Ruth

Last night I went to hear Ruth Reichl speak about her writerly life. Stories and stories and a lack of gift bag later {apparently, only the highest paying patrons received the edible swag}, I left with a few gems, copied in my note-taking scrawl, black ink glistening between two pale pink textured Moleskine covers. But behind my eyes there also flashed again ideas, storied of course, about life and telling and doing, and melding all of those into something fanciful and honest. About how to access such life force, such inspiration, and to harness it into something presentable--like a tale, like a meal, like a treat.

So without further ado, I will share some of those encrusted considerations.

1. Apparently, as per Hollywood, Food is the new Sex.

2. At the dinner table growing up, Reichl was expected to turn her day into a good story--or at least to come to the proverbial table {this one laid with food of sometime questionable quality according to her most recent book} with some tale to share. Having never formally studied English or journalism, she attributes this accountability, among other things, to fostering and developing her writing talent.

3. What should you know about wine and food? Why is it so important to a well rounded meal?

Well, for one it makes food taste better, chuckled Reichl. But she offered this bit of advice, gleaned from a lauded chef's grandmother, roughly: "When you get good wine, you should wink." In other words, drink good wine and don't think too much about it.

4. If anyone comes across Reichl's first restaurant reviews published in New West Magazine, they are--judging from her stories last night {including one about a band of bandit food sabotagers, so to speak}--in for a very entertaining ride.

Reinvention

I want to draw attention to a new addition here, on the right, called So Good and Tasty. A newly found cooking blog thanks to my partner in crime's search for "cookie glory blog" one March evening. Often, I find myself wondering if there is any room for another blog in this choked world, let alone one about food and cooking. Reading Julia Child's My Life in France only makes this question more imminent. How would the charming and exuberant Mrs. Child have fared in today's rush rush rush culture? How would she have began her "cookery-bookery" with Internet leakage and the looming blogdom holding court with all foodies, cookers and eaters alike? She was of the school where one time, time and more time in the recipe developing and writing process. What resulted was a veritable tome and ode to a cuisine at that time still virtually undiscovered by American eaters. What is lacking in the current cookery climate and how does one go about filling that void? As a firm disbeliever in creating one's own void for the sole reason of pleasing oneself, there has to be an element of goodhearted offering to a hoped-for readership, an intent public. Or at least the vision of an intent public.

So upon perusing the crisp photos of vegetarian meals and treats showcased on So Good and Tasty, which is a relatively new endeavor as indicated by the posting history, I marvel at once again being inspired and entertained by another food blog. Reinvention reigns.