About

"You used to be much more..."muchier." You've lost your muchness." - Alice in Wonderland

Growing up, I tried practically everything (except Brussels sprouts). I played piano for some time, soccer for much longer, involved myself in theater, wrote poetry, painted, sketched, and tried my hand at pottery. At some point, each of these hobbies and passions dissipated. Piano was the first to go, followed by art in high school, then theater. My excitement for poetry waned in college, and in graduate school, I stopped playing soccer. Work took over, and my hobbies disappeared.

This blog is aimed at helping me regain my "muchness". As such, it is directed toward celebrating and recognizing creations--from delicious meals created in 30 minutes to massive craft projects that span across months.

Why Food?
I noticed a warning at the gym the other day. Signs were posted across exercise machines in an effort to educate gym-goers as to signs of potential eating disorders. One of the criteria for potentially having an eating disorder was "talks about food, cooking, or dieting a lot". I wouldn't necessarily agree with that particular statement. Food is delicious and satisfying. Food brings people together. Most importantly, as one of my professors once indicated, a nicely cooked meal is something that can be accomplished in a relatively short period of time, is generally enjoyed, and never elicits the response of "revise and resubmit".

Growing up, my dad created dishes inspired by many different cultures and regions of the world, including Asia, Italy, the Southwestern US and Mexico. I remember the variety, tastes, and spices in these foods almost as much as I remember him telling us how lucky we were to be able to enjoy such variety--and he was right. I am at this point a hobbyist cook myself, and constantly in pursuit of how to combine the most flavorful ingredients in healthy ways.

Why Crafts?
My parents were incredibly supportive of both my sister's and my artistic endeavors. We drew constantly, mostly on the back of scrap paper absconded from Dad's work. Eventually, my parents decided we needed more formal lessons. And so it came to pass that every Wednesday for several years we visited a wonderful local artist for lessons directly after school. Every Wednesday for several years she made us tea, provided small snacks, and helped us develop our skills with pencil, pen, watercolor, and, eventually, acrylic paint. It was under her tutelage that I learned the mathematics of form, of human composition, of art, and grew to love it. The "height" of my education came when I was awarded a silver medal in the Scholastic Arts and Writing Competition during 7th grade for an acrylic portrait of my sister. As life goes, however, so did my time and enthusiasm for these pursuits. I am now working to get back into art, especially that which yields practical results. I'm slowly learning some basic bead embroidery and chain mail, and hope to develop wearable creations for myself and friends using these techniques.

I am also fortunate enough to be involved with someone who is as excited by good food and art as I am. Since he is much more patient than I, it is likely that the majority of the crafts I post will be his. Conversely, the majority of dishes that I post will likely be prepared by myself, as I love those instant and (usually) delicious results. I hope you enjoy our everyday creations!