I've moved

Dear friends and readers,

I started this blog as a way to sort through my feelings of being an expat in Brazil and it has grown into so much more.  The time has come, however, that I devote my energy to something that I hope becomes more than just a hobby: writing about food.  To that end, I have launched my very own food blog.  I don't know what will become of this blog, I don't have the heart to take it down, but I will be focusing all my energy on the new one.  Thank you so much for sharing this journey with me, I hope you'll join me soon for a bite to eat (either in person or on the new site) as I begin a new chapter in my writing.

Take care,

Anri

My new blog: www.nyculinarian.com

Bunny Face

Finally, I can share something I worked on while at the Food Network.

While I was interning there, we worked on a project for the website designing Easter cupcakes for parents to make with their children. Two of the recipe developers came in one morning with bagfuls of candy and we all went to town, designing dozens of cupcakes. Out of all the ones we decorated, the higher-ups at the magazine chose six designs, and one of mine made the cut!

Here's a link to the article on the Food Network website.

Luck 'o the Chi-rish*

I'll be the first to admit that St. Patrick's Day in NYC is one of my least favorite days to be out and about (in general, I try to avoid parades and crowds from Jersey who come treat our streets as public restrooms).

Yesterday, however, I found myself having a rather fun time in Chicago where the festivities are taken to a whole new level. (There are two different parades: on the Saturday and Sunday closest to St. Patty's Day, which is this coming Tuesday). Perhaps it was because I was a tourist and things always seem more fun in a city you are visiting, or maybe it was that I was celebrating with Kay (who went to Notre Dame) and her college friends. I even drank some green beer; as they say, never say never.

The above photo was taken from Kay's car on our way out. The guy was just walking down the street alone minding his own business.

This, I should note, is not a friend of Kay's or anyone we know, but he was nice enough to agree when Kay asked if I could take their picture.

* I cannot take credit for the coining of this word, it was in fact emblazoned on the free plastic cups in which we were served our green-tinted Miller Lite.

Touristic times in the land of Lincoln

I arrived in Chicago (well, Evanston really) yesterday morning and have mainly been hanging out with Jenn. But, she's in the middle of studying for finals so today I ventured into the city and met up with Aay (a friend of mine from middle/high school) who showed me around to some parts of the city which were new to me.

First stop: Aay's studio in Pilsen, which he shares with seven other artists. While there, I got to model a hat/mask from a recent installation of Aay's.



Next stop, the Field Museum, which, I must say, I enjoyed much more than its NYC equivalent, the Museum of Natural History. While there...

we took a trip to Africa:


saw an amazing exhibit on shoes (these were my favorite):


and Aay introduced me to the most amazing machine EVER:


Insert two dollars and it makes a plastic dinosaur (they have four different ones to choose from) for you, on the spot. It is dispensed from the machine still hot!

Aay and I (and our newly molded friends) finished off our day with a trip to Chinatown where we enjoyed an early dinner and patronized a local bakery:

The best part of Chinatown, this sign:


When we parted ways today, Aay promised me another fun day of adventures on Saturday. Stay tuned.

They say it makes a mean soup

(Warning: photo of animal carcass below)

Last week marked the end of my internship at the Food Network. I miss it already. In related news, I interviewed at Savoy restaurant yesterday and will be a stage (fancy culinary term for free labor) there three days a week starting next week. While I can't say that I am excited about working in a restaurant, I am hoping that I will learn a lot and that it will be a stepping stone to some of the jobs that I would like to have in the future (most of which require restaurant experience).

Below is the only photo I have of me in the Food Network production kitchen. It was taken after a lamb demo by the American Lamb Board. It was pretty cool, they brought in a whole lamb and showed us how to butcher it and talked about some of the lesser known (to Americans at least) cuts that are (supposedly) quite tasty. The best part of the demo was when the woman from the Lamb Board introduced the two men who did the butchering as our "lambassadors."

Yes, I am holding the skull.

Disturbing find

These days I rarely shop at “regular” supermarkets. I buy what I can at the farmers market, and everything else comes either from Fairway or our local health food store. This weekend, however, I was in a bit of time crunch (and the subway was not cooperating with me) and I found myself having to shop for a dinner party at one of our local chain supermarkets.

I was genuinely appalled by the experience.

Yes, I am a spoiled New Yorker who has access to some of the best food in the country at (almost) all hours of the night, and yes I am becoming increasingly picky with my expanding culinary knowledge, blah, blah, blah. Nothing could have prepared me for this:

MICROWAVE instructions on produce! Criminal. And, the only Butternut squash I was able to find was grown in MEXICO. They grow beautiful squash just a few hours drive outside the city. Not to mention the carbon footprint generated by my four pounds of squash on its cross-continental journey to my table.

Oh, and they didn’t have any chervil either.

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To check out the artist(Patrick Moberg)'s website, click here.