Various and Sundry Food Thoughts

Blogger Brunch

I went to a fun blogger brunch at Julie's place. We had about ten or twelve people show up, all area (though not all food) bloggers. Nice meeting or seeing y'all again, Rachel, Simone, Meg, Xani, Erin, Jamaila (who has four blogs), Janet and Anne. I had no idea that so many bloggers were either designers or lawyers / in pre-law. And Julie, you have a lovely kitchen. Everything was good and I can't remember everything I ate . I liked it all, but there were a few good quiches, some tasty fruit salad, hummus and the best sundried tomato pesto/spread/dip I have ever had. I need that recipe again. I made a buttermilk pie, the recipe for which I found on the NPR website.

Help Friends, Get Korean Food

I had to leave early to help some friends move into a nice new house just across the street from the Rotunda. It was an easy move distance-wise because they are moving out of their smaller house in Hampden. They lived on one of the side streets where there is absolutely no parking in any way, shape or form. Ever. They are very happy now - parking all the time! Plus they treated me to Suzie Soba's for dinner afterwards. I still love her bibimbap, but do try the bulgogi when you can.

From the "This Stuff Is Naaaaas-ty!" Files

Don't. Ever. Buy. This:


It does not taste like cherries, or chocolate, or Dr. Pepper (Diet Dr. Pepper actually does, remarkably). I bought it not looking, thinking I had picked up just your ordinary Diet Dr. Pepper. I forced myself to drink it just to not waste the $1.35 plus tax, but I couldn't get through much. Out in the trash with barely a few ounces gone.

So should I even bother canceling my dinner reservations for Friday night?

You know, I don't even give a flying confit about Top Chef 4, despite the fact that this recent fourth season of Project Runway rocked (and congrats to Annapolis-born winner Christian - you go, fierce girl! He's only 22, too). Instead, I am contentedly watching Aftermath: Population Zero on the National Geographic Channel. I tried to watch it Sunday night but fell asleep halfway through (yes, 9PM on the day that we set the clocks forward - so really my body thought it was 8:00!). I'm catching up now, 'cuz I love these post-apocalyptic, "what-if" type shows. It's the latest version of (unrelated) Alan Wiseman's book The World Without Us, my favorite book of 2007, and the ensuing (also unrelated) "sex'd up TV special," Life After People on the History Channel. The premise of all of them: what would happen to the world, animals and all, if every last human being - every man, woman and child - disappeared all at once? What of ours would last, and for how long? And how would other animals and life forms last? Our pets, SOL if they can't get outta the house (I can haz owner back pleez? I can hungree.), the NY Subway flooded in less than 2 days (Which o' yooze turned the pumps off?) and nuclear power stations eventually overheat and explode because nobody's around to stop it (Oops). But on the plus side, our ancient buildings and monuments would survive, as would some modern stone and copper structures (Statue of Liberty hangs around for thousands of years, and Mount Rushmore for millions, though most skyscrapers will be gone in a century). And National Geographic is fun anyway. Most of their specials are pretty well done.

And then there's this:

This is too weird for the workweek. Is it the weekend yet?




Dear Lord.