Emotional Gastronomy

I LOVE food, Its one of my favorite things. I love to cook it, I love to eat it, I love to smell it. But most of all I love how food makes me feel. There is nothing else for me. A good Foi-Gras, Duck confit, Nachos, Crab legs, Pho, a curry, hamburgers… Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter, As long as it’s fresh and prepared with care. I’m a bit of a foodie. Most people go to the clubs or the bars, My idea of the best night out is trying that new French restaurant, or looking for the best Pho in the city. (Is there anything better than Pho? I’m not sure I have found anything. Salty, rare beef, sometimes a little liver thrown in, just absolute savory goodness.) Food stirs up emotions in us that really noting else can. Think back to when you were a kid. Do you remember what you got for Christmas when you were 7? No, but you remember the taste of the Christmas ham or the gooey warm deliciousness of cookies and milk. Food can do that. It can bring families, even nations, together. It can tear people apart. Wars have been fought over food and its ingredients and peace treaties negotiated over a dinner table.
For me the first time I noticed that I really liked food was when I was maybe 13 years old. We were visiting my aunt and uncle in Clearwater, Florida. They took us to a little Greek restaurant on the sponge docks of the city, and they stunk so bad. I sat down wide eyed at the menu (all in Greek as I remember, maybe I just didn’t know what any of it was though) my uncle ordered and soon a table full of strange and weird looking things was at our table. Crab, stuffed grape leaves, good breads and olives I had never had before. I reached for a stuffed grape leaf and put it on my plate. It was the least sinister looking thing at the table. I cut into it and stuck it, reluctantly, in my mouth. And to my surprise it was cold! But it wasn’t terrible. The flavors were so complex and the spices so overpowering that I had to have more. Thus began my love affair with food.
Fast forward 12 years and I’m still smitten. A good steak? Yes please. Oysters? Why not! Sushi? Oh god yes. There is too much good food out there not to try it all. I will never understand how someone could be a vegetarian. Yes the animals are cute. But they are also dumb. What are these animals gonna do? Go to college? NO! Eat them! Beef is good, duck is SO good. I would just feel like I’m missing out. Not only that, but also, most people In this world don’t have the good fortune to be vegetarian. Remember this, Vegetarianism is a first world luxury; you should count yourself lucky to be able to be one.
I think my favorite thing, and something we don’t have a lot of here in the U.S. is street food. There is a place in Santa Fe that is literally just a makeshift cart that gets set up every day in the main plaza. They have the absolute best Chicken and Machaca fajitas I have ever had. Ever. I have no problem eating something out of a cart or a van, as long as it tastes good.
My next favorite thing is cured meats. Salami, Pate’, proscuto, sausages, smoked salmon and other Charcuterie for me are just the best. A little cheese and bread and I’m in heaven. And my next favorite thing… Who am I kidding? It’s all my favorite thing. Life is too short to eat bad food. So get out there and try something new. You might just fall in love.