NO BITTERNESS HERE
Valentine's Day. What a sweet recipe for bitter disappointment. If you're single, you can look forward to crying yourself to sleep after watching seven straight hours of Lifetime Television for Women and eating an entire pint of dark chocolate Godiva ice cream. Good times. It's like Father's Day for a kid whose dad ran off, only better. See, when you're grown up there's nobody else to smooth your hair and reassure you it's not your fault. Single at 34? Yup, that's all on you! Why didn't you marry that nerdy-but-nice software engineer when you had the chance? So what if he had so much back hair he looked like Sasquatch from behind.
If you're in a relationship, you can put money on the fact that your significant other will A) not do anything because hey, what's the big deal? or B) reveal that he's never, ever listened to a word you've said because otherwise how in the world could he buy you a blood diamond? Oh, the misery of elevated expectations. At least Valentine's Day
falls on a Wednesday this year. That makes it easier for you to simply make
other plans. Go to yoga and then meet friends for a cocktail (or six). Go visit your grandmother in the home and take her a Whitman's Sampler. Stay in with your SO and grill some ridiculously thick steaks. Don't even make a gesture of a vegetable, just serve rib-eyes and cheap beer straight out of the can. Hell, make one for the dog, too. Dogs love steak and beer. Plus, they generally deserve Valentine's Day presents more than anyone else. When you say, "I just want to snuggle tonight," they know exactly what you mean.
CELEBRITY STATUS
There's lots going on around town over the next few weeks, so you shouldn't have any trouble keeping your schedule full. One of my girlfriends went out to get her mail the other morning and waved at Tommy Lee Jones as he walked past. Say wha? We're overrun with celebrities these days. I'm gonna put lipstick on next time I walk the dog just in case I run into Brad Pitt at the park. Food Network darling Giada De Laurentiis was recently here shooting for her new show,
Giada's Weekend Getaways
. After I wrote about La Boca (James Campbell Caruso's new tapas place [Total Pig, Jan. 10: "
"]), ceramics instructor Heidi Loewen tipped me off that De Laurentiis had eaten there during her visit. (By the way, I sat behind De Laurentiis at the James Beard Awards last spring and I swear she weighs 8 pounds. She couldn't possibly eat anything she makes on her show.) Anyway, while she was here, De Laurentiis learned to make porcelain pottery with Loewen, visited Shidoni and the Tesuque Village Market, ate at La Boca, Santacafé and Tia Sophia's, and stopped by Todos Santos and Chocolate Maven. You can catch the Santa Fe episode on the Food Network at 10:30 pm Friday, Feb. 9, 1:30 am Saturday, Feb. 10 and 3 pm Sunday, Feb. 11. (But you know they change that stuff all the time, so check the listings to be sure.)
BEER: THE DRINK OF GODS
At 6 pm Sunday, Feb. 11, Slow Food Santa Fe is hosting a beer tasting at the Santa Fe Brewing Company (35 Fire Place, 424-3333) with Brad Kraus, the brewmaster who makes Monks' Ale in a joint venture with Christ in the Desert Monastery and Pecos Benedictine Monastery. Kraus and brewer Ray Tell will lead the tasting of several different beer styles, then discuss the different styles. Don't worry, there's food, too; the brews are paired with appetizers and the whole thing only costs $10 for Slow Food members and $15 for nonmembers. Call 984-8089 for reservations.
SHHH…IT'S BETWEEN US
Also, if you're into organic gardening or farming, you should plan to go to the New Mexico Organic Farming Conference next Friday and Saturday, Feb. 16 and 17. The conference is planned by the New Mexico Organic Commodity Commission, the NM Department of Agriculture, NMSU's Cooperative Extension Service and Farm
to Table, a Santa Fe-based organization that promotes locally based agriculture. I talked to Joan Quinn of the Organic Commodity Commission and she said that although the official registration date was Feb. 1, you are secretly allowed to register now or at the door. (I guess that's not a secret anymore.)
Miguel Altieri will be the keynote speaker at the conference, and perhaps if you're a little more farmy than I am, you've heard of him. Altieri is a professor at UC Berkeley and is best known for developing the concept of "agroecology." He'll talk about sustainability in the global economy and how to achieve it locally. Other workshops will teach you how to design a drip irrigation system; how to incorporate bees, dairy goats and worms into your farm; how to market your goods with a Web site; and how to avoid E. coli on your spinach. The conference is being held at the Marriott Pyramid in Albuquerque (5151 San Francisco Road NE, 505-821-3333), and the cost is $65 for one day or $100 for both. For more information or to register, call Le Adams at Farm to Table, 473-1004 in Santa Fe, or Quinn at NMOCC in Albuquerque, 505-841-9067.
Tell me where to eat! I need your input. Send all of your tips, gripes and raves to
.