It’s a momentous day for Connecticut, which began selling liquor on Sundays as of today.

Big Y, Enfield

We didn’t think it’d be that big of a deal for us. After all, we live within walking distance of the Massachusetts border, and Mass. ended their blue laws eight years ago. If we found ourselves low on beer or in search of a wine to go with Sunday dinner, it was never an issue.

But, excitement was building, and Rob suggested we patronize a Connecticut liquor establishment Sunday – just because we could.

On our way to Lost Acres Vineyard, we stopped at Big Y for some picnic supplies (cheese, bread, grapes) and I made a beeline for the beer aisle – JUST to see the six-packs pictured above liberated from the ugly gray tarps that normally shroud them on Sundays.

And as we left the vineyard, Rob decided he wanted to participate in the festivities. We stopped at a package store in Granby and bought local, choosing a six-pack of Hartford’s City Steam Naughty Nurse.

With the new law, Connecticut became the 49th state to allow Sunday sales. Your move, Indiana.

I’ve been more than vocal about my stance on food-blogger freebies, so I won’t rehash my (sometimes unpopular) opinions here.

What I will do, though, is share this very helpful guideline to new FTC regulations, a must-read for any blogger who features sponsored posts, endorsements or reviews of company-provided products and/or services. (Also, if you’re not familiar with food-writing expert and coach Dianne Jacob, she’s a great resource.)

In my view, this is a good thing – it calls for more transparency and keeps bloggers honest, which then translates to more trust from their readership/audience.

I couldn’t have said this any better myself. On the heels of the release of Dunkin’ Donuts’ new “artisanal” bagels, Lewis Black appeared on The Daily Show last night to rip the product’s name – while taking a whack at other mislabeled, misrepresented foods along the way.

I suppose I should add: “Language not safe for work” because you don’t all work with foul-mouthed news heathens like myself.

Bear with me for a little bit, while I adjust to this new schedule. I’ve taken on a new challenge – a part-time news production gig at MassLive.com, in addition to my food writing for the Courant and CTnow.com.

Though I’m living kind of a weird double life right now, it’s great so far. Anyone who’s ever freelanced for a stretch of time can attest to this: working for yourself is mostly wonderful, but in some ways terrible.

I like being in a structured office setting again, and I’m back in touch with my news roots. That’s a good thing. When you spend your days writing about wacky fast food items, your brain tends to curdle a bit.

But don’t worry. I’ve been doing some of that in my new market, too. (My skills are clearly transferable.)

That loud “pop” you heard earlier today? That’s the collective sound of aspiring food writers’ dreams dashed, in a single instant, after Food 52 cofounder Amanda Hesser published this blog post.

“I can no longer responsibly recommend that you drop everything to try to become a food writer,” the former New York Times editor wrote. “Except for a very small group of people…it’s nearly impossible to make a living as a food writer, and I think it’s only going to get worse.”

While the declaration may have burst a lot of bubbles, it hit home for me. Maybe a little too hard. Hesser’s words were nothing I haven’t heard (or experienced) before, but it was just a sober reminder that the job I love so much will never be financially satisfying.

In Hartford, I was never spoiled by the halcyon days Hesser refers to – six-figure salaries, unlimited expense accounts, $2 a word freelance assignments. Having entered journalism in the already-tumultuous year 2006, I actually have trouble believing these things ever existed.

When I started blogging and freelancing full-time in 2009, I had no expectations that I’d ever become wealthy. Such is the life of a writer.

The blog comes at an eerie time for me. In addition to my print and web writing with the Hartford Courant, I’m about to start a part-time job with another news organization in Massachusetts. It’s an effort to increase my income and diversify my work in journalism.

But I consider myself so lucky that I’ve been able to do what I’ve done for the past two and a half years. Writing about food daily, and getting paid to do so, has been the most rewarding period of my career. I’m better for it. Everyone should get the chance to do what they love.

My own advice would mirror much of Hesser’s. Even if you don’t have designs on a full-time food career, you should make the effort to stoke your passion anyway, even on the side.

Broaden your skills (particularly in web technology.) Eat everything, and take notes. Attend as many festivals, tastings, dinners and events you can, because that’s where you’ll learn. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Start a blog, if you haven’t already, and establish your voice.

And connect with others who love food as much as yourself. They will be your community, your sounding board, your support, your cheerleaders.

If you haven’t “met” Yoshi yet, you’re in for a treat.

Yoshi is my brother’s three-year-old Holland lop rabbit. He is sweeter, sassier and funnier than many humans I know. Everything about him is amazing.

The above clip is just a glimmer of his personality. I like to think he’s saying, “I only eat organic, bitch,” but in reality this bunny would never miss a meal. He was just annoyed the carrots dared rest on “his chair.”

He’s gaining quite the fan base. For more pictures, check out his official Facebook page (yup, we went there) and the #DailyYoshi hashtag I created on Twitter, where I post shots as I get them.

And more pictures after the jump…

Now that my home base is, well, home, I don’t travel to the capital city every day. But I was there for a story last week, and with about 45 minutes to kill between appointments, I stopped at Jojo’s on Pratt Street in Hartford for a quick coffee.

Starbucks is always easy to find when I’m on the road, but I love a good indie coffee shop. And though Starbucks makes a decent latte, they just don’t do this.

To the marketers of Chick Beer...

Her Energy Drink…

Skinnygirl Margaritas…

“Girl Burgers”…

“I’m Too Pretty To Do Homework” T-shirts…

Engagement chicken…

And a myriad of other stupid pink bullshit products…

Just stop. My head is practically bruised from all the facepalming.

(A big thank you to Kat Kinsman of Eatocracy for giving me the push to finish this blog entry.)

Between daily press pitches and my own personal diet of food blogs and websites, I see a lot of cringeworthy offenses. And at the risk of getting all English-teachery, I decided to document the ones that irritate me the most.

Sneak peak: You’re giving me a furtive apex of your menu? How kind of you. Oh, sneak PEEK. That’s what you meant. (Then write that.)

Palate/palette/pallet: I don’t know at what point these became interchangeable. But they’re not. Palate is the only one that refers to taste.

Resto: “Resto” is a cutesy abbreviation for “restaurant” that needs to die a horrible death. It’s only marginally acceptable on Twitter, with the 140-character limit. And if it’s in your headline, kiss SEO goodbye.

It’s/its: “It’s” is a contraction of “It is.” “Its” is a possessive. I thought we all learned this in elementary school.

Laughable adjectives: A dear friend, Amy Kundrat of CTBites, once asked me to shoot her if she ever used the word “tantalizing” in her food writing. I’m more weary of over-the-top descriptions like “stunning,” “exquisite,” “legendary” “outstanding” and “mouthwatering.” (Let the critics decide that.)

The mother of them all, the misuse of “your” and “you’re”: You could have written the most compelling copy imaginable. But if you’ve titled the press release “Your Invited,” it’s in my deleted items folder as fast as my keystroke can move it there. Not only is that my biggest grammar pet peeve, it’s one of my top 10 pet peeves. And I have a lot of pet peeves.

Honorable mention: Any and all Groupon copywriting. Consider this entry from last week, a 50% discount at a Peruvian restaurant in West Hartford:

“The best way to familiarize oneself with a different country’s culture is to spend 10–15 years in one of its maximum-security prisons, but the second-best way is to taste its cuisine.”

Yeah, now I’m really craving ceviche.



It should come as no surprise that I – like many food lovers – am completely and utterly obsessed with “Parks and Recreation” character Ron Swanson (played by Nick Offerman.) How can you not love a man who’s so enamored with meat?

And it also shouldn’t surprise you that Rob got me this T-shirt for my birthday – a gift I loved just as much as the bottle of 2007 Rodney Strong Rockaway that he smuggled home from California.