I like food.  I won’t use the word “foodie” because I think it’s overused and now I don’t even know what that means anymore.  But I like food.  A lot.  I like eating it and reading about it and cooking it and thanks to all that is good and holy I can now WATCH food on TV almost 24 hours a day.

But more than that I respect food.  In its basic form it is nourishment and sustainment of life, but it is also the center of cultures, some of our earliest and most life-long memories, part of life cycle events, a character in our lives and often defines us.  (Gluten-free diet, anyone?) 

Because of all of this I just get disappointed at the FoodNetwork and many other networks that have lost sight of all of this.  I see these shows like “Man vs Food” and even parts of “Chefs vs City” that just kill me.  All these challenges to try to eat the most or swallow the hottest pepper ever – or, my most recent favorite, when Chefs vs City headed to New Orleans and had the chefs eat GRUBS in lieu of red beans and rice – a classic and celebrated staple from New Orleans as if that was a valid illustration of the lives and culture of New Orleanians.

JUST STOP IT.  Not only has this sort of gluttonous shock television jumped the shark, that shark has been cut into steaks, grilled and served with a jovial and bold red.

There is a show that, while very “reality genre” based, has completely elevated my respect for a certain food and that is Deadliest Catch.  Yes, the boats and the waves and the life and the danger are all compelling and slightly exploited for good television, but what these guys do is real and hard and deadly – all in the name of a catching a crab that I will dip into a clarified lemon-butter.

These guys choose that profession and accept that risk and they are paid handsomely for it.  But after seeing what it takes and who these guys are – I’ll never look at a crab the same way again.  And quite frankly before I eat one I mentally say thank you to the guys on those boats in the Bering Sea.  To them and the families who go without them and accept that risk right alongside them.

Gluttonous television (see: Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest) is clearly a first-world entertainment option – and I’m not going to apologize for prosperity (that’s for our liberal friends to do), but what I can’t take is prosperity coupled with the lack of respect for the food itself or the people it represents.

You wouldn’t do it with a Chateau Lafite, don’t do it with the Chimayo pepper.

I was having a discussion the other day about seasonal drinks of choice. For instance, I prefer Gin & Tonic with lots of lime, but only in warm weather. I love big, bold red wines, but only in cold weather. I’m not a beer girl, unless it’s mexican food and summer time.

Around Kentucky Derby time I get a taste for bourbon. This year I bought some and drinking it instantly reminded me of some good college memories. (Also the time that an entire bottle of Jack spilled in my trunk and it smelled for a month. But still, good times.)

It occurred to me that my drink of choice in college is not my drink of choice now. How has yours changed? What was your drink of choice in college? What is it now?

You know what totally rocks about Whole Foods? In the cheese section there are these neat little stainless steel bowls that have small individually wrapped “leftover” sized blocks of cheese. You never know what you’ll find in there. Each is anywhere from $1 – $4 and you can just nibble your way through all sorts of cheeses pretty damn inexpensively and start checking off stuff on your Life List.

I will preface this first cheese entry with the following statement:

I know nothing about cheese. Well, except I like it. I’m sure there is some sort of cheese “lingo” like there is with wines, but I don’t know it. Yet. So here goes my first three tastings and the accompanying thoughts.

Cotswold
This creamy cheese was an EXCELLENT way to start this little Life List line item. It is a cow’s milk cheese that had onion essence (which totally makes me think “onion sweat”) and chives blended into the bulk of the cheese. I am a big fan of creamier cheeses and immediately thought how great this one would be diced up or grated into an omlette. It had a great tang to it and tasted great while sipping a 2008 Napa Landing Chardonnay. (Wine is totally unrelated here – it’s what we had around)

Seaside Cheddar
I am usually a huge fan of cheddars. I’m all for a strong, biting flavor, but this one left me a bit “meh”. It is a harder, white cheddar and really was too crumbly and dry for my tastes. Not a fan.

Jasper Hill Cheddar (Cloth Bound)
I have no idea what cloth bound means, but I intend to Google it soon. This cheddar was also a harder, white cheddar, but, unlike the Seaside Cheddar from before, it had a parmesan-like flavor and it was quite good. I actually grated it into a salad and liked the saltiness it added to the dish. Husband thought it had a slightly smoky flavor to it, but I didn’t taste “smoky” at all.

Everyone needs a little inspiration to get through the end of a week. So each Thursday I’ll showcase something that brings me a little bit of joy. Welcome to the first installment of Favorite Thursday Things!

I was introduced to this wine about five years ago through a favorite work colleague, friend and, at the time, boss. We spent WAY too many hours after work (or sometimes during work, depending on the client issue du jour) at the fantastic hotel restaurant down the street from our office. Occasionally we decided to stop with the work talk and enjoy NOT work talk – and one late afternoon the conversation turned to wine on the walk over. He said I needed to try this one. I agreed at the time because on that day I needed a glass of wine more than I needed my next breath.

Through the years it has become a favorite, inexpensive merlot that I cook with and drink. I love it on crisp, cold fall or winter days and I recently found this one on sale at my local grocer for $7. I can’t drink this wine without remembering some very fun times. We worked hard and laughed harder and there are stories and lessons from that job and that team that I will carry with me always.