An Oldie, Possibly a Goodie

I found this old blog entry from February 2010 whilst perusing my wordpress accounts. So why not post it? Yes, post it I shall....

Contemplation, Confidence, Careers, and Culinary Catastrophes

The snow was relentless in New York on Tuesday night, and continued to fall from shadowy grey skies well into the late afternoon. It’s been an odd week for me leading up to my birthday on Sunday (nobody cares that it is my birthday so of this event I’ll cease discussion now…) full of heavy contemplation that I will not bore you with at the present time. So much for the first “C” in my unnecessarily alliterative title above.

As for confidence, here is what I have to say: At a party on Friday night, I decided to experiment with my personality. Because of unforeseen circumstances, I haven’t been in the best of moods lately and I decided that on this particular night I would use my acting chops and fake some confidence, just to see if it would provide for a more entertaining night. While vibrantly chatting with the mid-town partygoers, I met someone who, long story short, felt comfortable enough with me to ask if I would like to have dinner with him on Sunday night for Valentines Day. It was, to be sure, a novel first date idea, so I (confidently!) agreed. What ensued that Sunday was a lavish, $65-per-person prixe-fixed menu filled with northern italian delights: decadent lobster, heavenly buffalo carpaccio, and pillow-soft cheesy gnocchi all topped off by a tower of oozing chocolate sauce draped over a perfectly puffed napoleon. My date ordered us a nice fruity wine to pair with our meal, and the conversation was fortunately as rich and satisfying as the cuisine itself. Though the jury is still out whether he’ll call for date number two, the entire experience made me realize just how far the phrase “fake it till you make it” can get you. Act like you’re having a good time, act like you’re someone people want to talk to and be around and soon enough they (and you) won’t know the difference between faux-confidence and the real thing.

Careers. Sorry, too soon.

Culinary Catastrophes: Well this one’s short and not so sweet – I always prepare fish (usually wild alaskan salmon) for dinner on Monday nights, experimenting with different spicy sauces to add flavor to the buttery texture of a well-cooked salmon filet. This week, as reflective of some other endeavors attempted recently, I failed miserably, in turn realizing once and for all that mixing miso paste, wasabi powder, minced garlic, orange juice and grade A vermont maple syrup will never make for a delicious sauce. And so it has been written, let it never be attempted again.

For now: Ciao.