Random Thoughts on a Monday

I am 28 and have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. Is it bad that I do not consider myself a grown up? Does anyone ever truly figure it out?

I love food, talk about food, and think about food more than is probably healthy.

Anthony Bourdain = HOTTIE!

Me and my BFF from college used to obsessively watch Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen movies. We would call each if they were on, dissect plots, rank our favs (Paris for sure!) and wish for more. God, I wish I could watch one right now.

This time last year I was in Morocco. Hopefully this time next year I will be somewhere equally exciting.

It is starting to get darker earlier, which means summer is almost done. What even happened to summer? It just flew by and I feel like I did not accomplish much.

I live on Capitol Hill in DC, but have yet to actually go and tour the Capitol. This makes me feel bad and unpatriotic.

Iphones scare me. I don't like the idea of being "connected" everywhere I go. It is fun to get lost and be able to get yourself around without being dependent on technology.

I have a book club meeting in September on "The Poisonwood Bible" and just can't get into it. I start to read and just fall asleep. This also makes me feel bad and unpatriotic.

I am joining the Julia Child craze. I figure there are worse people to buy into and any woman who can reinvent herself at 37 is worth reading up on.

One of my favorite words is discombobulated. Perhaps it is because that is how I feel most of the time.

This was supposed to be about Les Halles but my plans were changed a bit.

So I have been in Jersey City for a conference and the plan has been that on our free night a co-worker and I would head over to Les Halles so that I could prove to Tony that I truly do care. I am not just any stalker who is all talk, I am action my friends and will complete the circle that is my Anthony Bourdain obsession.

Anyhoo, we had a reception in Midtown and definitely enjoyed some wine and cheese, which in hindsight was just a silly thing to do as we were just too full for dinner. Boo to me! A pow wow was had and it was decided that Les Halles would have to be another time. Going to Les Halles is my pilgrimage and I want it to be a fun and joyful event.

As much as my heart was set on it, things actually worked out really well. It was a gorgeous day in NYC and we walked from 33rd and Park down to ground zero. That is a little over 3 miles, but I needed that after engorging myself on cookies, cheese, crackers, and all the usual conference fare that I make very bad decisions with.

For all my times of going to NYC I had never been to ground zero. It is not something I had really wanted to go to. For me it is a little hard to grasp as I never saw the Twin Towers when they stood there. Back on that fateful day I was in Cali, sleeping in (since my class was not until noon), and woke up to the sounds of screams and crying. I know that when those towers fell it was our, as a nation, collective tragedy. Yet I feel so far removed in my understanding of it all.

Looking at it now, at least what little you can see beyond the gates and cloth that enclose where the towers were, it is a huge crater. One that would be made by a special effects team for a sci-fi flick. It is one of the few places in the city where air and light permeate. It is shocking to see all that light coming in when you have been walking in the shadows of the "cement jungle" that makes up what we all think of as New York.

Seeing ground zero just put me in awe and made me wonder at the strength of this city. I love New York, I would like to live here some day, and I hope that if that happens I could show the same grit and determination.

After this impromptu journey we headed back up a couple blocks and found a great indian restaurant. I think we were on the border of Tribeca and the Financial District but I am not really sure. It was delicious, thats what I do know, and though it was not what I thought I wanted to do it ended up being a good end to a long day.

Anthony Bourdain + Me = Match made in heaven! Now if someone can relay this message to him that would be great!

I love me some Anthony Bourdain! Not only have I read most of his books, watch his show, am a fan on Facebook, and read his blogs/interviews, but I have put him on my list of allowable people that I could cheat on my significant other with. (Though the BF is a mean boy and will not let me put a stipulation that an Anthony & Eric Ripert sandwich would also be acceptable if the occasion happened! Anthony would obviously win; but 2 silver foxes for the price of one, well I think I will sir!)

Some people are just dumbfounded by my complete attraction to him, but I think it's the simple case of a good girl liking a bad boy. Tony (Yes, we are on a first name basis so shut it!) does not sugar coat the bullsh**, is an ex-druggie and smoker, loves to drink, knows how to handle a knife, likes to eat copious amounts of meat, and cusses like a sailor. What....I think my mom would love him! Her only concern might be the 25 year age difference, but then again my mom is of the school of thought that if you are happy and being treated well than all that other stuff is superfluous.

The only thing that would make me tell my pheromones to get a hold of themselves is the fact that he is married and has a 2 year old daughter. But if he puts me on his list of allowable people to cheat on his significant other with then we would be in the clear. How I will achieve this is beyond me, but I am willing to take suggestions!

But let's face it. If I actually met him I would probably just go dumb. My mind would go blank, I would freeze in a stance that could look like I am either a complete idiot or am suffering from a distressed bladder, and the only words that would come out would be something like "OMG! I love you!" or "Uuummmm......I.....hi.....", which would only garner the Tony snicker and smart ass comment that we all love him for. And I somehow doubt he would be impressed with a Wayne & Garth-esque "I'm not worthy" show of devotion if I could somehow manage to put two words together.

So far now I will be an admirer from afar. But not a scary one with an altar in the corner and cut outs of his face plastered on the walls. Just a genuine admirer of his work, writing, and success in bringing new ideas about culture and food to his loyal viewers.

Hello! My name is Veronica and I will be your tour guide for this crazy blog!

This has been a long time coming. The idea has been in my head but it took a few good pushes to actually commit to this. It seemed cocky and self-indulgent to assume that I may have thoughts, ideas, or stories that others may want to hear about. I’m not saying there won’t be disappointments, I can’t be on point all the time, but I am going to try to make this enjoyable. I figure if I have a bit of a giggle or have an “aha” moment that maybe you might feel the same way.

I will give a short synopsis, my first monologue (yeah!), to explain a bit about myself. I am a born and bred SoCal girl who has somehow found herself residing in DC. It was a bit of a circuitous route here, and it was not political dreams that brought me. I spent some prime years after college being a vagabond of sorts. I worked for Club Med resorts, in the States so nothing too exciting, and backpacked a bit around Europe and lived in Australia for a few months. The parental units decided to transplant themselves to Northern VA before I returned from Australia and it was either sink or swim in Cali or have free rent. (I mean which would you choose?!) So now I am here living on Capitol Hill and enjoying life in the District. It was not an easy road. DC is a city that has to grow on you, much like fungus or mold on a good cheese, but in a non-gross way.

Despite my desperation to get a decent job and often being mocked for my after-college decisions, I have never once regretted the path I took. Yes, I would probably be making more money or have some swanky job with a corner office out in LA (kinda doubt it actually), but you know those things you read about, the places you talk about going to, I’ve been there. Travelling has made me a better person. That’s it, plain and simple, and for that reason I am thankful that I did it. It also opened my eyes to possibilities in other cultures, food, music, fashion, etc. And food in general has become a bit of an obsession.

I talk about food almost all of the time. It is interesting and tasty, and I love learning about food, reading about restaurants/chefs, watching food related shows and seeing what new trends are happening. Let me say this though, I have no aspirations to be a chef. I am not cut out for it, as my minor blow ups in the privacy of my home have shown me. Yet food is intriguing because it is a bit like magic: you never know what a chef can create from simple ingredients. Also, the cultural and social aspects that come with the joy of eating are varied across the world, but it is still a common thread that every person can relate to each other with. Maybe I am a geek, but that crap is fascinating to me.

While this blog will definitely be an outlet for my food related inquiries, write ups on places I dine and travel, and my attempts at cooking and trying to learn moderation and to be healthy, I have been know to digress and will definitely diverge off course and speak to my other interests, observations, stories, etc. In a nutshell, this will be about me and if you don’t like it, well you can’t win them all, and you are welcome to find somebody else that will amuse you. So to all the people out there, I hope I can bring something even miniscule to your day of procrastinating from work, finding nothing on TV, avoiding the gym, etc. Bon Apetit!


Veronica

p.s. this is a work in progress so please excuse the mess while I figure out what I am doing.