A few things I’m thinking about this week….
The Dinner Party Flex: Cooking in the Age of Social Media: Scroll through Instagram any day of the week and you are bound to stumble upon hundreds of posts devoted to food. And I get it…I mean, I’ve got my own page here. I started my Instagram with the intention of simply sharing – my love of food, recipes I try, a simple tip here and there, or just some mouth watering dish I’ve whipped up – just because. I’m not actively searching for likes . . . and maybe I should be doing more of that; but I also want to keep enjoying it without making my page something I HAVE to do and keep up with every minute of every day. It is what it is, and that’s perfect for me.
What that in mind, I found this article to be an interesting read. In these social media-obsessed times, it’s easy to assume most people (this article specifically focuses on our younger generation) are sharing food pics to highlight their culinary “status” symbol while at the same time incorporating that perfect natural light, styled table or mystery and possibly expensive ingredient. But there’s a twist. As this writer found out, everyone she interviewed “expressed pride in their home cooking abilities and a desire to share it with friends.” Nozlee Samadzadeh explains, “The act of making something and sharing it is inherently sincere. I think it’s pretty cool to create something with my own hands, and I don’t feel bad about performing that for a community of friends,” she says. Samadzadeh talks about posting her meals as a way to both document the fruits of her labor and as a catalyst for self-reflection. “I’ve been making things for as long as I can remember, and the act of recording them and sharing them has helped me understand why I create to begin with,” she says.
I have to admit . . . I agree, completely.
Sicilian Style Pizza with Honey and Jalapenos: Anyone who knows me, knows I love pizza. This recipe, which focuses on Sicilian style pizza and is pictured below, makes me want to dive right in NOW.
It uses a prepared focaccia as the pizza base as opposed to a typical pizza crust. Add in jalapenos, honey and crispy pepperoni and this sounds and looks pretty amazing. If you are really feeling creative, make some homemade focaccia ahead of time and really knock this recipe out of the park.
Finally I would be remiss, if I didn’t mention Anthony Bourdain’s passing. A great chef, storyteller and explorer, he was one of my faves to watch. This article, The 7 Lessons Anthony Bourdain Taught Us About Travel sums him up perfectly. Whether globetrotting around the planet, eating from a roadside food truck in the middle of nowhere, sharing a beer with a local in a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, or indulging in some unheard of ingredient – Bourdain had a real way of making authentic connections with the people he met and passing his love of people and food through the TV screen.
I loved watching the shows devoted to places I know I’ll never make it in my lifetime and thank him for giving us all a window into “parts unknown.” Hoping he is resting in peace and thanking him for all the culinary journeys he took us on – around this beautiful blue planet of ours.
“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” – Anthony Bourdain
KristinKooks 