I'm a terrible blogger...

For those of you who may check in here, oh, every 6 months or so hoping for new content, you have my sincere apologies for sucking so bad. I kind of have a lot on my plate, what with trying to write a disseration, teach a bunch of classes, work on an NSF grant coding state legislation, dig my out of a never-ending pile of laundry, renovate my house.... the list goes on and on. But despite being busy, my dreams of being a successful and respected blogger are still lodged somewhere in the folds of my brain. So, I'll give this another go-around.

First, with regard to food and living simply, the most recent issue of "Bon Appetit" is their "value" issue - a response to the fledgling economy, and a thoroughly enjoyable read. Those of you who have been paying attention to my musings know that I critiqued the snobbery of the foodie movement a couple of posts back. Well, this month there's an article about the home bar and suggested basics: Smirnoff Vodka, Gordon's Gin, Flor de Cana Rum, Sauza Blanco Tequila, Jim Beam Bourbon, and The Famous Grouse Scotch. Not a bottle over $20. Absolutley reasonable.

I think it's more important than ever to keep value in mind when thinking about how we eat. Food prices are high. They are even higher if one chooses not to eat sustainably. There's no reason to sacrifice enjoyment and taste just because we're tightening our collective economic belts. I keep reading these articles about how people are cutting back, and more than one article has indicated that people are choosing to use their "dinner-out" dollars at McDonald's or other fast food places instead of going to other types of restaurants. That makes me sad, and not because I'm anti-fast food. Two alternatives: 1) support your local, downtown restaurants that need loyal customers now more than ever, and 2) eat at home with good, quality, inexpensive ingredients and close friends or family.

I recently went to a breakfast town hall meeting at my town's local brewery, Cally's. It was a campaign event for Virginia gubenatorial hopeful, Terry McAuliffe. McAuliffe mentioned in his presentation a conversation he had during the breakfast period with the brewery owner - apparently, the brewery, which is also a pretty popular downtown restaurant, is down 20% in revenue this year. That's a pretty significant amount. That figure struck me because since the New Year, I've been to Ruby Tuesday's at least once or twice, but haven't been to Cally's at all. In fact, I eat at Ruby Tuesday's fairly often. I'd eat at Chili's all the time if my husband didn't hate it. Red Lobster is something that both of us can usually agree on. And the truth of the matter is that I can take or leave any of those restaurants. Save the cheddar cheese biscuits at Red Lobster, there's really nothing special about any of them. I can get a better meal, better ambiance, and feel better about myself by going to the local places.