Why I Designed a Writing Course around Food
I love food. In fact, I plan every vacation, holiday, weekend, and, well, weekday around what I'll be eating. Some people may call this an obsession, but I call it a passion. I don't love eating--okay, I do, but what I really love is food. Food is an avenue to meeting new people, new places, new cultures. When I visit a new city or country, I want to explore and experience its culture through food. For example, when I'm in Chicago, I eat deep dish pizza, and I try to visit a new cutting-edge restaurant. When I'm in Pittsburgh, it's Primanti's and other establishments that specialize in insane sandwiches. On a recent trip to Montreal, I ate at a locally-loved Indian restaurant, a French bistro, and a Portuguese chicken place I saw on the Travel Channel. When I'm in Columbus (alas, I moved to Centerville this past year after living in Columbus for ten years), it's Northstar, North Market, Jeni's Ice Cream, Third & Hollywood, Vino Vino...and so on. Don't even get me started on Europe--the cheese, the bread, the chocolate, the espresso! We just can't replicate that stuff here in America. My mouth is watering already.
I grew up in Ohio, and I've certainly adopted a Midwest passion for food. But I don't just go for the home-cookin' classics: chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, an array of casseroles, and the pies, oh, the pies. I absolutely love spicy ethnic food--Indian, Mexican, Chinese--and I really enjoy French cuisine. One of the best meals I've ever had was at a small French restaurant called Jean-Robert's Table (in Cincinnati, no less). My wife and I celebrate by cooking large meals and trying out new recipes and restaurants. We'll spend hours in the kitchen enjoying the cooking process, whether it be for Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, graduations, football game days, anniversaries, or having friends and family over. Food is a way to connect to others and to share experiences. For me, food is intimately related to friends and family. Food is a central part of my life.
Eating food can be like discovering a new perspective. I can always fall back on my go-to meals, but something special happens when I taste a combination of flavors I never imagined, when I eat something that opens up new possibilities of thought and sense. As in my research and life experiences, I strive to discover new things through food, and I hope this class will help us all make such discoveries.
I grew up in Ohio, and I've certainly adopted a Midwest passion for food. But I don't just go for the home-cookin' classics: chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, an array of casseroles, and the pies, oh, the pies. I absolutely love spicy ethnic food--Indian, Mexican, Chinese--and I really enjoy French cuisine. One of the best meals I've ever had was at a small French restaurant called Jean-Robert's Table (in Cincinnati, no less). My wife and I celebrate by cooking large meals and trying out new recipes and restaurants. We'll spend hours in the kitchen enjoying the cooking process, whether it be for Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, graduations, football game days, anniversaries, or having friends and family over. Food is a way to connect to others and to share experiences. For me, food is intimately related to friends and family. Food is a central part of my life.
Eating food can be like discovering a new perspective. I can always fall back on my go-to meals, but something special happens when I taste a combination of flavors I never imagined, when I eat something that opens up new possibilities of thought and sense. As in my research and life experiences, I strive to discover new things through food, and I hope this class will help us all make such discoveries.