I don't know why I was invited to the party

I feel like I'm out of my depth. I mean, I like food, but I hardly have the most discerning taste. I like everything, and I don't ask questions about what something is or isn't. Not only that, I already have a blog that I'm actively ignoring, so who knows if I'll have the time. Perhaps this means that I'll feel compelled to cook interesting things again, but probably not. Who wants to stir cajeta (or at least watch their girlfriend do it) for 3 hours when bryan cheats and just puts a dollop of tequila in caramel. In short, for my part on this project, I'm managing expectations. But who knows, I may surprise myself; but probably not, its been a long-time since the halcyon days of dinner club. Besides, my real agenda is to get BK and Drew to open a bar/restaurant together, and to that end, I will use any means.

Living to Eat: The Bryan Story

It's true. I love to eat. As a youngster growing up in Idaho, I was a picky eater with a healthy appetite. Moving to Chicago, one of the great food cities in this country, I was able to grow out of the picky eating phase and into the exploratory eating phase. Then I discovered that I kind of liked to cook. Now it turns out I really like to cook. Not that I've stopped eating out. I try to maintain a healthy balance between the two. I've known Joe for years, and he eats anything I put in front of him (except cheesecake. weird, huh?). He's also a rather accomplished cook himself, so between the two of us, we try to keep our roommates and friends well fed. Meeting Drew in Mexico was cool, as we share an adventurous food philosophy. So here we are.

Food for Drew

Welcome to Scrumptulescence - your home on the web for limited-scope, highly-opinionated, at times scatological, always spirited commentary on eating, drinking, and general carousing around the world (but mostly in Chicago and Philly). I'm Drew, part of the Philadelphia contingent (read: the sole member of said contingent as of this post). I recently stopped what I was doing in order to devote all my energy to making this the finest self-indulgent blog in the world. I hope you like it.

A little about me: I grew up in Wisconsin, but I can't stand sauerkraut. I learned to love bratwurst, but only because it's apparently un-American and rather un-Wisconsinite not to love them. Since then I have become an equal-opportunity eater, but you just won't convince me to like the taste of raw red onions. I don't know what it is, maybe I have some repressed red onion memory from childhood. I vaguely remember being knocked over by a large black lab when I was a kid, but since I'm not afraid of dogs I can only assume that it was actually a large-ish red onion and not a dog at all.

I love to cook and eat in my ridiculously small kitchen/hallway in the suburbs of Philadelphia. I'm hoping someday to have a kitchen large enough to accommodate my need for a walk-in freezer, roasting pit, and tiki bar. And counter space, maybe a pot rack. And somewhere to put my sweet orange KitchenAid mixer. Is that too much to ask? For now, though, I'm ballin' on a budget, and any money I do find lying around (whether the money or I am lying around is inconsequential) goes into delicious ingredients, ridiculously yummy meals, and unpronounceable wines.

I look forward to collaborating with Joe and Bryan, and maybe someday even eating with them. Until then, though, I'll provide the scoop on Philly eats (or wherever I go). I also like Ultimate and parenthetical asides (like this).

Another food blog?

So, these three guys were sitting around at an ultimate tournament in Mexico. Joe and Bryan are roommates in real life, and they were talking with their new friend Drew. Since it was lunchtime, the talk turned to food. After some exchanges of stories about wonderful meals, we realized we needed to revisit this topic at a later date. The problem? Joe and Bryan live in Chicago. Drew lives in Philadelphia. The solution? An online exchange of food ideas and stories. While using email and instant messaging would allow for such an ongoing conversation, we decided a weblog would be more fun. Enjoy.