Good Morning, Friends
Good Morning, Friends!
I hope you’re having a great week so far! As many of you already know, I’ve been increasingly unhappy with Facebook Pages for business, as well as Instagram, so I’m starting to move more and more of my activities to this newsletter, as well as Ashvegas, and my own blog (links below).
I have loved Facebook for a lot of years (12? 13?) but running a Facebook Page is a endless struggle against the constant updates, changes, “new products,” and especially something that’s happened more than a couple times in the last 12 months called "forced switching."
Then there’s all the social ills that FB and Instagram contribute to, like spreading disinformation, being slow to ban nazi / hate groups, and apparently even contributing to increased suicidal feelings among teens.
As one of my favorite podcasters, David Pakman said the other day, “I am increasingly convinced that Facebook is a net negative for society.”
It's kind of heartbreaking for me to come to a place where I feel like I no longer love Facebook, and I'll still continue to use it, but I'm going to slowly phase it out, in terms of using it as my primary way to reach an audience. Back in the day, we published xerox fanzines, so I'll figure it out!
In the meantime, please subscribe to this Newsletter if you haven’t already. It’s free unless you wanna pay. Thanks!
WHAT-ALL
Here’s what-all I’ve got going on, or in the works, right now…
• I’m doing one “Night Tour” a week, every Wednesday, with Asheville Food Tours. Sign up HERE. Hoping to add two more night tours, including a THC tour.
• I’m developing one tour a week with Asheville Brewery Tours, adding food & walking to their usual schtick. (glug glug)
• The Asheville Food Fans is broadcast on WPVM 103.7fm every Friday afternoon, and again on Saturday morning. It includes the Wing Thing, What’d Ya Eat, Food News and more. You can listen to the archives HERE and tune in live HERE. I’m thinking about expanding the show to an hour and a half, if the station will let me, and I’ve also revived The Morning Show.
• I publish my Food Feed on Ashvegas once a week, featuring the best of my social media posts from the week before, so if you’re not on Facebook, you can check there to see my latest pics and words about the local Asheville food scene.
• Puke is having a Pop-Up! It will be happening every Tuesday in November at The Odditorium, with a special menu developed by Chef Ben Hester, just for Puke… which is my imaginary punk rock restaurant, that occasionally comes to real life.
• Food Pod! Josh, Jason and I are pushing forward at all times on the food pod and it is coming together nicely! We’ll keep you posted about any developments as they happen. FYI - We’re aiming for an early 2022 opening date.
• Speaking of 2022, Shay Brown and I have started talking about The 2021 Food Fan Awards LIVE Ceremony, slated to happen at the end of January next year, and of course that means I’ll be writing and publishing the nominations in all categories on Ashvegas in the first three weeks of 2022, leading up to the awards ceremony.
• The Food Fan Awards are different than the seals of approval that I’ve given out recently.
• In March 2022, Shay and I will be working with Luis Serapio from Descubre Asheville on the first-ever People’s Taco event! It will feature taco vendors, and a wide-open, winner-takes-all, people’s choice taco throw-down at The Masonic Temple!
SO, THIS HAPPENED…
Chef Naomi Mikami of Wakuwaku Eatery has very kindly brought me samples of her Japanese food three times, and I can’t even tell you how lucky that makes me feel! The food is usually something I’d never had or even heard of before, it’s always delicious, and she never fails to teach me something I didn’t know about Japanese culture when she visits.
Last week Chef Naomi Mikami asked if I’d like to try her ham katsu, which is exactly what is looks like in the picture: Ham & Cheese (or just Ham) folded-up, coated in panko, and deep fried. I could literally eat these every day, at any time of day, as a meal or a snack. They were super duper yumtastic, and I’m sad that I ate them all and they’re already gone. The other dish she brought me, isobe age, is a kind of “fish cake” served with a veggie salad, and it was also yum! For dessert, she brought me some traditional Japanese ohagi mochi balls, that she made specifically for the Fall equinox!
AND THEN THIS HAPPENED…
AND while she was at my house, Chef Naomi mentioned that she plays an instrument, and gestured toward her car, which prompted me to ask if she had it with her, and she said yes, so I asked if I could see it. Little did I know that it's six feet long and requires some assembly! Once she got it put together, I asked if she could play something, and she most generously obliged. It was something special to say the least!
I recorded a video, which you can watch HERE.
BAD PLAY LIST
Here’s another weird “PL4YL15T” of… uhhh… not-SO-terrible songs… maybe… (shrugs). As usual, I made it just for myself to groove-out to while I write. It features Abner Jay, Donny & Joe Emerson, Robbie Basho and Daniel Sex Jr, along with others. It’s mostly harmless, although I should warn you, there is a Legowelt “song.” Enjoy!