Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Exploring Food as Culture

Drinks at Haddingtons in Austin, Texas



My husband and I have a modern mixed marriage. My husband cares a great deal about food, while I do not.

Much to my surprise, I am one of those people who goes through the day forgetting to eat. I literally have an alarm on my phone reminding me to eat lunch, though sadly that usually doesn't work. 

If I lived alone—or if my husband cared a lot less about food—I would have peanut butter sandwiches every night. If he didn’t cook, I would store sweaters in my vintage oven.

Since I do not live alone, I often end up in some of the city’s best dining rooms.
While I appreciate a good meal that someone else cooks, there is no way that I can write about food the way that most writing about food is done.

However, I spent a long time as a theater critic. I write about culture and society. For a while I’ve been toying with the idea of sharing what passes through my brain when I go out to eat.


All criticism is argument. Mine has been from the start that restaurants are culture, and that there is no better perch from which to examine our shared values and beliefs, behavior and attitudes, than a seat in a restaurant dining room, observing life’s pageant in the presence of food and drink.
 
Inspired by Sifton, I am going to make more of an effort to write about the fancy restaurants that I often end up in. I will not be writing about the food—you can get better food writing from a Yelp review than you can get from me—but I will make the effort to cover the culture from a dining chair.

If you want a drink like the one in the picture, head to Haddingtons.
Their grub is way better than a peanut butter sandwich.

Monday, October 17, 2011

CMJ: Someday I am going to be inside you.

After going to SXSW for the last 10,000 years, I've sometimes thought about going to the CMJ Music Marathon  in NYC. Since I'm usually double-booked in October, my going to CMJ is more a fantasy than anything else.

Sure, it's partially because I love the City--because I'm an urban creature and NYC is the urban I love the best-- but that's not all.

I totally admit that I have a bad habit of living in the future. Most of what's on the radio is music that I associate with the past, not the life I'm living now. As such, I'd totally be pleased to see new things at CMJ, and revisit a few old favorites.

TRIAL RUNS: BANDS I HAVEN'T SEEN

If I were going to CMJ 2011, I'd totally want to check out:  super-cute Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr  and the Miniature Tigers (who both played ACL 2011, though I was busy elsewhere)  Fresh Millions, Givers (whom my friends have been raving about), Metronomy, Wild Flag, Morning After Girls, The Wombats, Locksley and J Mascis (whom I'm kind of ashamed that I've never seen, even though I've loved Dinosaur Jr since the dawn of time.)

SECOND CHANCES: BANDS THAT HAVE GOOD PRESS BUT I MIGHT HAVE SEEN AN OFF SHOW

At CMJ I might check out bands who didn't blow me away the first time, but whom I have real hope that the intervening years might have taken to the next level: Titus Andronicus (sloppy and possibly drunk the first time I saw them at a late show on Saturday night at SXSW 2009--which I'd REALLY been looking forward to-- but they've gotten lots of buzz since then), Heloise & The Savoir Faire*, Robbers on High Street (I totally love one of their albums, but, again, they were sloppy and I suspect they were drunk the first time I saw them, years ago at a Fun Fun Fun Fest preshow at the Mohawk in 2008.)

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are nice, and I'd likely catch them again. Truthfully, I don't know how much effort I'd make to see them twice, though I enjoyed them at Fun Fun Fun Fest.


Clap your hands
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at Fun Fun Fun Fest

Saturday, October 8, 2011

The most ridiculous horoscope EVER.

Okay,  I know that they say that these are for entertainment purposes only, but it's kind of crazy when they promise you a "life-changing" day. This was mine for Thursday.