The reason I'm continuing today is because I wanted to share more information about myself so that in the off chance you accidentally clicked too many times to the right and ended up on my page, you wouldn't feel like you completely wasted your day. So in the spirit of sharing, I will give you a bite of my bio....
First off, you might be thinking 'who is this person? why does she think a bunch of strangers would be interested in what she has to say? this girl is completely self-absorbed and is using this blog like a hand-held mirror.' Well, I hope you don't think the last one. I do at times feel that this is silly and self-centered, but then I think of all the great memoirs and first person narratives I've read. Were those not just 20-something-year-olds at one point in time trying to get by? Weren't some of those authors "nobody's" when they were little kids eating around the dinner table. I don't think anyone is a "nobody." If you are on this earth, you are somebody, but I understand your desire for qualifications.
My dinner table growing up was located outside of Philadelphia, PA. I grew up with 5 siblings, myself being the youngest. I absolutely loved having a large family and can't tell you how grateful I am each day to be able to call upon any of them in time of joy or crisis. Like every family, we've stayed together in good times and in bad (unspoken sibling vows), but the bad times came especially when I turned 18 and my father, already divorced from my mother for years, passed away. I will spare you the details, as I am not here to exploit my family, but it changed all of us. I'm only including this fact because it has had such an impact on the choices I've made in life, that it isn't an option to write a personal blog without mentioning that just once. Also at 18, I graduated high school and packed my bags for the College of Charleston where I majored in media communications (so yes, I've always loved writing) and minored in theater. I've had odd jobs in music and in television. I've written short stories and a full length screenplay. I've worked at a theater and I've worked on a ship, but mainly, I've worked in and out of restaurants since I was 16-years-old. This is where my love for food comes in as well as my qualifications on the matter. I love food. I love the way it makes me feel inside. Sometimes, I hate the way it makes me feel, but I will never stop indulging and neither will Americans. In fact, food is so embedded into our culture that its almost full of itself. The one thing I like about America (and you won't hear that phrase much) is that we are truly a blend of all nations. It's pretty difficult to get sushi in the middle of Peru (I've tried), or a good pizza in Vietnam (tried that too). But here, the world is your oyster, or perhaps more appropriate, this country has any oyster you want! It's a bit disgusting if you think about it (insert angry tangent about over-fishing, antibiotics, global warming being affected by mass cattle production, etc., but once again, I'll spare you). Don't get me wrong, I think of all these things to a fervent degree and that's one reason why I've started my own vegetable garden- yet another illustration of my passion for pickles. I think if I was as devoted to anything else as much as my love for food, I'd probably have an insanely successful job, instead of this free blog. Oh well! Sadly, I've heard the words "you go out to eat more than anyone I know" too many times to deny that I spend most of my paycheck that I receive from my restaurant on other restaurants. I own more menus than books and when I move to a new place, I consult Yelp for advice, like some would a bible. I'm guessing by now you are picturing a very large Italian woman writing this, but alas, I am a petite Irish/Polish of 110 pounds.
Currently, I work at a sushi restaurant. Although I might not know how to prepare an omakase by hand, or even how to roll sushi, I can appreciate it. I appreciate the complexities of food and all that goes into making something that might be the size of a slice of salami, but as tasty and as expensive enough to make you feel like you just ate part of the sky. Sauces are what makes the world grow round. One can't even fathom how much work and how many ingredients can go into one spoonful of delicious sauce. Your pasta doesn't have a lemon zest because it just does, some chef spent the time grinding a lemon by hand and now its in your mouth. Love the little things.
One big part of me that I have yet to mention is that I also have an overt problem of traveling. I say "problem," because as one who loves to travel knows, this bug cannot be squashed. In fact, it constantly grows larger, eats all of your money, devours relationships, creates physical ailments, and gives you such fits of exhaustion at times that just when you think you can't go on another trip and that you're finally ready to settle, you buy a plane ticket to the middle of India. This sums up my life pretty well. I have been to 15 countries now including such places as Argentina, Brazil, Nicaragua, South Africa, India, Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan, excluding the continents of Antarctica, Australia, and strangely enough, Europe. I visited the bulk of these countries during my Semester at Sea student abroad program when I studied and lived on a ship, but I also independently backpacked through many as well. I love the life of a backpacker. You are constantly learning about the country, and about yourself. You meet people from all over the world over a cup of coffee, and do more adventurous activities like zip-lining, and white water rafting, then you've ever dreamed possible growing up. Traveling has influenced me so much that I am still looking into getting a master's in public health (concentrating in what else? global nutrition). Still just a thought- it takes me a long time to make any decision. Regardless, I think spending money on traveling is never a waste. EVER. Everyone needs the experience of backpacking and hostel jumping at least once in their life. No fear. Just go. You will be fine.
While traveling, I have been able to eat all sorts of food from all over the world, but for this blog, I am going to try to stick to only the restaurants I've eaten here in Austin, TX. I've lived in Austin for one year now and I think I've hit just about every foodie stop one can make. I plan to write about those places dearest to me, and of course, other fantastic restaurants and dishes to come.
you're amazing
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