Bamboo Shoots
We have a walking/cycling trail in our neighborhood and in the middle of this trail is a healthy growth of wild Bamboo. Bamboo reproduces by sending out shoots from a network of rhizomes that grow rapidly in the spring. I checked on the bamboo last week and didn’t see any shoots then we went away for 4 […]
Can an Edible Stamp save the US Postal Service?
It’s no surprise that the US Postal Service is once again standing on the brink of a financial disaster; doesn’t the Post Office go through this crisis every five years or so? The problem is obvious; the Government Accounting Office has recently stated that the USPS can “no longer rely on growth in mail […]
Morel Mushrooms
Saturday afternoon we got a phone call from a gentleman that hunts mushrooms. He found a patch of yellow morels and he wanted to know if we would buy some. Jason, the Chef/Owner of Stella’s Bistro responded emphatically, “Damn right!” As he got off the phone he turned to me and relayed the good news and asked […]
Seven Books
I had my first book signing at a real bookstore last week. Fiction Addiction hosted me. Jill, the proprietor has been very helpful and has given me some good advice and even though I started life as a writer through Amazon, the all-powerful corporation that independent bookstores deplore, she agreed to host me at […]
A Liebster Award for chefjohnmalik.com!
One of the many advantages of Twitter is the ability to “meet” people from all over the world from the comfort and safety of your pajamas. Not that I wear pajamas, however I have met an incredible group of writers, foodies, bloggers, friends, chefs, etc. through Twitter. And what people like this have done is they […]
Hashtag Indian Food Palooza
My good friend and the neighbor I wish I had, Barbara Keibel, challenged her followers to participate in an Indian-Style Food celebration so Amy & I decided to play along. I really love good Indian food and our current favorite restaurant is Handi, on Main street Greenville. I’m not savvy enough to discern different styles […]
I am liking your Spam a Lot
A very short story I fabricated out of the enormous amount of Broken-English spam that I receive from my blog. Janice crumbled up her Starbuck’s cup and tossed it disgustedly into the garbage can. She hated the thought of one more blind date and given her run of luck, why would this guy be […]
Gentlemen, Start your Apologies!
A good marketing strategy can be compared to fishing. You can’t let the hook just sit there, you’ve got to keep it moving and ideally have more than one in the water. So that’s why I took my wife to a car race for her birthday. One of the Food Network’s cast-offs was Food Fantasy, […]
How Seductive can a Dough be?
The other day I was scrolling through my Twitter feed when I came across a note from Jamie Schler, a food blogger living in the Loire Valley (yes, that Loire Valley). She made Brioche rolls filled with chocolate chips and nuts and had posted some lovely photos on her website, Life’s a Feast. I love […]
Chipmunk City
A story for my daughter’s Third Grade class We have a lot of Chipmunks in our yard. Every time I open the front door there are three or four hanging out on the porch, and there’s always six or seven of the little furry guys running around our back yard. Whenever I go outside I see chipmunks. […]