Epicuriosity
(Composing this entry while some Portuguese chicken-potato stew I made is simmering on the stovetop, making my place smell so good!)
While I'm not a foodie, I'm definitely an Epicurean. That's such a weighty word, it's hard to say it as an American without feeling self-conscious, but I've actually read Epicurus, an ancient Greek philosopher I respect, and find something of continuing value in his ideas.
In the broader sense of the term, I'm a fan of cooking, which is something I developed on my own -- although I'd say that growing up in an Italian stepfamily meant that I was exposed early on to a food culture mindset, so I was well-primed to do that as an adult.
My love of cooking flows into my prose, definitely. Many of my indie horror books have mentions of food, meals, recipes, drinks, etc. That's an autobiographical aspect of my work that percolates into the fiction -- I don't always have recipes in there, but they do show up from time to time, just because it's fun for me to add that.
Professionally, I've worked in fast food, pizzerias, and cafeterias as a young man, and always have great respect for food service workers and the restaurant industry -- a great restaurant is a treasure. I fondly recall various dishes I've had at assorted places over the years -- like when I first came to Chicago, there was a diner up the street (no longer there anymore, sadly) that made the most incredible soups -- I still aspire to making the soups they had there, because they were so good. First finding my way in the city, it was nice to have a place like that to go to.
While I'd never be able to be a chef (they're uniquely gifted), I did consider it in my youth, and I always respect what they do. I was thrilled when THE MENU came out, because it was such a perfect horror concept, although the movie is far more satire than outright horror, it was entertaining for me.
While I'm not a foodie, I'm definitely an Epicurean. That's such a weighty word, it's hard to say it as an American without feeling self-conscious, but I've actually read Epicurus, an ancient Greek philosopher I respect, and find something of continuing value in his ideas.
In the broader sense of the term, I'm a fan of cooking, which is something I developed on my own -- although I'd say that growing up in an Italian stepfamily meant that I was exposed early on to a food culture mindset, so I was well-primed to do that as an adult.
My love of cooking flows into my prose, definitely. Many of my indie horror books have mentions of food, meals, recipes, drinks, etc. That's an autobiographical aspect of my work that percolates into the fiction -- I don't always have recipes in there, but they do show up from time to time, just because it's fun for me to add that.
Professionally, I've worked in fast food, pizzerias, and cafeterias as a young man, and always have great respect for food service workers and the restaurant industry -- a great restaurant is a treasure. I fondly recall various dishes I've had at assorted places over the years -- like when I first came to Chicago, there was a diner up the street (no longer there anymore, sadly) that made the most incredible soups -- I still aspire to making the soups they had there, because they were so good. First finding my way in the city, it was nice to have a place like that to go to.
While I'd never be able to be a chef (they're uniquely gifted), I did consider it in my youth, and I always respect what they do. I was thrilled when THE MENU came out, because it was such a perfect horror concept, although the movie is far more satire than outright horror, it was entertaining for me.
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