Arrogant Bastard
There is still a lot more to say on the topic of how class consciousness and insecurity permeates the restaurant scene in Albany. However, honing in on the answers to two great comments I received yesterday will take a little more time. Especially if it means changing source texts.
Still, expect more on this theme next week. Although today I need to dedicate to a little bit of proactive damage control.
So I did something dumb. I’ve done a few dumb things recently, but let’s focus on just this one string of bad decisions. When I’m embarrassed about something, I’m compelled to share it with the world. Maybe that’s weird, but my hope is twofold. First, that you may learn from my mistake, and not make the same one yourself. Second, that you will hear this directly from me and not via some rumor or third party.
The bottom line is don’t compose late night notes in Facebook messenger.
AskTP – Out of the Gate
Wow, this year is off to a great start. Almost overnight, daily average traffic has doubled. New people are finding the FLB and they are checking out some of the blasts from the past. It’s really exciting.
Plus I’ve finally been able to write the post about Albany, restaurants, and class that’s been on my mind for months. I held the story back because I didn’t want it to get lost with people’s holiday preparations and seasonal travel.
I kind of hate to take a break from the action to answer the growing pile of reader questions, but if I don’t I will surely regret it later. If you are new to the blog I’ll explain. I have committed to answering every question that’s asked in the comments section of the FLB, so long as it is asked with proper punctuation. However, I tend to let these accumulate and answer them all in one lump sum every couple of weeks in a feature called Ask the Profussor.
It should also be noted that each question is preceded by the mystery link of the day. Yes, I know they all go to the same place. A long long time ago I used to link back to the original question, but that just took far too much time. And nobody clicked on them anyway. Plus this gives me a way to plug something that may never get the full fussy treatment.
Anyway, without further ado, onto the questions:
Dealing With Detractors
The good news is that I have a very thick skin. I don’t need people to like me. And I can brush off the name calling. But the goal here isn’t to have enemies. The goal is to try and bring people around to a different way of thinking about food and restaurants.
When someone gets angry about something I did because they disagree with it, I think it can be a great opportunity. Let’s talk it out. I’ll listen to you and have a chance to share my side. I’m not trying to be a jerk on purpose. Sometimes things come out wrong or are taken the wrong way. Or occasionally I’ll leave out a critical piece of context.
I mention all of these things because after the Real Actors Read Yelp video was featured on Table Hopping, there seemed to be a referendum on my existence in the comments thread of the most read food blog in the region.
Here is what some of my detractors had to say and my responses:
Serendipity
A favorite treat of mine as a kid growing up was something my parents would make in a blender. I think it was simply ice, water and a packet of hot cocoa mix. They called it Frozen Hot Chocolate and modeled it after the famous version served at Serendipity 3 in Manhattan. Little did I know at the time, but the frozen concoction I enjoyed as a child paled in comparison to the real thing.
Right now it’s so cold here in upstate New York that I feel like any hot chocolate would be a frozen hot chocolate.
But I’m neither here to talk about the weather, hot chocolate (frozen or otherwise) nor fanciful restaurants in the city. There is another kind of serendipity, a kind of happy accident. And I’ve been enjoying more than my fair share of it recently. For proof, check out my cheese story from earlier this week. For further proof, I submit the below.
Sugar Sugar
The news is important. Not the news I get from my Facebook friends or Twitter feed. But actual news from actual journalists. Lately I haven’t been able to find the time in my life to dedicate to staying on top of the news.
Not even the food news.
Which is why I feel so fortunate to have people looking out for me like Chris VanDoren who left a comment for me yesterday that said, “You must be enjoying the news/research about HFCS that came out today… maybe you are not so fussy.”
Truth be told, I had not been enjoying the news about high fructose corn syrup, but that was mostly because I had not yet seen the story. And I have to tell you, even when I found the news report about the latest scientific study which supports the notion that consuming HFCS makes you fatter than eating equivalent amounts of table sugar, I still wasn’t overjoyed. Here’s why.
Remembrance of Cheese Past
Cheese isn’t going to be a big part of my diet for the next several weeks. For someone who occasionally goes by the moniker of my50cheeses on the interwebs, this is a big deal. There may be a nibble here and a taste there. However I’m holding onto a few occasional gratings of Parm-Reg for dear life.
But don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay. If not for anything else except my memories of one amazing cheese experience in Paris.
If you like, I’ll tell you the story. I’ll even throw in a couple of pictures.
The New Cruelty
Happy new year! It’s 2013 and we’re headed off the fiscal cliff. Whee!
Last year at this time I wrote about a great new year’s breakfast: poached eggs on toast. It’s awesome and easy, and you should totally click on that link to see how to do it in forteen simple steps.
This year is going to be different, well at least the first few months of it anyway. It’s not that I believe poached eggs are unhealthy, they aren’t. However just to be on the safe side I plan to limit my intake of all my favorite foods.
So what does breakfast look like now?
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