Thanks Julia!

Because of her shamelessly hearty appetite for "la bon vie", Julia Child (via her delicious memoir, My Life in France) has given me permission to take matters into my own hands, just as she did nearly 80 years ago in her ill-equipped kitchen in Paris. It's amazing where a little curiosity and creativity can take you...

For me, food has never been mere sustenence. There's a dangerously passionate synergy involved in ...a borderline spiritual experience (no sacriledge intended), because every scrap becomes the stuff we are made of. I truly believe the age-old cliche "you are what you eat". So, naturally, I'm on a quest for the best. It's the only way to live.

Now, I don't mean to sound elitist. The "best" does not come served on a silver platter. It's not found on the menu of a 5-star restaurant. It need not be pricey, decorous, exotic, or time-consuming. The best foods -- and best food encounters -- start with a grassroots approach. Simpler is often tastier. Cheaper is always more enjoyable. And unfussed-with foods make us feel supremely human. Sometimes the "best" food comes straight off the tree with a few worm-holes. But, of course, I can appreciate more labor-intensive dishes as well...

I must confess, this blog (ah, I detest the word!) is created with semi-selfish motives. I need an outlet for the abundance of recipes, restaurants, culinary epiphanies, foodie fantasies, and embarrassing moments in consumerism (now, those need a file of their own!) that are taking up space on my mental hard-drive. It's time to purge the system.

So, here goes...

I'm starting with my roots. I love food. And with love comes a natural desire to learn. I do realize there's much more to life than food. But, what a wonderful catalyst it is for living a life full of novelty, openness, adventure, and friendship. It's power to bond us to each other is tangible and potent.

Every day -- or every meal, rather -- is an opportunity for learning, loving, and living "la bon vie". Whatever it is your roots are emersed in, be it cooking, writing, needlepoint, fly-fishing...I hope you'll be inspired to water them and see what grows. Who knows, it may even be edible!

The Grassroots Gourmand