My Favorite Food Critic
I often describe Kyle as my best friend, though that isn’t really an exclusive club. Everyone who knows us knows there’s something different about this “best” friendship. There’s no platonic term for someone bigger than a best friend. I’m sure some language somewhere has one, but English leaves me fumbling for something greater. Read more
Perfect Gifts for People You Barely Know
Posted by Jill | July 22, 2011 | Filed under: Foodlife, Home, Ingredients
I can no more give a crappy gift than I can look you in the face and say, “No darling, you are rockin’ that bikini!” whist thinking the strings of your bikini look more like cooking twine on a pork shoulder and your once-sexy tramp stamp reminds me of a Silly Putty newsprint transfer. That’s lying. So is giving a crappy gift.
It’s better to show up empty-handed to a dinner party than bring something cheap and thoughtless. For that matter, I’d rather you graciously show up empty-handed to my dinner party than bring me that packet of cheesy novelty cocktail napkins and the rhinestone-studded wine glass you got for being a top multi-level marketing achiever. I really won’t notice your empty hands. I’ll be annoyed at having to dispose of a lame gift. Read more
I drank the good stuff today.
I woke up this morning with a nerve pinching between my shoulder blades. Dammit.
Dunno how it happened. Might have done it lifting free-weights. Might have been the consequence of the heavy, awkward sleep that results from hitting the pillow after three margaritas, a half a glass of wine and a tequila shot. My neighbor threw a fantastic Margarita party on her porch last night with lots of other moms from my kids’ school. At least I didn’t wake up with a headache. Read more
It’s always been about the parents, Jamie.
As I began my career teaching parents how to cook, I made a critical decision: my job was not to try to convince parents that junk food is bad for their kids. My job was to empower those who already care. As someone who wants to see major changes in the way Americans eat, this is the best use of my energies. Plenty of people already care. Too few know where to start.
I want to love what Jamie Oliver is doing on “Food Revolution.” I really do. We’re on the same team.
But I don’t.
I was only able to stomach about three episodes of his first season. I think I might make it through the whole series this time, thanks to the opposition Jamie got from the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Jamie is wasting his energies on the unmotivated. This made me absolutely crazy in the first season. Why spend so much time on people who really don’t even have the merest interest in the importance of diet and health to quality of life? Taking a morbidly obese, processed food junkie and trying to get him to buy and cook a pasture-raised chicken is absurd. It’s like expecting my kindergartener to read Nietzsche. Read more
Could ya grab me some dinner if you see some?
Posted by Jill | February 26, 2011 | Filed under: Foodlife, Home, Ingredients
We spent the morning yesterday on a boat charter, doing the obligatory Stingray City stop as well as two other North Sound snorkel stops. Stingray City is a sandbar on the north end of the island where, long ago, fisherman stopped to clean the day’s catch. The local stingray population got wise to the free eats and began to show up in droves. Tourists have now replaced the fishermen. Though it is often a parking lot of loud boats filled with cruiseship passengers in iridescent Oakley wrap-around sunglasses and bodies that glow like hot coals, it is still a “must have” experience. Having done it more times than I can count, I still enjoy the thrill of having stingrays brush up against me like a bunch of cats at suppertime. Read more
Making Eye Contact with Dinner
In the days when Bill and I were still conducting our due diligence on each other as boyfriend and girlfriend, we took our first trip together. Our destination? Grand Cayman, a world-renowned destination for scuba divers. Bill was already a diver. I went through the process of getting my certification during that trip.
I will never forget how terrified I was the first time the boat took us out for a true open water dive. Face mask on, tank hanging off my shoulders, regulator in my mouth and Bill standing next to me I was told, “Okay, enter the water.” I wasn’t sure I could do it. I couldn’t see the bottom. I’ve always been anxious about deep water- suspicious that malevolent sea creatures see my dangling legs as an Italian sees salamis hanging above a deli. Read more
Honey, I’m hooOoome!
Posted by Jill | January 12, 2011 | Filed under: Food Foibles, Foodlife, Home, Organization
A successful move is a lot like a successful birth: everyone’s delighted to simply report the healthy existence of all the participants at the end. No one expects that its not gonna be painful.
We are loving Larchmont. The kids are happy and have been embraced by their new schools. The house is really comfortable. We have fantastic neighbors. It is all just so good.
…but it hurts like hell. Even today. Read more
The Foodlife Journey: Savoring With My Eyes
I shot this my first time out with my camera at the Farmer's Market- mere days after my first conversation with Gil. This shot will always be dear to me because it demonstrated to me that maybe I could actually pull this whole photography thing off.
I want to share some of my favorite unpublished food photos with you before I sign off for the next 8 weeks. Though I’m not a professional photographer, I’m proud of these. They make me happy. When I look at them, I think, “Wow. I shot that.” These photos are an important part of my own foodlife journey. Read more
The Modern Nomads: Update
Note to readers: I apologize for the formatting of this post. I’ve spent two days trying to fix the problem. Wordpress adds strange spacing everytime I save the post and I can’t seem to solve the problem.
Our new home is quirky. Because the home was originally built on a large lot, the architectural front of the house is now the side and the side of the house faces the street. Its a bit like trying to talk to someone who is looking at something else. You just kinda feel like the house isn't paying attention to you.
We’ll be calling Larchmont, New York home in the beginning of December. After first putting offers on two other houses, we ended up in a “project” house. It was built in 1925 and retains many of the original charms of the era, such as single pane windows, poor insulation and a teensy, boxy little kitchen in a back corner of the house. The upside is that I can pretend that the tradesmen are my friends until I actually make real new friends. The location is fantastic. The community seems warm, relaxed and friendly. And we’re only 30 minutes from Manhattan! Read more
The Foodlife Journey: The Intimate Weekday Breakfast
It usually only lasts about ten minutes. If you put just a little effort into it, it is a wonderful experience that reinforces your relationship, makes you feel better about yourself, and punctuates your life. If you rush through it, it leaves you unsatisfied- hungrier for the real thing than you were before.
I’m talkin’ about breakfast, of course. How satisfied are you with foisting a cold bagel at your children as you launch them into the day? Could I get you to believe that offering yourself and your family 10-minutes together to nourish yourselves and reconnect is very important? Could buttermilk pancakes make the sun shine brighter and pour joy into your life? Read more
