gastro.politico.

A Fresh Start

It’s been a busy couple of years—I got my doctorate, I found a job, I gave up a job, I found another job, I had a son, I quit a job, and now I’m looking for a new job. But I’m back!

In the spirit of new beginnings, I’m repurposing this blog as a place where I think about how to make sense of all the different pieces of my life right now: work (politics), food (recipes), family (kids and products), home (DC), dreams (travel), interests (feminism) and obsession (pregnancy). That last one probably takes a bit more explanation.

My pregnancy with my son Desmond blew me away. I had never exactly looked forward to being pregnant and I had a suspicion as to why. As soon as I became pregnant, it was confirmed. The pregnant 'condition' was one of neurosis, restrictions and warnings. There were a lot of decisions to be made, for sure, but it seemed like women were not in charge of their own pregnancies. I became sort of obsessed with researching the roots of debates—from debates over insurance restrictions that chose obstetricians over midwives, to what sort of deli meats I wasn’t allowed to order at Potbelly’s.

So I’m putting all that work into a book project called The Political Pregnancy.  I tell the story of my nine month pregnancy, discovering a new political debate each month. I look at food and drink restrictions, parental leave entitlements, and childcare preparations, amongst other debates. And I try to explain the politics behind why we are where we are right now. When a Senate candidate can call ‘rape pregnancies’ a gift from God (yeah, what a charmer, right?), there’s no way that everyone thinks a pregnancy should be only a woman’s business—it is political and it is up for public debate. And some people are batshit insane, so I uncover some crazy episodes.

But back to the blog. I’m going to post things here that interest me right now. I’ll continue to post recipes and discuss food. But now I’ll also post some products that I think are cool, places I'd be interested to visit, fun kid-related ideas, and stories I come across while writing my book. It’s basically going to be my head for the next long while. Welcome to the umpteenth narcissistic blog! 

And, I’m not going to lie: a lot of it is going to focus on food!

So, let’s toast to a fresh start.

Fresh Start

A rosemary scented grapefruit cocktail

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2-3 long sprigs rosemary
• 4 cups fresh squeezed grapefruit juice*
• 3 oz vodka
• 2 oz Triple Sec

Photo courtesy of www.whatsheshaving.com

1.     Make the rosemary syrup: In a small saucepan heat the sugar and water until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add rosemary, simmer for 5 minutes and turn off.

2.     Once cool, mix the rosemary syrup with juice, vodka and Triple Sec in a pitcher.

3.     Serve over ice with a rosemary “stirrer.”

*if using store-bought juice, which can be a little sweet, reduce sugar a bit.