Let it be.
They are words of wisdom, or so I'm told.
Maybe I should, but then again, I'm not all that wise.
I'm going to try to not delete this blog this time and I think maybe giving it some depth will also give it some value...not that the past iterations haven't had depth or worth. Any road.
I was harangued by a coworker for not continuing my restaurant critics and felt that this would be a good venue for it and hey, you as a reader may get something out of it too. ha. I guess that will be remain to be seen.
I'll formally start this as soon as I get transcripts to some of the restaurants I've already written up.
Mind you, this will be more for the local restaurants of the fine Salt Lake City, but it may also include stories, rants, raves and *heh* music.
To start, informally, I will preface this...a little more...because I haven't done that enough, right?
So, as a kid, my biological dad would come home with some whacked out food, or some normal stuff, but usually pretty whacked.
I was never able to refuse until I had tried what it was, at least once (usually three or four times, in that he'd occasionally feign ignorance to the fact that he'd brought something home again.)
On the plate was usually some type of fish or some strange "European" take on this or that. I always looked forward to the seafood. Crab was my absolute favorite, there was just something about the process that intrigued my adolescent mind.
It wasn't always so pleasant though. Cracking the husk of a crab was nothing to trying to eat cow tongue or pickled pigs feet. Grateful as I am for having the experience (now at least) I don't really look back on those days with fond memories.
I have found though, that several things I find as "comfort food" stems from those days. Herring in sour cream on chicken flavored crackers, smoked oysters on ritz, bell pepper gazpacho, and oyster stew to name some.
After my mother remarried and we moved to a suburb of Salt Lake, my flavor palate went a little bland, my step dad (dad, since then having adopted me) had a good taste for food, but it was kind of boring. What do you expect? I was a little spoiled, not necessarily by quality, but definitely variety. So for a few years, my taste for food went mostly dormant. It wasn't until I met Mirsad that my quest for variety was rekindled to some extent. He was kind of strange, but always fun to be around - one of his quirks was almost a hatred to chain restaurant food. He would not eat fast food at all. He told me, quite believably, that he'd rather eat soap. "That at least smells better"
I wasn't so hard pressed, I'm still not, but sometimes I get the same way...especially if it's a choice that I have any control over.
Time moved on and we parted ways. I lost track of him and went back to my normal food-habit ways. While I was in Houston, it was about what I perceived as convenience, economy and taste, oh how wrong I was. Though, despite relying heavily on store bought pizza and the slew of cut rate "American, Mexican and Italian" sit-down or fast food, I got a fine sampling of some of the best BBQ that's ever graced my tastebuds, some of the best creole, the best home-town southern food I may ever have. It lit a spark.
I came home, back to the same. what a drag.
I tried to find a few good restaurants and fell flat and again went back into my routine.
I started dating someone and he'd always take me to the "Popular" Italian restaurant and wouldn't be bothered with trying too many new things...he was in many ways (food-related) the same way as my dad. He wouldn't be bothered by too much of a different thing.
Sometime after we broke up another friend introduced me to a group called "Couchsurfing" and shortly after that I usurped power over one of the weekly get-togethers and called it "The Other Wednesday"
I finally had a captive audience. I could find other like-minded people to come try some new and crazy food with me and I've fallen head over heels on the idea that came of it all.
The premise of TOW was to try a new restaurant that didn't have more than one or two locations.
Over the years, it's become a part of me a bit, a sort of life philosophy has developed with my love of trying new food.
It's spilled over into my only other devotion...or obsession...who knows. I love listening to music, and like with food; If it tastes good, I'll eat it. If it sounds good, I'll listen to it.
A few other things have come of this as well. I realized (with some brainstorming assistance from my good friends Josh and Lisa) that in doing this it's helping the local economy, something that I feel is just as helpful to the global economy - though I will not wax politic, I will say that if you really want to buy local, why are you eating at chain restaurants that have corporate offices or shopping at national grocery chains?
I'm hardly here to criticize, but it does serve as a bit of a introspection doesn't it?
I may expound on that later, but I promise to provide ample warning as to not sour your palate on another politico soapbox.
What does all this mean you wonder?
It means that I've got a desire to share some of my experiences with you in hopes that it will break up your routine a little and maybe, just maybe start a local food revolution. Ha! Why shouldn't I think big?
Having said all this, I shall try with some regularity, try to update this that it may in some way prove useful to you in finding your new favorite restaurant or some quiet little hole-in-the-wall to impress your date. Yes, sometimes I like to dream really big.
As a parting thought on this post and a reiteration, This will not all be about food, but I will try to [remember] warn you as to the contents of the post-to-come.
Nema na cemu.
-D
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