there are times in life when it feels like a change must take place--like you have come to a crossroads and a new path must be taken. i imagine in a lifetime this happens many times. it is both scary and exciting; utterly terrifying in its newness and deep with possibility. i have been doing a lot of thinking lately (more so than writing) and i now know i have reached one of those moments, those special times, when it is up to me to make the next move. i have spent a lot of years in new york waiting for change to present itself to me. i have often expected miraculous things to happen with very little effort on my part but with all the faith in the world. this may be naive, but it also part of growing up. we live and learn, right? and then we do it again. and again.
i think i want to go back to school. my undergraduate degree in theater has not me led me to the place i had initially hoped, and i am a different person now then when i was 22 and believed new york city was in the palm of my hand. priorities change, dreams change, people change. the important thing is finding what it is that makes you happy. i want my life to be wholly fulfilling. i want every day to be meaningful. i want to be proud of my choices. i want to work with an organization that cares about the same things that i do: local food, sustainable food, healthy choices, environmental responsibility, nutritional education. so my question is, is this a degree in nutrition? public health? i have a lot of research to do. this is exciting stuff!
all this thinking got me hungry yesterday and sometimes there is just nothing as satisfying as a good bowl of pasta and some red wine. my friend, amy, and i made our way to soho for a late afternoon meal at well-reviewed osteria, lupa. one of the many celebrated restaurants in the mario batali enterprise, lupa is often considered the "people's trattoria." out of the many upscale establishments he claims, it's still a splurge but not out of reach. when it comes to comfort food, simple is almost always better, and that couldn't be more true than with rustic italian. fresh bread, good olive oil, full bodied red wine and homemade pasta are ingredients that keep me dreaming of a perfect meal. lupa hit my sweet spot just right. my pasta choice was the traditional roman dish, bavette cacio & pepe, which translates to bavette (linguine-like pasta) with cheese and black pepper. simple as can be yet so delicious. the use of black pepper was extra liberal, but not overwhelming. i believe the cheese was pecorino and although it was somewhat creamy, the pasta tasted light and subtly flavorful. i had no problem eating every last bite. i found the recipe here at foodnetwork.com. mr. batali leaves the amount of pepper to taste. someone with an aversion to heavy spice may not want such full flavors, but i loved the kick!
so, yeah, food is good. it can warm the heart and clear the mind. it should not be abused and we should try and make good choices as much as possible but sometimes a hearty meal on a winter day is almost too satisfying to put into words. i wish i could dine at places like lupa more often, but i know it's the rarity which which i frequent them that makes the experience that much more special.
* above photo from here
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