APPETITE FOR STYLE
Exploring obsessively so you don't have to
Taste. Research. Wander. Taste again. Walk some more. Back to the drawing board. When all else fails, Google, Google, Google. I am no Anthony Bourdain. I have many, many reservations (most of which are on the same day, at the same time, made on different email accounts so I have options. The others of which have everything to do with fear of the unknown, or, more specifically, the fear of missing out on the unknown in a new locale). Seeing as such, I have made it my mission to absolutely scour the corners of the internet, alleys, avenues (and even cold, hard, physical literature!) for every must see, definitely don't, hidden gem, excruciating minutiae of each of my excursions, leaving both nothing and everything to the imagination through my discoveries in planning. The same goes for my culinary training, which falls somewhere between working the line at Per Se and a child mixing, tasting, and reacting to ingredients for the first time in its green life. I take in the cues - environmental, physical, informational, sensational - and typically regurgitate something palatable. Sometimes, I don't. In the past, more often than not, I didn't. Like I said, back to the drawing board, trial and error. I have learned, and now, I bring you to learn alongside me. These years of troubleshooting - bad restaurants, burnt recipes, poorly guessed flavor combinations, and it would seem blindly arranged, heinously misjudged attempts at leisure - should benefit a wider audience than those eating at my table or begrudgingly receiving my painstakingly detailed itineraries weeks in advance. With a willing and curious public, it won't be for naught. Or, maybe, it's just an excuse to keep exploring. I hope you're hungry.