Bite Sized

Oh dear Christ I have no idea how people travel all the time. I'm only halfway through my crazy travel and work months and I feel like my blood has been replaced by airline pretzels and hotel shampoo. I'm so spent from the whole thing, it's taken me three days to write this lame ass post. Some thoughts from the past few weeks:

• If you haven't already, you might want to start using www.restaurantwhore.com to get here. Mesh Magazine, the print publication I wrote for during the past year and a half and the current host of this blog (at www.meshsf.com/blogs/restaurantwhore.html) is stopping print. They were ridiculously good to me, and way too generous with their non-editing of my work. In any case, Jon will be helping to move my content from the one site to the other. Seeing how fast he is with those projects (remember the new look this site was getting, oh, I don't know, a YEAR ago?), don't expect it to be terribly speedy. For now, restaurantwhore.com points to the Mesh site.
  

• Indianapolis is not a city known for it's food. In fact, the best meal I had there was at my best friend's (very beautiful) wedding. I am ashamed to admit that despite the fact that I have not eaten fast food, chain food or any food from any place that has it's own commercial in several years, Jon and I had Domino's delivered to our hotel late one night and sat in bed eating it like ravenous wolves. Shame, shame, shame.
  

• To the very helpful anonymous poster who tried to direct me to good Indianapolis eats: This would have been super fucking great, if the comment wasn't posted once I was already in Indy sans internet access. Once I saw the comment, I was positively apoplectic with laughter over the "I can't believe you don't use Chowhound" statement. Really? You can't believe it? Because with my mouth, I'd last about 4.3 seconds over there in Orwell-ville.
  

• I'm sure Shauna talks about this all the time, but I tend to not read many non-local food blogs (ergo, I suck). In any case, one of my co-workers has the most angelic daughter who happens to suffer from Celiac disease. Celiac disease not only makes it difficult to digest gluten, but prevents you from absorbing nutrients. Fun stuff. In any case, I learned from my co-worker that eating out is hazardous not only because of everything that contains gluten, but because anything else you eat could have *touched* something with gluten and then you are fucked. Crazy shit. I thought it might be a good PSA for the restaurateurs out there to let them know that they should use a new pan when cooking for a gluten-free patron, rather than just throwing the gluten free ingredients into a pan that may have recently touched gluten filled components. Who knew?
  

• Why is it that we have no fucking corn muffins here in California? Growing up east coast style, I never had to wander far for a corn muffin. I'm not talking about little tiny cornbread hockey puck muffins that sometimes pass for bread at "Southern" restaurants. No, sir, these here muffins could be found in any coffee, donut or pastry shop (not to mention the fact that they were offered as a side option at any breakfast place) and were big, fluffy, cornmeal filled and delicious. They were served warm, and your butter would melt as you spread it all over that sexy quickbread. I make them myself sometimes, but once and awile, I'd like someone else to service my need. So, please, will someone tell me where I can find a decent fucking corn muffin?

• Yesterday, I got an e-mail from Pixar. Yes, that Pixar. I love them so much it hurts me. Jon has a degree in CG animation, so we are always first in line for their releases. I thought we had reached a pinnacle with "Finding Nemo," considering Jon has also had a lifelong obsession with tropical fish (we have a 55 gallon reef tank), but then I saw the previews for "Ratatouille." A pixar movie about a gourmet rat? In Paris? Fuck, yeah! To top it off, my boy, TK, consulted on the film to ensure culinary accuracy. I can't fucking wait to see it. Pixar has set up a couple of treats for those of us that get retarded about food. First is a series of podcasts. They also are having a contest and giving away a free trip to Paris. Personally, I will be waiting diligently, with gourmet popcorn in hand, at the opening on June 29th. Shameless promotion here, I know, but you also know I never do this usually so it must be fucking rad (P.S. they are not offering me jack shit to write this -- I just love them).
  

One more trip next weekend for Jon's sister's wedding, and then we are home for a month! As I sit here staring at my El Bulli menus collecting dust, I know how that time will be spent.

xoxo
Joy

"To eat is a necessity. To eat intelligently is an art."
-- La Rochefoucauld