Ciceroning and Mermmeliering
And with that, I’m back to blogging!
Thank you to all who jump in and read this blog, I plan on getting more into it now that I’m in a more stable living situation, what with us owning a house instead of the uncertainty of rentals.
With the hiatus from getting situated in the new place, I thought I’d take the opportunity to go over what I’ve been mulling about the last couple of months and what I plan to do with this food blog.
One of things I’ve begun taking baby steps towards is becoming Cicerone certified; A beer sommelier. Beer has become something that I think about constantly, be it seeking it out, drinking it, or making it myself. I love the history behind it, the thought and work that goes into it, and also the final product that reaches my loving lips. Beer is much more a labor of love and an undertaking than growing and fermenting some grapes - Wine is just fancy, old juice. Becoming a certified Cicerone will be an undertaking, as I consider myself a lover of beer but not exactly an expert on it. Sure, I can taste the difference between a Pilsner and a Helles Lager, but I’m not at the point where I can tell you what hops or malts were probably used - Only that one is crisper while the other is smoother and sweeter. I’ve already found out of styles I wasn’t aware of in addition to how it’s to be served.
The first step to becoming a Cicerone is to be a certified Beer Server. How can you know how it’s supposed to taste if you don’t know how it’s meant to be served? From the types of glasses to be used, how you clean and prepare them for pouring beer into, and even the matter of laying the glass out to the consumer brand facing out, there’s a set of rules to do it. Beer making is a meticulous endeavor so the serving of it may as well be too. If you or anyone you know is looking for a part time bartender, hit me up! I’ll be here studying the intricacies of all things beer.
The other task I’ve undertaken is learning more about Oysters. I picked up Patrick McMurray’s The Oyster Companion: A Field Guide and while again being a lover and appreciator of them, didn’t really know about them in depth. I’ve since picked up a couple more Oyster information guide books to become more knowledgeable on their differences and have begun documenting the types I’ve eaten, to become more acquainted with their flavors and the regions they were grown in. I plan on soon purchasing the set of tools required for shucking my own at home, as well as taking a jaunt into the Pacific Northwest in the winter time to get my hands on some of the world’s best oysters. Patrick himself has become a follower on the Instagram, so in addition to him being a resource on and off the book pages, I hope to one day visit him up in Toronto to pick his brain and have my fill of oysters prepared by the best shucker in the world. Him and some other Oyster Sommeliers, or Mermmeliers, are working to create an Oyster Sommelier program that I’ll gladly become a part of once it’s put together. I love a good oyster and comparing them to the flavor wheel has become a weekly pastime.
Me? An expert on oysters AND beer? It sounds like a wonderful life.
As always, I’m exploring Columbus and its offerings, branching out more into what the city has to offer. It seems as of late there’s something new popping up or taking over an old space I was familiar with, and with the Intel plant being built in the Northeastern part of the city in the next couple years, we’re bound to see more. With the new house being in the heart of Columbus, it seems I’m here for the long haul!