Weekly newsletter: Cheddar Bay Waffles & Oxtail Ramen
Hey Guys!
See that weekly in the subject title. Yup, I mean business. I'm now at two weeks in a row! I've feel like I've conquered some deep fear within me and it feels mighty good.
Here's what's on my mind this week:
1. Red Lobster & Waffles. When I saw the article a few days ago, I had to check the date to make sure that April didn't sneak up a little early. Well, it wasn't a joke. Red Lobster is indeed adding a buttermilk fried lobster with a cheddar bay waffle to their menu. I'm not so far up haute cuisine's ass to realize that this is genius work.
2. Oxtail Ramen. It's early in the morning and I'm delirious enough to admit that I only came across this dish because the chef is attractive. I saw him in a photo on Instagram and went to his page and after a few scrolls (no, I was not deep scrolling, it was like three rows in) came across his oxtail ramen. Oxtail...ramen...what?!? I had to have it. I found myself at 5Church a week later (and yesterday, they only have it on Mondays) and I'm happy to say that it was everything that I hoped it would be. It was also perfect timing because I've been thinking a lot about the history and future of Jamaican food and this is exactly what I've been looking for. (I plan on pitching a longer article about this somewhere because it's far too intricate to discuss here.)
3. Atlanta Food and Wine. I'm working on Atlanta Food and Wine this year. I'll be helping out with the connoisseur dinner series and I couldn't be more excited. Between this and the cocktails and events that I'm doing with Martell Cognac, I've never been more in love with my work. I don't have all the answers yet, but I know I'm on the right path. Tickets are now on sale.
4. Right Path. Speaking of right path, I was chatting with Will earlier this week and I told him: One of the signs your goal isn't correct is if it isn't enjoyable while you're working towards it. He told me that I needed to share that, so I'm sharing it.
5. Creative Quest. Questlove is releasing a new book on creativity and this Esquire Q&A has me really looking forward to it.
6. Food for Thought. At 3am, I tossed and turned trying to figure out the most politically correct way to say this. Then I realized there isn't one, so here goes...Actually before I start, I'd like to add that nothing triggered this recently...I think about it often....Ok...For 2018 and beyond, I'd like for people to stop doing events that they can't afford. This might be a weird opinion for someone that operates an event space to have. Why the hell should I care if people can afford it as long as they pay for it? I don't know, but I do care and I'm surprised at how often this happens and I'm a little concerned by it. Every day I see etiquette being flung to the wayside in favor of Instagram likes and it has to be stopped. I'm not some random arbiter of etiquette (I commit my own faux pas). I also understand that rules can and should be broken, just not when it causes stress and inconvenience for both the host and the guests. If people were happily doing it and felt good about it, I actually wouldn't care. However, the misery that accompanies it just isn't fun to watch. And I know it's because of the development of these weird societal norms (I put a lot of blame on social media) that tell us that we have to do these things. I'd like to free some people from the stress and guilt.
And while we're at it, I'd like to stop potlucks (I'm just learning this is one word) or at least greatly reduce the frequency that they happen. Everything just can't be a potluck (I'm giving a pass to twenty year olds). These two things might seem contradictory. I assure you that they are not. There's a sweet spot for events that the host can afford and that the guest can enjoy. Let's work to find it. Events don't have to be difficult. They shouldn't be a burden. Let's change the rules to skew towards simplicity while increasing joy. Maybe I'll write some tips about this at a later date. Am I alone in this? Is it because I've been an introvert since before introversion was a trendy thing? (Runs in a corner to hide. Just kidding. I'm going back to bed.)
Shannon