Many of Cynthia’s fans and followers know that she participated in a great event last week. The Tastes Like Home author and blogger was part of a Guyanese celebration in Brooklyn. The great part (for me) was that it brought her to New York and I was able to persuade her, and friend S, to spend a couple of days with me in the boonies.
I thought Cynthia would be nice. I thought she’d be fun, but I had no idea just how warm and wonderful, not to mention feisty, she’d be. Because we didn’t have THAT much time together, I quickly put her to work. My plan was that we’d cook dinner together the first night and then the second night we’d go to my most favorite Indian restaurant in the world, where I’ve NEVER had a bad meal, even after 1000’s of visits.
H thought it was a bit bold to ask a guest from faraway to cook. I said, NAH! Of course, she’ll want to. And whether Cynthia was pretending or not, we had a great time.
I did have to carefully consider the rest of the meal, though. I had wanted to show off my culinary prowess and let her see HOW I chopped an onion, HOW I stirred in stock, HOW I opened the refrigerator door…but I decided not to let my vanity get the best of me. So I had the first course and dessert ready before Cynthia and S got here.
Cynthia cooked and I sous-chefed (somewhat). She’s so easy-going and natural in the kitchen and doesn’t need the strictures of recipes and exact amounts. She held her own too, when I gasped at how much salt she was adding to the fish before cooking. (And, just as she said, the dish turned out PERFECTLY.)
But even better than the cooking was the visiting and hearing about life from her side of the Atlantic. (I practically flunked geography, so, kids (MY KIDS), don’t comment and say that Barbados is in the same section of the Atlantic as we are. You know what I mean!)
AND...even better than THAT was the time Cynthia took to show me myriad things that my camera could do – things that I couldn’t even have dreamed of. She’s a very patient and clear instructor. (Both qualities are essential for MY learning style.)
I also loved friend, S, who is a professor and really knowledgeable about media and communication matters. I could have talked to her forever.
The moral of the story – if you ever have a chance to reach out and meet a blogging buddy, DO IT! You won’t regret it. Not only will you learn more about the person behind the blog, hopefully you’ll also add a friend to your REAL life. And that’s even more important than a new recipe or camera tip.
6 comments:
You are the sweetest! I absolutely enjoyed every moment of our time. By the way young lady, you were equally feisty! (lol) Can't wait for our next meet up.
Cyn,
Feisty indeed! Next time I'll let you do all 3 courses, while S and I sit around and have cocktails.
PS I loved every minute too!
Yayy! You both look so pretty! That's a great picture of you.
I wish I could have been there. I bet it was a blast. I would be so nervous to cook for you though. Haha. :)
Em,
You're sweet!
We had so much fun and you don't have to be scared to cook for me. I like everything! Really. Oh, and I do love nuts in my brownies FYI.
What a fun day! I have to agree that it's always good to spend time with blogging buddies! :-)
I would be nervous to cook for other bloggers. What if they discover my food isn't what they hoped it would be after reading my blog? I would love having such an awesome cookbook author cook for me though!
Rach,
You shouldn't worry. Anyone would be lucky to have your yummy food. And it WAS exciting to have Cynthia cook for me!
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