Tryouts

Aren't your favorite movie montages the ones that feature audition after audition of horrible or weird talent (and the occasional extreme talent that just mixed up what kind of audition was being held) only to have the perfect person come in at the last second?

Isn't that why we like "American Idol?"



Thankfully, trying out my recipes hasn't started that way. Good for me since I have to taste these dishes, not watch them after being edited by a film professional. I scrutinized the first dish for taste and ease, but everything came together beautifully. If this is all it takes to write a cookbook, I should have started years ago!

Mais non, it is not all garlic and olive oil. As I maintain my vegan standards when cooking, I tweaked the my first test-run to make it without the dairy but with the taste; the original had 2 cups of Parmesans cheese. The result was delicious, but I'm going to need some help to test out the recipes if I keep up like this.

It's a cookbook about mother-daughter cooking? Perfect! My gourmet mother will be trying out the non-vegan selections. Problem solved. More testing news to come - don't forget to send your recipes to me: clare [dot] cookbook [at] gmail [dot] com

Perhaps you like an edgier (crueler) judge-fest though. I found this gem that occurs two days after I move up to Crooklyn - think I can still enter?

Gawker:"We Will Be at the Williamsburg Pageant with Bells On"

Chicago Diner, or, Why Hipsters Shun Me

I wanted to write a post about my favorite restaurant in Chicago. That's a high title as Chicago boasts some very fine dining.

I went to Charlie Trotter's last weekend which is ranked number 38 in the world. Down the street there's a joint that has the best guacamole I've ever tasted. So why does Chicago Diner get my vote as favorite restaurant?

Because there, and only there, am I accepted by hipsters.

For those of you who don't know what a hipster is (or those of you who think you are not hipsters but totally are), my basic definition includes anyone that listens to music they discovered before the artist sold out. They wear clothes primarily from American Apparel - partly because the clothes are made from manufacturers with fair trade standards, partly because their ad campaigns are super provocative, and partly because all their friends work there.

Hipsters do not participate in main stream culture. They live outside the boundaries and they like hanging out in fields painting on Saturdays.

Is there anything wrong with any of this? Of course not! If you're doing your thing, more power to you. The problem with hipsters has its roots in the same problem that Avril Lavigne ran into after debuting the rocker-chic-eye-liner-tie-wearing-faux-school-girl look. It was original when she did it, but the next 45,000 people wearing a tie and telling people that life's just so complicated didn't inspire me.

Hipsters choose their lifestyle to escape convention and judgment from others. They want to be free to live their lives in unflattering spandex and date men that have ironic mustaches. Great! Enjoy!

Why, oh why, then do they judge and shun me when I attend their events?

I work for a very hipster friendly magazine and help manage their events and promotions. This past weekend I helped them host a successful shin-dig; during part of the party I worked the VIP list. During the other part of the party - I was systematically ignored by each hipster that walked through the door.

The answer to my aforementioned question: they judge me. Maybe they can tell there were hot rollers in my hair earlier that night. Maybe their grandma died in a horrible accident and my pearls remind them of her. They can sense that I watch "So You Think You Can Dance," and they can smell the stink of sorority on me. I'm too counter-culture for their now well-defined culture.

But at Chicago Diner, everyone accepts everyone else. This haven is located in Boystown - a part of the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. There, large rainbows adorn phallic symbols that line the streets showing the acceptance that comes along with multi-colors, penises, and many stores that sell vibrators.

Here I can wear a polo shirt and eat my vegan food. I can sit next to the boys with the semi-mullets, the woman who still breast feeds her 3 year old in public, and no one gives me a second look. I love that.

Especially as I get ready to move to the hipster capital of the world, aka Williamsburg, NY, I have to remember to still stay true to what I like. What I like doing, wearing, eating, watching, and being. I'll find the hipsters that would eat at The Chicago Diner - the true hipsters. The true people.

Plus, the food is absolutely, ridiculously incredible.