Today was a good day.
I did laundry, made two quarts of beautiful, dark beef stock, cooked ratatouille (one of my favorite summertime dishes ever) for lunch, and finally found a new handbag (on sale!) to replace my old Rafe that was getting quite worn, and was (oddly enough) smelling kind of funky.
But today was also a good day in that I have found time to sit and write. It would be obvious to anyone who came across this blog that posting over the last few months has been light, the content less than engaging.
Michael Ruhlman, a well-known author and food guy, recently tweeted about how writer’s block was entirely a myth, an excuse, and usually the result of laziness. That when it came to putting pen to paper, there should be no excuses. I have to admit, this observation kind of resonated with me. I don’t blame my approach to this blog over the last few months on writer’s block; rather, to be honest, I’ve been far too tired at night to think of interesting things to tell the world. So, I just let proverbial weeds grow over the site. And, I was sick of talking about food.
Yes, it’s true. My most recent job in PR saw me reading food media everyday, sometimes for most of the day. I was on food industry overload, and the last thing I wanted to do was come home and write about it.
I’ve recently moved on from my PR job, but I can’t honestly say that I will immediately miss reading food media. There are still certain stories of interest, of course, but to be frank, I can only read so many versions of stories about locavorism, or the Obama vegetable garden, or food recalls, or bacon.
When it comes to food, my greatest pleasure as of late has just been spending more time in the kitchen. Thinking and searching for those moments that got me interested in gastronomy in the first place. Today, roasting bones and veg for beef stock brought me one of those moments of clarity: I could vividly remember the joy I had the first time I ever made beef stock, and the amazement I felt that such humble ingredients could yield such a beautiful product, useful in so many cookery applications.
The point of all this, I guess, is that I can’t promise that this blog will continue to talk only about food. Increasingly, I’ve been drawn into the world of modern media, and what it means for businesses and how we all communicate with one another. I know that sounds vague, but I’m sure you’ll start seeing links here that explain what I mean.
At home, on real paper, I’ve also begun to write the way I used to as a kid, before business school went and took away all my creative writing sensibilities. I recently realized that it had been years since I had written a story just to write one, with fictional characters and motivations and scenarios. As a child and even as a teenager, I could spend hours writing something just for the hell of it, proud to share it with my family. So I’m trying to get back to that place, too, where it’s easy to think up characters and spend an hour writing about them. Who knows? Maybe I’ll post some of my short story tidbits here as well.
The point is, I’m guessing VMAC + Cheese will be slightly altered in content, but still, at heart, it will be a place where I am honest, open, and interested in sharing with you all. I hope you’ll stick along for the ride.
