Food & Music

I have a confession: I don't know a lot about music. If I hear something I really like on the radio, I'll try to find the artist and obtain the song. However, if you start talking about random artists, I'm probably not familiar with them. Sure, I have heard of the mainstream singers, people whose names are on the top 10 lists of many publications. Any names that aren't on that list are probably unfamiliar to me. I'm not going to wow you by telling you about some singer who you have to hear. I'm more apt to say, "did you hear that new Coldplay song, Trouble?" Imagine my surprise when you tell me that song is at least 8 or 9 years old (I had to look that up).
The truth is I tend to listen to the same music. Even if an artist I like releases a new song, I'm a little skeptical, but I won't venture out of my comfort zone. Someone might recommend some new singer, but it will be a real stretch for me to start liking someone new. When it comes down to it, I need someone who knows music to push me into other artists, to pull me out of the comfort zone, and assure me it's going to be all right.
Have you figured out where I'm going with this? Food isn't all that different. We are all used to the familiar foods we grew up with. There are certain restaurants we frequent, and we're never sure what to think of the new place that opens up in our area. When someone asks if we tried French food, we might turn up our noses and say, "I would never eat French." It's no different than the people who listen to all types of music, EXCEPT country. They're accustomed to think that country music is not "cool." The same applies for those who won't eat French food. The French are snobby, they hate Americans, their food is too pretentious. These are all excuses, but none really excuse you from trying it. I use French food as an example, but this applies to all types of food. How do you really know you wont' like French food? Maybe Escargot is the best thing you'll ever eat. We need a friend to make us try something new and to stretch us.
There is nothing more comfortable than that which is familiar, but there is nothing more exciting than that which is unknown. Expand your zone of comfort.

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Now playing: Coldplay - Trouble
via FoxyTunes

The Food Effect

You might say to yourself. I don’t really care about food all that much. As long as something tastes good, that’s all that matters. Maybe you don’t analyze flavors or complain about the lack of seasonings or blacklist certain restaurants, but you do care. Of course you do, food does something to you. It excites you or disappoints you. It gives you something to look forward to or something to dread. It provides conversation and brings people together. This is the Food Effect. Haven’t heard of the Food Effect? That is probably because I just made it up.
The Food Effect is how we are affected by food. Still shaking your head? Think about this for a moment. Have you ever been walking outside and smelled a neighbor’s grill and thought about what might be cooking? Did it make your mouth water for a juicy ribeye or some authentic BBQ? Or maybe you remember your mom telling you when you were little that you got to choose the restaurant for your birthday. You got to pick that favorite restaurant and your favorite thing to eat. Perhaps a friend invited you over to their house for dinner and you wondered what was sitting on the plate in front of you. The look and smell and taste were all unappetizing and you longed for something familiar. Did you spend time in a foreign country or maybe another part of the country and long for something from home? No matter who you are, you can identify with one of these. We all care about food, on one level or another. Some of us dive more into it than others. I challenge you to dive deeper and let the Food Effect take over. Make your own top ten list of favorite foods and go out to eat them this week. Know what affects you and go after it. Food is meant to be enjoyed, so enjoy it!

It Begins

What's my story? What do I hope to accomplish here?

To put it simply, I like food. Food is good, but you already knew that. It's sad how often we eat boring crap and don't appreciate all the different tastes. Having spent some time in Europe, I've seen their passion for food and desire for freshness. There aren't a large supply of supermarkets all over the place, but there is a large supply of actual markets. Markets where fresh food is abundant. Where people pick up produce and smell it, where they talk to the fisherman about yesterday's catch, and where farmers flaunt some strong smelling cheeses.
Unfortunately, we now have WalMart and stores like it. Now I have nothing against these stores right to low prices and cheap products. The problem I have is that people try to find the cheapest deal on food with little regard for quality. We frequently don't look for the freshest product, but the cheapest. With a lack of concern for freshness, you miss out on taste. Many people don't know how much better something can taste when it hasn't been packaged and had additives injected into it. I want this blog to be an opportunity to share with you my passion for food. A chance to share restaurants I've been to, food I've eaten and made, and for you to share back. Let this be the beginning.