The Introduction

What is Taste and See? Well for some it might sound like a request for a blind sampling of sorts, with the results not validated or promised. For those well versed in their theological experiences, Taste and See is a processional hymn written based on the experiences of David in Psalm 34. It invokes a sense of thankfulness for the blessings that He has given unto such undeserving creatures such as us. Yet still, others might not even care. I have come to realize in my time that people tend to allow themselves a certain unsubstantiated amount of free reign over the interpretation of things they don’t understand, mainly because they either lack the background and exposure or the interest to research the meaning of the incoherent situation facing them, thus presenting the need for explanations.

Forgive my presumption and allow me to introduce myself. I am the Urbane Epicurean (the Epicurean for short). I am in my mid-20s, doing meaningful and appreciated work for a reputable firm, creative and bored. I work out 1-2 hours a day, 3-4 times a week. I take salsa class with a callipygous young lady of whom I have grown quite fond. I love college football, tennis and soccer. People visit me on the weekends far too often, and I claim to crave solitude, but secretly thrive in the authoritarian jurisdiction over my hyper stimulated life. I read newspapers from Houston, NY, LA, DC, the UK and China. I am a self-proclaimed sophisticate, and stand accused by my peers as an aristocrat.

And I love food. Love. LOVE. The taste, the smell, the texture, the consistency, the preparation, the pairings, the aesthetics…its like a small obsession. Its something that has been a large part of my life, from the hard cooking lessons my mom would give me of leaving me alone and hungry to feed myself while she slept, to the munchies trips of my sketchier teen years, to my new subscription to “Food and Wine” Magazine. If food were the sun, I’d be the entire Solar System.

I have been sitting around trying to fill the empty time with things that will help me grow as a person, internally and externally. I have been spending a lot of time in the last few months learning and practicing cooking techniques and recipes to increase not only my marketability as one of the greatest men to ever walk the earth, but to also allow for less dependence on the opposite gender to facilitate my need for consumption of fine foods. A good friend of mine recently told posed the question to me “have you ever fallen in love without a woman cooking for you?” I proceeded to ponder the query, and while, yes I have, it usually greases the wheels and keeps me around a little longer than it should (and by keep me around, I mean I ignore everything wrong in a relationship in exchange for gourmet satisfaction). In pursuit of my freedom from the addiction to the culinary female, I have found that cooking has brought me multiple layers of joy. From the actual pleasure of creating something amazing with my own hands and inspiration, to the delicious tastes of the food, to the most important facet of this new experience – amazing conversation. I find that when I’m in the kitchen, not only do I become more focused and reflective, it stimulates a need to fill the empty, quiet space with stimulating and meaningful thought sharing, connecting two people in a deeper sense. So I finally decided I need to record these great experiences, and others relating to my favorite subject, in writing for the benefit of the 3-5 people who will actually read it and the 1-2 who will understand what I’m saying.

So what is Taste and See? Call it a creative outlet for my experiences and thoughts relating to a subject for which I hold a deep fervor. Call it an answer to a mind in constant need of stimulation with waning amounts of ways to engage it. Call it entertainment. Call it the written record of the thoughts and experiences bouncing around in my warped and pseudo-demented mind. Call it slander (well, in print its actually libel). Whatever you call it, I hope you enjoy!

- The UE