So I woke up very early this Sunday morning, the last in September, realizing I had a lot on my mind. Some of it had to do with my teenage son, wondering if he actually set his alarm for the newspaper delivery he does. I wondered if his cousin, who spent the night with us, would get up with him and help. And, being picky eaters that teen boys can be, I wondered what I would prepare for breakfast. All this running through my mind at 3:40 AM.
Nearly two hours later, after helping the boys deliver the papers (yes, his alarm was set) I created this blog. What became apparent to me was how much I wanted to share my experiences in life and how food has been an integral part of it. And this epiphany came without only one dose, er cup, of coffee in the blood stream!
I suppose I should explain my logic here, then allow you to judge. A little more than twenty years ago, just before I graduated high school, I decided I wanted to be an English teacher. Literature was my favorite subject back then, especially William Shakespeare, Mark, Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Jack London, J.R.R. Tolkein, and many others. During college, I got a part time job at a nearby McDonald's. After six months, the only way for me to get another raise was to step into shift supervison and management. I stepped through that door, not realizing that I would remain on that path for the next twenty years, in food service and preparation. There was a brief mid-life crisis when I jumped into computer sales and service. Trust me, won't happen again, EVER!
My industry experience has revolved at various times around quick service AKA fast food, as well as casual dining. The hardest yet most enjoyable job was managing a bagel bakery, which included working as the early morning baker six days a week. And I have work in junior high and senior high school kitchens in the local public school district. Currently, I handle the food and nutrition services at a private school, Kindergarten through Eighth Grade. There is a developing catering business as well, although most of the work (pro bono) tends to be planning and preparing dinners when local youth groups do fundraisers. More about that later.
Now that you have my life history, you might be wondering why I am so fixated on food? It is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but gluttony is certainly not my vice. With an average height and slender build, people often wondered how I stayed so skinny working around food. The simple answer is, "I was always too busy working to stop and eat!" But what amazes me is everyday, we use food. We shop for the ingredients, we cook at home, we go out to eat, we pay other people to cook our food, and we don't pause often enough to enjoy it. The food we eat impacts our culture and our lives, sometimes in more complex ways than we can imagine. Now I'm not talking about nutritional values, cholesterol levels, the pros and cons of a low-carb diet or anything like that. As an example, the first cup of coffee, or lack thereof, may determine one's disposition for the rest of the day. At dinner, a family eating together may discover simple and joyful insights in each other's daily lives. Old friends may meet at a bar or club to catch-up on old times and find their favorite appetizers are still on the menu.
Food is about nourishment. It's also about culture, the state of the environment. It can be about your social status or financial condition. What you eat sometimes says more about your mood that words do. And sometimes food determines your mood. Much of what you will read here will cover those topics. You may also find my favorite recipes, recommendations for restaurants and advice, based on bad luck, on what not to do! Weekly I will feature a poll and comment on the results soon after. And I look forward to comments from readers and suggestions for new topics.
I believe in liking what you eat and eating what you like. With that said, I'm off to my personal kitchen. The boys are waking up again, time to make the pancakes and eggs. And the second pot of coffee.
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