Yesterday’s article highlighted how much the kitchen inspires the photographer in me like in the above image. Here I remember I just wanted to play around with the colors white and blue. The kitchen also inspires the writer in me, in part, because the sights and the scents bring back so many happy childhood memories of growing up in Virginia. For most of my childhood my parents and my brothers and I only went into the living room for a few hours at night to watch television and on Sunday afternoons to greet family and friends visiting after church. Otherwise, we were in the kitchen around the table eating or playing games. In talking with my oldest brother, I recently realized that when he shares family stories they most often center in the kitchen as well. The latest stories focused on our father’s wine making. More to follow about that! 😉
Lemon thyme plus olive oil, two egg yolks, a hot pepper, and a little mustard were transformed into this delicious lemon thyme aioli. Nasturtium blossoms and leaves are tossed on top of green salads. Fresh basil is layered between mozzarella and fresh tomatoes and then drizzled with olive oil. Toasted bread is rubbed with garlic before being piled high with chopped tomatoes, sage and marjoram. And then … I think you get the idea! 😉
Two days ago I found myself in a Whole Foods hungry and in a mood where I guess I was open to trying new things. I passed the seafood counter and noticed large brown escargot available for 79 cents each. Never had ’em before. Never wanted ’em before. But that day I bought two. Not bad. I might try them again. I’ve been lucky throughout my life to have the opportunity to experience new foods. In Thailand I was served fresh jumping snake by hillside villagers. In Montana I had my first and so far only taste of bison. Currently I live adjacent to neighborhoods with restaurants representing just about every culture in the world. I can’t always afford to eat in them but I can certainly press my face to their windows. Window shopping is what I primarily do at one particular store in my area that is famous for its meats, cheeses, oils and pasta from around the world. I am used to viewing on its shelves kangaroo, Kobe beef, ostrich, rabbit, venison, bison, frog legs, duck and every now and then plain ol’ chicken. I have come to expect the “exotic” but I did not expect the lion. In fact, I thought the label on the package had a typo. But the butcher made clear that there had been no typo. The store was indeed offering up African lion by the steak.
Many of my current writing projects involve taking the basic ingredients that make up my clients’ programs and putting those ingredients together in a proposal or a report in such a way that they whet the appetite of a potential funder. Time will tell if I am successful in that endeavor. Meanwhile, Steve doesn’t seem to mind my morning experimentations.
Words + Images 