Archives: February 2010

sucks

punxsutawney phil sucks

Though it is only 20 or so days til spring and we have had an entire Olympics since Punxsutawney Phil did or didn’t see his shadown, NYC is crippled by a late winter storm. This makes trying to get out of town panic-attack inducing. My phone’s vibrate function is now nearly broken from two days of text messages about flight delays and cancellations. The latest crippled buzz: another cancellation.

This inconvenience buys 26 more hours in NYC. On most days of the years, this would be more like a lucky treat, than a major inconvenience. But when it’s impossible to get a cab and walking to the subway is through more snow than the nordic combined track has in Vancouver, you start to think strategically.

The way my mind works is to think about proximities. Where do I want to spend a long, isolated winter day where the most that is asked of me is if I would like another beer? Easy answer. The ultra-cozy and ultra-satisfying Diner in Brooklyn. So I call a friend who lives across the street there and is conveniently out of town for work. I move into his killer apartment and start planning my lunch and dinner at Diner and be ultra thankful for the kindness of friends.

fries_horizantal

a deep fried birthday

Six 16 0z bottles of oil later, these russet French fries and this buttermilk fried chicken (thanks to Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home cookbook) were served up to me by my husband for my birthday dinner. So insanely delicious, so ridiculously indulgent, this seemed more like a Last Meal than a Birthday Meal.

hawaii_horizantal

been on vacation

It’s been glorious living in Hawaii since November 22nd 2009 in my little shack right on the beach. No electricity, no running water. Spending everyday eating fresh fish caught by my daughter and husband with their hand-whittled spears.

Okay, fine. This was just a fantasy and I’ve actually been at home in rainy Portland, Oregon for the last three or so months glued to my kitchen counter working on the upcoming Spring eat.shop titles for Paris, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and the Twin Cities.

Where has the time gone? Certainly not to this blog. But now I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m trying to think of another cliché to add here for drama, but it alludes me. Feel free to add some cliché suggestions…