The Faux Gourmet: June 2006

Presenting The Faux Gourmet!

The Faux Gourmet has been on hiatus for a while. I began this blog as a creative outlet during law school. After law school, I started other blogs on other topics and no longer needed this as a creative outlet, not to mention my diminishing free time.

But I kept cooking, kept taking food pictures and garden pictures, kept wanting to share the little tidbits of what I'd made. I occasionally did this on my personal blog (to which, I'm sure, people yawned and wondered when I'd post another cat picture). But I started to miss this space. Of all the blogs I have, this format, culled over several dedicated years and incorporating that adorable illustration by Sam Wedelich (see info the left) is by far my favorite.

So I'm back!

Expect short and sweet posts. Less food porn, more recipes and tips. If you want food porn you can look at any of the 5000 million existing food blogs. I don't have good lighting in my apartment and don't have time to style plates. I just want to make something yummy and eat it. If that sounds ok with you, stick around.

Looking forward to being back in touch!

The Faux Gourmet

Thursday, June 1, 2006

About What's in the Pot?/The Faux Gourmet

In the Beginning: The Faux Gourmet began as What's in the Pot?, an insider's guide to Thai street food. While guidebooks occasionally hit on a fabulous, feisty Thai hole in the wall, most recommendations seemed to be watered down foreigner food. The references to street food were vague at best: "the streets behind x monument have good stalls." That doesn't provide much guidance to the short term visitor, eager to try something authentic but not sure how to start.

Cue, me. My credentials: I am a Westerner who speaks Thai. I love to eat Thai street food. I love food in general. And I'm not ashamed to take photos of everything I eat. Upon further reflection [and further eating], this blog will not be confined to street food. There's a lot of great food in Bangkok in homey Thai restaurants equally inaccessible to foreigners.

The Faux Gourmet: Then I moved to New York City. Bangkok & NYC have plenty in common: they're both full of so much tasty food it can sometimes feel overwhelming. And while you might not need a guide to decode New York street food, you may need a hand finding the best cheap eats in this rich-person's playground--or better yet, learning how to create simple versions of gourmet food on a budget. Once again, cue me, this time as The Faux Gourmet, my foodie alter ego.

As What's in the Pot? grew to encompass much more than its initial emphasis on Thailand, I decided it was time for a change. What's in the Pot? became The Faux Gourmet, a blog dedicated to enjoying good food without a whole lot of money or pretension. The Faux Gourmet looks for tasty bites that may not be obvious at first glance, appreciates the quirks and ambiance that make food more than just tasty, and gives extras like directions and recipes. Beyond that, all I know for sure is at its heart, The Faux Gourmet is about enjoying good food, and making good food accessible. This mirrors my own zest for life--it may seem a bit random at times but it is always enthusiastic. So if you like food, dig in!