A Preface

There are thousands upon thousands of Food Websites (and blogs) on the Internet. Generally, Food Bloggers fall under one of three categories:

1. Restaurant Reviewers.

2. Home Cooks who cook from recipes they have found online or in a book.

3. Creative, sometimes Rebellious, Cooks who aim to inspire, seldom use a pre-written recipe and “make-it-up-as-they-go”.

I am of the third category.

When I decided to launch a website one my my first thoughts was; “The world has enough I-Made-Rachael-Ray’s-Cherry-Pie-Today, Blogs”.

Still, if you are learning to cook or just love to cook, sharing your experience with the world has great value. I regularly look through these kinds of food blogs and have a few favourites.

Likewise, anyone can go to a restaurant, take photos of their food and write about the experience. Many people do so and a few do it very well. I don’t believe I am qualified to critique chefs who have vastly more culinary experience than I. I may occasionally report on my experience at a restaurant that I enjoyed, but that is by no means meant as a review – I see it more as sharing or passing on a tip.

Anyone can cook. Even if you think you can’t cook, I promise you that you can. You only need  three things: Inspiration, Confidence and a Sense of Humor.

I’ve had cakes virtually explode on me, have caught my kitchen on fire, burnt, cut and otherwise injured myself. I rarely measure things (a challenge for me now that I am writing down recipes to share with others). In the kitchen, just like in life, you just have to roll up your sleeves and keep on going.

This site is about more than food and yet, food takes precedence.

So what’s the point?

I aim to inspire others to be more creative, brave and hands-on in the kitchen… and to see food as an opportunity for artistic expression.

I write about more than food, for me it’s about the experience of creating and eating.  And the stories that inspired the dish. Sometimes, it’s the other way around and a meal inspires a story.

With the exception of the site header photo of the red wine  and unless otherwise stipulated, all photos on the site are my original work.

I hope you find something useful or even better, inspiring.

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Why does Epicure on a Budget Exist?

Forgoing mindless consumerism for a different approach to life, eating & the acquisition of ‘things’.

Bringing common sense and creative sensuality back to everyday life.

How many times have you heard someone say, “I like nice things” as if that is somehow unique. Let’s face it ,we all like nice things but often for different reasons. For a man it could be automobiles or whiskey. For a woman it could be anything from jewelry to cutlery. For some it could even be a garden blooming with hydrangeas in shades of bright purples and pastel pinks.

I love fine things because I possess an extraordinary appreciation for food, aesthetic and craftsmanship. More than anything, I love food and while I don’t believe most people share my love of vintage clothing, I do believe most people love food and if not, it’s only because they have yet to find their story, their inspiration.

My mother was an accomplished home cook, who made cooking look effortless. She was a good baker because she followed the rules – I, on the other hand, have always been a rebel and this comes across in my cooking. I believe that every recipe has a story and every meal has a tale to tell.

Beyond food, my mother passed an appreciation for craftsmanship and creativity on to me. She made many of her own clothes, copying designers she loved like Yves Saint Laurent. Without spending much money, she always looked stunning and stylish.

I don’t care for lables. But the look and function of a perfect seam that only a trained hand could sew, the texture of a hand hammered wok, the heat I felt when the kind jeweler at Tiffany’s, sympathetic to my plight and hoping for a date, draped a 20 carat diamond bracelet delicately across my wrist, or the almost sexual pleasure I get from foie gras melting on my tongue or the smell of truffles wafting through the air…is very real to me.

If nothing else, I am sensual.

It’s all about two things, sensation and experience. Which leaves one vital observation that goes to the core of this blog and who I am: My obsession is not about money or status. An apple from a vineyard in Normandy can be and is just as sensational.  As I discovered on the Island of Ischia while tasting home-grown olives, one bite of the perfect olive can feel like transcendence.

I sold everything I owned last October. It’s amazing how little you can get used to living with. We don’t need 75% of the things we own. But Life is a customizable experience. I strongly believe that humans are meant to create and a natural part of this is the acquisition, use and appreciation of the creations we produce.

It’s not what you have, it’s why you have it that matters.

This blog is about the ways I find to accommodate my dedication to eating, aesthetics, craftmanship, unique style and flavour while remaining in the boundries of a sensible budget.

I found myself unemployed and in living in a new city last October. Living on a budget has been an adjustment but an inspiring one. As my income slowly increases, I am finding new reasons to budget…one being: It feels like an art form and forces a creative way of living.

Suddenly life, experience and the acquisition of “things’ takes on new meaning and offers a new perspectives, as well as endless opportunities for discovery. Who wouldn’t want that?

This blog is to share my experience and discoveries with anyone interested and chronicle facts and details about Food, Travel, Living, Arts & Crafts and anything else I come across. I hope you enjoy it.

~ by Epicure on a Budget on April 22, 2010.

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