Food Manifeasto

For about two-thirds of my life all I really knew was subsistence eating. My parents fed us almost completely from boxes. Hamburger Helper, Chef Boyardee, Idaho Mashed Potatoes, 8 for a dollar Ramen Noodles, Bologna and Cheese on store-bought, white bread are the things I think of when I think about my childhood food. There were never really any sit-down meals in my family, home-cooked or otherwise. I can't recall when the last time my family had dinner at a restaurant. I think it may have been after my graduation from junior high. I was never shown the communal aspect of the meal. It was merely fuel. Food meant nothing. So much so that an ex-girlfriend once made a beautiful dinner complete with roasted potatoes and vegetables and I scoffed at it asking “Why spend so much time and effort on food?”

I am not mentioning any of this looking for sympathy at all. Merely to illustrate where I came from so as to better portray where I am now. Over the last 10 years I've come to recognize the importance and power food and drink hold in our lives.

Nearly all of the relevant relationships in my life have come to bloom and flourish over food and drink. There's a depth and honesty of conversation and interaction between people you don't see any other way. Some of the finest nights of this past decade have happened in dimly lit rooms with a small group of people I love, over charred flesh and smoky whiskey. Obviously, it doesn't have to be that setting or that menu. I've also had plenty of fantastic times sitting on a deck eating grilled burgers while drinking beer. Or wings and chips watching the game. Or terribly unhealthy fried stuff and whatever creations we come up with while sitting around with the “fellas” watching grown men in tights roll around with each other on pay-per-view. It's sometimes with 4 people or 6 people. Sometimes with 20 people or 2 people. The point being; it's moments like these that have allowed me to realize why some of the extraordinary people in my life are so extraordinary. It's not just sharing a meal...it's briefly sharing life.

Cooking is an entirely different animal, but for me it's one that's become just as important. Not everyone can do it. So you can't really judge someone by how they cook. But for those of us that do cook, we generally give a piece of ourselves with the food that we serve. I know when I cook, it's a means of expression. I'm not talking about subsistence cooking. When I can barely stand after a torturous day of work and I heat something up or haphazardly toss together a salad. I'm talking about when I start with some sort of idea and nurse it along from concept to plate. When the intention is to eventually serve that idea to someone other than just me. There's an artistry there that I hadn't recognized until I started to cook that way myself. There's a tremendous amount of excitement and trepidation when I present something I made for the first time to someone else to try. I can't wait to see the eyebrows raise and the corners of their mouth lift to reveal a smile of satisfaction. At the same time I dread seeing their foreheads wrinkle when they're searching their minds trying to find something nice to say about the awful dreck I've just had them put in their mouths because they don't want to hurt my feelings.

There's this wonderful back and forth to be shared between people that love to cook. I've had so many interesting conversations with people about cooking with folks I might never have even spoken to had we not had that in common. Bouncing ingredients and ideas off of someone that also sees a vision in food is one of my favorite things in the world.

Basically I just figured I'd give folks a bit of a reason as to why food has become an important part of my life. It's not just the carnal and sensual nature of some meals (although seriously, that's a big plus). It's that food brings people together. Food isn't merely fuel. It's a uniter. It's a vessel for sharing. So I want to share with you. I've got a few years of restaurant reviews stored up that have been posted in various other places that I'll get around to posting from time to time as I got through them. I may feel the need to go back and revisit some of the places if I feel I didn't do a good enough job in representing them. I've got some recipes that might be worthy of sharing and maybe some opinions on food matters that I want to express. An article here or there that I've stumbled upon that I think is worth sharing. I do warn you ahead of time, I have a tendency to get a little wordy. You may have noticed that reading this lengthy soliloquy. I hope someone gets something out of what I share. I hope some people feel the urge to share with me. As the man who taught me the most about what I know about food might say...let's all go find some Good Eats.