Quote About Fear: "Americans are the most fearful people in history..."

This isn't an original answer, but I stumbled upon this quote by Michael Michalko (author of Thinkertoys) and it resonated with me. How many of these things am I afraid of? How many times do I sense people's fear of these things? What should we do about it?

"Americans are also the most fearful people in the history of the world. Never before in history have a people who have so much been so much afraid. We are afraid of eating the wrong foods, drinking the wrong liquids, being on the wrong diet, being overweight, being ugly, being old, being friendless, being poor, not having the right house or car, losing our jobs, having a wrong job, being polluted to death, reading the wrong publications, becoming homeless, being attacked by the homeless, being hit by drunk drivers, being hijacked on an airplane, being mugged, being car jacked, being killed in a random act of violence, being beheaded by a religious zealot, of someone smoking a cigarette near us, and even afraid that we are not physically endowed enough to be in a physical relationship.

We are afraid we won't have enough money for a decent burial or that we don't have adequate insurances for our survivors. We are afraid our children will hate or embarrass us. We are afraid we will have to take care of our parents. We are afraid no one will take care of us in our old age. We are afraid other countries will hate us. We're afraid of terrorists killing us. We're afraid to act in our best interest for national security because of what the world will think and we're afraid not to act because of what the world will think. We're afraid of being sued. We’re afraid to get too close to our neighbors. We’re afraid to greet and talk to strangers. We’re afraid not to vote even when there is no one that we feel is worth a vote. We're afraid of ruining the environment, we are afraid of causing global warming, of being responsible for all the miseries in the Third World, of being responsible for all the criminals and murderers among us, and for all the sins of the world’s history. We are afraid of nuclear power. We are afraid to drill for oil and we are afraid not to drill for oil. We are afraid to speak freely and openly about how we really feel. We are afraid to be proud to be an American. We are afraid of being politically incorrect. We are afraid of being called racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, anti-feminist, religious, fascist, radical, ignorant, or prejudiced.

We are even afraid to wish each other a Merry Christmas."

Williams-Sonoma = I'm growing up...

I realized I was a grown-up when I started feeling the urge to walk around places like Williams-Sonoma.

In the past year, my love for creating great experiences through food has really taken off. It feels weird for me to say I'm into "cooking" -- which to me suggests homey and domestic -- so I tend to describe what I enjoy as "recreating favorite foods." It's not about preparing meals as much as creating interesting eating experiences, to me. The best foods are the ones that evoke experiences -- the ones that taste like a Autumn day (pumpkin pie bread!) or the foods that made me smile in Korea and Japan (like the delightfully spherical takoyaki).

On that note, here's a list I've been keeping of interesting foods I attempted to recreate in the past year, from foreign to familiar, in approximately reverse-seasonal order.

-Homemade Pasta
-Mango Sticky Rice
-Ebelskivers (Danish Filled Panckes)
-Dense, Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
-Spaghetti & Meatballs (Decorated) Cupcakes
-Waffles and Waffle-Yaki
-Takoyaki
-Oknomiyaki
-Omurice
-Orange Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
-Apple Pie Mochi
-Pumpkin Pie Loaf
-Pumpkin Daifuku
-Pumpkin Pie Bars (aka Ice Cream Mixer)
-Pumpkin Pie Mochi
-Pumpkin Tteok
-Pumpkin Waffles
-Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
-Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter
-Sweet Potato Fries
-Kabocha Yellow Curry
-Pumpkin and Banana Tempura
-Funnel Cake
-Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches
-Zucchini "Carrot" Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
-Blueberry Loaf
-Mexican Rice Pudding
-Homemade Tortillas
-Jap Che
-Smoked Salmon Pizza
-Rice Krispy Treats
-Avocado Shakes

Anything you'd like to try? Come on over!

My first job: Sales

When I was maybe 5, I sold brown eggs laid by my 20 Rhode Island Red chickens for $1.00 a dozen.

Then when I was 8, I sold miniature American Girl doll-sized food that I handcrafted out of Sculpey for $20.00 a set.

In junior high, I sold small businesses custom designed websites for up to $3000.00 a site.

And then I decided to be a designer.

My Road Trip Mix Tape

Perfect Pumpkin Curry