Gastronomie: Blogging Events

54 posts categorized "Blogging Events"

Five Things About Meme!

It's been a long time since I was last tagged for a meme, so when my whore tagged me for this one, I decided to oblige (and, well, I don't want a lifetime ban at Delfina, now do I?)

So, since I'm up watching the Anna Nicole coverage (I'm currently sitting less than five miles away from where the hearing is being held -- I know, I'm horrible), I thought I

I grew up on Long Island, and it takes me about five minutes with a native New Yorker to lapse back into my old accent. It drives Californians crazy. Fortunately, it's a reversible affliction.
I might be addicted to my Blackberry. I like to pass it all off as work stuff, but the truth is I hate being disconnected from work OR play. The upside of this is that I actually manage to keep in regular contact with my friends when I just can't manage to pick up the phone from home.
I don't want kids. Ever. I like them just fine (and love playing auntie to my friends' kids), but I just don't want any of my own. I'm getting less grief for it every year. I think people have figured out that can't use the "you still have time" rationale much longer.
I'm a big believer in reaching out to long-lost friends and have been known to use networking sites like LinkedIn and Reunion.com (but NEVER MySpace!) to reconnect. I have several very special people back in my life this way.
I was once brainwashed by Home Shopping Network. In a moment of weakness, I found myself tearfully placing an order for a 21-piece set of Wolfgang Puck Bistro Cookware. Little did I know then that I'd actually like some of the pieces better than my uber-heavy All-Clad ones. It ended up being a great purchase, but man, I felt every ounce the sucker while I dialed that 800 number.

I'm not going to tag anyone for this, not least of all because, well, there's not one left to tag. But if you WANT to do this one, go for it and post back in a comment so I can link to ya!

Tags: Food, Food+Wine, Meme, Five Things, Blackberry, HSN, San Francisco

February 21, 2007 in Blogging Events, General Ramblings | Permalink | Comments (3)

Menu For Hope III: In the Company of Greatness

I'm positively HUMBLED by the extraordinary response we've seen on this year's Menu For Hope Campaign.

As of this evening, over thirty thousand dollars has been raised for the United Nations World Food Programme.

So, what am I coveting?

Well, I'm definitely enamored of UW48, Hangar One's donation. Alas, it would be unfair of me to put in for that prize since it's one of my own. (But, you know, as long as you're asking? Cardamom & Rosewater. Yea, baby.)

EU32 would be a killer way for my friend L and I to make the most of our time in Paris this spring; a custom itinerary and reservation service? Bring it on.

'Course I'm also seriously loving the UC10 -- a stage at Alinea? Are you kidding? Grant Achatz is my own personal molecular gastronomy God. I'd be honored to play the role of gopher for a day.

But then, in the wine category I would be thrilled to win dinner with Eric Asimov (WB01) or Lenn's Long Island Wine Lovers Getaway (WB19). And I can tell you from first-hand experience that anyone winning WB02 (Alder's Sommelier for a Night Service) will be very pleased indeed -- he's patient, expressive and fun to drink with.

So many amazing prizes to choose from! And while I wish you guys all the best luck, I still hope I win one of my covets!

Tags: Food, Food & Drink, Hangar One, Vodka, Menu For Hope, Charity, Donation, Holidays, First Giving, United Nations, World Food, San Francisco, Alameda, Oakland

December 19, 2006 in Alinea, Blogging Events | Permalink | Comments (5)

Menu For Hope -- A Beautiful Way to Close the Year -- Prize #UW38

Do you guys remember that little grass roots effort that a bunch of food bloggers participated in last year? The one that raised some $17,000 towards the relief effort in Northern Pakistan and India?

Well, not only is it back, but it's got structure, visibility and a great deal of excitement around it this year. And, it's benefitting the United Nations' World Food Programme

Here at Gastronomie, we have not one, not two, but THREE gifts for you this year. However, we are only releasing information on the first prize today, and not because we don't love you. No, we just aren't READY to release everything at once. So, once you've read about our cool Persian Pantry, and checked out the amazing prizes on offer by other bloggers -- West Coast bloggers' donations are here; the rest of them are most easily found here.

Gastronomie Prize #1: The Persian Pantry, retail value = $75+

4.6 grams of pure Khorasan saffron threads, hand-carried from Iran by my aunt
A bundle of cleaned, chopped and dried herbs for Ghormeh Sabzi, enough for 4-6 servings
A bag of leemoo-omani, dehydrated persian limes, critical for many Persian dishes
Kashk (dried or a jar of fresh, depending on winner's location) - most of you have told me this is the single most difficult thing for you to find, and it's so important.
Resht-e, Persian noodles used to make Aash
Rob-e Anaar, or pomegranate paste. This is different from the pomegranate molasses you fine in most markets. You'll see why when you receive it
Sumac, the dried and crushed berries of the poisonous plant. Sprinkle it on Basmati rice, fry up a few kabab, and you have a perfect Chelo Kabab
Finally, I'll be putting together a selection of sweets and other goodies based on the winner's requests

If you want to bid on this item, PLEASE go to the donation page and bid a minimum of $10 for one raffle ticket. Specify prize number UW38 for the Persian Pantry in the "Personal Message" section of the form, and PLEASE make sure to allow us to see your email address so we can contact you if you win.

Raffle winners will be announced on January 15, 2007 (big "woot-woot" to Derrick, here, as we actually wrote all y'all's names on slips of paper and did drawings last year. He's taking us into the 20th century with a randomizer application.)

So, really, head on over and make a donation. Good things will happen, and you'll feel good about doing it, too!

Tags: Food, Food & Drink, Persian, Iran, Menu For Hope, Charity, Donation, Holidays, First Giving, United Nations, World Food, San Francisco, Oakland

December 10, 2006 in Blogging Events, Cooking at Home, Eating Out, General Ramblings, Oakland, Other Cities, Persian Food, San Francisco | Permalink | Comments (5)

I love you guys

I just wanted to post really quick to let you all know how great I think it is that we've been able to have this discussion about what is usually a rather volatile topic, without anyone getting hurt or defensive or otherwise negatively affected.

It's one of the things I adore about this community, and I am so proud to say I'm a part of it!

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August 04, 2006 in Blogging Events, BlogHer, General Ramblings | Permalink | Comments (2)

An Interesting Observation

Well, it seems that BlogHer has caused quite a stir in this here Blogosphere. A quick search on Technorati reveals nearly 2,000 posts on the subject, and a great many of those posts have an earful to say about the context of the conference.

Add to that the really lovely and supporting comments you guys have left on my earlier post about the topic, and you've got the makings for a lot of self-examination and more than a cursory look at one's own community.

And then it hit me: The food-blogging community has a disproportionately high number of child-free members. I count no fewer than 10 people in my blogroll (yea, that one over there on the right) whom I know to have chosen not to have kids.

I find that fascinating. And before you bring it up, I don't actually think it has to do with the people I'm drawn to, because most of the people on my blogroll were there before I ever developed friendships with them. So, it's less of a self-fulfilling prophecy than you might think.

I suppose that generally speaking, foodies are a pretty hedonistic crowd, which maybe doesn't lend itself to the types of sacrifices it takes to be a great parent. But that's just not food bloggers, is it? I mean, everyone has their days of debauchery. So why this odd disparity?

(For the record, there are also some wickedly awesome parents in my blogroll -- people who are raising little human beings that are smart, funny, well-mannered and a joy to be around. So shushie.)

Tags: BlogHer, Motherhood, Parenting, Food, Food & Drink, San Francisco

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August 02, 2006 in Blogging Events, BlogHer, General Ramblings | Permalink | Comments (11)

Thoughts on my first BlogHer

When I signed up for BlogHer 2006, and even convinced a good friend to attend with me, I had no idea that I'd walk away with such incredibly strong feelings about the event. I thought it would be a great way to connect with the owners of the dozens of non-food blogs I read, learn something about the way other communities in the blogosphere work, and maybe even forge a few new friendships.

Instead, I left San Jose feeling a little alienated, though perhaps a bit more educated as well. Before proceeding however, I feel like I should give you a bit of background. This post is one of the most personal I've ever written, so I hope you'll be patient with me.

I am a child-free woman by choice and I married a man who doesn't wish to be a father. Ergo, we have a DINK marriage that is highly likely to stay that way. I hate using the term "childless" as it implies that I'm "missing" something, whereas "child-free" indicates a choice. I most certainly don't disparage any other woman for choosing parenthood, and in fact, see them as fiercely strong people.

So, it really saddened me when I left BlogHer yesterday feeling as though I'd inadvertently attended a Mommy-Blogging conference, and not a conference for all women. Throughout most of the day, I was surrounded by a derisiveness and cliquishness that sent me a message loud and clear: "Motherhood is the only choice".

To say that I already feel marginalized by many women who think that there is "something wrong with me" for not wanting to be a mom is an understatement. I just didn't expect to find that attitude at a conference filled with women who are participating in a world-changing new medium.

I think of myself as a fairly outgoing person. I smile a lot, especially around people I'd like to meet. I haven't felt so bewilderingly "shot down" as I did yesterday in a very, very long time.

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One of the really lovely ladies I met yesterday (in the food & wine "roundtable") is a fellow foodie who is also a mom. We'll use her first initial to preserve her anonymity. "M" filled me in on some of what she'd heard coming out of the "Mommy-Blogging" session. It seems that the working moms felt like the whole discussion had been pre-empted by the SAHMs, of which there were many. It shocks me that, even between mothers, there is this "us against them" attitude.

She also told me that, last year, it was the mommy-bloggers who'd felt marginalized by the non-moms. That there were few sessions designed for them. So they all went back and wrote about BlogHer on their blogs. They created a "call to arms" of sorts, and banded together to get what they wanted and needed out of BlogHer 2006.

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So, tell me, what would you do?

Part of me wants to write to each and every woman I tried to make small talk with, and who failed to respond with even a glimmer of a smile -- sure, I know some of you are "A-list Bloggers", as it were, but you came to this conference for a reason, and I hope that reason wasn't to feed your egos. So why the cold shoulder?

Another part of me wants to create my OWN call-to-arms, and descend upon BlogHer 2007 with a contingent of food and wine bloggers. And, of course, volunteer for the planning committee to create relevant topics for us.

Because that's the other thing about yesterday -- even in the closing keynote with such luminaries as Arianna Huffington and Grace Davis, the damn discussion kept turning towards the implications (and applications) of blogging to motherhood. So much so, in fact, that one woman finally stood up and called the panel on it.

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OK, I've vented enough. But I just had to get this out, and where better to do that than in my beloved Blogosphere? I don't regret attending BlogHer for one moment, and I know I'll go back next year.

Call me an overachiever. Or a glutton for punishment.

Tags: BlogHer, Motherhood, Parenting, Food, Women, Huffington, Blogs, San Francisco, San Jose

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July 31, 2006 in Blogging Events, BlogHer, General Ramblings, San Francisco | Permalink | Comments (35)

An Open Letter to Sam

Sam... you are a trooper... a behemoth... and an angel.

Your ability to channel your passion and voice into something truly impactful knows few bounds. Not only did you spend 24 hours posting every 30 minutes in a Blogathon to raise funds for Food Runners, but you ACTUALLY spent part of that day WITH the Food Runners themselves.

On top of this, you are perpetually there to lend a hand, an ear, a pot of food, whenever one of our friends is in need, emotionally or physically.

You are amazing human being and an inspiration, and I am extremely proud to call you my friend.

Photo courtesy of Sam Breach. Protected by Creative Commons License