Saturday, January 28, 2012

A Quiet Anniversary

It's been pretty quiet 'round here huh?  I promise- it wasn't due to lack of thoughts, or food.  My silence was intentional.  This week was the four year anniversary of A Boston Food Diary.  I debated how I wanted to mark it.  I thought about the customary "look back" posts, I considered looking to the future.  Finally, I ruled out both of those.  I ruled out any type of "celebration" post.  I chose to commemorate it differently.


I don't often share personal information here, maybe some funny stories from when I was a kid and I thought watching Julia Child in our family living room made me a gourmand.  I'll recount stories from my time living in London, the dawn of Gourmet Gals, the kitschy name my fellow American roommates and neighbors gave ourselves as we whipped up fajitas and chicken parm dinners once a week.  However lately I've been doing a lot of self reflection.  I've been looking back on the last 5, 10, 15 years of my life and examining the choices and decisions I've made.  What I realized is that A Boston Food Diary, over the past four years, has been a true Godsend.  And so I chose to celebrate our little anniversary with a bouquet of flowers and um...a glass of wine.


As it has become clear, no doubt, over the time here, food has always been a major factor in my life.  When I was little I feared ridicule for my portly frame had I talked about food as much as I thought about it, so I kept quiet around my school mates.  Alone at home with my mother we discussed menu items.  We looked up ingredients in this massive set of food encyclopedias and learned their origins and use.  We watched Julia Child and laughed at her sayings.  My sophomore year of college I started really looking at what I was eating.  The Freshman Fifteen I had gained had to be eliminated, and I was intent on finding the healthiest options in the school cafeteria.  I spent the rest of my college concentrating on finding better food options, all while allowing those weekend indulgences where they applied.  After graduation, and into the working world, I set forth with one of my good friends to find the perfect diet.  We tried them all, and our weekly exercise of debating diet options kept me tied to food.  


As I continued to mature, I stretched my arms further in the kitchen.  I'd show up to Saturday night parties with plates full of artfully crafted appetizers, much to the amusement of my beer carrying friends.  (Yeah- I was that girl at the kegger with balsamic glazed chicken spears.)  I kept pushing myself in the kitchen, obsessed over menus, anticipated the opening of any new restaurant in town, and tried every new food I could.  Finally, it was suggested that I start a blog if for nothing else, as an outlet for this energy I had.  And so A Boston Food Diary was born.  


A Boston Food Diary has allowed me to fully explore food from all angles, it has given voice to a passion which I once felt the need to hide.  It has allowed the girl who chose to study Political Science and the law over flambes, roasts and reductions to fully explore these.  It has given me the courage to try techniques, ingredients and dishes that I may not have otherwise.  It has allowed this girl to be honest and frank about what truly moves me.  ABFD has given me the opportunity to mingle with some of the greatest chefs in the US, it has granted me a pass into some of the most incredible food experiences, and finally, through it, I have met some of the most wonderful like minded people.  It has become a friend in itself- a waiting blank canvas, standing in anticipation of what crazy thing I'll make next, and where this passion will lead me.


Though life has handed me my fair share of ups and downs throughout the past four years, A Boston Food Diary has been a companion through it, a comforting place to find joy in a chocolate cake, consolation in a bowl of pasta, and a celebration in the folds of an incredible dinner.  


Stemming from all of this, and thoughts I'm not brave enough to post here, I celebrated this little anniversary with reflection, a recognition of what has been, and a nod to the future.  


Back to our regularly scheduled programming next week...  Happy Saturday y'all.    

10 comments:

Lara @ GoodCookDoris said...

Happy Anniversary! It was wonderful meeting you through your blog/twitter. I enjoy reading about your eating and cooking adventures - even if we don't get to see each other very often. Hope to meet up soon! :)

Delicious Dishings said...

Happy blog anniversary!!

Kristen said...

Happy 4 years! great to read this story. :)

Anonymous said...

Happy Anniversary and thank you for sharing your story!!

Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic said...

What a lovely post, Fiona! Happy blog anniversary. I really enjoy reading your blog and I'm glad to meet you through our small Boston community :) Wishing you all the best, and looking forward to more years of ABFD!

Jen said...

Happy anniversary! Love the flowers :)

In and Around Town said...

Beautiful Flowers! Happy 4 years! Thanks for sharing such a great and personal story.

Aimee said...

Wonderful post, Fi. Our blogs are such labors of love - they turn into little children but also encourage us to keep going. It's great that you're able to channel your lifelong culinary love into such a fun and delicious project (spoken as someone who has directly benefited from your menus!). Happy anniversary! Love you! xo

jennz said...

holy crap, 4 years! happy anniversary :)

Anonymous said...

Happy blogaversary! I think you chose the best possible way to celebrate!

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