The Marrow

This leads me to the entry I have been dying to get at: Cafe Cortadito
http://www.cafecortadito.com/
 A tiny intimate restaurant in the East Village, on the Southeast Corner of Avenue B and 3rd Street, 210 E. 3rd Street, this little spot is crammed with flavor, and personality. The low candle-lit red hue warms around a hand-painted mural on the east wall depicting a scene of people enjoying themselves at a wine bar- how appropriate! The candles in the window have been burning for months, as evidenced by the layers of wax drippings caressing each candle stand.

I had actually been one time previous, and a fantastic woman I know asked the waiter how long they had been burning, so it is more than a supposition. That night was the perfect ending to a freestyle snowboard competition on the East River, one of the only times I have seen a ski jump about 100 feet from a highway, and more snow than I have ever seen on FDR drive. But, I digress…

This time was no less satisfying. It began with a Malbec on a snowy, brisk evening, waiting for a true friend, and it hit just the right spot between stinging- cold-wind-cutting flavor boldness, and velvety comfort. The calamari wasn't un-classical, aside from the chipotle aioli smothered over it, which, being a condiment lover, I found it brilliant that I didn't have to keep dunking my calamari rings into something. They were perfectly coated as they were, and left nothing to be desired. The entree, I must say, was phenomenal, Rabo Encendido, (tail on fire) or, for us non-native eaters, Braised Oxtail. Need I say more? The most tender, succulent, tangy, and earthy morsels that just fell right off the bone bathed in a tomato, balsamic, herb, and fresh vegetable thick sauce. Three large vertebrae, a patty of a plantain mixture, and there is not much else a girl on a cold stormy night could desire (carnality excluded). I literally sucked the bones dry. Mmm hmmm.

The Hunger

Hello, and welcome to my world of food, fitness, art, and travel obsession.  What began as a way to simply type my restaurant explorations in New York City and abroad, has turned into a way to express all that makes life worth living.

The title is based on my soul's deepest passion; eating around the world. There is but one certainty for me, I am hungry. There has never been a time I don't recall being absolutely entrenched with the decision of what to eat next. You never have to ask; I will always eat with you. To me, it is the greatest joy in life. As a matter of fact, if posed with the question of what I was put on this Earth to do, I would have to say, "To Eat the World". Here, I mean not only that I literally want to eat everything imagineable on this earth (not at once, mind you), but also figuratively, as it relates to every one of our senses. Food alone is not what feeds the soul; though it is hard for me to even type that. There are a few more things of paramount importance in my life. Staying fit, "arting", and traveling the world call to me, almost as much as food, so this, for me, is what Mangia El Mundo means. The combination of two languages, Mangia- meaning "eat" in Italian, and el Mundo- meaning "the world" in Spanish, is a non-sensical combination of two languages that I feel well represents a juxtaposition of the strongest urges I poossess to take in all that this delicious world has to offer simultaneously.

I am a foodie-absolute, uncorrupted, gastronome, whatever, it is on my mind all the time. But, what other thing can sustain you as well as amaze you? What else is absolutely necessary, and yet so much fun to explore that you can literally taste it! In addition to the actual eating part; I cannot resist the figurative urge to taste every inch of the world; culturally, and geographically; burn and stretch every muscle in my body; and experience, interact with, and create myself, works of art; be they wearable, sculptural, or mural :.). It is this artistic energy that stems from our innermost soul that allows for the interconnectivity of all things; it speaks to our humanity.

I simply feel these four things are the holy trinity of life (I told you I didn't make sense). Beauty, in my eyes, comes in all forms, but most of the beauty that I experience comes through my taste buds, something remarkable that another artist created, a shared experience with someone I just met, some new way to tweak some random muscle I never knew I had, or have more fun than I ever had before, sweating to death. This will be my story. This will be our adventure. I will chronicle my eating, fitness, arting, and travelling adventures in hopes that it inspires someone to taste something they never have, get up out, and push themselves to a new physical limit, go somewhere they have always wanted to, see some art! or take a chance and say hello to, or compliment, someone they may never see again.

I think if you enjoy the balance of these things, eating and excercise, travel and art, or struggle with other various passions pulling at you from different directions on a daily basis, you will get a lot out of my blog. Or, maybe it will confuse you even more. But, I do hope that you laugh, and smile, and thirst for more of everything delicious; whether it be food, art, culture, activity, or whatever you hunger for. It is my expression of what I hope everyone does at least once a day in their life; suck up every ounce that this wonderful world has to offer, like sucking the bone marrow out of, well, a bone.

Come, eat with me. As a matter of fact, Eat the World!