An Introduction

So the first post I wrote was a stream of consciousness first thing in the morning on a snowy day off. But I should take a step back and explain what I hope to accomplish here. I'm a foodie and a booze snob and at the risk of immodesty a pretty talented amateur chef. I'll write about what I like more than what I don't like, although I'm hardly shy about sharing my opinions either way.
Most of all I hope to create a conversation about things many of us enjoy in life-- food, wine, beer, liquor. I cook because I love food and love sharing it, and I find that generally other people enjoy it as well. I eat for the quality of the food and of the company. Cooking to me is a creative outlet, as well as relaxing and cathartic. (Nothing like taking out frustration by pounding meat or whipping sauce or grilling chops on an open flame!) I will post recipes and discuss meals, both successful and not, and hopefully make cooking approachable. Anyone can cook, but many people are afraid to try. It doesn't have to be mad scientist chemistry like Keller or Adrià or Dufresne (although I LOVE both the food and the utterly boundless spirit), and most of us don't have the time or the equipment anyway. But we can turn out astonishing food in our homes if we're not afraid to experiment (and sometimes fail).
I drink because the complexities of beer and wine can help us appreciate and adapt to the complexities of life. Drinking should be a communal activity but need not be an academic one. I've studied wine and beer and understand the language of tasting notes, but tasting need not be a doctoral thesis. The language of tasting (tannins, acidity, balance, red fruits, black fruits, citrus, tobacco, ROAD TAR? REALLY?) should simply allow you to describe what you like or dislike and to compare one taste with another on the path to discovery. I hope the blog and the discussion help some of you to discover your own tastes in food and drink and if I don't learn and discover something new I didn't know I liked, I've failed.
Many people drink beer and wine with the aim of getting drunk, although they are in the immortal words of the sadly mortal Michael Jackson (the Beer Hunter, not the Boy Hanger), "an inefficient means of doing so." If that's your plan, save your money, buy grain alcohol or cheap vodka, and mix it with juice if you don't like the taste. I'm sure there are blogs for that, but this is not one of them.
Most of all, please provide feedback, the more honest the better about what works and doesn't for you. I can't please everyone and won't pretend to try, but feedback at least promotes discussion.
Bon appetit! And Cheers! Prost! Salud! 干杯! 乾杯!