Living the Magazine Dream - In Pursuit of Umami

It all started rather unceremoniously on a late night flight from CMH to BWI. Over a cocktail and our requisite T&L annual "Food Issue" my partner and I dreamed, debated and agonized over the constant conundrum that is our escape from our 20 something proletariat reality.

Between sips of my rather strong vodka soda (thanks Crystal) and moans over images of summer dinners at Blackberry Farm (sorry 16D) it suddenly came to me... Rather than pine for the experiences and images we see in these magazines, why not try to actually live them, at least to the extent that we are able in the current moment.

So, in an effort to give life to our gastronomic fantasies and to give structure to our culinary endeavors, we decided to cook our way through 1 food magazine each month. While we have never been strict recipe devotees, nor do we have the time or resources to hit every dish or culinary destination, we can certainly attempt those that move us in picture and type.

This blog will be our way to share our experience; cooking, dining, living our way through the pages of the magazines and periodicals we love. This is our "Real-Life-20-Something-9-5er" version of the high-gloss images and scintillating accounts of transcendent meals and adventures that inspire us while we wait in line at the grocery store, we hope you enjoy.

A little background....Neither one of us comes from what one would call a "culinary" background. My mother and father, while wonderful cooks, both carried the torch for the Irish Catholic "Cook everything to within an inch of its life" school of thought for most of my upbringing. P, my partner, hailing from the Southwest and of more eccentric stock, brings a little more spice and adventure to the equation. That said, there have certainly been some harrowing experiences around the holiday tables.





We live in Baltimore with our Cairn mix rescue Harrison. When Harry's not dictating our lives, we seem to spend every moment planning our next getaway, meal, or cultural adventure together. We're lucky to have good jobs and great friends and family all around the world in many varied walks of life, so the opportunity for these experiences comes around with considerable frequency.

Ultimately, we'd like to live in Boston, and run an international specialty food retailer/ lunch counter....we're not exactly sure what to call the concept, but think Grocery or Garces Trading Co (Philly favorites) meets Dean & Deluca and your local farmer's market.