Monsoon Season

It may be common in India, but in Atlanta, it is odd. We get our summer rains, of course, but not quite like the ones we've experienced for the last two weeks. My work compadres and I sit on the third floor of a modern office building, directly beneath the roof. It started raining off and on about two weeks ago, and it shows no signs of stopping. Every afternoon, a torrential rain comes along and washes the place clean.

Several days ago, while taking the stairs to get a little microcardio workout, I noticed that the building roof sits only a foot or two above our floor. Maybe this explains why storms have such an impact. Whenever it rains, we hear a gentle roar from the roof above, but in more severe thunderstorms, it sometimes sounds like the place is going to come apart.

I don't see evidence of any roof leaks at this point, but rest assured that I'm ready to bring in a poncho if necessary.

Stop Picking on Giada!

Oh, for heaven's sake! Today, I saw an article in TV Guide entitled "Giada De Laurentiis: Is the Sexy Chef Too Hot for TV?" I'm over it! Someone is always complaining that Giada has "a big head" or "too many teeth" or some other nonsense. Will everyone just leave this poor (OK, not literally poor) woman alone?

If you don't know the background, some reader apparently sent TV Guide a letter a few weeks ago complaining about the outfits that Giada wears on her Food Network cooking show Everyday Italian. The magazine was instantly flooded with responses both positive and negative. All the while, most people are probably unaware that if you actually try cooking some of Giada's recipes, they're outstanding. Anything she makes with cranberries, for example, is definitely worth a try.

Sure, I have my three DVD set of Everyday Italian. I think it's a nice show, and yes, I like the hostess -- she is cute, polished, and energetic and she usually appears to be having a good time. She is undoubtedly my favorite TV female. The only thing I would suggest is that Food Network find the male equivalent of Giada for the ladies in the viewing audience. Let's face it -- Mario Batali can whip up a great Orecchiette with Italian Sausage, but he's not quite as easy on the eye as GDL. And Emeril, well, he's Emeril. BAM! Where is the ruggedly handsome guy who throws some stuff on the grill and makes it turn into magic? I'll bet the ladies would like that.

My vote goes to Giada. You go, girl. You're only young once, and you might as well make the most of it. Ciao!

The Hot Food Eating Contest

A couple of weeks ago, my friends Tarun, Meenakshi and Vicki dropped over to my desk to ask whether I liked "spicy food". I answered a rousing "yes", having long been a fan of endorphin-elevating hot food, but not knowing that they were in fact pitting me in a contest against "Andrew"...they didn't say anything about the fact that Andrew was not American, but Indian-Malaysian. Ha!

So today we held the "contest" at Rasa Sayang in Roswell, but Andrew and I (and most everyone else at the table) thought the food was not truly hot, in our sense of the word. Nevertheless, I did eat one hot red pepper whole, which garnered me an increased level of respect from my Indian, Malaysian and (even) American friends. I now eat on a different level, I think.

Planning is underway for another Hot Food Eating Contest, this time to be held on July 13 at Thai Star in Norcross. There are some rice dishes there which can put a person in the hospital, regardless of his/her national origin. I'm ready. Stay tuned!

P-Council

These days, it goes without saying (if you know me, that is) that I'm all about diversity. I find great delight in having friends from all over the world who relate stories of their own cultures and customs, whether they're from Japan, Jamaica, or Jacksonville. Put me in town with people from all over the place, sitting outside on a veranda on an Atlanta evening, and I'm as happy as a clam.

But a few months ago, a friend of mine from Colombia suggested that with all this wonderful diversity going on, we might need to address perversity as well, and what better way to do this than with a standard weekly meeting (after work, of course)? Oh, come on...you know it's funny. Anyway, I snapped some pictures over the last few weeks that just beg to be included here. One look at these and you'll see why P-Council (for Perversity Council) has become a regular thing!

Mary Mac's Tea Room

This is a picture of my long-time friend Jean sampling the offerings at Mary Mac's Tea Room on a recent dinner visit. It had been a hard day at work. Mary Mac's is a downtown Atlanta institution which you must try if you're in the city looking for "real" Southern food. My friend Marc was also in attendance, and since I had my camera phone at the ready, we thought the time just seemed right. We posted this picture in the office, and Jean's celebrity was immediately apparent!