The Other J & J

By that I mean, not me and Joanne, my business partner at VisionFirst. We are known by our clients as J & J - or sometimes even as "The Js" as in "Call the Js and see if they can help us figure out how to do something innovative around here." No, not those Js. Here, I'm talking about Julie and Julia - two great foodies, one great movie, and a knock it out of the park performance from Meryl Streep. (Is there anything this woman cannot do???)

See the movie and then invite a friend over and make baked cucumbers and potato leek soup as I did with my friend Jane (another J!) a few years back after we read Julie Powell's memoir on cooking 524 recipes of Julia Child's in 365 days. You'll trip over the lessons here:

1. Start now. Whatever passion is percolating inside, give it a shot. Julia was 50 when "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" was published, arguably the beginning of her career.


2. Seek collaboration. Whether it's with your business partner, friends or significant other. Nothing worth doing can be done alone.


3. Press on. Failure and rejection were day to day experiences here. Did you know, for example, that Julia failed her first exam at Le Cordon Bleu because it was...too simple?
   
4. Don't temper your enthusiasm. No hiding your light under a bushel.


5. Eat butter. Enough said.

Did You Say Healthy Comfort Food?

Sometimes you need comfort food. You know the drill - macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, hot fudge sundaes, and on it goes.

What makes it comfort food is its rich, soothing intake and the solid way it lands in your gut. The downsides to such are obvious.

But what if you could find comfort food that totally insulated you from life's harshest realities and yet didn't cost a fortune in either calories, fat or $$$?

I've got it.

It's hummus fava from the Hummus Place (http://www.hummusplace.com/) I love it for the warm, freshly made chickpeas and the puffy whole wheat pita. Not alot of chewing required - just the tender inhalation of food that tastes rich and creamy yet is neither. (Not a speck of dairy!) And wait, there are condiments too - delicious Mediterranean pickles (yes, they're different than your garden variety dill) and you can ask for and very graciously receive a ramekin of hot sauce flecked with herbs that will make the whole dish pop.

I also love the Shakshuka with its eggs stewing in a rich mix of tomatoes, peppers and onions. It comes in its very own skillet, fragrant with spice. When I am served, I don't need men, well-balanced children or money in the bank. Alas, at some point, the afterglow wears off and you must confront your collapsed 401 K. But no rush, there. Take as long as you need to digest.

They've got a lunch special that runs until 5 on weekdays: $7.50 for a main course hummus with one terrific appetizer like stuffed grape leaves bathed in yogurt mint sauce or crunchy health salad.

If you can't get to New York City, reach for the mac and cheese. Me? I can't wait to get back to the Hummus Place.

Coffee with Coconut Oil, Please

Ok. So times are tough all around. Get it.

But there are some things that are just not neogtiable - having some form of a milk product for your coffee is one.

I found myself in a theme park earlier this week (Picture legions of cranky children sporting ears and young girls in pink, yellow and aqua princess dresses.) The only product served with coffee is a non-dairy creamer. Not at that stand, not in that particular land but in the entire theme park - from main street to the frontier - there is no such thing as coffee with cream, half and half, or milk of any kind.

Might I get some from you, kind server, you who hails originally from Akron, Ohio? I see that you have some behind the counter there.
No.

Really, I can only get coconut oil for my coffee? That's the best you can do?
Oh, wait. Yes. You can buy a carton of milk from me for your coffee. That will be $2.14.

To have milk in my cofffee will cost me 2 additional bucks?
Actually, $2.14 to be exact.

But don't you think it's reasonable to expect that a dairy product would be available to me? Hey, even skim milk. Just something from a cow.

Jeremy arrived. He is the area manager and he listened to me without flinching, blinking or laughing out loud. (BTW, thank you Jeremy.)
That's right. This is what we serve with coffee everywhere.

Is there no one of the thousands who flood this park every hour who shares my outrage that we cannot have a dairy product with our coffee should we choose to? We are not all vegans, not that there's anything wrong with that. Nor are we stockholders in your entertainment conglomerate driven to wring shareholder value out of every transaction.
I'll put it in my end of day report.

Thank you Jeremy. And a shout out for your hand held trash picker - the one you used to pick up the sugar packet I dropped when you asked the server originally from Akron, OH to give me a small amount of milk in a cup.

As a mouse expects cheese, so do people want coffee with cream, please.