Saturday, September 12, 2009

What makes me happy


I decided to finally be honest with myself the other day and come to terms with the fact that I love food. Certainly not the most earth-shattering statement, but I think it has more meaning in the context of where I currently am in life. When I was little I wanted to be a chef. And then a doctor or a paramedic. Which I think is how I ended up as a dietitian - I tried to combine the two. Help solve people's problems one bite at a time. It took me 4 years to realize that in the dietitian/patient relationship, I was the only one who loved food. And that made me sad.

So, I went off to become a captain of (the healthcare) industry, and get my business degree. But when it came time to find a healthcare job, I couldn't find anything I was passionate about, or really wanted to do. I interviewed with food manufacturing companies, who wouldn't touch me with a 10-ft pole because I was a dietitian (or 'food nazi', which I think was the preferred term). I ended up taking a job in marketing, figuring I'd learn how to be sucessful in business and then marry it back up with my love of food at some point. That was 3 years ago. I'm still figuring it out.

Now, I genuinely enjoy what I do for a living - but if you were to ask me what the one thing is that I am passionate about, what really floats my boat, I'd have to say food. It's always been food. I take cooking classes whenever I get the chance. Vacations are largely centered around what we're going to eat when we are there. Going out to try new restaurants is a hobby, not some occasional thing. I have a kitchen full of gadgets, and cook as often as I can. Collecting recipes fron magazines and the web is almost a fetish (I get that whole hoarding thing from my mom). And lately, I've been reading food blogs on a daily basis - I have 20 or so bookmarked that I visit often for inspiration.

Where am I going with all this? Well, dear reader, I have decided that it's time for me to start food blogging, too. I need somewhere to be creative and follow my passion - all for the good of my fellow man! I had another blog for a while where I was doing local restaurant reviews, but it seems to be lost to the ether of Blogspot, and I'm not sure I'll ever get it back (too bad, it was a good URL). So, it only makes sense to turn this blog into a food blog. I know some of you will be sad not to read about my dating escapades (which is where the name for this blog originated) and the rest of my personal life, but I think this change is for the better.

So, come back soon. It's going to take me some time to get up to speed, and make this a good site that you'll want to return to. But I'm ready to succumb to my passion, for all to see. In the infamous words of the AA oath - "My name is Adrienne, and I am a foodaholic". Enjoy.