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This is my heart: investigating active as well as passive interactions with what we choose to consume and why.  When I boil it all down, that’s really why I started this blog.  I would venture to guess, that for the most part, we are not really aware of this relationship. 

And if we are aware, how would we choose to describe it?  Through diet.  Maybe diet and exercise?  Maybe through growing, foraging or raising our own food?  Through nurturing or providing for others?  Eating disorders?  Convenience?  Tradition?  The latest trend?

I’d also speculate that I’m not the only one curious about said relationship(s).  Have you ever posted a picture of something you’ve eaten or prepared/cooked/baked/grown?  Thought so.

I’m really excited to explore this further:

Exploring relationships with food (both positive and negative).  How that may effect our food system?  Our environment (both locally and globally)?  Our wallets?  I wonder how our relationship(s) with food in the US compare with that of other cultures?  Does our personal relationship with food effect our family structure?  What about the varying effects on healthcare?

I’m also really excited to explore words related to food:

What do certain words mean to us individually?  Has the meaning of these words changed over time?  Is this meaning shaped by our perspective, buzz words or expectation?  Does that shape shift form with varying levels of education?

This will be quite the adventure.  A rather delicious adventure with way too many possibilities for hunger driven tangents :)

I can only think of one way to start a day trip in Jerome: Flatiron Cafe.

The space consists of three tables, three stools, and a small outdoor patio space up the hill across the street;  luckily our day trip fell on a weekday.

Flatiron Cafe is open for breakfast and lunch, yet the menu is simple.  In a space smaller than some walk-in closets, the menu, in my opinion, is sized perfectly.  

I ordered the breakfast burrito because, well, I always order the breakfast burrito.  To be honest, it wasn’t the greatest.  I think the eggs may have been microwaved.  The texture was off and the ingredients weren’t balanced, but if I’m being completely honest, here’s a small disclaimer: my boyfriend and I started an entire blog dedicated to breakfast burritos.  I love breakfast burritos. 

The coffee?  Astoundingly delicious.

Sometimes they get their beans from Novo (based out of Denver, Novo is one of the top 10 boutique coffee in the country according to Bon Appetite), and sometimes their beans are from the famed Intelligentsia.  There is no denying that the Flatiron Cafe is the place for the best cup of joe in town, even better than most of the popular coffee shops in Phoenix.

Halfway through our Chemex pour over, Maynard Keenan (local winemaker best known as the lead singer of Tool and A Perfect Circle), walks-in to get his day started with coffee, eggs and lots of Cholula.  You know that myth that celebrities are much shorter in person?  I’m pretty sure it’s true.

If you’re local to Phoenix and have ever eaten Short Leash Hotdogs, you already know that naan is hands down the best way to contain your sausage, brat, dog, link and all its fixings.

Last night, James made us buffalo bratwurst with sauteed onions, jalapeños and his secret sauce wrapped up with garlic naan.  Absolutely. Incredible. 

The texture of naan keeps everything from busting out the bottom yet it doesn’t compete for room in your mouth.  In other words, you’re getting more of the good stuff in each bite and less tasteless filler. 

Just thought I’d share since it’s kind of a holiday weekend, when people do things like, you know, grill hotdogs and stuff.  Because if you didn’t know, now you know. 

I checked my email this morning, and it was flooded with urgent messages from my editor.  An article I wrote was published with mistakes.  Two major mistakes (that are really minor and funny, or so I’m telling myself).

Mistake Number One:  The guy’s name is Mike Wahlberg NOT Mark Wahlberg.

Mistake Number Two:  Cape Cod is NOT in South Africa; it’s Cape Town.  Duh.

Ugh!  Where was my head?  ”Hold me closer Tony Danza”?