Statement of Purpose

"Some people eat to live, others live to eat."

For the first 20 years of my life, I ate to live. I hated eating; it was a chore and a bore. A constant battle was waged between my brain and my gut, and although the latter gave up a good fight, the former always won. Needless to say, I was usually in a crappy mood until I got some sugar.


Not that I didn't have good food to eat- on the contrary. My grandparents were keen on the simple table, using food that came from their garden, their gigantic deep freezer and my grandmother's endless supply of canned goods. My mother made some amazing dishes, many of which are still my favorites today. Yet my relatives weren't exactly adventurous when it came to mealtime, and that affected my tastes in turn. I knew what was good, but there wasn't much variety in my culinary world.

In college I became the president of the French Club, and I started baking for meetings. My creations garnered many positive comments, so I started baking more regularly. One day, I asked myself the following question: if I could make a good pie or cake, why couldn't I make good savory dishes, too? Thus began my journey into edible experimentation, and my membership into the People Who Live to Eat Club. Food became a hobby, and while I still don't eat three square meals a day and I much prefer to cook for others than for myself, my body has finally made it out of starvation mode. Mark it one for the gut.

I have my Master's degree in French Literature, and my path of study influences every aspect of my life, including cuisine. I do avoid dousing everything in sauce as les Français are so wont to do, but I do appreciate French flavor affinities, especially in the world of pastries and sweets. And wine.


As for my co-author and better half, our first date was based on (among other things) food. He made a Jamaican Jerk stew with greens and lentils, and I made a chocolate caramel cake. We knew we had many things in common, and our love for cooking and experimenting is just one more thing we get to share. Our ideas for our next meal usually start out plain, but by the end we come up with something much more exciting- hence our blog. Sometimes my not-so-brave past gets in the way of our recipes (greens and mushrooms are still taking some convincing), but compromises are easy between us and we haven't had a bad meal yet. Here in our apartment, I mean. There was that one place on Bourbon Street...

An important footnote to my initial post explains several caveats about my nutritional intake: I'm allergic to a lot of food. Potatoes, tomatoes, rice, eggplant, avocado, and cat hair. Okay, the last one isn't really food but it does make a regular appearance in recipes. Everything in the solanaceae family and then some. Most people remark that this sucks, and they are not wrong. As much as I would love to eat nothing but pizza and french fries, I have to indulge sparingly and sometimes take a Benadryl (which Alex loves because I spout off some really weird diatribes). I stopped eating red meat last year for health and later ethical reasons, and right now I'm trying to give up fowl as well to better jive with Alex's diet. If I can, I want to buy local and I want to get to know the people that care for and cull what I put on my plate. I really dislike spicy food due to its ability to turn me into a weeping, snotty mess.


One might think that with all these restrictions, my meals are bland and boring.

Allow me to prove you wrong.

Contrary to my newly-initiated girlfriend, I've always been one who lives to eat. I have many dear memories of my mother's daily cooking, soul food at my maternal Grandmother's house on holidays (that particular side of the family hails from Alabama), fried Lake Eerie walleye and perch made by my step-grandfather paternal side as well as lots of vegetables from his garden, and a myriad of desserts from various aunts, grandmothers, and, of course, my mother. This is the tradition I grew up in: stick-to-your-bones soul food mixed with classic American recipes and a preference for the local or home-grown. I've been saying for years that it's a wonder I don't weigh 400 pounds.

Last year, March 2010 to be exact, my eating habits underwent a serious change: I gave up all meat from animals with lungs. Most would call this vegetarianism, and I often do as well, but to be clear, I am a pescatarian. I eat fish, shellfish, invertebrates, fruits, vegetables, grains, stems, leaves, seeds, and roots. If it has lungs, I would much rather pet it and be nice to it than have it for lunch. Now, you may be asking yourself (or not, because probably no one is reading this) how I came to such a conclusion. This is all I can tell you: everyone draws the line somewhere. My political convictions prevent me from buying from Agri-business in good conscience and my big heart prevents me from eating someone I know...or someone just like someone I know. I am an uncle to 4 wonderful pigs (pork was the first thing I gave up) and after meeting them, some cows, various chickens, and my favorite: goats, lunged-animals are out of my diet.

I learned to cook through a combination of my mother's teaching and Alton Brown's science-class-in-the-kitchen show Good Eats. Now my mother (conscientious omnivore), my sister (vegan), and we all share recipes and techniques. It's a wonderful thing. It's even better now that I have Alana to bounce ideas and tastes off of. My dishes often boarder on the experimental and her overwhelming positive feedback (and constructive criticisms) are both an ego-boost and help me refine my skills.

I have a rule for myself in my kitchen: I never make the same dish exactly the same way twice. There are a hundred different ways to skin a...well..tomato and one success is not exclusive of others.

While I love to cook, my real passion is German literature and philosophy. I'm currently finishing up my first year of classes as a PhD student at the University of Cincinnati. I did my undergrad work at Kent State and my Master's at the U of Kentucky...where I met Alana. To accompany my soul-food roots, I have an unnaturally strong love of blues and jazz that often accompany my cooking via the kitchen iPod dock.

And then there's Minerva, the other woman in my life. I've had my furry child since 2008 and have become vary accustomed to spicing my food with fine black and white hairs now and again. Hey, it's fiber, right?