FALLing for you

There's something about holiday coffee drinks that make me grin. The whole experience of the holiday coffee drink is overwhelmingly wonderful. From walking into the coffee shop, only to be greeted by shiny do-dads, whizzles, and snowflakes, you are transported to a scene out of a Christmas movie. It's the best of cliches, and I will drink it up! Holiday tunes playing in the background, employees with their festive flair, and the food cases decked out with sugar cookies and gingerbread. (They are always dancing in my head too.)

It's not like coffee drinks were part of my childhood fall and winter experience, yet, the flavors are nostalgic and make me feel like I'm home. Maybe it's being in California and seeing palm trees in November that make me wonder if winter is almost here... but, I really miss the Colorado snow that signifies holiday time to me. So, the hints of eggnog, gingersnap, peppermint and nutmeg greet me with warm, comforting arms of milk and spices. Yes, I drink in the festive goodness and sink into my over-sized knit sweater.

Thank you Starbucks, Peet's, Tully's, and It's a Grind for making it feel a lot like Christmas.

Hungry for more

I had a chance to sit down and have coffee with a lovely and inspiring woman this afternoon. She is a well-known foodie, writer, and blogger and she was so generous to share her stories with me.

I have always had an adventurous palate and enjoyed food more than the average person. This interest has turned into a slight obsession living in San Francisco and I desperately and hungrily want to find a career outlet for this thing that I so enjoy. So, I reached out and scored a glorious 50 minutes with a connected self-starter culinarian. (I think that should be a word, so I'm leaving it.)

Being the admirer that I am, I poked around to find out where she had been and how she got to be this approachable culinary superstar. She spoke with such gusto and passion about what she does, it made me jealous. I so want to have that. That unrelentless knowledge and passion and stronghold of character and career.

It makes me really wonder how many people have that. I don't think many. It's unfortunate to know that so many dreams are tucked away like a winter sweater in Florida. Rarely brought out to see the light of day...

Well, apparently the industry, particularly here, is inundated. It's tough, so I gotta get my foodie gloves on (I think they call them oven mits) and get ready for a fight. I feel lucky to have love for something that is intrinsic to life, particularly in SF. If nothing else, I know that my love for food will always be entertained here.