LA Times Mention

Would never have known this if someone hadn't pointed it out. Apparently we were mentioned in a list of food writers in the LA Times. Can't really decide if this is complimentary or not...

gastrologica.com By two guys, self-described as a gourmand and a chef. Strong though sometimes voluminous writing, with lots of pictures and a podcast.

There you go. Voluminous? Is that a long word for verbose?

The Greatest Instrument for Food Photographers. EVER.

People, this little device will revolutionize food photography for us dilettantes who don't do this for a true living, just the love of it.

Let me tease you a bit on the buildup to this fantastic development. Bottom line, I shelled out a fair sum of money on a camera I ended up not being thrilled with. The HP photosmart R960 is a competent camera, but it wasn't the best for my needs as a compact, all purpose, low-light camera.

I handed that down to Nayan and bought a Canon SD630 before going to Providence last night (more on that in another article). The SD630 is near the top of Canon's line of ultra-thin camera lines. Each year they seem to cram more functionality in a smaller profile. I wanted something that would allow me to turn off all the automation and utilize my own poor judgment and meager talent.

Based on Bel Air Camera's unimpeachable reputation, I literally walked in 15 minutes before closing, gave the dude my criteria, and he promptly tossed me the 630.

We took a couple of test shots and I was sold. Of course, what appears on the 3" screen and what transfers to computer are two different things. Everything, frankly, looks good on a 3" screen, except porn. But I'll leave that for the iPod engineers to solve.

This article isn't about the camera, actually. Canon products are ubiquitous throughout the amateur food photography world, so they are a solid choice. I had no doubt it would serve me well.

What is a sticking point (which started me on this fool's errant) is a steady shot in low light with minimal noise (or grain).



Enter Joby's Gorillapod. This is the thing that will revolutionize macro-shot, no-flash, low-light, food photography for the amateur...like our stalwart confederacy of Los Angeles Food Bloggers.



Looks like a toy? Sure. But this thing will flex into unbelievable positions that even Jenna Jameson would be hard pressed to do. It's tiny, light, durable and eminently portable. I don't even know what eminently portable means, but the Gorilla is it.

I'll never have to hold a flashless, shaky camera in a fine dining establishment again. What I will have to do is answer an endless stream of questions, because everyone wants to be a part of this weird contraption's infamy.

The Gorillapod is $22 at Best Buy. In addition to being a tripod, it can also be configured to be stable on rugged terrain, wrap around posts and poles or, as someone noted in another blog, wrapped around a chick's ankle for hot first person amateur porn action.

New Season of Gastrologica in the Works

Hey everyone! First of all, I want to publicly apologize to Jeni and Dylan and the rest of the foodwriting community for not making the Dim Sum Extravaganza. I know the energy level was only about 1/3 of what it would have been if I had attended. I heard it was a blast, so I am a true loser. There I said it on National Internet.

Dan and I are tending the new crop of shows, and I'm frantically forcing myself to write more, mostly to keep my hits up. Dwindling activity, I am told, can lead to a catastrophic loss of audience with no possibility of recovery. This may have happened already, but I'm oblivious to these things.

There will be at least one more week before any true activity, since there is an Office viewing get together this week, and I don't want to mar that or kill the energy in the room by trying to pit my humorous food talk against Steve Colbert and his zany on-screen presence. Of course, I would never want to steal Bob Vance's thunder, especially on his big day. So this will just be a non-working get together. I know I know, contain your desire to riot.

Having a 10 Megapixel camera has been the biggest disappointment since discovering the McRib has no real bones in it. That's right. The bones are pressed and formed meat.

People, don't be fooled by the bright orange emblem stamped on the box 10 MEGAPIXEL. It will stun your friends, and blow away your relatives. It makes your dick bigger than driving a Corvette.

It doesn't mean shit. It means your pictures will be gimongohunormous, which means if you publish them on a site like mine, you won't get any better picture quality and you'll have to take two extra steps to resize your pictures. What a burn. I used to have a Kodak 110 Instamatic that took better pictures than this piece of crap. But you know what? You people forced me to do this, so its on your head. Live with it. This is what you get when you push someone too much.

Finally, but not lastly, I'm doing a Superbowl menu that includes gumbo, cheese, soju, salmon roe, foie gras, wine and pigs in a blanket. All in the same pot.



Gaze on my horde of cheese and despair! I am the MuthaFuckin' OG Cheese Pimp



Men, if there is one thing we can learn from food porn, is wrap your cheese!

Finally, and I really mean it this time, I'm reading a great book that serves as a cautionary tale and meager inspiration for being a perfect host. I Like You by Amy Sedaris is a frightful look into hosting parties and bad cooking by the twisted mind of the woman who created Strangers With Candy. Buy it. I think you'll glean a lot of valuable information from this sage tome.