Who Put the Cunt in Country?

Hello Dear Bloggy Friends,

I hope you've had a great week. Things are going well here. We got a touch of snow in Philadelphia over the weekend. It accumulated pretty quickly as it fell on Saturday night, but by Sunday morning it had mostly melted. That's the way I like my snow - nonexistent.

You won't be surprised that most of my week was dominated by school and work, but by the time Thursday rolled around I had time to have a little fun. That evening my friend Julia and I strolled up and down East Passyunk Avenue looking for fashionable people to feature in our next segment of Neighborhood Watch. Doing this was a great way for me to get to know my new neighborhood a little better. It really is such an amazing part of town. We ran into so many friendly people. Be sure to check it out on Thursday when the post is published. To finish off the night we met friends at the Pub on Passyunk East, or P.O.P.E, to have a few drinks. It was a fun, much needed night away from looming assignments.

On Friday afternoon I had brunch with Julia and my friend Tristan (or Crotch) at Carmen's Country Kitchen. It's an eclectic spot down the street from where I live that reminds me so much of home. Come to find out, the owner Carmen is actually from Kentucky. When she wasn't busy cooking she came out to chat with us about why she chose the logo, "She put the cunt back in country." Despite the push from her financial backers to use, "She put the kitch back in kitchen," she demanded the cunt saying to reclaim a word back that men would use derogatorily toward women in the past - sort of like the way black people began to use the 'N' word and gays celebrate the terms "fag" or "queer." This was one of my most fascinating brunch experiences. If you come for a visit please remind me to take you there.

That night one of Alan's colleagues invited us to dine with him, his partner and a few of their friends at a Korean restaurant called Miga. The dinner was delicious, but the service was lackluster at best. They took forever to bring us our wine, even longer to open it and then our food was severely delayed in the kitchen. I think I may give it one more chance because there aren't enough places to get Korean fare in Philadelphia. It's seriously competing to replace Thai as my favorite winter grub. I'm cuckoo over kimchi.

On Saturday we didn't step outside once and today we spent the afternoon doing our grocery shopping for the week. Alan prepared a delicious new concoction, Pan-Roasted Wild Salmon with Leomongrass & Basil accompanied with Warm Orzo with Broccoli & Tomatoes. It was perfection. I love trying new recipes.

I hope you have a great night. We're about to settle down for the Grammy Awards. Have fun this week. I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

P.S. If you're so inclined, please check out some of the work I had published this week:

Germantown Piano Factory
Christopher Rice Reading/Cocktail Party
Christopher Rice Interview
Neighborhood Watch
Art Phag

Thanks for your support. Smoooooch!