My name is Tamara. That's Tamara as in the pronunciation that sounds most like (but wonderfully unlike) tomorrow; tuh-muh-rah. The middle "a" isn't some cheap garnish. I'm not tam-ra, the pronunciation insisted upon by most New Yorkers I've encountered in my 10 months here. That "a" is in fact a vital 1/6 of my name; it is the Osso in the Osso-Bucco, the Haricots in the Haricots Verts, the Cream Cheese frosting on the Red Velvet Cake which reminds me: what the hell is the deal with the habit of slapping Vanilla Buttercream on "Red Velvet Cake?" Uh-uh folks. That's not how it works. But right here before you is an example of how I work- my humble attempt to introduce this blog revealed what I won't deny have been a very tumultuous 22 years of negotiating my name with the rest of the world, and turned into what I promise will be a much longer conversation about the politics of frosting NYC Red Velvet Cakes. So I digress, yes, but I assure you there is some method to my mental madness, god I love alliteration.
I eat well, healthy generally but indulgent not infrequently. Both haute cuisine and street food. I love tofu and ground beef. For dessert: Baklava, Tarte Tatin, or a Black & White cookie. I'm delighted by dishes prepared elaborately, skillfully, and imaginatively almost as much as I am by Mac n' Cheese out of the box. I crave chicken Tikka Masala, Boeuf Bourguignon, and a burger and fries. On crackers, either Gouda or Philadelphia. A disciple of Alice Waters and Sandra Lee - just kidding, her food is DISGUSTING - but Rachel Ray is fine by me. Papadums or Lays; Truffle Risotto or Rice and Beans. I'm a patron of both Blue Hill and Chipotle. By now you get it: there's little my appetite excludes; I have a palette and a passion for the gastronomically sophisticated, and unrefined.
I cook some. I bake some. I punctuate mostly but not always. I don't have a library of cook books; one maybe, "How to Eat" by Nigella Lawson that I was less than thrilled to receive as a Birthday Gift from a friend I thought was hinting at my size. I've never made ice cream or a successful souffle. I can't even figure out how to find the "e" with the accent to use at the end of souffle. I'm a failure really, but really love food. I eat food, often, and often have opinions of it and these exactly will be the content of this blog. Well, approximately. Exactly and approximately.
I am not tam-err-a, nor am I tam-ehr-a. I'm Tamara. Confused slightly but amiable still, like Eggplant.
June 6, 2007
We have cake, a little luncheon sometimes
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2 comments:
Okay Eggplant Empress, i'll be honest and say that most of what i read is chinese to me, other than the fact that you like to eat (it runs in the family so i see where you are coming from). I like your funky vocabulary although i had to look-up every third word. Good job, i guess? I don't really like eggplant... but i do like cheese :-)
okay, even though the last post i submitted was only June of this year, it's hard to believe how poor my writing was (probably still is, compared to you at-least). I love the way you think and the way you express yourself in writing. Take my advice, follow your passion. You don't need an MBA to be successful (actually, yeah you do...). anyways, i will always be your loving sister, living in her own little fantasy world where she gets into harvard law and grows up to defend the word's classiest convicts. I love you, i think you are amazing and irreplaceable! good luck with the launch of eggplant empress!
LOVE YOU FOREVER, AND EVER, AND EVER AND EVER.
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