Weekly newsletter: A summer of dinner parties
Hey Everyone!
I'm back. Sorry, I missed last week. I had an overnight layover in London and I just couldn't muster up the strength to write. Marrakech (and Morocco in general) was amazing. I went for mint tea (and had a lot of it), but got so much more. I'm working on writing a few stories about it, I'll let you know when they're posted. I have so much to say, especially about that 9-hour drive to the desert. Marrakech might actually be my favorite city. It's a bold statement, but there is something that really captured me. I have a lot more cities to see, but I wouldn't mind an annual jaunt to Marrakech.
Since then, here's what's been up:
1. Atlanta Food and Wine. The festival is about three weeks away, so as soon as I got back, I dived into this. I'm alternating between a mix of fear (I think it's healthy) and complete excitement. There are so many moving parts and since it's my first one, there's a lot to learn. I'm working to see if I can do a giveaway for a couple of tickets. You can also grab them here.
2. Midnight Barbecue. In the middle of all of this, I'm planning the next Midnight Barbecue. I came back from Morocco to 90 degree weather (Spring, are you out there?) and I just can't let May go by without doing one. Appleton Rum is sponsoring the next one and I'm super excited because it's all part of my ploy to tell a modern culinary story for Jamaica. When I did the last one in Jamaica, there was something about it that just made so much sense. I think the background of Jamaican food is still something that most people don't understand. It's a melting pot of all of these different cultures and the biggest influence for my global outlook on food. I've got quite a few requests to come to dinner. I'm working through them to find a good mix of folks.
3. The food capital of Asia. Speaking of melting pots, I was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last year and I was completely intrigued by how much of a melting pot this was. I couldn't help but get the sense that the city was going to explode in popularity in a few years. The hipster conversion of the historic shophouses, the endless of options of a blend of Asian food, the friendly people and countless shopping options will make this a city that will find its way on the radar more often over the next five years. They're just at the very beginning. Here's a good intro article from the BBC.
4. My neighbor saga continues. On Thursday, I finally had some time to unwind. I was sitting on the couch watching Seinfeld reruns around 10pm when I heard some sliding above me. It sounded like a combo of furniture moving and roller skating. About 45 minutes later I decided I wanted to go to sleep, so I reluctantly ventured upstairs. I knocked. He answered (mostly clothed). What are you doing up here I asked...Are you skating? (Even though that's what it sounded like, I was joking.) Then, for some reason I looked down at his feet and he had on skates! He was skating! He was actually roller skating! I laughed hysterically. He said he didn't know I could hear it, but would stop. It reminded me of this YouTube sketch I saw a few years ago. At the time I found it humorous, but I realize this has now become my life. It also makes me wonder who I'm annoying without knowing it.
Hope you guys are all doing well! Thanks for the well wishes while I was gone.
Shannon