Lutz Family Vacation: the Second Leg

So we've left Hawaii and we're in Oregon now. And it's post-ALA. So let me take this moment to thank you all for hanging in there - I know I've been MIA in a big way. I've missed blogging here very much and, even now, I'm only able to because Adam finally sat my arse down in front of his laptop and made me. He got tired of my whining about the blog, for sure. I report to you all from a lounge chair in the shade with a glass of King Estate Pinot Gris next to me - I could so get used to blogging like this...

The food has been phenomenal, as you can imagine, and the reading exceptional. I made it a point to bring NO children's/YA books on this trip because I just so needed a cold turkey break from all the coming of age and angst. So I started off with Fifth Avenue, 5 AM: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson (HarperStudio, 2010). I'm a die-hard Audrey Hepburn fan* and this was the PERFECT book for vacation reading. You know when you have those fantastic symbiotic moments when you read a book that so perfectly fits with your mood and your life-place? That was this one for me. And a nice outcome of this book is that the bibliography/notes are exceptional - I added about 5 more books to my to-read list after I finished.

Then, at the recommendation of my dear friend Amy Cray, I read Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace by Ayelet Waldman (better known as the author who told the world that she loved her husband more than her children and received a hailstorm of crap for it). Again, right book, right moment. It was funny and fresh, and it was so honest that there were moments where I wondered where Waldman's mind was when she decided to commit some of her thoughts and experiences to the page. Naturally, though, it made for a more compelling and authentic read and I loved every minute of it.

I started 97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement by Jane Ziegelman. It started off interesting enough...but while on my layover in San Francisco I was called away...by another book...

Marcelo in the Real World? How did that get in my bag?! I wasn't going to bring a kids' book! But I finally, finally snagged a copy of this at ALA and decided that I needed to jump on the bandwagon. I grumbled at first - I felt like Francisco X. Stork's story starts off slow. Not by any fault of the writing but because, as the reader, you're inside Marcelo's head so it takes a bit to understand the rhythms and nuances of his autistic thought patterns (at least it did for this reader).

But then it takes off and soars. Halfway through the story, I wasn't paying attention to a single word Adam was saying to me and it took several "Hello? Helllooooo, Laura!"s before Adam could get me to even look at him. A beautiful, gorgeous, lush read. And I would occasionally close the book, just to gaze at the cover. One of my favorite covers of last year, for certain. I didn't anticipate reading this one on my vacation but, boy, am I glad I did!

Now back to 97 Orchard!

Eat, drink, and embrace summer reading!


* Funny story: at IRA in Chicago back in April, we took a number of our authors to dinner. A colleague of mine and a well-known author/illustrator got into an in-depth and passionate discussion of all things Marilyn Monroe. I mean, they're fans. As a avid classic movie viewer, I piped up with this gem: "Marilyn is okay and all, but I'm SUCH a fan of all things Audrey." They looked at me like I had sprouted goat horns, wrinkled their noses, and kept talking about their favorite gal. In hindsight, I realize my gaffe: all classic film stars are not equal. I should have known better. Luckily, later on, the discussion shifted to Cary Grant and we all agreed and gushed about his class and his beauty.

NOTE: I know I've made a tradition of doing conference recaps and I will certainly recap ALA Annual. However, being on vacation right now, I'm not in a good life-place to do a postmortem. Once I'm back in NYC, I'll whip one right up though. So stay tuned...

Vacation, Part II: Oregon

So the second part of our vacation was a trip to Oregon to visit my in-laws. Again, I found myself wondering why - why - did I ever leave...until Adam reminded me - again - how much I loathe the constant gray. Nevertheless, here are a few of the things we did:

• Mexican and Salvadoran cuisine at Los Dos Hermanos in Keizer. I haven't had a lot of Salvadoran* food, but I do credit myself with knowing good food when I taste it...and this is gooooood. I am a HUGE fan of their pupusas (here is a recipe that I've used to try to imitate them), and we went through two pitchers of their margaritas. Good times, good times. It's a great local family-run joint and, even though I can't imagine you'd ever be there, I can't recommend it highly enough the next time you're in Keizer.

• I drank a ridiculous amount of local wines: Cubanisimo 2006 Pinot Noir (major spice), King Estate Pinot Gris, King Estate 2007 "Next" Pinot Noir (light and fruity, perfect summer red), and Firesteed Pinot Noir. And that was only the local wines...there were others...
  
  
• As usual, we stocked up on all our local produce at EZ Orchards. The photo below is a meal mostly bought from them: local Willamette Valley Cheese Co. cheeses, caramelized local Walla Walla onions, local raspberries and marionberries, Great Harvest bread, and non-local salami bought at Whole Foods. To top it off, this lovely lunch was eaten while fishing along the Santiam River.
  
  
• And no trip to Oregon is complete without a trip to McMenamins. The BEST tater tots, great burgers, and fantastic local beers: I splurged and drank TWO pints of their Wheat beer. I love the atmosphere too - dark wood, jukebox, mismatched tables and chairs. Not to mention that the servers will let you sit forever, if you want. It's about the closest thing we have to pubs in the U.S.
  
  
  
  
• We also went to Great Harvest Bread Co. and bought one of the biggest ice cream sandwiches EVER. Also bought some fresh bread to go with all our meals.
  
  
  
  
  
• The Ram is a microbrewery across the street from my alma mater, and I drank waaaaay too many Long Island Ice Teas there in my youth (they were only $2!!!). I made up for it this time by drinking an excellent microbrew: Big Horn Blonde. You don't need to know that it was a 24 ouncer...see, I can still put 'em away!
  
  
• Last but not least, we scored a tour at the "we don't give tours to the public" Kettle Chips processing plant. I'll be writing an entire post dedicated to the tour, but let me tell you now that it was truly a pinnacle for me. Absolutely fascinating.

The food scene in Oregon is everything it is rumored to be: focus on fresh, local ingredients with a natural, relaxed, laid-back vibe. I ate well, my friends, and it was wonderful.

Eat, drink, and cheers to the West Coast, my homeland.

* So Los Dos Hermanos spells it "Salvadoran" but I keep reading it "Salvadorian" other places. I can't tell definitively which it is.

NYT Dining and the food crisis in America

So it’s beginning to feel like I'm beating a dead horse (isn’t that how the horrible saying goes?). However, the issue keeps coming up over and over again, signaling to me that the “food crisis” in our country is relevant and important.

First, check out Nicole’s response to my posts: this brings the contrast between cultures into sharp relief. I was actually surprised by how many of the food displays included soda: U.S., Egypt, Mexico, Italy, Germany, Poland. I was particularly struck by Mexico – so much beautiful produce on display…and soooo much soda. Alas.

The Dining section of the New York Times has an article this week, “Good News About Rising Food Prices,” which discusses how the cost of food in the U.S. (is it happening elsewhere too?) is skyrocketing as a result of the rising cost of fossil fuels and ethanol. It’s costing a whole lot more to transport our food from Mexico to New York, from Holland to Chicago. Is this a blessing in disguise? Given the rising costs, will people really forsake their sodas? Will people turn to local produce and local purveyors of meat and dairy? Naturally, the article mentions Alice Waters, who has reportedly been a vocal advocate of higher food prices. I see her point: with food being more expensive, people will need to make smarter, healthier choices. If food costs more, people might eat less of it. On the other hand, lots of people argue her opinion is elitist and/or classist. Rising food costs makes me a little glad, I admit it. But what about the lower-middle class? People who are “on the fringe”? I honestly don’t believe they’ll suddenly see the light and start eating local, organic fruits and vegetables. It’s not as simple as that, as anyone will argue, I’m sure. You don’t have a paradigm shift in a single month or a single quarter. Heck, when we’re talking about an entire revolution in the way we think and we eat, that can’t even happen over the course of a single year. Eating is too emotional, too personal, too culturally entrenched. So do I think rising food costs are the magical solution? Absolutely not. But they just might be the impetus and, for that, I’m excited to see where we’re heading.

If you’ve read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, you know how Michael Pollan feels about corn. And he converted me to his way of thinking as well. So I read the Boston Globe’s headline, “Food Prices Might Increase as Farmers Plant Less Corn”, with a bit of warmth in my heart. Yay, less environmental impact! Yay, less high fructose corn syrup! Because that’s the kind of gal I am: I react first, think later. Which gets me in trouble sometimes. It was later that I realized this wasn’t going to magically cause meat producers to allow the cows to roam free and eat the grass they’re designed to eat. Nope, ain’t happening. And then two-thirds of the way through the article, the bomb is dropped: soybean planting is up 18 percent. Which, again, if you’ve read Omnivore’s Dilemma, you know this is still perpetuating the unhealthy, environmentally unsound monoculture issue. Where in the world are we heading?

Okay, this is getting depressing. Less doom and gloom, I think:

Since we’re sort of on the topic of healthy, seasonal food, let me take this moment to share with you an article from the San Francisco Chronicle, “Asparagus Fans Support the Delta’s Stalk Market” by Melissa Swanson. As a California native who grew up in the Sacramento valley, I got all warm and fuzzy reading this. Not to mention that I also felt bitter living in NYC where root vegetables are still the stars on parade at Union Square.

Lastly, given the name of my blog, it’s appropriate that I link to the NYT Dining section’s article on California Pinot Noir. I applauded the article because he’s right: California Pinots are so hit-or-miss and tend to be too big and fruit-forward for my tastes. I much prefer the Oregon Pinot Noirs, particularly King Estate. Nevertheless, Asimov includes a list of wines so feel free to have your own taste test on a beautiful spring afternoon!