My love of food
Most people love food. In my family, however, we live to eat. At holidays, we don’t drink. We eat. The taste is so good you cannot stop at “full.” This can sometimes cause problems–I was first diagnosed with high cholesterol in my mid-20s! Food is a powerful force in our society; ignoring that fact does damage to all of us. I firmly believe that you can be addicted to food in a way that resembles other types of addictions.
Over the years, I’ve found strength and learned to take what for me tastes like comfort food and rework it so I can still eat it. There’s more behind the blog here.
I worked in a kitchen for three years in college. I still rank it as one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. The people, the food, the atmosphere–the only downside was how much time I spent trying to keep my nails and skin clean. Oh yeah, and my tired feet at the end of a long shift…
The ‘me’ behind the food
Food passion aside, I’ve been writing and reading for what feels like my entire life. Stories, plays, articles, poetry, blogs, brochures–if you can categorize it, I’ve written it.
Which brings me to my day job where I work in marketing and sales as a content writer and manager. I’m lucky to be where I am because I have a wonderful liberal arts college degree (two, actually, since I got my Masters as well)–where I majored in Russian literature (but took a smattering of other stuff, more below)! Perhaps I’ve done well not only because I graduated before the recession but also because I never stopped developing marketable skills: HTML, graphic design, video + editing and my newest foray into animation. I make world-class presentations too. And integrate storytelling into communications. In other words, I try to make better versions of what we do.
Academically, I studied mostly Russian language and literature, film theory and history and some political science. Being a student can be pure bliss sometimes, I have a mind that constantly wants to expand. But that luxury comes at a price–like so many of my generation, I have tons of student loans. They are suffocating sometimes, and they shackle me to a full-time job when I probably would have gone freelance right after finishing grad school.
The other paths I could have taken include Russian professor or diplomat, but I learned a long time ago that my happiest place is wherever I am in the kitchen or behind a computer. One doesn’t just abandon over $100K in education to become a chef, however. And I’m creative so I’ve always been writing and drawing. So I guess that’s how I ended up in marketing? I’m not really sure anymore.
International woman of mystery
I’m a bit of a globetrotter–I always say I’ve felt free to travel the world because I feel so much love and connection to my family regardless of where I am. It’s like that e.e. cummings poem “i carry your heart with me.” I will admit that sometimes globetrotting leaves me feeling chipped away at–leaving a little bit of my soul behind whereever I go–but at the same time, it opens up more room inside of me to grow. I lived in Russia for 3 years, which has influenced my culinary tastes (kroshka kartoshka, chebureki, Teremok anyone?!). I’m greatly saddened by what is going on there now. I moved to Toronto where I’ve been since 2009, I’ve been very happy here. Toronto is a foodie city: we have awesome restaurants, attract international chefs and love to eat.
Sometimes it’s hard to be a Yankee in Canada (like when you need to find Heath bars or file your taxes), but I am not one to complain (I’ll leave that for the Canadians in America). America and Canada both have great (and different) things to offer, it can be frustrating and rewarding in either place, just depends on your outlook (and tastes).