yp yjr tohjy <-> ri rgw kwdr?

Hello! It has been a while and I have missed writing. I apologize for my lefty, loosie lag in publishing another blog. Right off the bat, the hidden message is a bit more difficult this time around. The title itself isn’t anything creative, but the way it is typed…well that’s up for opinion.

I wasn’t sure what to make this post about. Recently, I’ve been fascinated with Amy Poehler’s podcast. One episode in particular had me willfully laughing. Amy Poehler and Ina Garten. I also just finished reading Ina Garten’s memoir, “Be Ready When the Luck Happens”. It’s because of the podcast episode though that I am reading her book.

If anyone out there knows of Ina Garten or has read her memoir, you know how iconic Barefoot Contessa is. I miss Barefoot Contessa though I have never been. I have only memorized it’s energy through the book. In fact, as Ina talks about the food, I can just imagine it all. Not to mention Peter Yarrow playing outside and Gloria Steinem near Barefoot Contessa?! Iconic.

The book has me thinking is there luck in my life that I’ve missed? People I should’ve met? Things I’ve should’ve seen? One could argue that if it’s fate, you won’t miss the blessing.

So it goes without saying that I loved reading about Barefoot Contessa, Ina’s career, her relationship with Jeffery Garten, her husband, and the recipes included are just a bonus!

Before reading this book, I thought that food was supposed to taste the same every time you had it. I never realized that I have the opportunity to decide and try something new. I have always been kind of disgusted with flan until one day, I had it in a restaurant as a birthday dessert and didn’t want to be rude. Well, it was good. Now I see food that I am not used to and go,

hm, could be interesting, sounds interesting. Let’s try it.

If I don’t like it, I just move on. I call it the Ina Garten inspired food mantra. Comfort food is of course, the best. When I’m bored, I just take a trip in the food universe before I come back home. Food is such a universal phenomenon. It’s scarce, it’s something we take for granted, it’s language. Every culture has their own food which helps define their culture and that is a radical thing.

There is food we will never grow to like and that is ok! After all, we are only human.

If this blog post sounds at all interesting, I highly recommend watching Julie & Julia. Nora Ephron does a wonderful job of encapsulating the art of cooking between Julie and Julia.