Introduction

Littera Scripta Manet -- The Written Letter Abides.

Writing instructors teach you to "know your audience." I don't know mine, for this is my first foray into the world of weblogs. My simple hope is that my interests correspond to the interests of others--that I can identify the things I enjoy so that someone else can enjoy them too.

When thinking about the scope of this blog, I thought about my many interests: books, food, sports, gardening, religion. First I contemplated creating a separate blog for each of my interests. "No, I said, that would be unweildy." Then I considered limiting my blog to only one topic. But that would leave me with little to say. So, I decided to create one general blog for anything and everything that interests me. This blog will be eclectic. In it I hope to write about literature and food, among other things.

I will try to pattern my comments after other notable critics.

My favorite on books is Romona Koval. She hosts a daily Book Show for Radio National, Australia. I discovered her show on iTunes and have been listening via podcast ever since. Here is a link to The Book Show:

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bookshow/

My favorites on food are Calvin Trillin, Jeffrey Steingarten, and Hollister Moore.

Calvin Trillin writes about local favorites, food that can only be found in its place of origin. These items he lists in a "Register of Frustration and Deprivation." I recommend starting with Trillin's latest food book "Feeding a Yen":

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375759964/sr=8-1/qid=1145283732/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-9526396-6752027?%5Fencoding=UTF8

Jeffrey Steingarten is a bit stuffier, but equally enjoyable. He is the Vogue food editor known as the "Simon Cowell of Food." You may recognize him from Food Network's Iron Chef America. He has written two books: The Man Who Ate Everything & It Must've Been Something I Ate: The Return of the Man Who Ate Everything. You can buy both at Amazon.com.

Moore I discovered online at http://www.hollyeats.com/. Moore uses a grease stain rating system. He rates restaurants according to a grease stain rating--3 to 5 grease stains ranging from "great" to "outstanding." Restaurants meriting less than three grease stains don't get reviewed on his site.

Basically, I hope to provide information about lesser-known foods, restaurants and books. I have a flair for the eclectic, so don't expect consistency. Just know that it will be good.

Whether you like or hate my blog, please find time to do the things you love with the people you love. Find time to play ball, read books, and eat good food.