My friends, knowing that I seek new adventures, invited me to “Literary Evenings” a Monday night Lecture series sponsored by the Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures at the Carnegie Music Hall. I do not read that often because I am so picky about the books that I read. It’s a rare book that grabs my interest. I often find myself trudging though to finish a book, hoping that it will get better. My blog inspiration book, Everything I Need to Know I Learned From A Little Golden Book, states, “turn off the TV and read a book,” so I thought that maybe an author lecture would ignite my interest. Plus, I just love to hear people's stories.
It was ironic that I was going to Ruth Reichl's lecture, a Los Angles Times turned New York Times food critic, and the past editor of Gourmet Magazine, because I am not a confident or anywhere close to a gourmet cook. I even joined Blue Apron (see Day 115-Cooking with Blue Apron ) to improve my bad cooking! I also had not read any of her books. However, I was relieved that I was not the "black sheep" in the room. I learned that my friend and the lady to my right had not read any of her books either.
I was as so surprised to see a packed Carnegie Music Hall. The first thing that I thought was, "boy, there must be a lot of fancy cooks in Pittsburgh!" I soon discovered that the drawl was Ruth Reichl's interesting story. She hooked me when she described her disguises and the characters that she used to be incognito as a food critic. It was as if she was in a mini drama each time she reviewed a restaurant. She explained that her reviews were not conventional but were more akin to short stories. Her justification was that only a small percentage of us could really afford to eat in most of the restaurants that she critiqued and therefore, she tried to give her readers the experience of eating in the place. I loved that she was not a "snobby foodie." ( Ruth Reichl books)
She ended with her philosophy: the secret in life is to find joy in ordinary things and that as long as she lived, she would have a passion for food and stories. I can't wait to read something that she wrote because as the author of my little blog, I agree with Ruth Reichl-we all have a story to tell! Isn't that what a blog is all about :)
Spiritual Reflection
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of God will stand forever. (Isaiah 40:8)
Other Sources
http://ruthreichl.typepad.com/blog/
Pgh Lecture Series http://pittsburghlectures.org/monday-night-lecture-series/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Reichl