I've stopped having bad cooking dreams with unending ticket machines and order-fire everything.
The hair on my left arm has grown back.
I've worn heels more than once in two months.
I spent an amazing month with family and friends in North Carolina and 10 gorgeous and memorable days in New York.
I'm cooking more at home than I have in years. Lucky Peach magazine yielded a glorious ramen broth and noodles that we ate for days.
I wrote and executed my first menu for which total strangers paid actual moneys (8 courses!) and I didn't go down in flames.
I taught my first cooking class (also, no flames).
I've continued to keep my hands busy via catering gigs and helping prep for Jeff's awesome supper club.
I miss seeing my work friends, I miss the intense veg prep and butchery, I miss the butterflies-in-your-stomach buildup to service, I even sorta miss doing the dance. But I don't miss pushing out hundreds of covers with sweat burning in my eyes while running on coffee and a bad sandwich. Does that make me lame?
How I spent my summer vacation
Jeff in blue crab heaven in Folly Beach, SC
Some of the best tacos I've had exist in Greensboro, NC
We carried her outside because she loved the outdoors. RIP, Garbanzo
Mom on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Plating grilled squab with smoked cherry gastrique. See the rest of the pics and menu here
Making the Momofuku ramen recipe from Lucky Peach magazine
I make weird faces when I teach
In Jeff's parents' backyard in the Hudson Valley for his nephew's viking-themed first birthday party
Peels for lunch, where we met Shuna Lydon (thanks, David!)
Momofuku Noodle Bar. Pork buns were totally worth the hype
This avocado at Prune blew my fucking mind
Sylvia and Jeff mean mugging for dim sum
Embracing full tourist mode
8 comments:
"Does that make me lame?"
I've been struggling with the same thing -- train for years to do this incredibly demanding thing, get really good at it, and then when you get a break from it and discover you enjoy other things too, question whether you are lame for moving beyond this thing that once consumed you. Others are telling me that it is not lame for this to happen. I may eventually believe them.
Also, please tell me about this avocado. I tried to find it on Prune's menu, but I didn't see it.
Inky. So great to hear you doing so well. I am intreguied by this ramen recipe. We need to catch up soon . Love mellie
Deanne: I'm believing more and more that I'm not lame :). Thanks for your insight on this! Also, as of today the avocado is still on the lunch menu at Prune, but it is the simplest of things: Perfectly ripe avocado, excellent grassy olive oil, lemon juice and a nice finishing salt. Talk about a perfect food!
Mellie! Nice to hear from you. The ramen was awesome, you should check out Lucky Peach! We definitely need to catch up.
you look beautiful and happy-I say if that equals lame, congrats on being a lame ass! (what I really mean is welcome to the world of enjoying life for all the great things it has to offer and not worrying so much about what is being "accomplished")
miss our balcony chats!
Un-lame, anti-lame. It's been great having you at Cru Central. Looks to me like an evolution, rather than abandonment.
Laurel: Haha, thanks! So great to hear from you, I miss you too!
Michael: I've loved being at Cru Central, thanks for having me! Evolution indeed.
So glad to see a post. I must agree with you that Lucky Peach is an amazing mag. I just got the second issue today. (I had been prowling my neighborhood mag store every day since Mon to ensure I got a copy).
I hope and pray an actual visit to the Momomotherland is in the cards in my not too distant future. All the pics look great.
Thanks Matt! It feels good to write again. Cheers!
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