With annual rites of self-improvement (New Years resolutions) now a few days in, weve all likely seen a friend or family member resolve to exercise more, be kinder, work harder, quit smoking, you name it. I cant honestly count myself among them. For while Ive made a heap of promises to myself; theyre all expansions on last years core resolution, which was to indulge myself at every opportunity so as to enjoy life on terms dictated by my desires, of which there are many. Im quite proud to have kept that resolution without much in the way of a struggle, but now I feel that its time to improve upon it with some specifics. Here are several that, with proper discipline, I aim to keep.
Employ some moderation
The everything in moderation cliché makes sound enough sense for me to pay attention now that my metabolism has shifted out of impervious-youth gear and into that of resigned, increasingly conscientious middle age. As a person who eats and drinks for a living, Im now well aware that my Hobbit frame could quickly and easily expand grotesquely à la Brando if I dont get a proper handle on my conspicuous consumption. I like to think that this will be the easiest of my resolutions to stick to, but having long been relatively healthy proof that one can live as a fearless glutton without being wholly self-destructive, some discipline will doubtless be required.
Work in a restaurant
Doing grunt work at Gastowns LAbattoir in the weeks on either side of its 2010 opening was a gas. Though the purpose of my moonlight efforts there was to gather intel for a magazine story on service, I nevertheless had such a thrilling time re-living the anxieties, excitement and rushes of old that I promised myself that Id do it again in a couple of years. Accordingly, I will be temporarily working the floor at Hastings hotly anticipated Wildebeest when it opens this spring. Old habits die hard, and I resolve to keep it that way.
Drink more whisky
This one shouldnt prove all that tricky, as I happen to enjoy the stuff tremendously. I still feel not a little embarrassed to admit that despite a world of choice I tasted my way through less than a single, amalgamated bottle of the brown stuff in 2011. Though the reason for this remains elusive, Im certain it wasnt for the sake of frugality or tee-totalling. Maybe it was all the beer and wine? I dont know. In any event, Lagavulin was my drink of choice through the holidays, so my spirited restoration is well underway.
Diversify meat intake
Heart, liver, sweetbreads and ears made up the cardinal points of my carnivorous adventures in 2011. I hardly went on a meat safari worthy either of my interest in nose-to-tail dining or of the multitude of options that Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»now offers to those bored by tenderloin ho-hum and foie gras yada yada. My personal line remains drawn at intestines, eyeballs, and any appendage or innard that is even marginally reproductive, but with a wealth of new butchers and red-in-claw restaurants now upon us, 2012 will hopefully welcome the rest.
Expand my horizons
I received an email early last year that admonished me for writing too many reviews of restaurants in and around Vancouvers eastside. I responded by saying that it wasnt on purpose, that the majority of new and interesting restaurants had been opening in that area of late, but I couldnt deny the math of the point. Living in Strathcona (on the edge of Gastown, Chinatown and the whole of the DTES) puts all the low-hanging fruit at my doorstep, and Ive been all too content with plucking them at my leisure. I should really be travelling further afield to get and share my gastronomic kicks, and this year, I definitely mean to.
Cook at home more
This is the hardest resolution that Ive allowed for. My wifes skills in the kitchen have always exceeded my own, and weve long had an unwritten agreement that Ill take her out for dinner whenever she doesnt feel inspired. Since my profession often affords us that opportunity by necessity, moments in which I find myself handling a pan have been few and far between for years now. Its a regrettable state of affairs, as there arent many things that I enjoy more than shopping for fresh ingredients and then trying (most often failing) to make them sing.
Learn more about tequila
On one disenchanted evening while a university student in South Africa, I made the mistake of partaking a little too brutally in a tequila-like substance of questionable origin. The experience, which culminated in jackass penguins loudly mocking my prostrate, out-cold, sand-covered body at dawn the next morning, so scratched the periosteum of my skull that Ive kept my distance from the drink to this day. But since resolutions are all about inner healing, I leave for the Mexican state of Jalisco (and the city of Tequila) in two weeks. Olé!
