To those who have written asking if I am still writing/eating/alive, thank you. I am indeed doing at least two of these three things. I plan on putting gas back in the tank for the one I've been neglecting. Since making the ramen with the alkaline salts I'd been searching the globe for, I have indeed eaten, and how! Many courses at the wonderful Anteprima. Gut bomb at the (re)Publican. Questionable all you can eat Korean BBQ. Amazingly-still-crunchy blueberry crunch ice cream. Pizza with dough risen on my warm lap on the train . Meat and threes. Portland coffee in Chicago via Brooklyn. Seriously good tacos and some seriously stomach-killing fried chiles. Familiar tonkatsu. A really good rabbit broth via lifting the bowl to my mouth in a place you aren't supposed to do that sort of thing in. Critically necessary comforting macaroni and cheese. A really, really dry porkchop on a plate with a really, really moist porkchop. One of those meals that I'll always remember with extremely special people who can also cook and open a good bottle of wine (and, incidentally, know me well enough to pour me Campari on ice). Long, slowed-down brunch at my house. Nervous pizza. Too-much banh mi. Really good homemade Oreos. And some other very special meals. Because each one should count, shouldn't it?
I'll get it together and write more meaningful, detailed posts soon. Thanks for sticking with me.