I was hoping that this blog would get me back to writing some more but it hasn't.  Instead I have been inspired in other areas of my life.  Cooking, long walks and face to face relationships and online relationships.  It has been different.  I have really enjoyed meeting people online and taking part of lots of online discussions and forums.  It has really challenged me to figure out what I stand for. 

I am not a wine person.  I don't pretend to be a wine person.  I LOVE WINE.  A couple of years ago I became really good friends with a chef that worked at my favorite restaurant (you know who you are).  We even meet at his restaurant.  We met through mutual friends at one of those house warming parties.  You know the parties I'm talking about.  You ask yourself all week, "Do I really want to go?"  The answer is always, "NO!" but you end up going anyway.  I have even found myself asking that question as I was preparing the dish I was going to take.  So this chef and I met when we bumped heads bending over to pick up the fork i dropped.  Too Cliche?  That's not how it happened but apparently we were both dreading the party and boisterous drinkers that were inside.  We had fulfilled our attendance obligation and were dreading the participation obligation.  For us the way out was the back patio.  Nothing romantic.  It was a nice night but when the backdrop is a local pediatric hospital...well, you get the picture.  The conversation started as awkward and hopeful as any party conversation can start.  "So....how you doin...?"  I never know how to start those conversations.  The type of person out back alone could be one of several:  hostess, realizing what a huge mistake they made by buying more cheap beer over less quality beer; the quiet drunk; the about to passout drunk; and those dreading participation.  Fortunately, this was two people from the same class out on a back patio overlooking a large drab  building with not much else to see.  Soon the talk turned to jobs and hobbies.  "What do YOU do?"  Seems like such a personal question and kind of intimidating.  If you say the wrong thing or it scores lower on the list of important jobs.  Food, that's what we landed on for our point of interest. 

More recently food has become kind of bland.  It's like walking into your parents house for the one millionth time.  It looks, feels, smells the same as it did the on thousandth time.  I've eaten a lot of the same things over the last...lest just say 15 years.  It's like putting on a pair of gloves at the end of the winter.  They just slide on and your fingers go right where they are supposed to and the gloves continue to do their job with out you noticing much of anything.  The question was asked like this.  "Pasta, how can i make it taste better?"

This is where it started.  Keep in mind that this wasn't me looking into his eyes or him looking into my eyes and the night disappearing all around us as if we were the only two people left in the world.  It was quite the opposite.  I found myself actually getting mad that I hadn't asked the questions before.  We talked and talked and talked about pasta and how to make it better.  We finally ended up on WINE (you probably never thought I would get here...I was beginning to wonder myself).  I don't know what any of the technical terms or how to do the thing where you "OPEN" up the wine.  Not even sure if that's what it's called.  I don't even understand why a taster spits it out or chews on a cork.  Presentation seems a bit like marketing.  I left the night with three simple recipes to try with wine.  The meals were unbelievable!  I am not sure how to even explain it without being too cliche.  Full of flavor is what comes to mind (along with the aforementioned word CLICHE).  That's a horrible way to explain it and it's not even very descriptive.  If I could use a kiss as the analogy it would be something like this.  Normally the food would be a kiss.  Now the food tasted like a kiss that lets you taste love; wet, passionate, deep.  You taste his lips and his breath all at the same time and both leave you longing for more.

That's why I like wine.  It helps me love food.
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I have been living in my new place for a while now.  I think the biggest change has been my trips to the market.  Before I was able to rush right through and pick and chose as I needed.  It was very rhythmic and maybe even a bit melodic.  As I would visit the different vendors the voices would change along with the ethnicity of the foods.  Almost like when dad used to tune the radio into his favorite shows.  As he would go from one end of the dial to the next.  Garbled words meaning nothing.  The new market I go to has been difficult to get a round in.  I don't know the faces that I used to know.  They were my landmarks that helped guide me.  I guess now i'll just have to use my nose.