I keep hearing from different people that I should start a blog so I have finally caved in. While the idea was always appealing I have had
some trepidation about doing so due to the fact that I feel I already fill the inter-webs with
enough of my thoughts via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Did I really
need yet another personal space on the web that I have to tend to and nurture?
After
giving it some consideration I felt a blog would allow me to go a bit deeper
with my thoughts and observations (primarily about food) instead of just
showing off pretty pictures. No longer would I be
restricted by Facebook's status update length limit or Twitter’s 140
characters. Let’s face it, Facebook Notes never caught on and the
resolution of their pictures leaves much to be desired, so blogosphere full of
high-res pictures here I come!
Of
course the first thing you have to do when creating a blog is come up with a
catchy title for it. I intend this blog to be primarily about different
foods and cuisines I have indulged in while on my travels (although I do intend to do some write-ups on my favorite eats here in Boston). Thus, I began
brainstorming only to come up with ideas that had already been taken (for
example, “wanderlustforfood” and “vittlesandbits” both exist and are
lovingly maintained). English wasn’t getting me anywhere so I started to
think in Spanish and then bam, the name came to me. A name that can cut glass…alimentoski!
The
name comes from the Spanish word “alimento” which means “food” (more along the
lines of “provisions”) and the “-ski” is derived from a song by the Colombian
cumbia artist Gustavo “El Loko” Quintero y Los Graduados titled “El
Aguardientoski”. Aguardiente is an anise flavored liqueur that is
considered the national drink of Colombia (which is where my family
is from). Every Colombian family has a bottle of it on hand for that
special occasion (usually under the sink next to the detergent) or when needed for an emergency home remedy (it’s well known
that a shot of it works wonders for an upset stomach). The song is
a playful number about a man who stops at a bar and asks to be served a shot of
aguardiente and a rum and coke for his lady friend. Clearly the guy has
had his fair share of beverages that night because he needs to reassure the
bartender that he has money with which to pay for the drinks and adds “-ski” to
the end of every word. Of course he keeps ordering more shots and thus madness ensues. Here’s the
music video which is quite entertaining:
For those of you who thought a Colombian pulling out a machete at a bar was unrealistic think again. One of my father's most memorable stories is about the time he had to bail his pal out of jail after he was arrested for brandishing a machete at a bar while wasted on...you guessed it, aguardiente.
The
“-ski” at the end of each word is supposed to make fun of Russians
where everything ends in “-sky”. I didn’t
want the blog name to be too long so I thought alimentoski worked perfectly (especially since "alimento" ends in "o"). I will hold off on my first official entry but what you can expect are blog
entries on cities I've visited and what foods I feel are worth seeking out while you're there. I will blog about other stuff too (I don't want to limit myself) but food is what the focus will be on. With that I toast you a
virtual shot glass of aguardiente – to happy blogging!
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