About Me

I started this little side project as a response to my co-worker saying I did not have a hobby. He is correct, I don’t. I love doing things, like eating out and taking pictures of my food, painting my nails, trying new beauty products and shopping for clothes and shoes. Basically every cliché “girly” thing out there. He suggested that I should blog about my interests and that through this transaction of transforming my doing into writing, I would have created a hobby for myself.

So I sat and I thought what could I blog about? What could I add to the internet that people would like? And through this train ride of thinking I came upon an revelation.

I don’t think there necessarily needs to be another food or makeup blog out there, and I am not even sure there is any more I can add to that sphere.

No, that is not my true intent for this project. This will be an outlet for me. I have this innate fear of forgetting things. I obsessively keep trinkets, candy, tiny pieces of paper, anything that will remind me of an event where I enjoyed myself and would like to reflect back upon one day. In my youth I have collected all of these things and stored them into neat “memory boxes”, boxes of things that would remind me what fun I have had, that I have friends who care for me, and that my life has been amazing so far. They are like time capsules, my life summed up into 8 boxes… so far… I have a bus ticket from when it was still 75 cents and movie stubs when they cost $8.75. that is insane, both the prices and me holding on to them.
Until I moved in with my current boyfriend (I call him “Frenchy”) I thought this is (was) normal behaviour. I was rudely told I was mistaken. Upon reflection I should have seen the signs. We gave my co worker a birthday card and flowers. She left them displayed in her mailbox. Had it been for me the card would be in my recent memory box that night and the flowers hanging upside down to be dried or pressed. I mean any card: be it Valentines, Christmas or birthdays I still have them all of them from all the way in the 90’s, yes that is long ago. I have neatly folded notes detailing who my friends and I had a crush on in grade 9 and cartoon pictures to match. Names and faces of boys I have probably long forgotten. I thought why do I need to keep any of this? What was I afraid of losing by letting any of this go?

As it stands I still feel the need to keep them, even though I do not go through them and probably have forgotten what majority of memories these items are attach to. Frenchy is understanding and has allowed these waste of space boxes in our home, but I myself want to detach from them.  It is through this blog and through my picture taking I hope to change this potential serious hording behaviour and slim down on all that I feel I need to keep. As my boyfriend pointed out, “if you cannot remember something that happened without an item, it is not good enough of a memory for you to keep”. So this blog is me weaning myself off this behaviour.

When do I get the time?

I don’t work out. With my time shared between a promising full time career, giving 100% to my blog and writing, making dates with my boyfriend and friends; what little time I have, I spend it watching television and painting my nails. Sure I would like skinnier thighs and a tighter tummy, but not at the cost of limiting my food consumption and denying myself what I crave. Life can me so labourous, I believe we need to take the little things that brings us joy and run with it. In my case it is food. From a young age it was a love hate battle with food. And as my mother use to remind me, I had “fat genes”. But having a less than ideal childhood thanks to my weight, I have learned to balance what I eat and work on portion control. this gives me the ability to eat out often and try lots.

When eating out, I intentionally pick new places just to write about them. And when I eat with others, I allow them to pick the place, but never one I have already written about. Majority of my guests invite me out to their favourite places just so I can review it, feelings have been hurt in the process. I write about every place I eat at indiscriminately, from grocery store quickie meals to a pint at a pub. As long as their is a service being provided there is something to write about. I like being thorough in my reviews and describe everything in horrible detail to give you a glimpse into that world: decor, dresscode, staff’s service, the guests dining, and ofcourse the food. Consider this my dining out diary.

I am willing to try everything at least once. I write often and update daily. And I watch the Food Network religiously for inspiration.

So to fill you all in, currently this is my dining out experience. I go to a new restaurant, I order dishes based on how original and beautiful I think it would look in a photo, I take pictures of what I eat and what my guests orders; they all know they have to wait for me to finish my picture taking before they dig in, that’s a sign of a true friend to me. As a divergence in topic, this is also how I eventually came to the realization that an ex of mine wasn’t the man for me. He always complained of my taking pictures during meals. But now I have Frenchy who encourages my photography in gastronomy, to the extent that he takes me to new places and poses his food in the best light and angle so I get the best photos.

I end every dining experience out by taking a business card. Without one my eating out feels incomplete; there is that attaching an event to an item again, at least business cards are flat and small and easy to store.  Anyways the business card goes into my rolodex and my pictures get upload onto Facebook. Now and then I like to go through all of my cards and pictures; Like a serial killer reliving their kill, and with each picture I experience all the smells, flavours and memories anew. (I watch way too many crime dramas).

Here I would also like to add that I think I was taking pictures of my food way before it became trendy, I have pictures of meals my mother made growing up as a late teen, circa 2005. Back then food was instant noodles and sandwiches, but I still took pictures.

So here I am now. You have read the ramblings of a mad woman. If you would like more please follow me on my journey as I catalogue foods I have eaten.

I hope you enjoy.

This Blog is dedicated to Falk,  my make shift male role model who gave me the idea.

And Frenchy the man who helps me become a better me without out right telling me to change.