This is what I imagined Irish food to be: potato and oatmeal dishes washed down with a pint of ale and a shot of Irish whiskey. And somewhere in there big legs o' mutton -- one gets inspired to spe  

I'm generally very empathic when visiting a restaurant during its infancy. Having opened a couple myself, I know it takes a few weeks for most to work out the knots and find their rhythm. On the ot  

I spent 2002 feeling diagonally parked in a parallel universe. I tried to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attacked me at once. Maybe it's juggling three jobs, two teen-agers, o  

Fanatic: [n] person overenthusiastic about an interest. See also: addict, devotee, diehard, extremist, fiend, fool, freak, maniac, nut, zealot. This is me: 47-year-old writer, yoga teacher, si  

Conversation is the foundation of civilization, the very heart of culture and community. Face-to-face dialogue is the most significant human connection -- from town meetings to pillow talk, book   

Most mornings I'm inhaling a piece of toast and a banana, washed down with a cup of coffee while I peruse my schedule book. I'm hoping there's enough hot water left after my son's 30-minute comatos  

Saturday night the center of downtown resembles an Edward Hopper-does-Norman Rockwell canvas. The quaintness of autumn's cool air mingles with the lustiness of summer's heat still radiating from  

"Turn left at Rumpke Dump. We're a mile-and-a-quarter down the road," the woman cheerfully tells me when I call Vinoklet Winery for directions. Hmmm, I'm a bit apprehensive. I'll have to check my n  

For most of us who dine out regularly, a small, casual restaurant with simple yet interesting, well-prepared food at reasonable prices is at the top of our list for spur-of-the-moment decisions. Sim  

I felt geographically challenged as the five of us settled into our table at Aralia. "Ummm, between India and China?" was the best answer I could come up with to the question, "Where exactly is Sri