I still feel weird calling myself a "food writer" but I certainly do a lot of it. And as such, I get invited to various dining events, occasionally at an alarming pace - and when a restaurant is trying to show off, they're not going to serve you salads.
So, since I take many, many (terrible) pictures at said events, a question I get asked a lot is some version of "How do you stay so thin?" or "Where does it all go?" Which is weird to hear because, while I am definitely happy with the way I look, I don't think of myself as "thin" (#soccerlegs). But, to respond to the question, the answer is fourfold:
1) Genes (Thanks Mom and Dad!)
2) I eat pretty healthy outside of my restaurant tastings (which really only constitute three meals a week, max).
3) I am allergic to garlic and have an extremely sensitive stomach, so sometimes there is not a lot of "digesting" going on.
4) I work out more now than I ever have in my adult life.
I'm always a little confused when people are surprised by #4 because I think I talk about my relationship with yoga fairly often (or maybe it just seems that way because I feel like one of *those people* every time I talk about yoga). I go three times a week and play soccer every Sunday, but this seems to be one of those things that is incongruous with my personality and so people don't remember. I don't really post sweaty selfies, so maybe it's just an "If a tree falls on social media and no one Instagrams it, did it really happen" sort of thing.
And while I know people are trying to be nice, it also annoys me the TINIEST bit when they ask why I'm thin - I worked for that shit! Many hours of squats and sacrifices were suffered through to look the way I do! I am almost never available for happy hour or drinks because if I'm not going to a food event, I'm burning one off.
That said, I love what I do and the opportunities I get, and I am very thankful for this brief moment of having strength and a killer bod before everything goes to hell due to the inevitable death march of time.
THINGS I PUBLISHED RECENTLY:
13 Austin Bars Where You Can Eat Well (Eater Austin)
My first for Eater Austin (!!!), this is a list of places you can take your fancy alcoholic friend.
These Are the Hottest Singles Scenes in Austin (Austin Way)
I did a Facebook poll asking people where to meet singles in Austin, and the most common response was "move to another city." So thanks for helping out, guys.
6 Spiced Cocktails to Usher in Fall (Austin Way)
It's been in the 50s here at night, which is basically the frigid cold of winter, so be sure to partake in these cocktails while you can.
If you are waiting on an explanation of my sads, it was published! On the deadline I set for myself! But I'm not going to link it publicly because #employers!
INTERESTING THINGS FROM OTHER PEOPLE:
How a video game about sheep exposes the FBI's broken FOIA system (The Daily Dot)
It starts with The Daily Dot questioning why the FBI felt the need to make a computer game using a sheep (or goat?) in an attempt to counter religious extremism and really only gets better from there.
My First Gulfstream (Vanity Fair)
A billionaire's hilarious journey of buying a jet. By the end of this article you will be like, "Well, OBVIOUSLY you had to spend $36,000 for two flat-screen TVs" and then you'll see the article was written in 1998 and realize the whole thing probably looks super tacky now and cry about life before the tech bubble burst.
Here's Why You're Still Single Based on Your Myer's Briggs Personality Type (Elite Daily)
I reference this article on a weekly basis so I really should share it. Fun fact: I do not have a conclusive MBTI.
Glittering garb at NY Fashion Week may spell the end of normcore (NY Daily News)
"This September's Fashion Week looked like a Michaels shopping trip on speed, in a very amazing way." Legit LOLs while reading.
Obligatory random picture of me!
This is me from ACL with some rad people. Do I smile with my mouth open like this all the time? Yes.