Public Entry!
I like food. I love food. I'm as passionate about food as I am about fashion.
Food
Is
My
Life
My love for food started when I was about 8 years old. My family and I happened to stumble upon a little show on Food Network called Iron Chef. I was stunned by how much one could do with food. Food was art! I didn't think that could be possible. It was just amazing to me that you could take raw ingredients and sear, bake, fry, etc. and turn it into a masterpiece. Afterward, me and my brother put on mini Iron Chef competitions just for fun with the little cooking ability we had. I began to read cookbooks and watch cooking programs on the Food Network. Unfortunately at the time, the only people I could idolize were Mario Batali, Alton Brown, Ming Tsai (I miss you!), Gale Gand, and the chefs of Iron Chef. Emeril irritated me with his annoying catchphrases and I always found Bobby Flay to be fake. In 5th grade, I decided I wanted to be a pastry chef and was promptly made fun of by my peers.
My love of food died throughout middle school. I became interested in boys, like a typical prepubescent girl. I was uninterested in the lame television "celebrities" in foodland. And then lo and behold, in 9th grade I discover Anthony Bourdain and his television show on the Travel Channel called No Reservations. I was hooked like a coke whore. He traveled to different countries and sampled the food, showed us the CULTURE of the land. And he wasn't ignorant. And he was sarcastic as hell. And he chain-smoked and made it looked cool. And he liked the Ramones. Shit, if he was 30 years younger I'd totally hit it, but that's not the point. He got me into food once again. I've read all of his book, my favorite being the famous Kitchen Confidential. It opened my eyes to how much work goes into the fortysomething entree that you just consumed. How much time and preparation goes into each night at a busy, popular restaurant. And it just made me appreciate food even more. The mutual interest of him and food brought my mom and I closer together. We would look up restaurant reviews in Los Angeles and try to convince my dad to take us there. Top Chef was broadcasted on Bravo and I only started watching during season 2. The contestant Marcel specialized in molecular gastronomy which is basically the scientific side of food. He made flavored foams, coffee caviar, and I thought "wow, that's really cool!".
My interest in molecular gastronomy grew tremendously after a certain Anthony Bourdain episode aired. It was about a chef named Ferran Adrià. He has a restaurant in Spain called El Bulli, which holds the title of the best restaurant of the world. This episode, which unfortunately is no longer aired because it is property of Food Network, featured his taller, or workshop, and the restaurant itself. It mystified me. I was utterly bewildered and confused. "How could he make pea ravioli without the pasta?" I wondered. How can he encase egg yolk in caramel and make it so pristine looking? I was mesmerized. This man amazed me.
I discovered food blogs last year and was amazed at how many people all over the world loved food as much, or even more than I did. I was inspired by certain blogs to start my own, review the restaurants they did, take pictures as beautifully as they did with my crappy camera, and eventually make the long awaited journey to El Bulli (which has a 2+ year waiting list!). I dubbed myself as a foodie*, and I'm known by my dad's foodie relatives as one. We give each other foodie tips, tell each other where to eat, etc.
My sophomore year was all about minimalization. Instead of the sometimes over the top molecular gastronomy, I focused on ingredients by themselves. What can you do to make chicken better? What compliments rustic bread? I helped my mom experiment with these ideas. My first pure foodie experience was my 15th birthday. My parents took me and my brother to a restaurant in Claremont called Three Forks Chop. We had a 5 course meal including two amuse-bouches. I was just in awe that I was finally able to experience this luxury. My next one was at Comme Ca during my parent's anniversary. I was able to experience the glory that is roasted bone marrow, and I had the best steak in my life.
My most memorable experience was the weekend before junior year aka Hell started. My parents took me to Redondo Beach to calm me down as an apology for school starting. We stopped by a small bulding that served the freshest seafood I've had in my life. The oysters were decent but the one that had the most impact on me was the fresh sea urchin. The briny flavor mixed with the smell of the sea was pure bliss. It was honestly the best meal I've had so far.
Why the long entry then, you ask. Well I will sporadically do public posts about my food adventures! :) I hope you've enjoyed this anecdote about my sick obsession.
* foodie - food-ie, noun. 1. A person devoted to refined sensuous enjoyment (especially good food and drink) 2. A person who has an ardent or refined interest in food; a gourmet: “in the culinary fast lane, where surprises are expected and foodies beg to be thrilled” (Boston Globe).
Food
Is
My
Life
My love for food started when I was about 8 years old. My family and I happened to stumble upon a little show on Food Network called Iron Chef. I was stunned by how much one could do with food. Food was art! I didn't think that could be possible. It was just amazing to me that you could take raw ingredients and sear, bake, fry, etc. and turn it into a masterpiece. Afterward, me and my brother put on mini Iron Chef competitions just for fun with the little cooking ability we had. I began to read cookbooks and watch cooking programs on the Food Network. Unfortunately at the time, the only people I could idolize were Mario Batali, Alton Brown, Ming Tsai (I miss you!), Gale Gand, and the chefs of Iron Chef. Emeril irritated me with his annoying catchphrases and I always found Bobby Flay to be fake. In 5th grade, I decided I wanted to be a pastry chef and was promptly made fun of by my peers.
My love of food died throughout middle school. I became interested in boys, like a typical prepubescent girl. I was uninterested in the lame television "celebrities" in foodland. And then lo and behold, in 9th grade I discover Anthony Bourdain and his television show on the Travel Channel called No Reservations. I was hooked like a coke whore. He traveled to different countries and sampled the food, showed us the CULTURE of the land. And he wasn't ignorant. And he was sarcastic as hell. And he chain-smoked and made it looked cool. And he liked the Ramones. Shit, if he was 30 years younger I'd totally hit it, but that's not the point. He got me into food once again. I've read all of his book, my favorite being the famous Kitchen Confidential. It opened my eyes to how much work goes into the fortysomething entree that you just consumed. How much time and preparation goes into each night at a busy, popular restaurant. And it just made me appreciate food even more. The mutual interest of him and food brought my mom and I closer together. We would look up restaurant reviews in Los Angeles and try to convince my dad to take us there. Top Chef was broadcasted on Bravo and I only started watching during season 2. The contestant Marcel specialized in molecular gastronomy which is basically the scientific side of food. He made flavored foams, coffee caviar, and I thought "wow, that's really cool!".
My interest in molecular gastronomy grew tremendously after a certain Anthony Bourdain episode aired. It was about a chef named Ferran Adrià. He has a restaurant in Spain called El Bulli, which holds the title of the best restaurant of the world. This episode, which unfortunately is no longer aired because it is property of Food Network, featured his taller, or workshop, and the restaurant itself. It mystified me. I was utterly bewildered and confused. "How could he make pea ravioli without the pasta?" I wondered. How can he encase egg yolk in caramel and make it so pristine looking? I was mesmerized. This man amazed me.
I discovered food blogs last year and was amazed at how many people all over the world loved food as much, or even more than I did. I was inspired by certain blogs to start my own, review the restaurants they did, take pictures as beautifully as they did with my crappy camera, and eventually make the long awaited journey to El Bulli (which has a 2+ year waiting list!). I dubbed myself as a foodie*, and I'm known by my dad's foodie relatives as one. We give each other foodie tips, tell each other where to eat, etc.
My sophomore year was all about minimalization. Instead of the sometimes over the top molecular gastronomy, I focused on ingredients by themselves. What can you do to make chicken better? What compliments rustic bread? I helped my mom experiment with these ideas. My first pure foodie experience was my 15th birthday. My parents took me and my brother to a restaurant in Claremont called Three Forks Chop. We had a 5 course meal including two amuse-bouches. I was just in awe that I was finally able to experience this luxury. My next one was at Comme Ca during my parent's anniversary. I was able to experience the glory that is roasted bone marrow, and I had the best steak in my life.
My most memorable experience was the weekend before junior year aka Hell started. My parents took me to Redondo Beach to calm me down as an apology for school starting. We stopped by a small bulding that served the freshest seafood I've had in my life. The oysters were decent but the one that had the most impact on me was the fresh sea urchin. The briny flavor mixed with the smell of the sea was pure bliss. It was honestly the best meal I've had so far.
Why the long entry then, you ask. Well I will sporadically do public posts about my food adventures! :) I hope you've enjoyed this anecdote about my sick obsession.
* foodie - food-ie, noun. 1. A person devoted to refined sensuous enjoyment (especially good food and drink) 2. A person who has an ardent or refined interest in food; a gourmet: “in the culinary fast lane, where surprises are expected and foodies beg to be thrilled” (Boston Globe).