We have cake, a little luncheon sometimes

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.