My Happy Place

Bad stuff happens. All. The. Time. Every day is another senseless tragedy. Both here and abroad. Sometimes it’s a crazy person with a gun. Sometimes it’s state sanctioned violence against those without a voice. Sometimes the problems target individuals. Sometimes the problems are so deeply engrained within institutions that entire communities are impacted. Sometimes bad things happen because of bigotry and intolerance. A lot of bad things happen because of greed.

I could go on, but I’m just going to stop this chain of thought right here. I’m going to take breath. I’m going to be thankful my family is still in one piece, and that the tragedies of the world have not visited my doorstep today.

My goal here isn’t to minimize the sorrow, or the anger, or confusion of current events. However, I’m going to choose to not participate in the unfolding conversation here on the FLB. That said, complaining about the trespasses of the food industry or minor gripes about food not living up to expectations seem especially out of place today.

Today, I need to be reminded of the things that make me happy. So here are a few food-related ones.

The deep fried hamburger at Swifty’s never fails.

I’ve also recently discovered the deep fried Monte Cristo at Public House 42.

There are the grilled cheese sandwiches at The Cheese Traveler

Even something as simple as a perfectly ripe summer tomato from Roxbury Farm.

And let’s not forget breakfast, like a great donut and a cup of joe.

Or the bacon, egg, and cheese from an old school Albany food truck.

Carbohydrates. I love you. Looking at these pictures make me happy.

I’m especially grateful that tonight is a kick ass beer and cheese pairing class at Honest Weight Food Coop with the Yelp gang. Hopefully, I’ll learn a lot, and have some keen insights to share tomorrow.