Southern Foodways Last Night

Why yes, that is a magical bacon forest. What were you expecting?
Note the "real" smile on Todd Richards (vs. some pr pictures) flanked by Elizabeth Moore and Tom Freeland.
The Rising Star Fife and Drum Band
OK, one more bacon tree picture.

Southern Foodways Alliance

2007 Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium "Year of the Pig"
Cass with "Rathead" Riley @ the City Grocery Bar.
Hangin' with Hugh Acheson of Five & Ten in Athens, GA
On top of the bus, heading to Taylor Grocery with whiskey in hand.
The catfish mecca that is Taylor Grocery

SlowFood Bluegrass

That's me cheesin' with Wendel

l Berry and Alice Waters on the same night!

The left picture is Wendell Berry (future Nobel Prize Winner, in my not so humble opinion) between me and Chef Todd. The right, of course, is Alice Waters who has the most intense way of looking at you. The event was held to raise money for the SlowFood Bluegrass chapter.

Birthday Present 2007

I had been talking about it for a while, but I was still surprised and thrilled when Cass presented me with a gift certificate to Acme Ink before our awesome meal at 211 Clover Lane. She also found the perfect design of what I had been going on and on about. So, about a week later, with certificate and drawing in hand, I went to my scheduled appointment, alone. I had been contemplating shoulder or bicep, maybe smaller, but in the end, I went for it. I couldn't be happier with it.

And now for the three questions everyone asks. 1) yes, it is real 2) yes, it hurt like hell and 3) well three is "why" and that one is a little more complicated. There are a lot of "kinda about this" or "my feelings on that", but they all hinge around my love of food (and pig especially), my proclivity for things Southern, and my commitment to the career path I am following (no corporate golf outings with this baby). I also think of it as a reminder of the

undeniability between what we eat and where it comes from, a kind of slow food mandela.