Leena Eats, Gourmet Communication ... Food, Travel, Gastronomy

I hate words. There are currently too many words in my life and yet not enough words. In one month and twenty four days, or 7.43 weeks, or 54 days, or 1296 hours, my dissertation is due. Of the 15,000 word limit, I have 5,000 written. Excuse me while I clean up the mess I just made on the floor. It hurts to think, let alone write blogs that are so old they could each have illegitimate children by now. So to catch up, my next couple of posts will have a few more pictures and a few less words. This is not a permanent change. Words?just?hurt. One of my favorite procrastination techniques is to throw all my energy into something random that makes me happy. In this case it was those adorable little tiny bananas called ladyfingers that I can buy in Australia. Miniature items= major adorableness. Even if you put a bundle full of 6 week old kittens in a field of flowers and crawling babies with bunny rabbits, wrapped it all in a fluffy, warm blanket and topped it off with a few puppies playing tug of war with a red checkered cloth, tiny bananas would still kick their asses in the cuteness department. So enjoy. *****************************************

Man, Paco, I need me a lady!

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Yeah, I’m still alive and eating well, might I say.

Guys, I am almost there. I am almost done with the dissertation that ate Adelaide (my working title, what do you think?) Cue Chariots of Fire Music. Da Da Dada Daaaaaaaaa Daaaaaaaaaaa I just want you to know that I recognize our relationship as food blogger and food blog reader has been compromised over the past few months. Sometimes, it has been downright ignored and damn it, that ain’t right. You deserve better than that. You deserve, at the very least, to be bribed with homemade brownies and cupcakes personally delivered by me and perhaps a kick line of koalas trained to do a pop and lock routine to Salt n Pepa’s famous song, Shoop, at least until you forget this whole mess occurred. Lucky for me, I’m a poor college student who can’t afford to do that, so you’ll have to settle for a sign that I am alive. Read the rest of this entry »

And I’m eating well! Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Bacon.

Hello, fellow food friends. I have safely landed in Chicago and I am slowly but surely starting my life back up again. The past two months have been hands down the most STRESSFUL of my life (my Aussie nickname was Stressbunny, if that is any clue). Between finishing my 15,000 word dissertation, moving twice in a week, FIVE flights home over 48 hours, moving in with my parents (yup, married and living with my parents?l am officially the COOLEST PERSON ON EARTH. Bow to me now), finding a job (anyone want to hire an attractive, intelligent food writer with great research experience? Ruhlman, want to write a book with me?), and another apartment in the city, I barely had time to shower, let alone blog. Lucky for you, I showered this morning. And blogged a bit. Read the rest of this entry »

I?ve been really behind in blogging, like stories from over a month ago sort of behind, and I have only the end of classes and dissertation preparation week to blame. Its been school, school, school, so after doing the occasional fun thing with the class, I had no time to actually write about it. Thus, the newly patented Leena?s blog squishie, in which all of these lovely events get squished into one blog for your reading enjoyment. Also named for the beverage sold by Apu on the Simpsons, pretty much the only role model Indians have on popular American television today. This one?s for you, Apu. Read the rest of this entry »

Sorry, this is from SO long ago, like the end of May, but again, I blame the final essay that made me it?s bitch. One of my teachers decided to hold another potluck dinner for my class and the other class (who are just finishing up their dissertations now) near the end of term. What happens when you get a crap ton of gastronomes together under one roof? Food comas from heaven, baby.

Here I am with my buddy Andrew?clearly, we take this eating thing seriously. This is how we roll:

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I don?t do math. Seriously. My brain refuses to absorb any information it deems unnecessary, and math definitely falls into that category. So when my Gastronomy teacher came into class with agricultural statistics of different countries the other day and expected me to use my ?math skills? to draw my own conclusions on a certain country?s food supply and what that meant about the country itself, I died a little inside. I am sure this is useful information. I am sure it will come in handy at some point in the future. But at no time in my life did I ever think, gee, I love food, I love writing, so I better brush up on my math skills! That?s why I married someone who does like math. So he can do it for me. And then the teacher was confused and frustrated when no one in the class could handle the assignment. Hey, I?m not the one that asked a bunch of WRITERS to do MATH. She walked right into that one. Now back to the freaking food. ~LTG

Look how gorgeous it is outside! Last week was a bit nippy, at least for Adelaide, highs around 60 (I think around 15 C) but really windy and no sun. This week, the first week of my Easter break (and officially fall), it?s been at least 80 (25 C) every day! Hardly a cloud in the sky! And where have I been? In the exotic school library! And sometimes if I?m feeling frisky, in the post graduate computer lab. I know. Pure rebel. Read the rest of this entry »

gooey brown butter and strawberry tart

I bet some of you are wondering what it’s like to roll with a bunch a people who study Gastronomy. It’s understandable. We’re pretty awesome people. You might be thinking, do they sit around and have heated discussions about the similarities between 17th century British diet and medicine and the Chinese?s use of hot and cold foods in humoral medicine? Or do they simply use it as an excuse to have numerous pie eating contests? Actually, a little of both. Read the rest of this entry »