Fat Kid Vacations: Seattle

Well!  I am back from BlogHer Food ’12 in Seattle.

I conferred.

I took notes (though I probably doodled more–I cannot help it).

I ate like it was my job and I wanted a raise…  A rather large raise.

Memorably, there was a Dungeness crab corn dog that made me think about my 10-year-old nephew, and how he would basically lose his mind over two of his favorite foods colliding like this.  It’s one of the reasons I like him.

I damn near cried when Todd and Diane showed us beautiful doggy videos (RIP Dante).

I met an awesome snowboarding instructor from Australia who swears she could make me into a decent boarder in one day…  I don’t know about that, Helen.  The other day I tripped, on a flat surface, wearing flat shoes; I will happily take you up on that, though!

I nervously said hello to Joy and Tracy.  They are lovely, of course.

I made new friends.  Katie and I got our cocktails on and huddled as we walked through cold, chilly Seattle (she lives in Santa Barbara; me, I’m just a big baby). Seriously, it was cold.

Me, Roni, Katie, Annelies

Roni and I teamed up to demolish three maki rolls at Japonessa, which doesn’t sound like a lot…  But I promise you, I’m pretty sure I was one grain of rice away from certain death.

Then, all of us journeyed to karaoke, where Annelies signed up to belt out some Journey (my kind of girl), though it was a busy night at Hula Hula and this sadly did not take place.

On my last day in Seattle, I did some unwinding solo.  This included: mango cornmeal pancakes at Blue Dog Kitchen.

Thrift shopping at the AMAZING Valley of Roses (I bought 2 out of the 3 things pictured here).

Salted caramel at Molly Moon’s.

Walking around the incredible Pike Place Market.

Trying raw oysters for the first time.

And yes, TONS of driving.  15 hours to, and 12 hours from, to be exact.  I’d like to thank Spencer Krug/Moonface for making this song and thus, getting me through the last two hours of a long, long haul.  It’s hypnotic and gorgeous.

And now, I’m happily home, tired and tremendously inspired.  Do this again in Austin next year?  You don’t say…