Scrappy Travels

Illustration - Eater Up until about 15 years ago, I was the pickiest eater to ever eat. I'd avoid things I'd never tasted because they looked like something I wouldn't like. I'd only eat about 3 things for lunch. And many meals included something I would just leave on the plate. For most of my childhood and adolescence, this is how I lived. I loved to eat, but I preferred the food that my Dad cooked because he followed my food rules.  Now don't get me wrong - I wasn't eating peanut butter and jelly each day. My Dad is a fabulous cook. So I was eating homemade Spaghetti or Stuffed Porkchops, and other delicious meals for dinner most nights. But in restaurants I stuck to basics and only ate things I knew.  Then I read A Cook's Tour and my food-loving world opened up.  While it is his least favorite book, Anthony Bourdain's account of his travels around the world, eating all sorts of new and interesting meals made me realize just how ridiculous I

May Reads The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle: I'm not a huge fan of his "Better Nate than Ever" series, so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this one. But I loved it!  I raced my way through it and was super sad when it was over. I believe it's meant for young adults too so that's my young adult pick for the month of May. Hello NY by Julia Rothman: This book is a New York City lover's dream. It's an illustrated guide to the best parts of the city - according to the author. I finished it in about an hour, but I just loved it. And that right there is all I read in the month of May - super sad!  Though if we're counting, I bought the equivalent of a metric ton in books to read this summer. Does that count? May Travels May was spent mostly in Maryland with two side trips to New York City. The plan was to only take one overnight side trip, but when you manage to get tickets to The Boys in the Band AND Me and My Girl , you

There's been a lot of chatter about The Boys in the Band over the last few months. Late last year, it played in London starring Mark Gatiss in a production I would have loved to have seen. And this year it opened on Broadway with a cast of 9 openly gay, hugely talented actors. The cast was definitely the biggest draw for me, as it usually is.   Seeing these men together was thrilling. Let's get this out of the way. Each actor is perfectly cast to his role. I read a few reviews that mentioned Jim Parsons, as maybe not quite well-suited for the role of Michael, the hostile has-been throwing the party. However, I find him perfectly cast. I've seen him on stage ( An Act of God ) and as Sheldon ( Big Bang Theory ) and this Jim Parsons is a completely different person. His wit is there, but the charm is all gone. He definitely shines. Matt Bomer, in his debut, while not having much to do, is stellar as the quiet Donald - seemingly the only one that truly understands (and pos