New York Minutes, Vol. 8: The Maine Event

As compelling as Facebook can be, it lulls me into posting one-liners while neglecting these longer musings, causing my writer's brain to atrophy and banishing faithful readers to what I'm sure is a purgatory of unbearable suspense and want. (Is there an emoticon for dripping sarcasm?) I've broken free from the site's grip for long enough to compose this entry -- I hope you can break free for long enough to read and enjoy it.

Adrian and I just returned from 10 days in Maine, starting with a five-day event that convened 21 foodies with three Brooklyn chefs and a butcher for demonstrations and eating galore.

The event began with a repeat of the pig butchery demo that we attended with the same butcher in March (photos here; vegetarians beware -- or self-congratulate, whatever), with the resulting pieces comprising subsequent meals in the form of sausages, patés, rillettes, rillons, pulled pork, and other delights.

The best part of the week? This may seem an odd pick, but the (de-)crowning moment was the chicken slaughter. Not for the squeamish, hence the vodka shots we all shared before the 11.00 kick-off -- er, head-off -- but as a city kid who thought chickens grew up in styrofoam packaging (which they essentially do nowadays), I was intrigued to witness where meals really come from.

Since I know you're wondering: Yes, one chicken reacted to its decapitation by running around in circles, reminding me of a number of former colleagues. And yes, I took part in the action.

Adrian has captured the whole five days with a beautiful 39-photo album (or a subset for the time-deprived).

The rest of our time in Maine was spent eating, hiking, biking and kayaking up and down the coast. Having set this excellent precedent for extended domestic travel, we envision a December roadtrip down south, very likely to include New Orleans. Suggestions welcome.

A less bloody highlight of the past few months was a meeting of the eminent group we've convened for my work project, which was terrific for content but more importantly took place at the Sound of Music castle in Salzburg, which caused my distinguished colleagues to degenerate into skipping and singing.

I also spent a few days in Oregon with my sister, which included the Oregon Brewers Festival, Voodoo Doughnuts, and a rafting trip down the Deschutes river ably led by friends.

And of course, there were the NY Air Guitar Championships.

In case this hasn't sated your interest in All Things Me (cue dripping sarcasm again), my jobs blog has links to two recent podcasts and a profile and interview.

I'm back in a proper office, subletting from Human Rights First in the Garment District. Not as groovy as the previous space within a dumpling's throw of Chinatown, but Koreatown is just a few blocks away. Plus I get to commute on the subway once again, with all of the Metropolitan Diary-worthy eavesdropping that entails. To wit, from Thursday: "That's obviously no longer hermetically sealed."

Hope you've had a wonderful summer.

much love,
cb