Ava Pierce: The Blog - Lounge. Rant. Find your inner bitch.: Food and Drink

Showing posts with label Food and Drink. Show all posts

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Eating should not be a sport

Today's Annoyance: Isn't it obvious?
Mantra of the Day: The more you eat, the less flavor; the less you eat, the more flavor. - Chinese proverb

Am I the only one who wants to puke at the idea of eating contests? Or, even worse, restaurants that offer mammoth-sized portions of food. Yes, yes, I know. I don't have to watch the contests or order these mega-sized dishes. However, when our world leaders still can't seem to figure out how to feed every one on the planet, we're in a serious global recession, and obesity is rampant, isn't it just plain disgusting that gorging oneself has become sport?

I'm a foodie so I totally enjoy a great meal but why exactly would someone willingly ingest a portion of food that weighs more than most newborn babies? And why are young children suffering from things like heart disease, diabetes and other ailments that tend to affect people much older? For that matter, why do most 5th graders outweigh me and I'm a few decades older?

"El Nino" taco (featured on the blog "This is why you're fat")

I'm too annoyed to eat.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Wine ice cream!

Today's Annoyance: Why didn't I know about this?!
Mantra of the day: Life doesn't get much better than this.

Just yesterday, I mentioned my love for dessert wine. Now, I have found that two of my favorite things in the whole world are co-mingled in a pint-sized treat: wine ice cream. Moment of silence, please.

Not to worry, my friends. I won't be selfish with this info. Here are three vendors for you:

Wine Cellar Sorbets
Flavors include:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Champagne, Mimosa, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Rose, Ruby Port, Sake, Sangria

Mercer's Dairy
Flavors include:
Ala Port, Cherry Merlot, Chocolate Cabernet, Peach White Zinfandel, Red Raspberry Chardonnay, Royal White Riesling

Glac é de Vino
Flavors include:
Strawberry Chardonnay, Chocolate Amaretto Sherry, Raspberry Merlot, Chocolate Cabernet Sauvignon

Bon appetit!

[IMAGES: Courtesy of Wine Cellar Sorbets, Mercer's Dairy, Glace de Vino]

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Ava's Faves: Dessert wines

Today's Annoyance: Obnoxious and controlling relatives
Mantra of the Day: I cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food. - W.C. Fields

Here's a confession: I'm not big on dry wines. If that makes me and my palate uncouth, then I'll simply have to accept it. If you're a dessert wine girl like me, try Riesling, Port, and Muscat (aka "Moscato") varieties. I have yet to try Sauternes or Barsac; have you? The Nibble offers a great wine and dessert pairings list.

[IMAGE: Courtesy of thefiftybest]

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Ava's Faves: Dinner Parties

Today's Annoyance: Incompetent caterers
Mantra of the Day: Find me a man who's interesting enough to have dinner with and I'll be happy. - Lauren Bacall

Hosting a dinner party is wonderfully exhausting. Every element excites me, from the invitations to the menu, selecting a great theme, deciding what to wear, making the seating arrangements, choosing the music, stuffing the goodie bags...it's all pure bliss to me. Good food and drink, meeting new people and great conversation. These are the things that truly make life fabulous!

[IMAGE: Courtesy of Getty Images]

Thursday, August 20, 2009

The ins and outs of oenology

Today's Annoyance: Drunken stupors
Mantra of the Day: What is the definition of a good wine? It should start and end with a smile. - William Sokolin

WTF? Yeah, I had no idea what "oenology' meant either. It refers to "the study of wine and wine-making". I learned that in my search for an international protocol school.

Anyhoo, if you love wine or if you kinda like it but want to learn more, check out Snooth.com. They have an amazing wine database and lots of forums where you can pose wine-related questions to other people, from beginners to experts.

[IMAGE: Courtesy of Snooth]

Monday, July 20, 2009

Ava's Faves: Gelato

Today's Annoyance: People who merely exist and never truly live
Mantra of the Day: I will always find a way to realize my dreams.

It's National Ice Cream Month and yesterday was National Ice Cream Day. Think I'm kidding? Click here. I never kid a bout something as serious as a celebration of ice cream. And while I realize that ice cream and gelato are not the same thing, the similarity is close enough for me.

My absolute love of gelato knows no boundaries. I actually went on a walking tour through Milan, sampling different flavors of the savory delight at nearly every gelateria that I passed. My favorite flavors are Vanilla Choco-Cookie, followed by Stracciatella. Just too good!!

[IMAGE: Courtesy of Melt]

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Appreciating local culture

Today's Annoyance: People who eat at chain restaurants when they travel
Mantra of the Day: When in Rome, don't go to McDonalds!

A couple of my favorite things to do when I travel to a new city are trying the local cuisine and attending cultural events. First off, I am a confessed foodie (however, not to the extent that I'll eat bugs or anything!). What really blows my skirt up is when I see tourists flocking to fast food restaurants from their home country. So like, what's the point in traveling? If they're parents traveling with kids, they're basically hostages and I can almost see it. I guess I'm just amazed at how many people travel like lemmings.

These same people are probably being herded around on a tour with dozens of other tourists, going to same old points of interests. (Ew!) I'm not saying that people shouldn't see Gaudi's Sagrada Familiar in Barcelona, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the pyramids in Egypt, or the Great Wall in China. Definitely go. But, to truly embrace the culture, talk to the locals and ask for places off the beaten path. Find out what their local leisure time activities are. I have found some of the best restaurants and some of the most interesting places and activities by doing this.

A cool site to check out for good restaurants and interesting things to do is Things You Should Do. While you're there, you can check out my article on things to do in Monaco.

[IMAGE: Courtesy of Getty Images]

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Ava's Faves: Cultural Fare

Today's Annoyance: Monotony
Mantra of the Day: I am a confessed foodie.

Have you ever thought about how life would be different without chow mein, tacos, lasagna or sweet potato pie? I'm sure we could survive but boy, would that suck. I can't imagine not savoring sushi, cheese naan, barbecue, chicken yakisoba, or souvlaki. Speaking of Greek food, what about spanakopita or Greek salad? Or, how about paella, chicken kiev, quiche, blackeyed peas, or Jamaican jerk chicken?

Sampling the local cuisine is enough to make travel worth every dime!

Ok, gotta go. Hungry now.

[IMAGES: Courtesy of Epicurious]

Friday, April 3, 2009

Wedding Etiquette

Today's Annoyance: Awkward social situations
Mantra of the Day: Alcohol is not my friend.

My latest mini crisis is that I am invited to a wedding this weekend of two people who I don’t even know. One of my gay boyfriends needs a date to go to his ex-boyfriend’s nuptials who apparently turned straight after their relationship ended when he found God and decided he wanted a traditional family. Yeah, I know it’s a bit strange, but then again, it’s New York City and you see it all here. Point is, what is a girl to do when you are at a stranger’s wedding? Especially when it is your date’s ex and you are not romantically involved.

At first, I was hoping to just enjoy the free champagne and spend the night laughing at everyone else for either A) their lack of fashion sense or B) their inebriation. Then there is the question of what to wear. I must admit, that I have some stunning pieces in my wardrobe, but it is never in good taste to upstage the bride. After all, it is her day. I have no idea what she looks like or what type of bride she might be: hot or, well, not. On second thought, it probably isn’t proper etiquette to allow myself to be overserved then embarrass my date. There is a good chance that I could be the person who ends being laughed at after my sixth glass of bubbly and it suddenly seems socially acceptable to dance the lambada with the groom’s father.

So what is a girl to do to entertain herself while still being dignified? Please guys, I need help on this one. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[IMAGE: Courtesy of Getty Images]

Friday, March 20, 2009

Ava's Faves: Biscoff Cookies

Today's Annoyance: Diets
Mantra of the Day: I promise, I'll only eat 10 cookies, for now.

Here’s a confession: I refuse to give up Biscoff cookies. If the economy continues to worsen, I’ll restrict my diet to tea and cookies. If you’ve ever had a Biscoff cookie, you know just what I’m talking about. I discovered these Belgian slices of heaven in Monaco. They’re typically served with tea or coffee after a meal. Mind you, I could eat them every day, all day.