State of The Union: Food Edition

The only taco I’m interested is some kind of seasoned (preferably slow-cooked) meat in a soft corn tortilla. Accoutrements, such as guacamole, pickled onions, cilantro, and, in very few cases, cheese, can vary. The slow-cooked meat and corn tortilla are non-negotiable, though.

I feel that if you eat your steak anything above medium rare or in some kind of marinade, or covered in steak sauce, then you probably don’t actually like the taste of steak that much. To me, a good steak is medium rare with a little salt and pepper to bring out the flavor. Anything else is a distraction, I feel.

I feel that if you eat your hotdog covered in all kinds of condiments then you probably don’t actually like the taste of a hotdog that much. I don’t like the taste of a hotdog that much. But I do like the taste of chili, relishes, krauts, and mustards. Hotdogs, for me, are a vehicle for other flavors.

I am a pizza snob. If I have to eat Little Caesars, Pappa John’s, etc, I would just as soon not eat pizza. I hate really sweet tomato sauces. My favorite pizzas have a pesto base instead of tomato sauce (notice I said I was a snob, not a purist). A good homemade pizza is hard to do, but worth it.

I hate to bake.

It’s a myth that every guy can grill. Charring food over propane is not grilling. Grilling requires some kind of charcoal or wood and the ability to control how done the meat is. Some days I can grill and some days I can’t.

I love beef, chicken, lamb, fish, crustaceans, and mussels, but God’s most perfect protein is pork.

No matter how much I like food and talk about it, you should never take anything I say too seriously because, at the end of the day, there aren’t very many meals I wouldn’t eat with a Mountain Dew.

Right now the only foods I can think of that I actively don’t like are peas.

I love sushi and Indian food. Not together.

The smell of garlic cooking in olive oil is best smell in the world.

I used to hate mushrooms. These days I think they’re one of the most luxurious tasting things you can eat.

When I’m rich one day my kitchen will have a large griddle in it like a diner.

Bread is terrible for you, but I can’t imagine a life without bread.

There’s nothing worse than a bad Philly Cheesesteak sandwich

I used to say cooking relaxes me. It doesn’t. I enjoy it. I would rather cook than eat out most nights, but it’s not true to say it relaxes me. When a meal doesn’t go right it actually makes me incredibly tense.

If you can cook a delicious egg - not an okay one, not a serviceable one - but a delicious one, then I will think you are a great cook. That’s all it takes for me. I am not a great cook.

That’s how it looks for me and food.

State of The Union: Music Edition

I like modern folk. I like music that’s inspired by bluegrass and old school country music. I like acoustic guitars, banjos, upright bass, and bass drums. I like what happens when formerly folky bands go electric and start exploring different spaces. I like a few songs and bands coming out of the current electronic/synth movement, but in general it’s not my thing. I like disposable pop songs in addition to classics that will never die - but only a few of both.

I like funk, I like soul. I like comebacks. I like old live albums by James Brown and Ike and Tina Turner. I like that sometimes an album sits in my iTunes for a year and suddenly I discover it for the first time. I like that sometimes you outgrow a band and sometimes a band outgrows you.

I like bands that work hard on stage. I like going to concerts, but I don’t usually like other people who go to concerts. I like bands that create a good vibe in a room and causes everybody to love each other. I don’t mind getting bumped by your elbow while you’re dancing, but if you keep doing it I’m going to push you down a flight of stairs.

I like local bands and I like following bands that not everybody knows about - but sometimes that turns you into a music elitist - which is silly because elitists are just people who listen to whatever Pitchfork tells them to. So like what you like and don’t turn your nose up at other people’s taste - unless you have a friend that goes to every Dave Matthews concert ever, in which case, you can tease him about it in a good natured way that says, “I’m making fun of you, but I know in a few years one of my favorite bands will be the new Dave Matthews and I’ll have some hard decisions to make.”

I like slow builds, and swells, and crescendos. I like crunchy guitars. I like bands that jam but aren’t jam bands. I hate endless noodling.

I hate rock stars but I love rock bands.

Lyrics are important. The only people who say they don’t listen to lyrics are kids who don’t want their parents to take away their rap albums. I like songs about redemption, forgiveness, and reclaiming your soul. Oddly enough, in spite of this, I don’t really like Christian music. I also like songs about girls that might not have been written about your girl but that you can pretend are about your girl.

I like songs with occasional screaming and/or talking in the background.

That’s the state of the union, music edition, for Patrick Drury, 37 years in.