Out of Office Reply: Merci Buttercups to All

Vacation, All I ever wanted, Vacation, Had to get away -- you sing it, The GoGos, my totally rad sistahs. The Prime has packed her bags to fly off with Mr. Wasabi for da islands of Hawaii to spend quality time with family and hopefully some quality time with a big bowl of saimin. In the short hiatus, I wanted to leave something that pays tribute not to the edibles, but the nourishing quality of friends, family, and the kindness of those who I've recently become acquainted with as a result of this blog.

Can't eat Rainier? But it would be fun to try - Photo by Wasabi Prime

The recent talk of the Federal Trade Commission cracking down on bloggers fully disclosing their "blog-ola" for posts biased towards whatever freebies sent made me think of the food-themed gifts I've received while writing this blog. Make no mistake, these weren't some shady, midnight payoff for a favorable review, these were sincere gifts from close friends who were only too kind in showing their support for finding one's bliss in a new hobby. I don't think The Man is going to come knocking on my door for what I got on my birthday or the holidays, but it made me think, Damn straight, anything received should be acknowledged. Our moms raised us right to pen thank-you notes, and while the thoughtful givers of these lovely items were sent proper written correspondence, I wanted to share the coolness of their gift-giving prowess, and extend my appreciation across the board to all who have been so supportive.

I had received a lovely and unique birthday gift from friend and fellow blogger, Radish and Rosé earlier this year. Amongst a package full of adorable food-related gifts (including these adorable heart-shaped measuring spoons!), there was a vintage book called You Can't Eat Mount Rainier! signed by author and Seattle historian, William C. Speidel. It's too perfect a thing not to share. The book is a jazzy little hardbound tome of recipes collected from local Seattle restaurants back in 1955, including some still-standing familiars like Canlis, El Gaucho, and even the now-karaoke kingdom of Bush Garden. No longer in print, but if anyone comes across this book, it's an absolute treat and treasure to have on one's shelf.

I also had the recent enjoyment of having one of my best friends from ye olde school days come out and visit around the time the film adaptation of Julie & Julia came out in theaters. A gal I lovingly refer to as The Angry Peanut (don't ask; long story) made the trek out to Washington and we had a delightfully food-filled weekend with the movie, and a wine festival. In thanks for the visit, the Peanut sent a care package full of goodies, and in her typical humorous style, she added cut-out word bubbles to comment on each item.

Bite me, FTC, these were real gifts, not payola! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

She recalled my wanting of a simple ceramic-bladed mandoline, hence her funny note hoping she picked out the right gadget. I did not say "what the eff is this?" but I sure expelled several eff's when on the maiden voyage of the mandoline, I had a wee accident. Despite a long weekend in the Town of Suckville trying to do everything with my un-favored hand, the gadget is awesome and totally worth the risk to make more paper-thin sliced foods.

Angry Peanut also knew of my anarchist love of the TLC network's show, Take Home Chef and included a cookbook from the show's host. Curtis Stone is the very adorable chef from Oz who looks more like a surfer dude, but he affably charms his way into the homes of grocery shoppers (usually hot ladies), cooks a gourmet meal with the hot ladies, and the husband or boyfriend are totally dumbfounded when they walk in on a saucy Aussie and a camera crew making time with their woman. People hug it out, a delicious meal is served, and the show ends on a cheerful note. I say it's an anarchist love because aside from the fact that Curtis is cute as a button, I keep waiting for an episode when a jealous husband or boyfriend completely loses their shiznit during the ambush, so that I may laugh so hard, I never stop. Maybe it speaks to the ever-expanding list of reasons Why I'm Going to Hell, but I've always been thankful for Angry Peanut's devoted friendship and hearty encouragement of this Dark Side of the Force within me. I am Darth Vader to her Emperor Palpatine. I should write that on the next Valentine's Day card.

Silliness aside, I want to express a truly heartfelt thanks to the people who have taken the time to read this blog and write so many kind comments and emails. Sincere thanks also go out to the people I chat with via Twitter, and those who have taken the time to "follow" Wasabi Prime via the Twitterverse. This was a project started for myself and a few foodie friends, but it's turned into a creative and enjoyable way to connect with people and learn new things from fellow bloggers, as well as the rare opportunity to bend the ear of professionals within the culinary world. Thank you so much for the support, because it's always a pleasant sense of amazement to see that people think the posts are worth a peek.

Since the Prime is on hiatus, please take a look at the blogs on the Om Nom Nom links page -- they are all amazing foodie sites and I try and keep up with everyone's post every week. They are all reminders that I still have a lot of work to do, and to keep exploring and tasting my way through life. I'm signing off with a pic taken of some pretty petit fours from Tiffany & Co snagged during last week's Fashion Week. No real reason other than to illustrate the sweet thanks expressed to everyone. See you all in another week or so! Mahalo plenty!

Totally sweet, dude - Photo by Wasabi Prime