Cooking, design, etc.

As a daughter of Dad who is an artist and a Mom who should be a professional interior decorator and chef, I have a deep interest in art, cooking, and design. I tend to see these areas as particulars that are made sense by my primary interest which is theology. Moreover, these particular areas of aesthetics seem to provide such a needed outlet for my studies. As such, I have decided to periodically record findings that inspire me. I realize that the blogosphere is saturated (for better usually) with design blogs. However, I must confess that this new blogging activity is mostly selfish in nature and it will allow me to record and display my findings and thoughts. Despite the main intended use, I'd love for your input or feedback if you graciously decide to share it!

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Today I stumbled across two interesting finds:

1) "Objectified" - This is a brilliantly made documentary by Gary Hustwit which explores the world of design. I particularly appreciated the design that went into creating the actual film. And, could Jonathan Ive be any more fascinating? Beyond his unprecedented Apple creations, Ive seems like a very interesting man with whom one could converse. It is available via Netflix for instant streaming. Go here to learn more: www.objectifiedfilm.com

This film also allowed me to do some introspection. I often wonder why certain aspects of ordinary purchases really bother me - I've always chalked it up to OCD. A few weeks ago, my Mom wanted to take me to Bath and Body Works to buy some essential toiletries. While I was very grateful for her offer, I didn't end up getting anything because the design really bothered me. I've routinely found their design to be too busy, kitschy, and overdone. I like products to be limited in design offering a subtle aesthetic element so that the product itself becomes the focus. I tried to explain this to my Mom but couldn't quite articulate my frustration. She laughed and called me a "snob." This is probably very true. However, this documentary enabled me to realize that my wonderful parents have cursed me so that I now prefer everything, even down to my pen, to be nicely designed. The good news is that design does not necessarily have to be expensive. It just means that you have to take more time to find good stuff at a graduate student budget price :) Thanks to Xac and Nate for their tweets which helped me to find this!



2) "Stir" - I love watching cooking shows. This is not a recent phenomenon by any means - I started watching Jacques Pepin at my Gram's house everyday at age 3.5 on PBS. I pretended to have my own cooking show at age 4. Due to this obsession, the Food Network has been playing ever since I finally had my cable connected yesterday! Oh, Ina Garten, I love you (btw). I don't know how to cook beyond a few basic dishes and everything else I just make up. I decided that I need to find some classes and I stumbled across Stir in Boston (thanks Yelp.com!). While the classes are a bit expensive so I won't go to more than two classes this year, I have read that it is an exceptional experience. The website has fabulous photos, too. Go here to learn more: www.stirboston.com