPD3DecOC_qFj24Yj9x05IMlCx08hHJOWQSwBFKKFH0aI26mIgVl4iBik45qgS9BWcolwfHj_HmtvkcXhVMb0vm00c-oVyiXJQY0UfEC0n74kJMHdnAkIIuw/s400/photo-1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">About a month ago, I was offered a job at the restaurant
where I am learning to be a chef.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">On one level, this was a huge personal victory for me. Part
of the reason that I decided to see if I could hack it in a professional
kitchen was to prove to myself that I wasn’t just a home cook “playing chef.”
The question in the back of my mind for a long time has been, <b><i>Am I
talented enough to make a living at this?<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I wanted to test my culinary competency by actually putting
myself (and my ego) on the line. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Don’t get me wrong. I know I am not a chef (yet). I know I
came into the restaurant as a complete amateur.
Having a passion for food and a working knowledge of basic cooking
techniques in no way prepares you adequately for the demands of a professional
kitchen. And to become a chef takes years of hard work and dedication.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Before I made the jump, I asked my friend Ike how he got
started in the restaurant business. His advice was simple: <b>work really hard, be polite, be eager and be honest.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And that advice was spot-on in every way. If you lie about
your culinary skills in a restaurant, it takes about 5 seconds before the gig
is up. You have no other option but to walk the walk or take a hike. And you
cannot be above doing any task. Everyone does their time washing dishes,
cleaning up fish guts and dumping grease in the rusty barrel by the dumpster.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is hard work. It
is not glamorous work. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you are willing to risk, willing to fail, willing to look
like a complete fool, and willing to keep working when you just want to pull
off your apron, tell everyone to F--- off and go home, then you can make it in
a professional kitchen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My early weeks at the restaurant highlighted everything I <b><i>didn’t</i></b>
know about a topic I have studied as a hobby for more than a decade. To say it
is a humbling experience is an understatement. But the challenge is also
exhilarating. It is a steep learning curve, but certainly not an impossible
one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have succeeded in a professional setting in ways I didn’t
think were possible, and that is empowering. Perhaps my biggest disappointment with
this whole experiment is that my success has less to do with my innate culinary
talent (or lack thereof) and more to do with me just being stubborn and
persistent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So I was surprised when instead of feeling happy that I had
been offered a position, I felt tremendous anxiety. My response confused a lot
of my friends. <b><i>Isn’t this what I was working towards? Isn’t this a dream come true?<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The answer that began to emerge from the quiet deep of my
mind is: <b><i>No, this is not the right choice for me. <o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Do I want to work in
the culinary world? </i><b>Yes. </b><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Do I want to work in a
restaurant? </i><b>Ehhhh.</b><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Consider a few of the realities of working in a professional
kitchen:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1. You lose your
weekends or nights or holidays or all of the above, meaning, you lose your
social life. At first you are invited to a lot of things you can’t go to. Eventually,
you just will not be invited to anything any more.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2. You have family
coming up for the weekend? You want to take a week vacation to France? Tough.
Good luck finding someone to cover more than one shift ever.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">3. You work without any
breaks most of the time, including breaks to eat or use the bathroom.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">4. Your back will
hurt, your knees will hurt, and your hands will be covered in scars from
various cuts and burns. And you will come home wired at 11 pm when everyone
else is ready for bed. (Which, I now realize, is probably why most line cooks
are about 10 years younger than me.)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">5. Your starting wage
will be not much above minimum wage, and if you finally make it to executive
chef, you will likely still have servers who make more money than you do.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Of course, Chef told me from the beginning how crazy I was
to want this life and exactly what I was getting myself into. So he was not the
least bit surprised when I turned down the “dream job.” Though if I’m honest,
it was never my dream to begin with. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The other night, Chef was telling each of his staff members
what he envisioned their next step to be. For one person, a move to the grill,
for another, to become a sous chef at a bigger restaurant. For me? To quit all
of this restaurant business and go back to writing. When I want to cook, I can make
canapés for dinner parties with my girlfriends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I laughed and shrugged it off, because I certainly had thought
about quitting all of this restaurant business, but the implications of his
statement stayed with me. Have I just been Susie Homemaker “playing chef” this
whole time? Should this whole experiment end with me returning to my home
kitchen to lick my wounds, or at the very least, make bacon-wrapped shrimp and fiesta
pinwheels for the next Dancing With the Stars premiere? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I say, no to canapés, no to Dancing With the Stars premiere
parties (sorry DWTS fans), and no to giving up on a dream much larger than this
small chapter. I am a writer. I am a cook. And I am not that easy to get rid of.</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-84716643364894448412013-08-05T14:24:00.001-05:002013-08-06T16:06:05.497-05:00How to Do What You Love (When You Don’t Feel Like It)<style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvroNyh4wGPLcy6-ao40B7GXyfjRHL5PXJLb3pvS-CJhMwl6gK5Fncqq3cpzuzedBPHivp21nSojMuWsuaq4103E8P1Hfg60GslcTd1dzyH3MJRYy0tfUG7Gvw1ZCzdSunpBXU8w/s1600/59954_10151358205572451_1507511585_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvroNyh4wGPLcy6-ao40B7GXyfjRHL5PXJLb3pvS-CJhMwl6gK5Fncqq3cpzuzedBPHivp21nSojMuWsuaq4103E8P1Hfg60GslcTd1dzyH3MJRYy0tfUG7Gvw1ZCzdSunpBXU8w/s1600/59954_10151358205572451_1507511585_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A couple of months ago I said goodbye to the oil and gas
business in order to focus on my two loves: cooking and writing. And so far,
other than the lack of cash, I am happy with that choice. Even when I am bone
tired, frequently outside my comfort zone and working very hard for free, I
feel <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">satisfied</i></b>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So imagine my surprise when I found myself procrastinating
heading into the restaurant Friday afternoon for another chance to live the
dream. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I am so tired. Can’t I
just sit here on the couch and read a book?</i> I asked myself silently. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I need to take a break. </i>That thought
quickly escalated into more existential analysis: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why am I doing this? What is my big plan? Shouldn’t I have a plan? Do I
even want to do this?</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">These thoughts followed me out the door, on the road and
into the kitchen, where I uncharacteristically showed up a full 30 minutes
later than normal for my shift. Passing the chef, I pasted on a smile, set down
my knives and put on an apron. No time for angst. Time to get to work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Miss Jessica,” he said cheerfully. “I have a special app
that I want you to be in charge of tonight. I want you to make it, assemble it
and come up with your own presentation and description.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Secret ingredient: fig. One of my favorites. Stuffing: goat
cheese, honey and thyme. Awesome. Packaging: prosciutto. More things should
arrive prosciutto wrapped.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Feeling excited, I began my work, but as the hours passed, excitement
became irritation and anxiety. In a packed and tiny kitchen, you are often in
people’s way or pulled off task to meet other requests. The frequent
interruptions and the pressure of creating a dish on the spot were not sitting
well with my already resistant psyche.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To my horror, I actually told Chef I wasn’t given enough
time to prepare and that I didn’t know what I was doing. Understandably,
neither of those comments went over very well, and soon after, I presented my
plate to the Chef, bracing for the worst. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The dish was not a disaster. The critique was fair, and I
received a valuable lesson on how to manage space on a plate. With two small
adjustments, we had an appetizer ready for service. (In fact, it sold out that
evening.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Still my sour mood persisted as we suited up, and I took my
place next to Chef on the line. Despite my efforts to hide it, my lack of
sunshine was peeking through. Less than an hour into the evening, he asked what
was up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“I am okay. In a bad mood tonight, but not sure why,” I
said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Go home,” he said abruptly. “I don’t need anyone in my
kitchen in a bad mood.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This pronouncement jolted me to my senses. Suddenly, I
wanted very much to be there and back peddled sufficiently to avoid banishment.
And thank goodness for that moment because all of the noise in my head could
not silence the truth: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I want to be here</i>.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And once I wanted to be there, the night immediately
improved.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We all have those days when our best intentions meet with
inertia or resistance. We hit snooze. We drag our feet. We call in sick. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxV0d1OBPFBXlXq5pj5RKiMMvkJMB_p51TBKTo27XwrptKx0ohpYIVJ4f7d6J3_iithQPScPbzhgqDTmNAIzt_eIRxvfe8-eDz3ts9AW6AxbPTC_4exfg6IeS8dQGvBVIbsCy97w/s1600/photo(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxV0d1OBPFBXlXq5pj5RKiMMvkJMB_p51TBKTo27XwrptKx0ohpYIVJ4f7d6J3_iithQPScPbzhgqDTmNAIzt_eIRxvfe8-eDz3ts9AW6AxbPTC_4exfg6IeS8dQGvBVIbsCy97w/s400/photo(5).JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Even when we do what we love, we aren’t going to love doing
it every day. Some days, the running shoes stay in the closet, the Rosetta Stone
lesson stays unopened and you order takeout instead of trying that new recipe. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Other days, you power through a bad run or spend a day
screwing things up in a kitchen, and can only take comfort in the fact you put
in the time (however disappointing) in spite of your own efforts to sabotage yourself.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The good days, the bad days and all the days in between are <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all</i></b>
part of living the dream. One day is just one day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Maybe, like me, you sometimes forget how much you actually
do love what you are doing. And if you are lucky, life will (gently) kick you
in the head and remind you. Allow those “I want to be here” realizations to
carry you through the days when you aren’t so sure. On a particularly
underwhelming day, you may be pleasantly surprised by how content you are.</span><br />
<br /></div>
Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-85994779781970985772013-07-28T11:01:00.000-05:002013-08-06T16:06:46.384-05:00Do We Really Need Another Food Blog?<style>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUZ1RTf_KMvZ2vATMjt2mUDJwn6BYvFZOSSh4HiyoJF4iWZBerh96NNYOEuCf0Oi2bw-2V3NqSZt8jXNXFzmsdAZomT1cvtyYWvRNZR0G8eulw_eXfluiNI_O3HMQsvCGurTlWg/s1600/1073275_10151858190633465_707827664_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUZ1RTf_KMvZ2vATMjt2mUDJwn6BYvFZOSSh4HiyoJF4iWZBerh96NNYOEuCf0Oi2bw-2V3NqSZt8jXNXFzmsdAZomT1cvtyYWvRNZR0G8eulw_eXfluiNI_O3HMQsvCGurTlWg/s400/1073275_10151858190633465_707827664_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For the past two months and change, I have been staging
(read: chef apprenticing without pay) at a French restaurant a few days a week.
Countless friends have suggested that I blog about my experiences, and my
answer is always, “Yeah, I should do that.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yet, here I am 24 working days and 178 hours into my
professional kitchen experiment, and I haven’t written one word on my blog. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In fact, I haven’t touched this blog in ages. I have come up
with a number of reasons (read: excuses) for why this is: I am too busy. I
would rather spend my time on paid writing projects. I am too burned out to
write for myself after writing for hire. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But the answer I keep coming back to is, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why
would anyone care what I have to say? </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We reached the social media oversaturation point a long time
ago. Now everyone is “positioning themselves” with a social media strategy to
launch their brand, their product, their book to the public so they can make it
big, or at least make some money. Don’t I want to write the next <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Julie & Julia</i> or at least release a
cookbook?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When it comes to food blogs in particular, we have an
abundance of supply and a fair amount of demand. Not only does every food
magazine release its list of top food blogs I need to be following, but top
food blogs make their own top food blog lists. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oh</i>, I think to
myself, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I better bookmark all of these so
I can never look at them again.</i> I have enough on my schedule every day
without homework assigned by the editors of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bon
Appétit</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Should I contribute to this food blog fetish? I am not sure.
Is my apprenticeship boring? Not in the least. Am I learning things that might
be interesting to other cooks out there? Most definitely. Perhaps most of all,
am I having fun? Hell yes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And … so what?</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What do I have to add to the existing discourse of the
foodiesphere when I would say there is already plenty being said? Who wants to
read what I have to say?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Then I realized I am asking the wrong question. What I need
to ask myself is, Do I have something I need to say? Not do I have <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">anything</i> to say because we all probably
say far more than we need to in a given day. More like, what is that something
that keeps pushing to the surface of my thoughts despite my repeated efforts to
dismiss it? What do I <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">need</i></b> to say?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If I say what must be said, then that is enough. And if I am
lucky, a few readers will think it was worth saying.</span></div>
Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-62225233209514284072010-09-30T16:34:00.002-05:002013-08-06T16:05:13.916-05:00Why I Run: A Novice Runner's Manifesto<style>@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFG_JLKuBGbhy9QP_wWRLG64ht-CDKno-9faeF2fY5K-hxXyVBFpdnAgbcXrOpxGXCrmz8CvkOAJ-TM5WK4j5AWoNgjDjIICjvKc1Sb2gLUgpI2Wj_jvM4XNY1zZyI-9zAxyPyg/s1600/95823-1192-036f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFG_JLKuBGbhy9QP_wWRLG64ht-CDKno-9faeF2fY5K-hxXyVBFpdnAgbcXrOpxGXCrmz8CvkOAJ-TM5WK4j5AWoNgjDjIICjvKc1Sb2gLUgpI2Wj_jvM4XNY1zZyI-9zAxyPyg/s1600/95823-1192-036f.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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I am not a runner. And by that I mean, I did not fall in love with running at an early age, compete in high school track meets, graduate to marathons, or establish a lifelong pattern of daily running.</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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I restarted my running “habit” a little more than a year ago, though I still have had my stops and starts since. In fact, on most days I will admit that I don’t actually enjoy running all that much. I don’t deal well with discomfort—the hard pounding rattles my joints and aches my shins. For the first five or so minutes, I am acutely aware of every ache and twinge, the slight rub of my shoes on my heel or toe, the burn of my lungs or a complaining muscle.</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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I also find it difficult to breathe through my nose as directed because it seems to get immediately congested. And I must be chronically dehydrated despite guzzling down thermos after thermos of water, because I always feel thirsty.</div>
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Very few days are ideal running days in New Orleans. You have the uncomfortable stickiness of summer, even early in the morning or late in the evening. Or you have the suffocating humidity, the miserable rain. And of course, the bone chill when we actually have what passes for winter here.</div>
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If running is so miserable, why do I do it? Perhaps I like to punish myself, I’m an overachiever or I have lost my mind.</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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No—I am not out to prove myself or punish myself, and oxygen is still getting to my brain.</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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And yet non-running friends repeatedly ask me, “How can you do that? I hate running.” Or they warn me of its dangers or simply say, “Better you than me.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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<i>So why do I run?</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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</div>
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<b>I run because there is a comfort in knowing my own two feet have the strength to carry me, first a mile, then two, and then maybe twelve.</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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</div>
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For my first (and only) half marathon, I was injured and hadn’t trained properly because of it. I also had bronchitis. But a friend came into town to run with me, and I didn’t want to disappoint her. I wasn’t able to run the full 13.1, but I was able to run longer than I ever have before. And I still finished the race in time to receive a medal.</div>
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The experience was overwhelming—especially the realization that I was able to carry myself around the city on my own two (if blistered) feet. In fact, that day I ran to parts of town that I am often too lazy to drive to because they are “just so far away.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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<b>I run because it puts me in tune with my body in ways I am usually not.</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: verdana;">
Experts talk about the “mind-body connection” but I think most of the time I am blissfully unaware of what my body tries to tell me. I ignore little aches and pains, am sometimes careless about my diet, or let stress build up without realizing it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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During a run, it is hard to ignore that I didn’t eat enough or eat right beforehand, that I didn’t drink enough water, stretch properly or get enough sleep. If my neck or shoulders are tense, I feel hunched and awkward during my run, or I may notice that my breathing is erratic if I am anxious or tired. This awareness has changed my runs, but more than that, it has improved my behavior when out of my running shoes.</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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<b>I run because running isn’t gimmicky.</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: verdana;">
Although runners can accessorize with heart rate monitors, GPS trackers, iPods and other gadgets, all anyone really needs to run is a pair of running shoes and a place to run.</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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If the gym is closed, I can run around the block or at the park. Throw my shoes in a suitcase, and I can run even if I am on vacation. No special equipment, fad diet, workout guru or overly hyped DVD required.</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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My grandfather picked up a running habit as a teenager in the army and kept it for decades after. Running just slipped into his daily life without fanfare, but it is vivid in my childhood memories. I often conjure him up during my own difficult runs to remind myself of his no-nonsense approach.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>I run because it’s ok to be a novice.</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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I have never excelled at group sports or really considered myself athletic. I know about as much about a weight room as I do about quantum physics. And I always forget which is overpronating and which is underpronating.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But that’s ok. Running is a sport of inclusion, not exclusion. You never know what friendship might blossom while sharing a path with a fellow runner who happens to keep the same pace as you.</div>
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There are expert competitive runners out there, but it isn’t required. If you choose to race, you will learn what not to do next time. I have been so touched by the great advice I have gotten along the way, not just from friends and loved ones, but from casual acquaintances eager to share their running passion.</div>
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I like to think of running like my first guitar lesson: You learn one or two chords, and you can strum out a tune even if you are never Van Halen. If you choose to race and graduate to foam rollers and gu, that’s great. But if you want to stick to the “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” equivalent of running, that’s cool too.</div>
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<b>I run because it changes my perspective and teaches me about myself.</b></div>
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Just being on foot makes you see the scenery differently—feel it differently. It engages more of the senses. You feel a rough stretch of road in your feet or a gentle misting from a nearby sprinkler, smell new asphalt mixed with the wafting fragrance of some nearby jasmine, or the dusty taste of the air just before the rain. Trees rustle, ducks talk and bikes whiz by.</div>
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If you allow yourself to become fully aware during your run, these little daily variations on a familiar street help keep it fresh and interesting. And if you leave a familiar path to explore new roads you are sure to discover something else you never knew was there.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDb1eg1Y5tfqvlwlt3PebuBt0tk-qackDLKkYrSQA88bt3g2nes3Nx9B_k-jvZhWmj4dSEV-t2dkfQLe1Hv8IoujDHhlTGIQ-b7eD4kIm5Aj99AqM2eQMGqcrxevTvhBzkoDqY_Q/s1600/724481-1071-0016s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDb1eg1Y5tfqvlwlt3PebuBt0tk-qackDLKkYrSQA88bt3g2nes3Nx9B_k-jvZhWmj4dSEV-t2dkfQLe1Hv8IoujDHhlTGIQ-b7eD4kIm5Aj99AqM2eQMGqcrxevTvhBzkoDqY_Q/s400/724481-1071-0016s.jpg" title="" width="265" /></a>For me, however, a lot of time is spent getting to know my own inner monologue. Often it comes up with reasons why I really don’t need to run another lap around the park because I’m tired or hurting or it may start raining. Sometimes my inner me is just bored and wonders why I am running in the first place. Other times it thinks I am fooling myself by pretending to be athletic, and it reminds me that some bodies are just not built to run.</div>
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The more discomfort I feel, the more chatter I hear. I am learning to distance myself from these inner pronouncements, and just observe and even develop compassion for that inner voice. I use the same technique I use in yoga class—breathe in, breathe out, focus on the breath, and be fully in the present moment. Accept this moment—and myself—exactly as I am now. Right now is enough. In these moments, running is like a meditation.</div>
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And every once in a while, on a sunny morning, looking at the blue sky with a light breeze against your back and your favorite song blasting, you might accidentally find you are enjoying five miles around the park.<br />
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Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-38330712374482073112008-06-15T17:31:00.002-05:002008-06-15T18:03:29.787-05:00Week Four: Timing Is EverythingThe moment of truth ... at least so far: we had our food graded by our instructor in this week's class. Once again, we worked in teams (of four this time).<br /><br />We had to prepare five dishes from recipes, and we had to prep them for a particular 5 minute window and plate them as though they were made for service.<br /><br />Cooking to fit a particular window is far harder than I thought. We had too many dishes done too early, and fired (i.e., cooked) our fish way too early. Also, the group before us ran long, so our scheduled window came and went ... we ended up wrapping all of dishes in foil and putting them on the flattop (above the stoves) to try to keep them warm. This approach works for some things and not others.<br /><br />Here was the menu and a few things we learned from each dish:<br /><br /><strong>Roast Cornish Game Hen with Wild Rice Stuffing (Richard)</strong><br /><br />First, I have to brag on Richard here. His cornish hen was PERFECTLY cooked and looked beautiful. Just before he cooked it, he realized that he forgot a couple of ingredients for the wild rice and had to empty it out, mix in the ingredients and re-stuff. But it still looked and tasted great. However, he forgot to untruss the hen before serving it to the instructor. Not a good idea. Also, wild rice takes FOREVER to cook.<br /><br /><strong>Country Braised Chicken (me)</strong><br /><br />The recipe I used was actually quite good. The instructor liked the flavor of my sauce (basically a pureed reduction of the braising veggies and liquid with a little additional seasoning), and he thought the chicken looked and tasted good. I ALMOST got in trouble for puttting all four drumsticks on the plate, but saved myself by telling him I cooked it for family style service. He also liked the toasted almond garnish. HOWEVER, he thought I overgarnished (the chopped parsley was described as "yard clippings") and he didn't like that all of the sauce was buried underneath the chicken where the diner couldn't see it. Oh, and the plate (and dish) weren't hot enough.<br /><br /><strong>Seared Pork Loin with Brennan's Red-Wine and Mushroom Sauce</strong><br /><br />Once again, I was responsible for our yard clipping overgarnish on this dish. Chef thought that the sauce was too tomato-y and did not have enough taste of mushrooms, and it was too thick. He also didn't like that our group put the sauce on top of the pork, which hid the beautiful sear on the meat. Meat was a little overcooked. The dish wasn't hot enough.<br /><br /><strong>Teriyaki Salmon with Pineapple-Papaya Salsa</strong><br /><br />Chef loved the flavor on the salsa, but the dice was too big. Also, he thought that our marinade was too soy-saucy. We marinated the fish far longer than recommended, so it broke apart on the grill, and we cooked it too early, so it was cold and kind of gross by the time we served it. Oh yeah, and we used too much of the salsa when we plated it.<br /><br /><strong>Pan-Fried Flounder with Toasted Garlic</strong><br /><br />The flounder was also not hot enough, although it was cooked properly. The buttery garlic sauce tasted good, but was hardly a sauce by the time we served it. We prepared it too early, so the dish was cold and the sauce had a chance to harden up. He also thought the fish was underseasoned.<br /><br />Altogether, it was a great learning experience--and a humbling one. It is one thing to prep a dish so that it tastes great the moment you finish it, and it is quite another to time things properly to have them taste good at a very specific time.<br /><br />A lot of foods taste good when they come right off the heat, but not so much when they are reheated or sit for a little while. Part of cooking a lot of food and a variety of food is knowing what foods will hold if you cook them early (and how to hold them), and which ones won't ... and knowing to what point you can prep something that won't hold so you can be as close as possible to done as early as possible.<br /><br />I also learned that I do not know how to garnish ... well, at ALL apparently. Something to work towards ...Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23181517.post-29473001932785744222008-05-30T18:33:00.007-05:002008-06-15T18:09:03.309-05:00Week Three: Now We're Cooking!I am happy to report that we were finally unleashed in the kitchen.<br /><br />Crazy? Maybe. But the theme for week three was "major cooking techniques" and ready or not, we did it--in groups of four no less. Hey, no time like the present, right?<br /><br />So what were we newbies allowed to cook in the class kitchen?<br /><br />We shallow-poached fish and deep-poached eggs.<br /><br />We pan-fried chicken and fish, and deep-fried fresh-cut french fries.<br /><br />We simmered rice and boiled pasta, roasted onions and carrots, and braised chicken thighs.<br /><br />We sauteed shrimp and bell peppers, and seared pork loin.<br /><br />Because our group was so large, the chefs not only divided us into foursomes to tackle the list, but they also had half of us work from the top of the list down and the other half from the bottom of the list up. It was crowded, er, EVERYWHERE. It was hot and loud and chaotic. It was hard to find open burners or clean pans. And most of all, it was messy: Greasy stovetops, tabletops, floors and culinary students.<br /><br />I am pleased to report, however, that the group my husband and I ended up in did pretty well--and our mise en place was MUCH improved. No big blunders. In fact, curiously enough, I believe the things we had some trouble with were actually those I thought would be easiest: rice and pasta. The chef rated both as underdone initially. I guess al dente is in the eye of the beholder ... And we learned the trick of cooking french fries twice. Very cool.<br /><br />Here is a short-list of some of the kitchen wisdom gained from this week's class:<br /><br />1. Cooking is basically nothing more or less than applying heat to food. There are three types of cooking: dry, moist, and a combination of the two. Dry cooking would include roasting and baking, grilling and broiling, sauteing and frying. Moist methods include simmering, poaching and steaming. Combination techniques include braising and stewing.<br /><br />2. Fat application is a big deal since fat plays a big role in the flavor profile. The right amount of fat enhances flavor. Under-fatting means no base, body or finish to your food. Over-fatting muddies the palette. Apparently, I have a problem with over-fatting. Tricky tricky...<br /><br />3. No cooking times are accurate. You cook the food until it is done. There are too many variables to know exactly. Cooking times are ballpark figures. Learn to recognize doneness by using the senses. Even the best thermometer still has an error range of +/- 5 degrees.<br /><br />4. Do as the restaurants do: get the color you want on a piece of meat using the stopetop and if it isn't done, finish it in the oven. It seems so simple and yet I never really thought about it that way!<br /><br />5. The magic temperature when cooking proteins is 120 degrees (120-125 degrees = rare). That is the temperature at which proteins start to denature. A temperature of 140 degrees is ok (135-145 degrees = medium rare), but anything over 160 is ick (160 degrees = medium). EXCEPTIONS: ground meats and poultry (bring to 165 degrees for safety reasons).<br /><br />Why not cook meat to more than 160 degrees? Because heat makes protein molecules coagulate and the more they do, the harder, drier and tougher they get. Also, if you aim for a temperature of 150-155 degrees, you have to pull it off the heat earlier because the carry-over cooking (off the heat) can be 10 degrees or more. This is why you may have heard of the concept of letting meat "rest" before eating. It gives the meat a chance for the juices to redistribute.<br /><br />This edict about the 160 degree cut-off also applies to pork. If the meat is white throughout, it is overcooked. Aim for a hint of pink. Ignore older cookbooks that state otherwise. If diners insist on overcooked pork, you can increase the moisture and tenderness of the meat by brining it (basically a water-and-salt solution at its most basic) before cooking to help lock in moisture.<br /><br />6. Sugars caramelize, not proteins. To say that you are caramelizing meat is a misnomer. What we call caramelization is actually a mayard reaction in the amino acids. This process gives the dark crust on the exterior of meats that does add flavor but does NOT seal in juices.<br /><br />And for the record, while we are talking about it, starches gelatinize and fats melt when heated.<br /><br />7. Ninety-five percent of all cooking starts with a very hot pan ... and cold fat. Add the fat to a hot pan to keep it from overcooking and going rancid. While we are talking about hot pans ... don't heat a pan until a smokes, particularly a nonstick pan. A nonstick can give off noxious fumes, and smoking metal is not a desirable flavor in our food.<br /><br />8. When sauteing, don't overcrowd the pan or you will end up steaming it instead.<br /><br />9. Pan-frying always involves some sort of coating on the food, even if it is just flour. Otherwise, it is a saute. When deep-frying, caoting is optional but get as much moisture out of the food as you can, or it can cause an explosion.<br /><br />10. When cooking pasta or rice, if you break a grain of rice in half or piece of pasta and there is still a bit of white in the center, it is not done. The doneness also depends on the ultimate use for the rice or pasta. Will it be served hot or cold? Will it undergo a second round of cooking? These factors must be considered.<br /><br />But perhaps the MOST important thing I learned that night is something simple, something I already knew but we somehow all forgot in our culinary fervor:<br /><br />CLEANLINESS IS A VIRTUE.<br /><br />That night, we had to clean, as usual. But this time, we had been very messy children. To top it off, we had the joy of taking apart ALL of the very large and steaminig hot stovetops, and scrubbing them down with steel wool soaked in degreasing solution. By the end, my arms were sore, I was dripping sweat, my jacket was stained an odd shade of black-brown, I smelled of grease, and I had several steel wool splinters.<br /><br />It reminded me of the summers when I worked in my grandfather's gas station and had to clean the popcorn maker, which like the stovetop burners, cleans best when it is scalding hot!<br /><br />Not my first dirty job, and the chefs assured us, not our last ... But we all swore we'd be cleaner next week. Somehow, I doubt it.Accidental Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00179970909352395814noreply@blogger.com1