It's a Food thing

This is a post I started a week ago. Sorry not to have gotten it finished and posted, but as soon as my cooking tools were put away, leftovers eaten, and adulations received, I was off to a week-long poetry workshop, an annual evwent that is not to be missed! So I am posting what I had written before and didn't post, just to keep you up to date:

"Today was a banner day. It was long planned and practiced. Today was the cook-off for the Lobster Festival. I am happy to report that my Lobster Curry Mac 'n' Cheese took 3rd place. But better than that was the event itself. Lords of people came to watch the 5 of us cook "live" and watch the judges taste, evaluate our table settings, and ask us questions. We got to engage with the public as we cooked which was great fun for me. I was asked how to keep the noodles from getting overcooked, asked about my special Purple Basil Vinegar (which I make), and asked details about my recipe. People were fascinated by my vinegar, which the judges did not get to hear about because they come in after the cooking is done and just eat and evaluate. I'm wondering if the judges might make a visit WHILE we are cooking, just to see the process and hear the details of our recipes AS WE TALK to the crowd about them.

"No matter, the whole experience was wonderful for me and for the audience. I loved having people come up to me as I was cooking, to see the dish come together, to smell my wonderful vinegar, to taste once we had finished our dishes. I'd say that for a very public event, it was quite intimate. I will definitely submit a recipe again next year."

Breathing Room

Have you ever attended an event (in my case a poetry workshop) and felt so exhausted from the goodness of it that you needed time off to sleep, regroup, recharge? Well here I am, one day removed from Kathleen Ellis' poetry Workshop at the Farnsworth Art Museum and I am in need of (possible choices):

1. a day at the beach
2. a day on my front porch with cool lemonade and chocolate
3. a day with lots of sleeping
4. a day at sea on a schooner

So I'm thinking that #2 is most likely, but now I have to drive somewhere to get the chocolate and lemons, and then SQUEEZE the lemons. Maybe I'll sleep a little and sit on the porch with a Moxie and read. But then I will get inspired and want to WRITE. Oh, Muse, why do you pester me so?