Please, Sir, Can I Have Some More?

My mum is a very vivacious, gregarious and chatty person (as opposed to my dad, who is overly sociable, back-thumping warm and chatty), so there's never a quiet moment around her. Don't even think about dominating the conversation. She's queen of the court, and you her loyal subject.

But there is one way in which she expresses herself that doesn't require much jibber jabbering, and that's cooking. Just like my grandfather and my uncle Robert, my mum cooks with intuition and heart. There are no recipes. Just bottles of sauces, a wok as large as a bath tub and a kitchen constructed in our backyard so she can indulge (and so we can, too, but after she is done). Nothing that's concocted and cooked in that professional-grade kitchen is something you can find anywhere else. We usually recommend that when you come over for one of our famous garden dinner parties (we have a driveway that fits three cars length-wise, and we set up three long tables where guests tuck in mess hall-style), to please wear elastic.

The moral of the story is, the love for food runs in my family. Actually, it runs in our blood and friends have often wondered aloud, when we travel, why are half our pictures of food, whether of what we eat or displayed at markets (one of our favourite places to explore when on vacation)?

And that brings me to this thought. Thomas often says, you could eat out every night in Chicago and still never run out of places to eat. She's right, but Odysseys were meant to be fulfilled, so I've humbly always made the rounds.

I recently began to share my opinions of local eateries on local online entertainment guide Centerstage.net (www.centerstage.net). OK, I did it to try win a prize for penning the "Review of the Week," and with a spot of beginner's luck, snagged it the first time I posted something.

Here it is, my review of the new old-school deli Eleven City Diner in the South Loop, which earned me a complimentary dinner for two at French restaurant La Fette: http://www.centerstage.net/patronreviews/pr.cfm?ID=9024&which=place

And to see if two-timing is cool, I've posted a couple more:
- Fonda del Mar: http://www.centerstage.net/patronreviews/pr.cfm?ID=8867&which=place
- Dorado: http://www.centerstage.net/patronreviews/pr.cfm?ID=9285&which=place

Some people have foot fetishes, but it's quite apparent that I have a food one.