Ty Bannerman, Food EditorI like to set impossible goals for myself, so this year I resolve to finally get my garden in order. Sure, you readers are probably laughing at what seems to you like a ridiculously low bar, but that’s because you don’t know what a swirl of chaos my yard is. My dogs love nothing more than to pee on young sprouts and dig up “rich” compost; my chickens are masters of coop-escape and wickedly capable of destroying a raised bed garden in 10 minutes flat, and my son is obsessed with finding insects and spiders in the dark recesses beneath squash leaves and underneath landscaping timbers. This combination of factors, not to mention the yearly squash bugpocalypse and my own tendency to neglect, means that every January 1st I make this resolution, and every year my garden is utterly wrecked by mid-summer. But this year will be different!Samantha Anne Carrillo, Managing Editor, Music EditorI’ve always been a "picky eater." It took years for my mom to convince me to eat ground beef. Other meats followed. As a first-grader, it wasn’t some ethical argument. I just didn’t like the texture of meat. And I’m still so choosy. When I find a dish I dig, I stick with it. (I’m looking at you, Garcia’s enchilada plate, Kai’s General Tao’s tofu and Vietnam 2000’s lemongrass tofu.) In 2014, I resolve to mix up my prandial pleasure-seeking, even if that just means saying "yes" to the fried egg at Garcia’s. Eric Castillo, Contributor and Blogger at followeric.comMy resolution for 2014 involves cutting back on an Instagram indulgence. Some people post far too many selfies. Others go overboard with sharing pics of their children and/or pets. My problem is coffee. Whether it’s a latte, macchiato or cortado, I doubt anyone really cares to see yet another cup of coffee in their Instagram feed. So, even if the latte art from the Brew or the Grove Café is especially on point, even if the afternoon light is hitting the Satellite Coffee cup’s logo just right, I’ll do my best to resist the urge to immediately capture, crop, filter and post a photo. To track my progress, feel free to follow me on Instagram: @follow_eric.Gail Guengerich, Contributor and Blogger at spartanholiday.wordpress.comEdible flowers. Why do I keep forgetting about edible flowers? Not this year. This year I resolve to remember them. My plan is to plant a huge patch of nasturtiums in the spring to strew upon all manner of salads, sweet cream butter and cakes. "Can we eat those?!!" people will shriek. Here’s another thing they’ll shriek: "Why do we all look so attractive?!” Well, it’s because in 2014 I will buy new wineglasses sheerly on the recommendation of this line from the Silver Palate Cookbook: "Beautiful glasses are like candlelight—they make the drink and the person holding it look much better."And lastly, I resolve to throw turmeric into everything … not only is turmeric a miracle drug (yes, drug!) it makes boring-colored things like rice, potatoes and egg salad freakishly unboring.Nora Hickey, ContributorThis year, I resolve to eat in places that aren’t known for their food, but exist for other purposes. The chicken fried steak dinner at Elk Lodge #461? Pancakes benefiting the Youth Education Department? The Mexican combo at the American Legion Hall? I’ve always been curious about the steak at TD’s. I may need to pay some membership dues, find a veteran to accompany me or stomach my unease for topless lap dances, but I will boldly go where I have never gone before.Ari LeVaux, ContributorI resolve to suck in the paunch more often. Not because it looks good, but so my belly can get in the habit of being convex. So many years of stuffing my belly beyond its capacity, along with a near lack of abs training, have loosened my stomach muscles to the point that they sag, which kind of pulls my whole diaphragm out of whack. Next year I’m going to practice belly breathing throughout the day, sucking in my gut and thus making it OK to continue pigging out.Mark Lopez, Calendars Editor, Copy EditorEveryone loves food. If people say they don’t, they’re lying. Now, loving food means that sometimes we eat stuff that isn’t the healthiest or the most authentic. In my case, I love restaurant chains. Friday’s, Olive Garden, IHOP, the list goes on and on … So when thinking of a food-related resolution for the coming year, it only seemed logical that I’d skip the chains and start buying local food to cook at home. That doesn’t mean that I’m going to be “healthier,” just more of a cook. So places like Talin Market or La Montañita Coop’s various locations should provide some hefty ingredients to make my New Year’s dishes stand out.Carl Petersen, PublisherBack when the kids were little, I made up a game that we’d play walking to school. We’d each pick a letter of the alphabet and pretend to live on an island of things only starting with that letter. So, for example, if you were stuck on the island of B, you could wear britches, live in a bungalow, eat beans and go bowling. We’d take turns securing our basic needs and luxuries with one single letter. But you had to be reasonable; if you had S, you couldn’t just say Walmart was Slashing prices on malt liquor. Although that would be funny, which also counts, sometimes. Anyway, for 2014 I resolve to only eat foods that end with the words, "thank yee." I will have the Western pile-up. Thank yee. Fair maiden.
Food For Thought: Food Year Resolutions
The Alibi Welcomes 2014 With The Promises We Probably Won’t Keep
Alibi
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5 min read
