Day one survey:

I have to tell you, I never really paid a lot of attention to food writing as a "thing." I follow a few food blogs. I even contribute fairly regularly to a recipe sharing blog. But when I actually think about it - it's everywhere. I own dozens of cookbooks. I watch television shows on cooking (that stuff is scripted, right? I assume that means it has been written down). I read reviews before I visit a restaurant. And when I get to the restaurant, I read the menu cover to cover before making a decision on what to order.

The more I think about it, the more I realize the important role food plays in my life. A weekend with friends usually means a cookout. A holiday means a feast with the family. A birthday deserves dinner at a nice restaurant. A bad day will ultimately end with ice cream. The simple, vital task of eating can cover just about any occasion life has to offer.

It has been this way for as far back as I can remember. The only thing that has changed is my daringness to try new things. As a child I pretty much stuck to the basics - grilled cheese, pizza & burgers. Now as an adult the grilled cheese is made with four cheeses & heirloom tomatoes, the pizza is loaded with anchovies, and the burgers are chile-marinated pork topped with grilled pineapple. Don't get me wrong: I still love the basics, but sometimes I just need that something extra to keep things interesting.

And it's funny because, while in my mind, I fancy myself culinary daredevil, others have perceived me as unadventurous. I bring my lunch to work every day, so I often appear to be lame in my food repertoire. Sure, a lot of times it's a boring can of soup, but other times it's leftovers from the aforementioned anchovy pizza. And when I decline a sample of headcheese & blood sausage offered by my coworkers, I am told that I "don't know what's good." Yet these same critics are turning their noses at my anchovies. I'm sure headcheese & blood sausage are tasty to some people - I'm just not there yet on my journey. Our lunchtime antics have turned Brillat-Savarin's "tell me what you eat, and I'll tell you what you are" into "tell me what you DON'T eat, and I'll tell you what you are."

I mentioned there are many occasions where food is the epicenter. But there are also occasions where the people gathering for the occasion have different preferences. I have personally had dinner parties at my house that were attended by both vegetarians & carnivores, and it was quite challenging to find dishes that are acceptable to both sides. A few occasions ended up with me preparing two separate entrees - one veggie, one meat - to appease the whole group. This unfortunately creates double the work, but I think it has always been worth it in the long run.