This week our guest blogger, who shall remain nameless, succumbed to the pressures of their hectic daily routines. We'll be back next week with our regularly scheduled program and we are anticipating a post from Steve Stallard at BLiS Caviar. This week instead of a culinary conversation with someone new, we're going to talk about how we've been affected by our culinary conversations with someone near and dear, Alex's sister Meredith.
Over the years I have been able to take part in many converstations with my younger sister. She has been known as a picky eater. So much so that in her youth she subsisted on a diet of frozen tortellini in pink sauce and carrot sticks. I was the one known to eat and try most anything. At the very first dinner where Aki met the family everyone talked about what a picky eater Meredith was. But from the point of view of a newcomer, it was clear that particular characterization was no longer strictly accurate.
After we moved back to New York after years of cooking on my own, I realized that she had grown up while I was gone. We have been able to engage in conversations about food. She began trying such things as calamari (albeit breaded and fried--actually not a bad way to eat it) and oysters. This is my sister we are talking about, the carrot stick Queen. And when she tried something new, she would invariably pick up the phone and give me a call or shoot me an email to fill me in on her revelations and explorations. I have really enjoyed asking her about her meals and enjoyed watching her tastes evolve.
These days I get emails about where to eat in NYC. She wants to try food. I think she is becoming a foodie. Not a bad thing for a brother who is a chef. Most recently she dined at 11 Madison Park for her birthday and had a tremendous time. However this time her sights and palate are set on an upcoming dinner at wd-50. This is a restaurant we have talked about often and it has truly captured her attention. I look forward to hearing about her culinary discoveries, about the new tastes she experiences and the new ingredients she will try. She's even cooking meals at home with her partner in crime, Brian. They are experimenting with new ingredients, tasting different wines and stretching their culinary horizons. To her, each meal is not about a critique but rather an opening of the mind and the ability to try something new. It is really a great way to look at food. Sometimes we get caught up in analyzing a meal and forget to sit back and enjoy what we're eating. It's a great lesson from the girl who used to discuss the finer points of a carrot stick and the benefits of frozen tortellini.
