On the other hand….

When I started writing this blog I decided I would not go negative, not to much anyway. But, every once in a while ya just have to say it out loud. So I did and now it’s back to the world of denial. I like it there, I have fun living there.

Saturday afternoon Stacey, Pilot and I drove a little over an hour south to Pine Mountain Ga. We went to the Jenny Jack Farm for a farm dinner and fund raiser for the Slow Food chapter here in the Atlanta area. Talk about farm to table, you couldn’t get any closer then this. There was a lot of food come dinner time and most of it was grown right there on the farm we were eating at. And I do mean on the farm, just check out this photo of the table set up for dinner.



This was 1 of 2 tables they had set up for the 150 or so folks who had signed up to attend this dinner. The money they were raising Saturday night was to send some local Slow Food members to Terra Madre. Terra Madre is a huge conference held every other year. It’s membership is made up of food producers, chefs and educators from all over the world. Over 6ooo people will attend this event. Terra Madre is held in Turin, Italy, the last weekend of October 2008. It’s a big damn deal and I think it has done very good job of educating the masses. Check out the two sites, Slow Food and Terra Madre.

Dinner was great, we had a salad of arugula and whole fried okra pods with green goddess dressing. We enjoyed Jenny Jack brand grits. Mike Atkins cooked a hog, low and slow. We had jambalaya. We a couple of vegetable dishes straight from the farm, tons of fresh baked bread and sweet tea.

Eric Arceneaux, of the Big Eddy Club, cooked a lot of the food and also did a grits cooking demo. There was a storyteller and a couple of farm tours. It was big fun. And I guarantee you there is a farm dinner happening somewhere near you and with a little home work you can find it.

BLACK THURSDAY

Last night we went to the beautiful Fox Theater to let Lewis Black make us laugh. And he did, but we could have just as easily cried.

If you know of Black and his sthick then you know he rants about all the bullshit happening to us “regular folk”. He riffs on Bush of course and he talks about the war we started for no good reason. He talks about how the two presidential candidates are clueless. How neither has anything useful to add to a solution for the financial crisis we are in. He talked about how neither Obama or McCain and it seems anyone else that should have, had any idea that it was even coming. He put it all in a way to make us laugh, but the sad truth was there the whole time.

I’m not gonna go on long here about the state of our nation, it sucks plain and clear and it happened because of greed, which makes it worse. So get your ass up outta bed everyday, be glad you got a job, if you have one. If not go to work for the government. The numbers on unemployment are staggering, that is for all but the government of our great nation. There are plenty of people in safe, secure, useless government jobs.

I’d like to Bail

I have no idea why the bailout vote passed. All the speeches this morning were just talking heads preaching fear. Everyone in D.C. said we can’t do nothing. Was that a good enough reason to vote to spend $700 Billion.

I wish they would have voted no and let the chips fall where they may. Then we can all go down the shit-hole together, the rich, the poor, the black, the white, down the shit-hole altogether.

I feel like vomiting. Maybe I’m just pregnant.

I wanna move to Barcelona.

I wanna cry.

The next Best Thing to Being There

is helping a good friend get there. This a transmission from Rome, written by our friend Kim, I fear she may never come home. There are a few beautiful photos she has taken and I will add them later.

Rome: the first 36 hours

The last two days seem like they should have been spread out over a week. I am exhasted and feel like my head is spinning when I think of everything I
have experienced since Sunday afternoon. I was able to fly to Rome out of
Cincinnati and sat in the first row. The flight was smooth and enjoyable
thanks to good company and an Ambien. I managed to sleep for about 4 hours
after a seemingly endless stream of food and wine. The flight attendants
were so kind and when we landed they sent me on my way with a bottle of
champagne to enjoy with my companions later. When I landed I decided to take
a chance on the train even though I had my luggage to carry and can not read
Italian. Thanks to tips from Randall and a few very helpful Italians I was
able to locate my luggage and arrive at our apartment in a little over an
hour.

Randall and Wes were just leaving for the Vatican when I arrived so I joined
them and we walked the three or four blocks between here and there. It was
so odd to see the dome of St. Peter's looming above our little neighborhood.
When we arrived at the Piazza San Pietro the crowds were relatively light so
we took the opportunity to tour the basilica. Nothing can prepare you for
the scale of place. As you enter the Pieta is on the right side of the nave
and its beauty is stunning. Michelangelo's dome reigns over a space that is
almost impossible to describe and Bernini's work throughout is breathtaking.
I feel like I am following Bernini all over the city and I can't seem to get
enough.

We then decided to climb to the cupola atop the dome. A dizzying climb up
winding and sometimes spiral staricases was a memorable experience.
Sometimes the passageway narrowed to just a few inches wider than my
shoulders and the entire space would tilt to the right as small openings in
the walls revealed glimpses of the city receding beneath me. At the top we
entered a walkway lining the interior of the dome that provided a bird's eye
view of the nave below and the mind boggling mosaics that surrounded us. We
then went to the walkway on the exterior of the dome that gave us a 360
degree view of the city below. It was a perfect way to see all of Rome and
understand how all of it fits together. I have attached a photo of that as
well as my favorite photo from inside the basilica.

After that I was dying to get out into the city. We had a fantastic late
lunch and dinner in the neighborhood where we are staying and I have made a
vow to eat every meal outside while I am here. So far, so good. My new daily
diet consists of pastries, cappuccino, pasta, wine, afternoon gelato, more
pasta, more wine, more cappuccino. It is good that I am walking all day
every day or I would pay for all that wonderful eating. When we came home
last night I finally collapsed and slept for 11 hours.

By the time I woke up this morning everyone else was on their way out the
door. It was nice to have the apartment to myself for a while. It was even
nicer to have most of the day to myself. I set out and became wonderfully
lost for about an hour. I liked it and it felt good to just wander. I think
I located the Roman Howard Finster so it made the detour worthwhile. His
entire house is covered with sculpture and inscriptions. It is enchanting
and creepy all at once.

Once I got my bearings I headed for Trastevere along the river. I spent the
afternoon there and fell completely in love with this city. I got misty eyed
just wandering along the narrow streets and watching the Romans in their
element. The beauty and the grit are so perfectly blended. I found a
restaurant on the Piazza Santa Maria della Scala and spent two hours there
having lunch - wine, salad, pizza with prosciutto and mushrooms and
cappuccino. I just watched everyone go by, read about the place in one of my
guides and planned what else I want to see while I am here. It was heavenly.
After that I set out for the church San Francesco a Ripa to see Bernini's
Ecstasy of Beata Ludovica Albertoni. I was astounded to run into Randall and
Wes along the way and they were going to the same place. What are the odds
of that? The sculpture did not disappoint and I had my drop to my knees
moment in that little chapel. I am grateful a kneeler was provided at that
exact location. I was obviously not the first to need it.

We visited two other churches - it is a blur since there is one on every
corner - and then I set off on my own again. Tomorrow morning I am planning
to take the train to visit the Protestant Cemetery. Randall went there today
and said it is the most beautiful one he has ever seen. I can not wait to
see it. I will spend the morning there and then join them in Trastevere for
the afternoon. We will see the other side of the river next week when we
move to the apartment near the Piazza Navona.

I miss you both and wish you were here with me. Love you -

Kim

Breaking News, This Just IN

MOBILE PRESS REGISTER

Mobile gives goat owners deadline to get variance or be fined.

City tells family to apply for variance or be subject to fine

By DAN MURTAUGH

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Staff Reporter

Mobile city officials gave a Cypress Shores family until Friday to apply for a variance or risk being subject to fines for keeping seven goats at their home.

But Charles and Karen Lathan said they will not apply for a variance because they believe they are meeting all of the requirements laid out by Mobile’s laws to keep the goats on their property.

Sweet Cheese

You may not know it, but some really good cheese is made right here in the South. Like everything in the food industry cheese has gone green, if you will. It’s an evolution that makes plenty of sense to me. Sweet Grass Dairy makes sense to me.

As farmers markets started to appear all over the place, we all started to learn more about the way our food is produced and we learned that we don’t have to eat food that is not produced in a sustainable, organic “like” way. If we choose not to, that is. And the more we learn, the more we choose not to eat the garbage that is the food offered in traditional grocery stores.

Ten or so years ago, when small “Green Markets” started popping up around Atlanta, those who shopped there were learning about vegetables. We learned how farms at these Green Markets practiced sustainability. We learned that no pesticides were being used on the produce from these farms. We started to see the chef from our favorite restaurant shopping at theses markets. It all started making sense and soon we wanted to get all our food from like minded producers. Not just our vegetables, but our meat, bread and dairy products etc.

And so it is. Now days you can be a locavore. You can get a large percentage of you food from a local producer. You can know just how the vegetables were grown, how the pig was raised, or the cow or the chicken or even the goat who’s milk went into to the cheese you bought this Saturday at the local Green Market. Because these producers are at the market each weekend not only selling, but educating and answering any and all questions. You can visit most of their farms if you like and see for yourself.

I started with cheese , didn’t I? That’s because Friday night Stacey and I participated in a cheese dinner at The Feed Store. We ate food is what we did, that’s how we participated, we ate. And we did it well. We ate the menu below and never complained. Not once.



Amuse Bouche
“Mediterranean Feta” – Cerignola Olive Petal Confit
“Heat” Green Tomato Pico de Gallo – Tortilla Chip

Appetizer
Pan Seared Foie Gras – “Lumiere” Stuffed French Toast – Ellijay Apple Sauce

Soup
Georgia Shrimp and “Thomasville Tomme” Bisque – Berkshire Pork Lardon Toast

Salad
Baby Arugula – Sous Vide Candied Beet – Fried “Green Hill” – Black Pepper Vinaigrette

Entrée
Churrasco Beef Tenderloin – Grilled Sweet Onions – Black Eyed Pea, Collard Green, and “Sevenwood” Casserole

Dessert
“Fresh Chevre” Ice Cream – Scuppernong Syrup - Mint


Sweet Grass Dairy is located in Thomasville, Georgia, not far from Tallahassee Fla. The young man who reps Sweet Grass (Gabe) lives in Tallahassee. He was at the dinner and I think he was pleased with what Peter and Cooper, the chefs at The Feed Store did with the six different cheeses they worked with.

I guess this was my point when I started this, you can get a lot of different food stuff from nearby. It takes a little effort and I have never fully embrace the idea. Just lately I am finding I want to embrace the idea a little more. I wanna eat the freshest food as often as possible.

This was a really good start.

Then, on to Knoxville

We got home from NYC late Thursday night and fed the dogs, they were starving and thirsty. We need to look into someone taking care of them while we’re away.

Anyway, Friday morning we got in the car and drove to Knoxville. We were having dinner with a friend, at a fund raiser, for Knox Heritage. This is the mission statement for Knox Heritage. “Knox Heritage advocates for the preservation of places and structures with historic or cultural significance”. Our friend is the executive director and she kicks ass, she’s awesome.

Friday night was a “Blues Brothers” themed dinner. It was held at Iron wood Studios, which was perfect because the whole vibe was gritty, kinda greasy chicken and this was a metal fabrication garage, so……



The food was spot on, just right, Jake and Elwood would have loved it. The apps were cheesewiz on a ritz or ruffles and onion dip. These were served by chicks on roller skates. For dinner they served beer can chicken, mac and cheese, corn pudding, and more. It was all real good and there was plenty

After dinner a Blues Brothers act did a show and it was great. They had a good band and did all the songs and acted out a few short pieces. They had the whole crowd dancing. It was a good party and Iron Wood is a cool studio. Click HERE to go to their web site and check out some of their sculpture’s.

We spent the next two days hanging out with our friend. We shopped the farmers market in the downtown square. We brunched at a restaurant that billed itself as a southern/latin fusion joint and they pulled it off just fine. We had huge biscuits and gravy with flat iron steak and chorizo sausage. They served Alan Benton’s bacon, that will tell something about this place. We had two fried eggs which topped off a stack of corn tortillas, black beans, wilted greens and other stuff I can’t remember cause about that time I went into a food coma and it lasted for the rest of the trip. I kinda remember sushi, I remember Bloody Marys, I remember wine, I remember grits, eggs, and cheese biscuits the size of my head.

I don’t remember driving home or anything else.