We will overcome!

Sadness always makes me want to cook. It's a great outlet, especially if you aren't making anything too sensitive (not so good to make quick breads or aspics when you're liable to lose track of how long you've been stirring... eww chewy gluten and runny gelatin). Thus, it's always useful to turn to cooking, instead of baking, in these situations. It also happens to be a great way to procrastinate making a poster for a conference. As I'm in both of those situations, looks like today's going to be a cooking sort of day.

Unfortunately, the well of ideas has dried up... or maybe it's my appetite. And yet here is another constraint on cooking on a day like today: it's a good idea to have someone to cook for. So I've found myself a group of visiting Swedish scholars to team up with and cook for tonight. Assuming those plans don't fall through, it'll keep me from getting lost in the ridiculously long email I will have to finish up later tonight. I'm sorry. I'm being cryptic. But fortunately, I'm allowed to. ha. Those Swedes are gonna get some Amerrrrican food if it's the last thing I do. Now I just have to figure out what American cuisine is. Any thoughts? The debate begins:[James Beard Foundation: State of American Cuisine]


On another note, today I was reminded of a trip I took up to Seattle last year to visit a friend who is working on a PhD in Chemistry at UW (I know, right? way over my head). We had a lovely time wandering the streets of the city finding random foodie havens I had heard about. Yes, I dragged her on a walking food tour of her own city (what kind of houseguest was I??), though I don't think she minded. And yes, we had three breakfasts: 1. Top Pot Donuts (you MUST try their ovaltine latte if you ever get the chance, think a mocha...malt) 2. Macrina Bakery 3. Bakery Nouveau (I think...). And then Pike Place happened, the World Spice Market Happened (and dukkah happened to me again), men flinging fish, happiness in the air, the Perennial Tea Room fed us crumpets with honey, and the world was good. And late, late at night, we found our way out to the sketchy part of town to Stumptown and had one of the best cappuccinos I have ever tasted, served by a hipster, surrounded by Apple-products-users.

Gotta make it up there again some time soon. And maybe she can give me a tour of the REST of the city...