Posts Tagged ‘food writing’
The Beauty of Eating Outdoors
Mediocre wine is excellent if you have a view, coffee is exponentially more delicious when brewed after a night in a tent, and trail mix can compete with the fanciest hors d’oeuvre when you’re in the middle of a hike. It’s simple: food always tastes better outdoors.
I was thinking of this in the process of drinking a mug of wine, overlooking a horizon of red rock formations last week. Dirtbags, sunsets and merlot do go hand in hand after all.
The Secret Diary of a Foodie, Part Deux
This is the latest installment of Foodie Underground.
Whatever happened to the foodie that was in search of love and a good greens blog? We snagged her journal for a follow-up.
Wednesday April 4, 2012, 7:33 p.m.
Dear Diary,
Since I ditched the Greens Blog idea, I have been trying to focus on my coffee project. I have been taking a coffee roasting course (a cheese making course seemed so last year) and I think I have found my calling. And there’s a really cute coffee roaster leading the class… unfortunately his jeans are skinnier than mine. After class last night he asked me if I wanted to come up with a special sea salt, coffee cake recipe for the coffee shop he works at. Yes, please! In exchange he’s going to hook me up with free craft-roasted Americanos for a year. I just couldn’t say no.
Why Are We Obsessed With Food Porn?
When four different people, who don’t know each other, all send you the link to the same article, an article that poses the question “are your friends bombarding you with food porn?” you know you have a problem.
Been inundated with food photography lately? You are not alone.
As I sat down to the first impromptu backyard dinner of the season last night, the hostess stopped everyone from putting any food on their plates so that we could get a picture of the table first. I had my phone out (of course), because that tablecloth color went so well with the salad. Click. And that grilled asparagus… so green. Click. But for the sake of maintaining my sanity and living in the moment, I did not Instagram. You have to draw the line somewhere.
Quick Fixes to Pretending You’re a Foodie
The scene is starting to feel familiar. You’re eating a dessert out of a mason jar and you have spent the last 15 minutes listening to a conversation about the merits of mezcal in cocktails. “I just really can’t stand the taste. Put a drink in front of me and I can definitely tell you if it has it in it or not,” you overhear, and you internally swear for not having a good comeback.
A comeback that was just a little more…in-the-know.
Why We Have to Normalize Food Consciousness
I was pulling out ingredients for dinner from the refrigerator and my friend was visibly squirming looking at the quart glass bottle of green sludge that was on the first shelf.
“It’s just a kale smoothie.”
She looked at me and rolled her eyes.
“I know, I know… who has kale smoothies in their refrigerator?” I responded. I paused for dramatic effect in order to underline the absurdity of my next statement. “It has chia seeds in it too.”
Two Years of Writing a Food Column
Today marks two years of writing my Foodie Underground column. How I have managed to produce a column every single Monday for 104 weeks is beyond me, but somehow it’s still going. Hence the celebratory post and birthday torte recipe. Enjoy!
The Secret Diary of a Foodie
Monday February 27, 2012, 8:55 p.m.
Dear Diary,
A serendipitous afternoon today. Having left my kale slaw with Meyer lemon vinaigrette at home, I was forced to buy lunch, so I went over to the food carts. Why the pickle cart is still in business is beyond me, but I went for three fish tacos next door. I started talking with the guy in front of me, who ordered the avocado and cactus burrito (his first point, given that the cactus burrito is my second go-to after the fish tacos). He told me he comes here a lot. He was cute, had a coffee thermos under his arm, looked like he had his life together. He told me the best taco he ever ate was in Austin. Second point for him – he loves the Austin food cart scene too! I think we had a good connection. We’ll see what happens.
What Does Good Food Mean To You?
It has happened again. You’re surrounded by smoke-infused drinks in mason jars and salads with shaved fennel, all paired with a group of friends that can’t stop raving about the local biodynamic wine they serve at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that you’re all so lucky to have discovered before the rest of the city does. You’re in foodie central and there’s no escape. Fortunately the beet and goat cheese salad is delicious. “Can I have another one of those cocktails with the cardamom bitters?” you ask the waiter, fully embracing a semi-cliche role that feels like it’s straight out of a Portlandia episode.
The Foolproof Foodie Menu Guide
A down and dirty guide for planning the menu at your upcoming restaurant. No really, you’ll want mason jars.
Aperitif
Bourbon, bitters and definitely something infused, preferably with bacon.
Champagne and elderflower.
Appetizers
Choose either a dynamic or intentionally plain name for this section of the menu. Anything in French will do, or simple phrases like “small plates.” Then make sure to have at least two of the following:
Wilted bitter greens.
Some type of carb with crust cut off.
A basket of bread studded with as much farmhouse cheddar or bacon as possible. Rosemary is so 2005.
Goat cheese. Preferably on beets, but other roots will do in a pinch. Think parsnips or rutabaga.
Braised greens on brioche. Both are on foodie menus everywhere, but in such an inventive pairing? Sure to get you a write up.
Full tongue in cheek guide here.
The Rise of Tea
Tea: so hot right now.
The United States isn’t high on the list of global tea drinkers – a whole 0.2 kilograms per person annually, compared to Britain’s 2.3 – and the drink has nothing on its caffeinated counterpart. In 2010 the tea industry in the U.S. accounted for $7.7 billion, whereas coffee stood at $47.5 billion.
But just as you can buy 12 ounce bags of coffee beans for $60, premium cups of tea have been known to go for double digits, and specialty tea culture is on the rise. Just a couple of weeks ago, I found myself nursing aconcoction of Bourbon and Lapsang Souchong; I phoned my father immediately upon exiting the bar. If tea that tastes like a campfire is making its way into strong whiskey drinks, we should take notice.
blog.annabrones.com 