Happy Anniversary to us!

Three years ago, on September 15, 2006, we started this little blog. I had planned out in my mind a big long post for our third anniversary about why I blog about food in Nashville. And unfortunately life happens and things get busy, so this post is spontaneous and short but I hope not any less heartfelt.

Nashville, you've been so good to me. I visited you a lot when I was younger; Opryland was the perfect vacation in my parents' minds so we visited about every other year. We didn't venture past Briley Parkway, though (and it still took my dad awhile to not ask if everywhere I went after I moved here used Briley as a route). And now I wonder what we were missing out on when we ate out.

Nashville, I moved here for graduate school in 2003. And school was tough. I spent most of my time slaving away on homework sets and running Big Important Expensive lab equipment. Returning to my apartment and cooking dinner became an escape - a time to use a little bit less of my brain and a bit more of my hands as I spent time cutting, chopping, rolling, kneading. And using more of my senses in general, as I learned to really taste and smell food in its whole form - unprocessed and pure, in basic, simple preparations. It was during this time that I also began to venture out into coffee shops and other little eateries. Fido, you became one of my first trusted escapes. I knew I could bring a couple of tough homework problems and settle in with a latte and while I might not figure them out in that couple of hours, the noise and the bustle and the caffeine would help me get my head on straight enough to keep going. And in general I began venturing out to Nashville's excellent independent food scene and learning a lot, slowly but surely.

Nashville, I had to move to Knoxville for a year during graduate school, and how I missed you! I never did find quite the same level of food choices in my temporary home. Every time I drove back to you for experiments and meetings I welcomed the chance to stop for coffee or a meal at one of my growing list of favorite places. I missed not only the food in Nashville, but the community. The best thing about Knoxville was in my mind that we inexplicably got free cable so I gobbled up episodes of Barefoot Contessa.


Nashville, when I moved back in 2006 after that year in the chain restaurant wasteland that is Knoxville (sorry, Knoxville) I was so excited to be back in the land of good local food options that I started this blog to share what I learn and find with others who are interested. Others who may be wanting to branch out from the old safeties of chains and into the vibrant local food scene. Others who want to eat well at good prices. Others who want to invest in the people who make eating and drinking in Nashville such a pleasure.

So now I'm (finally) out of grad school (having celebrated my dissertation defense with a meal at Fido, appropriately) and have a Real Job and eating well is still just as important to me. I'm still learning new things all the time and am the better for it. I'm lucky to have a husband who's turned into a foodie as well (and can now make incredible desserts himself) and friends who love food too and joined us on this blog (take a bow, Megan and Wes!)

And on our third blog anniversary, I want to say thank you to all who have prepared or served me a meal or drink. And thank you to Nashville for awakening my senses and inspiring my love of all things epicurean.