It's alive!

Blog Tartare, that is!

2008 has been more full of change and major events both happy and sad than I ever could have imagined. Most significantly, Neil and I decided that while we really love each other, we have certain incompatibilities that are, when we're really honest with ourselves and each other, deal-breakers when it comes to marriage. So we have gone our separate ways. I moved into my own place May 31. Fortunately we have remained friends, and I have remained in Germantown just a few blocks away, so we are still eating together a lot.

I had planned to blog about how wonderful my new kitchen is and about the challenges of trying to stock a kitchen from scratch (I left all the food with Neil), but I think instead I will take a moment to reflect on the wonderful food adventures that Neil and I had together.

Neil took me to Vietnam Kitchen on our second date; it was my first time there, and it blew my mind. Soon into our relationship we started cooking together, which was something of an ordeal because I had no idea what I was doing and was also, paradoxically, a total control freak. Over our three and a half years together we sampled poutine in Montreal, ridiculous quantities of seafood in Gulf Shores, cheesesteaks and the delicacies of Morimoto in Philadelphia, and street vendor hot dogs in New York. We introduced each other to our favorite local restaurants and tried new places together. We got excited over my mama's pot roast together. We took field trips to Jungle Jim's and spent hours marveling over the acres of food. And we cooked and cooked together. One of our favorite traditions was Sunday breakfast, and even though Neil's kitchen leaves a lot to be desired in terms of counter space and other amenities, I will forever remember how happy I was in that kitchen, listening to Sunday morning jazz on WFPK and cooking for and with him.

Bah, writing this is making me teary, so I should stop. But I would like to publicly thank Neil for three and a half years of love, friendship, and wonderful food.