Man on a mission

Where to begin...SO many blogs...SO many food blogs...

I guess I am one of the many who has been swept up by the food renaissance that has been spreading across the United States over the past 10 or so years. The rise of the Food Network and other food featuring media outlets has created nouveau gourmands out of many of us, mesmerized by countless reruns of Iron Chef (the original (sorry the US version just doesn't measure up)), Paula Dean (Queen of Buttery Deep Fried Southern Goodness), and Anthony Bourdain (His sincere love of Street Food and general punk rock attitude being an inspiration for this blog). These people have reminded us to stop and smell the roses, or more accurately, to stop and really taste the food.

Eating is so much more than a function of nourishment. Food is a form of communication, telling a story of where people are from and what they're all about. It is deeply intimate, sharing a taste from an old family recipe, hands carefully preparing ingredients, trying to convey a story. Because good food, as we've all been taught by the food media, ought to tell a story.

But I don't want to tell the same story...

Don't get me wrong. I love "fine food", the high-end-let's-dress-up-nice-and-pay-a-lot-of-money type experience. I love pink filet mignon. I love stinky cheese. I will eat carpaccio. Bring the fresh oysters unto me. Give me raw salmon. I will go to the French Laundry when I can afford it...I promise. The thing is though, those stories seem to have already been told by so many. I want to share the stories told not by "Chefs", but by "Cooks". Stories told in working class neighborhood eateries, filled with day laborers and families. Stories of Mexico City, Guadalajara, Saigon, Szechuan, or Bangkok told in Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, or Thai.

I want to tell the stories of food from the hood.

This is about working class people and their food. It is humble and soulful. Sacramento is one of the most diverse places in the United States (at least it was according to Time Magazine). This diversity exists outside of Downtown and Midtown (I'm not hating...I'm just saying if you think Zocalo or Centro are real authentic Mexican food). This diversity is certainly not in the strip mall hells of Natomas or Roseville (ok...maybe I'm hating a little on these places). This diversity exists in tiny little places down Stockton Boulevard or Franklin Boulevard. This is where I'm going.

Taking my cue from Anthony Bourdain (how many of us who take on this topic aren't taking their cues from him) and his love of street food. I will go and eat with "the people" in neighborhoods where the suburbanite or midtown hipster just wont.

I'm going to The Hood and I'm going to eat...honest and unpretentious food byt honest and unpretentious people.

Hope you all enjoy this adventure along with me.

A.