"Give a Piece a Chance." — Books. Blog. Pie Classes. And a Pinch of Activism.
I know I’m supposed to be on a Pie Tour of Iowa, but I couldn’t come to my home state without revisiting all the places I lived. Believe me, I will get to the pie but first, here’s a look at where it all started…. I’m torn about how to describe my roots. I am … Read more
On Saturday I was in the shower and looked down at my chest where I saw what looked like a small-but-dead black bug. After a second glance I realized, no, it was not an insect. It was a false eyelash that had come unglued from my eyelid. The sight made me laugh, in a disbelieving … Read more
Pie was not the only thing being judged at the Iowa State Fair. In between rounds of pie tasting I wandered over to the cattle barn, a place I clearly had a fascination with since I went there three times and always had a hard time extracting myself from the place. Inside the barn the … Read more
How does it work to be a pie judge at the Iowa State Fair? Let me walk you through the process from becoming a judge, to tasting the pie, to receiving a blue ribbon. First, you get “hired” by the Iowa State Fair Food Coordinator, Arlette Hollister. Arlette has held this position for 20-some years … Read more
August 19, 2010. The sun was shining, the humidity high, the heat penetrated the growing corn as I laid in bed in Des Moines, Iowa. I woke up at 8:03 and with my head still on the pillow I watched the digital clock as the numbers ticked by until they reached 8:36, which is 6:36 … Read more
(Photo: Pork Chop On a Stick, an Iowa favorite. Mine too!) You may have noticed I haven’t updated my blog in a week. That’s because since the moment I arrived in Iowa last week I’ve been very busy…eating, at the Iowa State Fair. My days as a pie judge here have been so full I … Read more
Another journey begins. I will make a 1,700-mile drive from Los Angeles to Des Moines, Iowa — all because of pie. To eat pie. Lots and lots of pie. Homemade pie. Competitive pies at the Iowa State Fair. When you think about the reality of this it makes you wonder, doesn’t it, just how much … Read more
In case you were thinking that in preparation for my upcoming mega-pie-eating stint at the Iowa State Fair I’m cutting back on my pie consumption, think again! I left Portland for LA exactly one week ago and in the past week I’ve made — and eaten — three pies. Pie was a priority this weekend … Read more
If you read my last post about being a trapeze artist afraid to let go of the swing, then you will be happy to know I have managed to pry my fingers loose from the bar. I moved out of my Portland apartment on Saturday, stashed my returned deposit check in my wallet, and hit … Read more