Tableau Vivante

Greetings, etc.

Life…is one harsh ride sometimes.  I’m not talking about the whole, “oh I’m busy” thing.  It’s true on some levels, but hardly adequate in describing the past few weeks.

When JJ and I got engaged, my godmother and tia immediately scheduled an engagement party for us at her house.  The whole family came, too, which meant grub for a crowd of approximately 100 people.  All my favorite Mexican foods were out - fresh guac, fluffy baked rice, beans (pinto, of course), tortillas, and big vats of chicken en mole.  The mole was done up how I like it - heavy on the chocolate and not too spicey.  It was one of the last events my grandmother was brought to.  JJ’s dad and his partner got to meet the rest of the family for the first time.  And everyone had a great time.  A really great time.  My tia’s been throwing down our family functions for years with a sort of effortlessness that we all took for granted.  But that’s how she rolled.

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I know there are a few of you out there.

WAY back in the day, when this blog was on Livejournal (seems so long ago now…time flies) an up and coming caterer named Rachel Hailey approached me and asked for permission to use some of my photos for her new business website.  Well, she’s in business now, doing all manner of impressive things, and my only gripe is that I can’t hire her myself.  So you hire her.  She’ll make you tasty seasonal foods.  The whole ‘personal chef’ thing?  I love to cook, but there are times…oh man.

Little side note: other places my images have been used?  A K-12 teacher’s guide on educating about agriculture in California, a farmer’s marketing materials, and a greeting card.  This is a fun life.  Funny how it took a camera to help me see it.

Congratulations, Rachel!  Salud!

Sometimes I have morning meetings scheduled out on the westside of LA which make a morning trip to my eastside office a bit of a waste. So instead of yoyoing back and forth, I do a midweek morning pitstop at Euro Pane, which is where I am right now.

Pictures when I get situated back at my desk. Right now I’m enjoying an oven fresh brioche, a cap, and am staring longingly at a box full of Sumi Chang’s chocolate cupcakes. They’re for my assistant in honor of “Administrative Assistant’s Day”.

*I* think it makes me the best boss ever. Sumi agrees.

I’ll be here until 8:30 or so. If you’re nearby, stop by and say hi.

This was one of Euro Pane’s lemon tarts, brought home for a lemon-loving JJ. Very very nom.

I really love having an excuse to read haiku.  Even better, I love having an excuse to create it, or in this case, facilitating its creation.

This is the last day you can enter the contest, so get out your haiku wands and bust out some mad 5-7-5.  Unhappy with your entry?  Think you can do better?  Enter again!  I’ll select your strongest entry for the overall panel review.

I’m officially closing up the comments/entry thread at 9PM Pacific time.  I’d say midnight, but I’m no night owl, and it’s a school night.  I’m thinking of celebrating the end of the first contest with a nice, hot bowl of Shin Sen Gumi love.  It’s cold and cloudy here today, which is perfect Hakata ramen weather.  But I digress…

And now something I don’t usually do because I’m unreliable when it comes to promised postings (need I mention the Gold Line tour? my lasagna recipe? ad infinitum…)- a preview of what you will likely see from me this weekend.

First, of course, will be the announcement of the contest winner.   I’ll also be hitting a farmers’ market, natch.  And then there’s the annual romp into psuedo-history.  Yes, the Southern California Renaissance Faire opens this weekend, and geek that I am, I’ll be donning the bodice and skirts (hush) and chowing down on some Steak on a Stake, ribbon fries, artichokes, and toad-in-a-hole.  They have a tamale cart this year, which I’m just going to have to sample.  You know, for science.  Ahem.

There will likely be pictures.  Hoping to keeping my greasy fingers off the lens this year.

What there will sadly not be is a trip out to Tapia Brothers in Encino for the annual Tomatomania event, which starts tomorrow and goes through Sunday.   I got my plants from the San Gabriel Nursery this year, and the next, local Tomatomania event isn’t until May (in Arcadia), which is on the hairy edge of being a bit late in the planting season for me.  Had to pick my battles this weekend, and Tomatomania lost.  BUT, it would be really great if you locals out there went and reported back.  Say hi to the chickens for me.