The Final Slick Gives In... an Introduction

Oh boy, here it is. I’ve given in. I’ve resisted the urges long enough, but I just can’t endure it anymore. I had always asked myself: Does the world really need another blog – a food centric one – written by an obnoxious vegetarian girl from Philadelphia – whose mother, brother and father all have blogs? Probably not. But for some reason, I feel compelled to share my experiences with you. You see – touring with this band is great fun. We get to travel the world, doing what we love, meeting new people. This does however come with a price. Looking at a tour schedule, it may seem like we get to experience a lot of places, but in reality, we’re out and about on business. It’s a fantastically fun business, but we have to be focused and do our jobs as entertainers. When offstage, we’re lucky if we get to see anything a town has to offer. The real pleasure comes in the form of a meal – which is a great thing, because it is a necessity. In my view, it’s the best way to experience a culture, to see what it has to offer in such a concise, neat (or messy) form.
Unfortunately, we don’t always get that satisfaction – take Rome for example. We were there for one day. Now our tours take us many places, often just for one day. Usually we can jam in a lot of things in that time and that’s why meals have become so enjoyable – they can be quick. But when we arrived at baggage claim in Bella Roma we realized an important piece of luggage containing gear did not arrive. The three hours we had to enjoy a fabulous Italian lunch were wasted arguing with apathetic airport employees. Worst of all was that we didn’t even get the bag in time for the gig. The show suffered and we were starved of our opportunity to have even one simple meal.
Luckily, we haven’t had too much bad luck since. I have learned how to master the art of figuring out where to eat well abroad on a restricted time clock. It’s not always easy and can be a very arduous task; this is how I’ve become the designated “Tour Social Director.” I tirelessly research on my laptop, figuring out the best spots close to the hotel or venue. When time is really tight and I can’t do manage to do that, I whip out Adrian’s I-phone. When I can’t do that we’re left to the mercy of the venue’s staff. This has led to some incredible meals, but it’s also led to some pretty awful ones too. I like to be in charge of our culinary destiny; that’s why I’m the “director.” It’s been great for all parties – the crew eats well and I have an excuse to blab about food endlessly. But that is another reason why I’m creating this blog – to give the poor band some relief from my foodie sermons.
I will admit that it’s a shame I have waited so long to start writing this journal. In the past two and a half years we’ve eaten some pretty amazing stuff. There was ogonomyaki in Tokyo; the uncannily crisp fries with curry aioli in Quebec City; the freshest grilled fish and guacamole in Guadalajara; the hearty vegetarian fare in North Hampton and Asheville; the homey diner breakfasts in Detroit and Paramus, NJ; the blackberry cobbler ice cream in Annapolis; the the Michelin rated vegan feast in San Francisco. So why start now? I’m confident there’ll be more delights and delicacies, as we’re just starting a 26 day European tour. I’ll try my best to take make it seem like you’re seated at our table, eating house-made tagliatelle with fresh porcinis on the Swiss-Italian border.
My undying passion for food is not just limited to dining out. As those of you who know me, I also love to cook (naturally… what foodie hasn’t experimented in the kitchen). So when I’m not on tour I’ll be posting my recipes and gastronomic adventures in and around Philadelphia. This will certainly put me in good company – I love and religiously read all Philly food blogs. I don’t want to be redundant though – I just want to offer a different viewpoint from a different palate to a different reader base. Enjoy!