100 Foods to Eat Before You Die

I came across this post on the the blog of the stylish Ms. Tiffany of Makes Me Blush. I warned her in the comments section that I was stealing this. Apparently, this was on Facebook, but my food nerd friends missed it! :) 

Here's a list of 100 things that you should try to eat before you die. I was surprised by a few items on this because I just thought that most people would have eaten these items already, but maybe that's the small food snob in me?

However, the overachieving blogger in me has added some links in case you might not know what something is. In some cases, I just assumed that most people would know a particular item.

How many of these items have you eaten? Mine are in bold, and my final number is below.


1. Abalone

2. Absinthe - I've actually had this in a mixed drink, so I'm going to count this one.

3. Alligator - Err? Big props if you've had this.

4. Baba Ghanoush - Yumm...not as good as my favorite Meditteranean spread, hummus.

5. Bagel and lox - If I haven't had this, then I should turn in my New Yorker card. Seriously.

6. Baklava

7. Barbecue Ribs - Are there people who eat meat who haven't had ribs? If so, my people, we must mount a crusade, so that all meat eaters have had the chance to eat ribs. I'm not kidding.

8. Bellini - Yes, please!

9. Bird's Nest Soup - Whoa...not sure I'd eat that.

10. Biscuits and gravy

11. Black pudding - There's an Antiguan version of this called rice pudding. Same difference. Plus, I've eaten similar in Bali and in Argentina (that's coming up).

12. Black truffle

13. Borscht

14. Calamari

15. Carp

16. Caviar - Not my favorite

17. Cheese Fondue

18. Chicken & Waffles - I went to Roscoe's in L.A., and I ended up sitting next to the blonde kid from 7th Heaven.

19. Chicken Tikka Masala - I'm not having Indian food for a few months. :(

20. Chile Relleno

21. Chitterlings/Chitlins - I need to try these, I guess.

22. Churros - I have a post about churros coming up soon.

23. Clam Chowder - I'm married to someone from New England (although I tried it before meeting him, I've had the best chowders with Husband J). There's no way I can avoid eating this.

24. Cognac - Pass the Courvoisier (That was my party jam back in my party 20's. I love that song)!

25. Crabcake

26. Crickets - Really?! People eat these?

27. Currywurst

28. Dandelion wine -?!

29. Dulce de leche - Oh, yes. You can't leave Argentina without having had this. Best crepe ever coming up in a post.

30. Durian - :( Maybe I've been avoiding the smell?

31. Eel

32. Eggs Benedict

33. Fish Tacos

34. Foie Gras - Yes, I'm horrible for eating foie gras.

35. Fresh Spring Rolls (Is this supposed to be Summer Rolls?)

36. Fried Catfish

37. Fried Green Tomatoes

38. Fried Plaintain - I'd have to give up my Caribbean Person Card, if I haven't had this.

39. Frito Pie - I had to look this up. Interesting idea.

40. Frog's Legs

41. Fugu (Pufferfish) - Voluntarily eating poison? Hmm...

42. Funnel Cake

43. Gazpacho - I didn't learn to love this until a few years ago.

44. Goat - I love curry goat (another Caribbean dish).

45. Goat's Milk - I don't think cheese counts, so I'll have to look for this.

46. Goulash

47. Gumbo

48. Haggis - Husband J wants to go to Scotland, so maybe soon?

49. Head cheese

50. Heirloom Tomatoes - I can't wait for late in the summer when these are in season!

51. Honeycomb

52. Hostess Fruit Pie - Used to be a staple in my packed school lunch back in the day

53. Huevos Rancheros

54. Jerk Chicken - Again, my Caribbean Person Card would need to be forfeited. Here's some good jerk chicken I reviewed on the blog.

55. Kangaroo

56. Key Lime Pie - Not a big fan, actually

57. Kobe Beef

58. Lassi - This almost messed up my stomach while in India. More on that.....I usually like mango lassi.

59. Lobster

60. Mimosa

61. Moon Pie - I'm blanking about whether I've had this, so I'm going to say no.

62. Morel Mushrooms

63. Nettle Tea

64. Octopus

65. Oxtail Soup - I've had Oxtail but not in soup. Does that count? Half Point

66. Paella - It's hard to find well-made paella.

67. Paneer - No more paneer for awhile....I'm paneer-ed out from India.

68. Pastrami on Rye - NYer-ness is at stake here.

69. Pavlova - I tend not to like meringue...

70. Phaal - When I get over my Indian food overload, I may have to try this.

71. Philly Cheesesteak

72. Pho - I don't eat enough of this.

73. Pineapple Cottage Cheese - I haven't eaten cottage cheese in years.

74. Pistachio Ice Cream

75. Po' Boy

76. Pocky

77. Polenta

78. Prickly Pear - does having it a margarita count? Half Point.

79. Rabbit Stew - I've had rabbit but not in a stew. I'll give myself a half point.

80. Raw Oysters - With a little cocktail sauce or mignonette.......oh, yeah....

81. Root Beer Float - maybe once? I'm not really into root beer.

82. S'Mores

83. Sauerkraut

84. Sea Urchin - I'm blanking on whether I've had this, so I'm going to say no. I feel like I should have had this.

85. Shark

86. Snail - Escargot, mai ouis!

87. Snake

88. Soft Shell Crab - They were in season last month. In an upcoming post.

89. Som Tam (Green Papaya Salad)

90. Spaetzle - Not really a fan

91. Spam - Blanking...I feel like I would really remember if I've had this. I feel like it was part of a dish I've had, but I'm not sure.

92. Squirrel - I might have to pass....

93. Steak Tartare - Raw meat...I don't know about that.

94. Sweet Potato Fries

95. Sweetbreads

96. Tom Yum - I need to do another Thai restaurant review.

97. Umeboshi

98. Venison - I try to forget it's deer/antelope. :(

99. Wasabi Peas

100. Zucchini Flowers - I'm blanking on this, so another no.

69.5 out of 100 (including my half points). I feel like I could have gotten a few more points, if I could actually remember things. That's what happens when you reach my age. :)

Are any of these foods on your "No way" list of eating items? 


 Post your number in the comments section!

Happy Weekend!

Eat It. Don't Tweet It.

I don't even know where to start.....

Maybe I should think twice about some of my tweets. :) This is beyond over the top....I loved it.

Happy Wednesday!

5 Food Inventions by Black Inventors

I'm going to squeeze in one more post for Black History Month before February ends. I know that I'm lucky that I had an extra day.

If you've noticed that I didn't do any Black History Month posts re: food, you're perceptive. I know that there are historical figures in food, but it took a little more effort to find them than I thought it would. I found these five inventors and their inventions and were surprised by many of them.

1. George Crum invented the potato chip as we know it in 1853 in Saratoga Springs, New York.

My favorite potato chips. What are yours?

2. George Washington Carver, scientist and inventor, creates 145 different products utilizing peanuts, including peanut butter.

My favorite peanut butter. Do you like crunchy or smooth peanut butter?

3. Joseph Lee invented and patented improvements to the dough kneading machine, the precursor to modern day bread making machines.

My mom has one of these. If you make bread at home, do you use a machine or do it the old fashioned way?

4. Alexander P. Ashbourne invents the biscuit cutter in 1875.

5. Alfred Cralle invented and patented the ice cream scooper in 1897 after noticing that ice cream shops dispensed ice cream in an inefficient way.

I wish it were warmer outside, so I could actually eat ice cream. :(

Which of these inventions is your favorite?

Many facts via Soul Food Advisor

Kettle Chips; Jiff Crunchy Peanut Butter; Ice Cream Scooper; Biscuit Cutter

SUPER

Wow. I'm still in shock from last night's Giants win. I compromised and watched the first half of the game. Despite some criticisms that she "should act her age", I really did like Madonna's half time show. It was over the top and had great guest artists. I didn't catch M.I.A's middle finger, but I did catch her expletive slip. Oh well.

Our helmet ornaments

I also didn't gloat. I won't until next week. Husband J laid out my little Giants helmet on Monday morning. My husband is too sweet.

This is how we did it food style in the TAO household for the Super Bowl.

There was only four of us, but with I wanted to make sure I got some veggies in. I made sure it wasn't too healthy, so we had blue cheese dressing on the side.

tomatoes, peppers, baby carrots, broccoli. The small bowls are from CB2.

We had a veggie pizza as well as half pepperoni and half cheese pizza.

Layered dip. I have never had this before and I was very glad that my friend made one. It's a layer of salsa, sour cream, refried beans, peppers, and tomatoes topped with cheese and black olives. Loved it! :) My friend said that she used all of the low fat versions of many of the elements. I wouldn't have minded either way.

We also had hot wings.

What's your favorite big game food?

I promise no more Super Bowl talk. :)

**** Foodies Say

Yes, I know that the "**** [fill in the blank of any group] say" meme is a bit out of control by now, but when I saw this one I just had to share. I had to. I am both hanging my head in shame and laughing at the same time (except I'm not a big Food Network fan). I hope you're enjoying the weekend!

via Chow

The Kimchi Chronicles

My love of Korean food has already been documented here on the blog, so when I heard that there was going to be a food show on PBS higlighting Korean cuisine called the Kimchi Chronicles, I was pretty amped. I have often wondered why Korean food doesn't get the same amount of attention as say Chinese, Japanese or even Thai food does in the U.S. (Anyone wanna take a guess?)

In some respects the host of the show, Marja Vongerichten, seems on the outside to be an unlikely candidate to introduce us to Korean food. She's the wife of Jean Georges Vongerichten, one of the most highly regarded and successful chefs in the U.S. (Maybe it's not too surprising then that she's hosting her own show?). However, Marja was born in Korea to a Korean mother and African-American father and was given up for adoption during her childhood in part because of the social hardships that many biracial children faced in Korea. She grew up in the United States and was reunited with her birth mother in her late teens. Kimchi Chronicles is part travelogue, cooking show and her personal story of cultural reconnection.

Marja Vongerichten

The show consists of a mix of cooking segments, ample eating time and historical and geographical information about Korea. Here's a taste of the show:

They cook my favorite Korean dish, kimchi jigae!

I will admit to you that I've only seen a few episodes, but I think the show is a great introduction to Korean culture and food. Is it great TV? I'm not so sure. I wouldn't say that Marja is the most engaging host, and sometimes the cooking segments seem a little forced, especially when Hugh Jackman and his wife are around.

Oh, yeah. He's in it too. If you watch it for the first time, and he shows up out of nowhere, it's a little jarring. Apparently, Hugh is a big fan of Korea, the Vongerichtens' neighbor and really wanted to participate. Okay.....

I was ready to lick the screen while watching the show. Since I am still waiting for a few invites for homemade Korean food at friends' homes or an eventual trip to Korea itself, Kimchi Chronicles is a great stand in experience and still by far one of the best shows I've seen that really teaches us about Korean food.

If you don't get a chance to see the series and want to learn how to cook Korean food at home, there's an accompanying cookbook.

I like surprise presents, everyone. Just kidding. I'm too intimidated to cook Korean food at home just yet.

Did anyone get a chance to see Kimchi Chronicles? What did you think of the show? If you've tried Korean cuisine before, what's your favorite dish?

The Vongrichtens & the Jackmans; Kimchi Chronicles book cover

Kwanzaa Culinarians

It's the holiday season, and that includes Kwanzaa, too! I'll be joining a group of bloggers of African descent in a project we're calling Kwanzaa Culinarians. Starting on December 26, the first day of Kwanzaa, a participating blogger will present a recipe reflective of the African diaspora and write a little something based on that day's corresponding Kwanzaa principle. I'm very excited to be a part of this illustrious group. I'm also nervous to essentially be writing a recipe. THAT should be interesting. :)

If you're interested in learning more, check out the Kwanzaa Culinarians site. I'll be sure to link to my post during Kwanzaa.

Guest Post on Glitter & Ganache

I guess I've been busier with guest posts than I thought.

Come Friday we'll really be in the swing of the holiday season. Fashionista foodie extraordinaire Tabitha of Glitter & Ganache (I very rarely use the word fashionista, and she definitely deserves the designation) approached me about doing a short food gift guide for New York City as a part of a series of posts to encourage folks to shop at small, local businesses this holiday season. I came up with a few ideas including some personal favorites, so please check it out here.

For those of you in the U.S., this weekend is Small Business Saturday. Go out and shop at your local, small businesses, and give them your support!

-T

What is your favorite local small business?

Guest Post on Geek in Heels

Hey, all!

Happy Monday! There's no post here today, but please, please check out my guest post on Geek in Heels. I love Jenny's (she's the blog's founder) mix of tech, sci-fi, and other fun ideas. I never knew that my love of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and some other fantasy movies made me an honorary geek, but that excites me. I usually have a chuckle once per week reading Jenny's blog, and I enjoy hearing about her life as a mother. I answered her call for guest posts, so please head on over and read some of my thoughts on the Thanksgiving holiday.

-T

The Trip

Recently, I think I may have seen one of the more interesting road trip movies out in a long time. The Trip stars Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, two English comedians and actors, as fictionalized versions of themselves. They set out on a week-long drive around northern England stopping off at some of the region's best high-end restaurants while trying desperately not to annoy each other to death. It's not a documentary, but there was definitely improvisation involved in the acting, which adds to the zany quality of the dialogue. Actually The Trip was a six episode series that aired on the BBC last year that was eventually chopped up and turned into this movie. I had been meaning to see it while it was in the theater this summer (I totally procrastinated!), so I was surprised to see it already available on DVD and Netflix streaming.

I am a not-s0-secret Anglophile, so between the impressions, slightly dorky style of Brit humor, expansive northern English countryside and peek into some of the best kitchens and restaurants in England, I was in travel foodie heaven. Other than London, I haven't been to any other parts of England, and the scenery explored through the film made me ready to rent a car with Husband J and set out for the Yorkshire Dales myself. I can say that The Trip should be an integral part of the UK Tourist Board's campaign to get more people to travel outside of London. I was so into the landscapes and food that I took notes on the places they visited, but you guys know I'm a little dorky like that.

Here's the trailer:

Okay, so caveats:

-It may be a little slow at points, but just stick with it.

-You might get sick of the impressions at some point. Again, stick with it.

-You might not like Steve Coogan during parts of it. He redeems himself.

Have you been to Northern England? Where would you go for your ultimate foodie road trip?

Bertolli, Fabio Viviani, Meal Soups & Me

If you follow me on Twitter (and I hope you do, if not, click the little birdie on the right. I am a prolific tweeter for better or worse), you'll know that earlier this week I had the opportunity to attend a really wonderful event sponsored by Bertolli to promote their new Meal Soups with special guest, chef and two-time Top Chef contestant, Fabio Viviani. This was my first invitation to attend a food related event by a major company, so I kinda felt a little special. Cue the "Jeffersons" theme song (Movin' on Up....).

I thought I was going to be in a large room full of lots of press and wall-to-wall people where I could retreat into a corner and shove food into my face. Instead, I walk into this small, intimate wonderfully lit room full of bread, antipasto and friendly people. You guys, I met such wonderful bloggers at this event (more on them later), and I was just a feet away from Fabio Viviani, who is probably one of my top ten favorite Top Chefs ever (I think my favorite of all time is Carla Hall, who is probably the long lost sister of my friend, Big Mitts).

Of course, there was plenty of great antipasto for noshing and meeting people.

Amazing bread and wine....

Focaccia & Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio

After a speech from a rep from Bertolli/Unilever, we saw a little introductory video about the Meal Soups. Chef Michael Christiansen, who essentially develops many of Bertolli's products from the chef's perspective, takes us through how they created the soups. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and is actually a really nice, down-to-earth guy from New Jersey. We had a great conversation that evening.

Essentially, these soups are the frozen componets of what you would make homemade except now you just add some water, bring to a boil, then let it simmer until all of the components are hot. Pretty quick and easy.

After the video, we proceeded into this lovely kitchen and had a demonstration of how the hearty soups really work and learned a little more about the production process. Fabio & Chef Mike tried to do a cook off to see who could make an actual soup in the time allotted. Of course, Chef Mike's Bertolli version won.

Chef Mike showing us the frozen version of the soup. It's essentially all cubed at first.

Here's an actual video of both Fabio & Chef Mike speaking about the soups. I will say that Fabio does give a decent explanation for why people skeptical of frozen anything should try the Meal Soups. Fabio is a VERY good salesman. BTW, excuse my camera angles! This was taken with my Iphone.

BertolliFabioViviani from TAOTerri on Vimeo.

After the short talk, we were able to try some of the soups with wine pairings.

Chicken Rotini (roasted white meat, pasta, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots and celery in chicken broth)

Tomato Florentine (Cheese filled tortellini, white meat chicken, spinach and tomatoes in a tomato bisque) I think this one was a big hit. I was too busy scarfing to take a pic earlier.

So, I'm sure you all want to know my opinion, right? I will start by saying that you all know that I don't shill for anyone, so this is really my opinion. You guys, this stuff is actually good! Like I cleaned my bowl good. I wouldn't have been able to tell that it came from anything frozen. I know sometimes in the winter, especially, I am scrambling to find something to make on a weeknight, or I've run out of groceries. I could totally see me having one of these soups for a quick meal. While I am a proponent of eating things that are made from fresh veggies, etc., I don't mind taking short cuts when I need to. I also read the ingredient label, and I could pronounce everything. That's a good sign.

There was even someone serenading us with Italian opera favorites.

Luckily, dessert was not left out. Woo hoo!

I LOVE a good cannolli

You know that I was too happy to see some tiramisu.

As I mentioned before, all the bloggers there were sooo nice. It was really great to connect to food bloggers, especially those that cook since I am not a cooking blogger. Bloggers are really cool people (If I do say so myself). :)

from left to right: Rachel of Laptops & Stovetops, Dana of Dana's Food for Thought & me

Finally, the honored guest, Fabio and I actually had a few conversations during the night. I asked him about the whole Domino's thing. He mentioned that they wanted him as a consultant and that his role was to teach them about sourcing ingredients and how to make pizzas in a more authentic way. Hey, I'm not mad at Fabio for working for the big guys like Bertolli and Domino's. Do you, buddy! I can actually say that Fabio is exactly like he is on Top Chef: very genuine, charming, funny and the accent is totally real. Just kidding, Fabio. ;)

What a night! I'm waiting for New York City to finally cool down, so I can make the soup I got to take home.

Happy Weekend!

Disclosure: As usual, I didn't get paid for this post or links in any way, but a stomach full of good soup, meeting nice people, and hobnobbing with Fabio was payment enough.

Gabrielle Hamilton: I Read Her Book & Ate Her Food

Who's Gabrielle Hamilton? She's a chef and the owner of Prune, a small restaurant in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan. I'd heard of Prune for years, but I hadn't had a chance to venture out to her restaurant. I knew that it was known as being a small, unpretentious spot for eating simple but well-made dishes. She's also one of a small group of female chefs to really get major acclaim and attention in a very crowded and competitive NYC dining scene that seems to favor men (just my observation).

Then she came out with her memoir, Blood, Bones & Butter. I've started to read a lot of culinary writing in the past year, so I figured that a Kindle sample wouldn't be too much of a sacrifice on my part. I couldn't stop reading the sample. She roped me about page 5 (or whatever percentage that is in Kindle terms). Let me start out by saying that this woman can WRITE...well...very well. She does have a MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!), so I shouldn't be surprised. Hamilton's life story and the way food has weaved itself into how she views her past is only aided by her wonderful way she uses words.

In this TV clip, she talks about how she feels about being a chef and her own writing on the Charlie Rose show. Plus, I think GH, Charlie Rose and I feel the same way about cleaning. :)

I'll be honest though. Gabrielle Hamilton is complicated. While I'm not sure I would have made some of the decisions she did in her life, I relish her honesty and rawness. I'm inspired and by the fact that she was an untrained chef with little money and name recognition, and she opened a successful restaurant that's still open today. Gabrielle Hamilton is upfront about who she is and seems to be able to easily share the icky and the beautiful aspects of her and her personality with us. I think she welcomes our judgment, for lack of a better word, and doesn't really care. I respect that in people (especially women).

I guess the best example of her openness is her discussion of her marriage. Without giving anything away, I can say as someone who has been doing this marriage thing :) for a little under two years that it's hard. I feel like I've gotten a wonderful life partner and friend in Husband J. I can only imagine how much harder marriage can be when you don' t feel that you get what you need from your partner.

After finishing the book, I felt like I just had to go to Prune. Here's a look at my lunch there:

Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are just not regular old deviled eggs at Prune. There was so much horseradish-esque kick with herbs and spices and perfectly smooth eggs. Gabrielle Hamilton agrees with most chefs that a true mark of culinary skill is what you can do with an egg. If that's so, this is genius.

Skate Wing with Lemon Caper Sauce & Artichoke Barigoule

"Barigoule is a Provencal dish that is braised artichokes in a warm, tangy white wine broth"

Food & Wine Magazine

Gabrielle Hamilton's all about keeping it simple and delicious, and this dish is. There's nothing much to it, and I think that's the point. Although I suspect it's hard not to like anything with capers and butter.

Feel free to check out Gabrielle Hamilton's book, Blood, Bones and Butter, or her restaurant. I think you'll enjoy the quality and authenticity of both.

Prune

54 East 1st Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenue)

New York, NY

I've Finally Found a Cooking Show I Like

I don't really like cooking shows. This of course excludes most cooking competition shows. I love Top Chef (although I can't get into Top Chef Masters and the contestants on Top Desserts annoyed me), and I did watch several episodes of MasterChef last year. I know that I've already mentioned that I like writing more about food culture than I do about actual cooking, so please don't think this is another example of a (nonexistent) bias against cooking. I don't know; I just don't want to watch other people chop carrots without some context. Does that make sense?

With the debut of Cooking Channel last year was hoping to get some more food oriented television into my weekly line up. There has been a show or two that has appealed to me, but the overwhelming bulk of the programming is still the traditional cooking show watching a chef make a dish. My reaction: Eh...

However, I think I've finally found MY cooking show, and it came from the most unlikely person: Debi Mazar and her husband, Gabriele Corcos. I love their show Extra Virgin!

(source)

(source)

What I love about this show is that it places their cooking within a context. There's something really natural about the manner they are making the food: nothing too perfectly cut and no fancy schmancy plating. They have a conversation, joke with each other, and there's an authentic way in which they engage with each other and the audience. You feel like you're watching your married friends cook instead of a chef explaining a recipe.

Also instead of just staying in a kitchen, there are reality TV-esque interviews and explanations interspersed throughout the cooking portions. We don't stay in their kitchen the entire show, and instead see them shopping for a new motorcycle, selling bruschetta and lemonade with their two daughters on their street and going to visit their extended family in Tuscany. They seem to be living and incorporating food into their daily lives not just teaching us how to make pasta correctly. It's refreshing and to me as it reflects how we all experience food: as a way of bringing together family and friends, sharing love and living rich, full lives.

Plus, I just like watching married people who are cute together. Even if it's just for TV, Debi and Gabriele seem to have a pretty loving and fun relationship.

(source)

I've got it DVR'ed, but new episodes of Extra Virgin premiere on the Cooking Channel Wednesdays at 10:30pm EST.

FTC disclosure or whatever: I was not paid to write this. I just really like their show. I'm not getting money from links, although I wish I was. Just sayin'! ;)

Do you have a favorite non-competition cooking show? Why do you like it?

Eat to Win with Charlie Sheen

So part of me knows that I shouldn't even be giving this man a platform. Charlie Sheen is going through all kinds of craziness in his life right now, if you haven't heard. Part of me felt bad for him in part because it's sad to see someone's life implode daily on national TV. I admit I have not watched any of his interviews (just snippets here and there), but the news articles are enough for me.

Then I stopped the other day and realized that this man is either "crazy" or "crazy like a fox". I honestly think he's crazy like a fox. I think to some degree he knows exactly what he is doing, and at this point it's more about trying to keep the public's attention rather than a real display of who he truly is. Perhaps this is the cynic in me speaking, or maybe I am just not well versed enough in the effects of mental illness and drug abuse. I don't take what he is doing lightly, and I hope he gets the proper treatment to deal with his personal issues.

Either way, I am quite amused by Mr. Sheen's attempt at a cooking show. It's pretty funny even if his current life is not. I guess he's got a lot of time on his hands now that he's no longer on Two and a Half Men?

Charlie Sheen's Winning Recipes from Charlie Sheen

So what do you think of the video? Is Charlie very ill or taking us, the U.S. consumers of entertainment, for a ride? I suspect it's a little of both.

Good luck to him.

Happy Weekend to you.

A Proper Thanksgiving

Obviously I am in the throes of Project Thanksgiving right now. I don't feel behind, nor do I think I should be checking certain tasks off of a list right at this very moment, but Fred (I've named my turkey Fred), and I have a date this morning. I am still nervous about the turkey, but the sides will good, and we have my Mom's Tofurky (yes, my MOTHER is the vegetarian/borderline vegan). If anything happens, people can get their protein from that. :)

Anyway, there is a point to this post. I had a conversation with my BFF about how the fact that I think we sometimes forget that not everyone eats the same holiday food as we do in our homes with our families. As a matter of fact, even in a country as diverse as our own and even with iconic dishes like turkey and pumpkin pie, everyone's got their own idea of what a "Proper Thanksgiving Meal" should be. Isn't this true?

When I was younger, we went to my godmother's house a 10 minute drive away. I came to understand that Thanksgiving is turkey, but also ham and curry chicken (Caribbean style). There's got to be rice and peas there (Caribbean people sometimes have a hard time eating a dish without rice and beans or at least Antiguans do anyway). You had to lunge for the sweet potato pie, while the pumpkin pie usually just sat there. After awhile, my Mom, who supplied the sweets for the day, just stopped making pumpkin pie.

Yet while we had signature dishes that we all collectively love at our meal, someone across the street or even across the city could be sitting down and having the EXACT opposite meal minus maybe the turkey. Last year, the New York Times had an interactive map of what recipes were most searched by state. It seems that pumpkin pie is more popular in the Midwest but barely searched for in the Deep South. Pecan pie was popular in the middle of the country (both north and south), but coastal folks weren't planning on it. Mid-Atlantic folks and New Englanders like their apple pie for dessert. Fascinating, isn't it?

Honestly, it would never occur to my godmother, my Mom and the rest of my family to take green beans, add some cream of mushroom soup and crumbled fried onions on top, and put it in the oven and bake it.....

(source)

Yet green bean casserole is a big time American Thanksgiving dish. I still haven't had it. Should I be thankful? ;)

I know that the issue of taste differences has definitely come to the fore in my life since getting married. Last year, I think was especially hard for me because it was my first Thanksgiving at my in-laws, who are absolutely lovely people. My mother-in-law spearheads the cooking duties there. I did very much like the meal, BUT they just eat totally differently from my family. The most fascinating dish for me was the pearl onions.

(source)

Apparently you can make this into a casserole too (with green beans).

I tried a few of the onions, but they were far from life-changing for me. Sorry, MIL. You are a great cook, but these pearl onion thingies just didn't take to my palate. ;(

It's always fun for me hearing about friends' Thanksgiving meals, whether they are multiple generation Americans or their kids will be the first generations of their family born here like mine. I like the fact there are quintessential traditional Thanksgiving dishes we can count on, but we take each of these dishes and make them our own, kinda like our American experience. Everyone with their cultures and experiences has added a little something here and a little something there to change what is customary about the proper Thanksgiving meal, but it's still all uniquely American.

That being said, there will always be mac and cheese and sweet potato pie at my dinner, and I'll even start to include rice (not on the menu for this year). :)

What do you consider to be the "proper" Thanksgiving meal? What dishes can you NOT live without on Thanksgiving Day?

Are You an Eater or a Cooker?

I've never really written about food before writing this blog. Can you tell? :) But seriously...I have often noticed a little bit of a rift in food blogs. The rift is between what I like to call "eaters" and "cookers." Often I find the food blogs are either writing about recipes and cooking or, on the flip side, about restaurants, food culture and eating experiences. I would not say that there is a total wall up between these two types of food blogs, but for the most part many seem to fall into these two categories.

I definitely think one gets a little less street cred when writing about restaurants and eating (Maybe I'm just zensziteeeeve? :)). When I perusing some information on the BlogHer Food Conference, I definitely saw more of the cooking side of food blogging represented. While the workshops were good for bloggers of all stripes to build up their skills in social media, branding, and the like, many of the food related workshops seemed to be slightly tilted towards "cookers." That's not a bad thing, but I think there are many people writing about food in a variety of contexts that could use some encouragement from a conference juggernaut like BlogHer. Maybe I'm just a tad biased? :)

If you haven't noticed, I don't write about the recipes I try or the food I cook. I'm sure some of you might even be surprised to read that I DO actually COOK. :) It's not that I don't cook often (since starting this blog, NYC had a ridiculous hot summer, which lessens my desire to cook). Cooking just doesn't inspire me to write. That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy it. I made a pretty fabulous Eggplant Parmesan this weekend that Husband J is still talking about, and I had fun making it. Lots of dredging large eggplant pieces in flour and egg...woo hoo! :)

I think part of my lack of inspiration to write about cooking is a function of me wanting to blog about a certain type of relationship to food that intrigues me the most. I'm interested in why we eat what we eat and where we eat it. I'm interested in the public culture of food and the role it has in our daily lives. So far that's taken the role of telling you where I eat and whether I liked it. I hope to write some more of the social context of food and eating soon too.

On a practical level, unless I'm having a dinner party or trying to prepare for a holiday dinner, I don't go searching high and low for recipes. I just go to my old standby of the few cookbooks I've got and my trusty monthly Food and Wine magazine. Maybe it's the bad-ass food styling or the articles with fast or challenging recipes, but I usually cook at least one to two recipes from Food and Wine per month. Other than that, I am pretty lazy in my search for fascinating recipes.

Honestly, I think there are just people who do the cooking blogging waaaaay better than I would. Like who? Check out my some of my blogging friends:

Fresh Brioche
The Nifty Foodie
Big Apple Nosh (By the way, I think she's a good mix of "Eater" & "Cooker" (more like "Baker"))

So I will throw it out there to you folks. Are you a "cooker" or an "eater" or both? What intrigues you the most about food? Its preparation? Eating different cuisines? Finding a fun out of the way hole-in-the-wall joint? Finding a cool recipe that you can make your own? A little bit of everything? I'd like to know!

P.S. Perhaps one day I will write about something that I have cooked. I am cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year, and I am definitely going to need your help!! Anyone know how to make turkey?