Earlier today, I read an article on CNN: You know you're a foodie when... It included a bunch of people using that hashtag to share all the things they do as foodies. And as one myself, I have to agree with every single one written. It's uncanny! It's nice to hear that there are other people out there that share the same insane obsession with food. However, I think there may be a few others I could add to the ever-growing list.
You Know You're a Foodie When... ~You judge restaurants by the quality of their iced tea. If it's not up to snuff, you refuse to return. ~ You've turned up your nose at certain foods because of a consistency issue. You know that too much crunch or too much mush can ruin an entire dish. ~ You're upset when the description of a menu item creates a picture of the item in your head, but the actual dish doesn't match that idea. ~ You search Pinterest for restaurants in every single new place you plan to visit. Before finding flights or hotels... ~ Your travel plans include restaurant addresses near every attraction, just so your prepared. ~ Your friends are always a bit stumped when you know something completely off the wall that relates to food, but they're a little impressed too (at least that's what you like to think...) ~ You love introducing your friends and family to new tastes or new recipes. And if they're not fans, you secretly judge them a little. ~ You're super happy that your family made you eat certain foods when you were little, because if you had to subsist on Chef Boyardee or Chicken Nuggets, you'd die a little inside. ~ You're also quite enthused that you have a fellow foodie in the family that doesn't think you're super odd for wanting to try all sorts of new flavors or recipes - in fact, he's the one that showed you this CNN article in the first place, so obviously he has good taste. ~ You think about food a little too often, and you secretly begin to wonder if you have some sort of tape worm which would account for why you always want to eat. ~ Having friends that like to order lots of different dishes to share, is winning the friendship lottery. ~ And most importantly, and above all else, you know you're a foodie when you just can't fathom someone who doesn't LOVE to eat or try new things or even wants to try a single new restaurant. Surely that person must come from a much unhappier and skinnier planet. A planet, you NEVER want to visit : )
I'm usually all for leaving it to the experts. I think it's the reporter's jobs to report the news and we should listen to them rather than get our news through the grapevine. But after the last 48 hours or so, I'm convinced that the everyday human is doing a much better job reporting the news compassionately than most major media outlets, which is just a bit sad. Between the ABC News helicopter hovering over Robin Williams' home yesterday and the genius that thought it was a good idea to speak to a cameraman that just happened to be in AA with Robin Williams (pretty sure they call AA, anonymous for a reason, jerk!), everyone seems to be losing what little integrity they had left. There have been some beautiful tributes to Robin Williams on Twitter in the last 24 hours, much more heartwarming and kind than anything CNN or ABC have put out. Tucker Carlson went on air and called the man a coward - only to apologize a few hours later when he realized so many people were mad at him. And some congressman decided to cash in on his death to try to drum up votes. How utterly disgusting and slimy is that? Whereas, multiple posts on Twitter, Instagram and even BuzzFeed have shown an outpouring of love and compassion as well as assistance to those that may be in the same boat, as opposed to making us feel sick. What's even worse, if it could be any worse, is that it also seems that these stations are ignoring big stories such as what's happening in Ferguson, Missouri (which I haven't seen covered at all yet) or the ongoing Ebola crisis or the crisis in the Middle East in favor of sensationalism and canned quotes that aren't remotely helpful. Shame on you! Robin Williams was a seemingly wonderful and thoughtful man. He deserves the respect that many are giving him. If any good can come out of this senseless tragedy it's that suicide prevention, depression and alcoholism are being thrust into the spotlight. Make that the bigger story. Don't give us sensational details about the hours leading up to his death. Give us facts and ways to help. That's what this country needs right now. Maybe, just maybe by doing so he can provide the assistance to others that he wasn't able to find himself. And while you're at it, start reporting actual news. In case you haven't noticed, there's a whole lot on our country's plate right now - it shouldn't take Twitter to tell me that! (Speaking of which, Twitter is the only reason I know about Ferguson Missouri right now, how is that possible?)
As one could probably guess, I've been reading a great bit of British news lately. (trying to read up for when I finally arrive of course!) Anyway, it's amazing the differences between a US based news site and one based in the UK. I have to add the disclaimer, that while I do occasionally check out the Guardian, I'm mostly a HuffPost UK girl, so all of my assumptions are based on that site.
My favorite difference is the types of headings they use. In US online papers, you get the usual fare, Politics, World, Sports, Justice, etc. In the UK, you get the usual, but you get fun stuff too: Comedy, Culture, Lifestyle, Students. Getting a chance to see the different prizes and cultural events that are happening across the pond, is a lot more exciting than reading about another Romney/Obama debate. Headlines are so much cooler, too. The Brits are known for their sense of humor, and they actually seem to use that to their advantage in headline writing. No perfect examples spring to mind, but they surely get away with a lot more than we do when it comes to things that are slightly cheeky. I can only guess that's because we don't really know what that word means : )
Of course, that's not to say that they're avoiding our news by any stretch. There are so many of our big stories making the front page, that I often have to check that I'm actually on the UK site. The election is one of those reasons. I'm trying to avoid having to hear the pros and cons of all candidates, but each day there's another smiling pic of Obama or Romney shaking so and so's hand at some rally, most often the same one that's on the front page of all the US papers. It's really rather annoying, but of course, it's to be expected. What is surprising, to me anyway, is the lack of press the UK stories get on our sites.
For the last few weeks, I've been following the truly horrible case of British celebrity Jimmy Savile. He was one of the BBC's brightest stars for about 40 years, gained a knighthood and thousands of followers, and died in 2011. But, recently, inquiries began to look at allegations of sex abuse. The story has progressively more horrifying over the last few weeks. The BBC is now being investigated for covering up allegations, the background check for the knighthood is being closely looked at, and worst of all, Scotland Yard believes he abused upwards of 300 girls and women over his lifetime. The story is probably one of the biggest of its kind ever, certainly. However, even though this started to boil over around the beginning of October, it just hit CNN this week. It's kind of terrible, that the US media can be so US-centric sometimes. You kinda just want to yell: You know there are other countries out there, right?!
Though, my reading doesn't always get me all the news my entire country is talking about, I have to say, I'd much rather read about who won the Booker Prize for Literature than why swing states are so important to candidates. Really, in all this pre-election chaos, wouldn't you?!
I'm not usually glued to the news. I do check on CNN most mornings but I get the general headlines and move on with my day. But in the last week, I've been obsessed with checking for updates on all of the stories going on in the world. Between the start of the Olympics and all that's going on with the security issues, the Joe Paterno/Penn State conundrum, and the heartbreaking tragedy out of Colorado, I've been hooked on reading all the updates and opinions.
The Olympics obsession is a usual bi-annual (does that mean every two years or twice a year, I always forget? you know what I mean) occurrence for me. I'm not much on sports but I get wrapped up in the pomp and circumstance of the event and will usually cry at least once as some unknown American stands at the podium with a gold medal around their neck crying and singing the National Anthem and makes their way into the hearts of millions of Americans. So I'm used to reading and re-reading stories about that. It's magnified this year because it's in London which is a city I just happen to love.
The stories coming out of Colorado on the other hand are heart-breaking and painful to hear. My heart goes out to the families that have lost so much. But it's also uplifting to hear the stories of bravery from fellow victims, as well as the SWAT team members that took him into custody. The whole country is riveted and repulsed by this one man who used his intelligence for evil. If people, like the shooter, would focus their powers on the good instead of hurting so many families, think what they could accomplish. It is a powerful story that I'm sure will be headlining for sometime to come.
It's this new darn Penn State fascination I seem to have acquired that's perplexing to me. I knew just about nothing regarding State College PA, up until about a year ago. Then the horrible stories broke and I somehow became an expert. How does this happen? Today, I was glued to CNN when the sanctions were announced. Here's my issue and I promise not to harp, I just have to get it off my chest and everyone else is tired of listening to me : ) The kids that are entering Penn State this year who are bearing the brunt of the astronomical fines and fees were about 4 years old when everything with Sandusky started. Why are we punishing them?! Also, the 60 million dollars that the NCAA has taken from the school should go into a trust for the families affected by Sandusky. That is all I have to say about that.
Honestly, I am really not usually this well informed. But I think I may have drank the 24/7/365 news-cycle KoolAid, because I'm hooked. What's depressing to think about is that when these stories have floated from our memories, I'm sure that stories equally affecting and terrifying will be there to replace them...and I will most likely be reading about them.
1. www.halfadams.com: Fantastic site of the photographer/actor Patrick J. Adams. His photographs are beautiful and kitschy, my favorite kind. Aside from being a talented photographer, he's also a pretty great actor-which brings me to number 2 this week.
2. Suits: This show is on fire this season! I was in love with Patrick J Adams and Gabriel Macht as Mike and Harvey last summer in season one, but this season they seemed to have taken it up a few notches. 2 episodes in and I'm already declaring it better than season 1! How can you not love writing and acting like this?!
3. This article from CNN.com: I'm kind of in love with this article. Quite honestly, I have NO idea how it made it to CNN. I'm not even sure it has an actual purpose. But he writes almost like I do and he cracks me up!
4. "A Tale of 2 Cities": More on this tomorrow, but it's the coolest idea ever!
