they say you can't go back . . .

made a trip to the old neighborhood of park slope, brooklyn last weekend. was a whirlwind trip as i was on the ground for a total of 36 hours. stayed with an old friend in her 217 sq ft studio apt. super cute but wow ... small! i still can't believe 4 of us slept there. was fun tho.

took the red eye direct flight from pdx-jfk from jetblue on friday night and arrived at 830a et. fortunately was able to sleep on the plane since my body was exhausted. i'd had a long week and taken mac's hip hop fitness class at 530p that night. was just what my body needed before sitting on a long flight. took a cab to park slope and went out for coffee & brunch with my friend and her new girl. took a stroll around the 'hood – so much has changed and so much hasn't. i was on a mission for a coat so we stopped into a few shops. ended up with a beautiful coat and some t-shirts from brooklyn industries. picked up a shirt for mac that i knew she'd love (and she did). headed into manhattan for the cursory stop at loehmann's ... especially if a *coat* is what you're looking for. i was successful in my quest for a dress rain coat that i could wear year-round and for $80 no less ... god bless loehmann's! walked around chelsea for a bit looking for a cuban-chinese place i used to frequent but couldn't find it so we ended up at cuba cafe for a late lunch before heading back to park slope to get ready for the margaret cho show we had tickets to that night.

the show was amazing as to be expected. the premise was to be a burlesque show that celebrated all types of women's bodies. was hilarious and raunchy and thought-provoking. suffice it to say, i laughed and howled the whole show and didn't expect to ever in my 15 yrs of being a margaret cho fan think i'd see her naked wearing only a dong and pasties! what an amazing celebration of women! so glad i got the opportunity to see that show.

after the show, we headed back to park slope for a little pre-func at the apartment before heading off to cattyshack to get our dance on. who woulda thunk that there'd be a dyke dance bar on 4th ave in park slope? was a good time. nice to see so many dark-skinned girls out dancing ... especially coming from pdx where women of color are the exception rather than the rule. danced till around 2a and had lots of fun.

sunday i headed out for brunch with another old friend who had popped into town to see me while i was there. we had a long conversation at rose water over a delicious meal of duck confit hash and pear ginger waffle. stuffed ourselves silly then walked around the 'hood as it was a beautiful fall day in nyc. took her to a few places i'd been shopping the day before and she bought a stunning coat. we put her on a subway up to meet another friend on the upper east side and headed to get some lunch and have a pint at the gate before i headed back to jfk to head home. stopped for a pint at a great pub on 4th ave called the cherry tree. had an awesome courtyard and we stayed longer than we really had time to but was so much fun. we motivated and grabbed some yummy fish tacos at bogotá and headed over the eat at the gate – just like old times. the gate was like our living room when we lived in the slope. most major events were held there - birthdays, going away parties, etc. was great to sit out on the patio and look across the street at the old apt.

we walked back to the apt and i called a cab and headed to the airport. i had a wonderful time but was very ready to be home. i knew mac was waiting for me and i couldn't wait to see her.

so today i'm thankful for . . . old friends and old 'hoods that remind you where you came from and how far you've come.

farmer's markets

today i'm thankful for . . . summer's bounty

i went to the farmer's market on sat am for the first time in a few weeks and got all the fixins for salad. this morning i was inspired to pack myself a big salad for lunch because i had all the goodies in the house. the farmer's market is one of my favorite places to be. when my ex and i lived in brooklyn, ny we frequented the farmer's market and were so grateful for having a market that went year-round within walking distance of our apt. learning to eat seasonally was a struggle but now i can't imagine doing anything else. it became a saturday tradition for us to go to prospect park and let the dog run around during the few off-leash hours that were allowed and then walk to the farmer's market to do our shopping for the week. we'd walk home loaded down with bags of tasty goodies and fall onto the couch to enjoy a cup of coffee by 10a. the dog would sleep till monday and we'd plan our food adventures for the week.

when we moved to portland, that tradition continued and expanded. for the first few years, we just continued our sat market tradition. then a few years ago, we became members of a csa (community supported agriculture). basically, we bought shares in a farm at the beginning of the season and then got a box of produce every week based on what had come out of the ground from june to november. there's no planning of what you want to cook until you open that box every saturday morning. what an adventure! we picked a csa that had a booth at our favorite farmer's market. we'd open our box each sat am to see what surprises awaited us that week and then fill in what we hadn't received from the other vendors in the market. i felt like i had to document each week's bounty for posterity so i would unpack all the loot when we got home & take pics of it all laid out on the counter. i know, i'm a food nerd!

so this summer has been a little hit & miss for me with the market. it's been hard to go to the market without her because it was such a part of who we were as a couple. i haven't really cooked for myself much since she left. i love to cook for other people but can't ever seem to motivate to just cook for myself. so this saturday i made a date with myself to go to the market and get some healthy food. i have learned to buy enough produce for one because i hate to waste. i want to reconnect with the enjoyment of preparing and eating food in a healthy way and not just to feed my body. i have to learn to enjoy cooking for myself as much as i love to cook collectively. cooking with and for someone is one of my favorite activities. it's amazing how *inspired* i get when i have someone to cook for.

it's interesting to learn how different people learn to eat different things. i wouldn't say i grew up in a *foodie* family. my mom recently expressed wonder at where i'd learned to eat radishes and beets! there have been a few people in my life that have introduced me to adventurous cuisines (aunt lisa to sushi, my big sister to indian, etc) but i can only give credit to my love of food and being a foodie to my ex. she was an amazing cook and could whip up meals out of thin air without ever referring to a single cookbook (even though she owned many). she really pushed me to open up my palette and try new things. hell, she made beets for 3 yrs and taunted me with her stained hands before i'd even try them. now i love them and make my own beet pickles all summer long. so thanks to a for showing me how *good* food could be and teaching my how to *eat* both well and responsibly.