Nine sleeps to go, so they tell me at work, and here we are again – at the end of yet another year. Another year of eating, drinking and generally having fun in this wonderful world we call ‘life’.
I hope you have all got a lot out of this year - learned a lot, acquired heaps more experience in what to do and what NOT to do, and truly lived life to the fullest.
Apart from actually loving Christmas anyway but not being religious at all, I get a lot out of looking backwards at the previous 12 months and using Christmas as the delineation between one 12 month period of time and the next. It is great to have this time to stop; to thank people you feel you need to; to spend this universal time off with friends and relatives that you wouldn’t normally have the time to spend with; to actually voice feelings and wishes that you might not ordinarily voice.
I daresay The Mercury are currently assembling their usual ‘Best Of’ listings – so we’ll soon read about the top 50 hottest newsmakers of 2008, or the top 20 cheapest holiday destinations. Remember their list of Tassie’s top 100 best known personalities of last year, or was it the year before? Some of those names had me scratching my head in bewilderment, and some had me wondering who the hell you had to sleep with to get onto that listing!!
Maybe you are wanting to contribute your own summation of 2008, in which case, feel free to comment, but I myself don’t feel like adding to the ‘best of’’s for 2008. I’m happy for you to make up your own mind as to your opinion on the best restaurant or café that you’ve been to this year or the best service you’ve received this year.
If pushed, I could commit to the following:
Saddest moments for 2008 – when Gobbler pulled the pin on his blog site, and when Luke & Katrina closed down Pecora.
Most frustrating meal – when I used the Vanilla Soy milk in the Scrambled Eggs
Highlights – the many emails I have received through the blog site enquiring about where to eat, or stay, or buy certain grocery items; seeing the link to my blog site on The Mercury online; discovering little gems of places to eat; getting to know many more hospitality people and their businesses.
Lowlights – criticism from a few restaurants when I dared write a few things online that maybe challenged the status quo.
Lowest light – Taste of Tas! Given that I am still planning on helping out on one of the food stands there this year, I’ll be extremely interested to see if/how Taste redeems itself in Rita’s eyes.
Tuesday, 16 December 2008
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7 comments:
A highlight for me Rita is that you are still blogging, a frequent read for me. Best wishes in 09
Wow Rita.
This post has definately been food for thought.
My first thought was "thank goodness that's over".
Been a bit of a bugger of a year really. But your words did make me sit down and think about it more and to realise how many good things I have to appreciate.
Of course a great number of them are food related.
Our experience working at The Taste and Festivale. Mostly enjoyable.
Dining at Marque IV for the first time.
Revisiting the wonderful Lee Christmas at Farmgate
Having a wonderful night eating and drinking at Red Velvet Lounge.
Enjoying the food and company at Cornelian Bay
Discovering a few new places to dine like The Cataract Bistro, Evandale Bakery, Darjoh's and even though on principal I don't want to enjoy it, Segretto.
Our Melbourne trip especially Sapore and Gingerboy.
The combined dread and anticipation of having 18 close family members coming for Christmas Day lunch.
All very well that Phil has built us a beautiful backyard deck.
It's supposed to bucket down.
My thinking is as long as we're all together it's wonderful.
So I'll focus on the happy, I've much to be thankful for.
To all out there in blogland, may you have a safe and enjoyable Christmas and New Year.
A wise lady once told me;
Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may diet.
Best wishes to all.
Thanks Steve. Appreciate the sentiments.
Christina - thanks so much for your words. I feel priviledged to have shared a few of those occasions with you. I hope the rain holds off on Xmas Day for you. Much as we'd love to put lovely Phil's handywork to the test, it'd be way better if it simply didn't rain at all.
To both of you - have a great Christmas, and I hope to catch you both soon.
Rita - your blog is definately one of the highlights of my day....your posts make me smile, or nod in agreement or even just mentally add to the ever growing list of places I need to try....
My NY resolution is to try to be more regular in my own blogging practice - though it remains to be seen if this will happen!
Fear not Rita, I will be maintaining my Taste of Tas boycott!
The loss of the Gobblers posts was certainly a class one pisser for me too. I miss the angle on "Its about the food and our relationship with it" no one else was a more passionate advocate. Flitting between the two sites was for me a late night comfort. I miss my produce and food fix from a fellow combatant of the kitchen who lived the same era as myself and echoed so many of those experiences of the evolution of now. Great nostalgia.
But, self employment I have discovered is a tough mistress who curtails self indulgence, good luck Gobbler.
Taste of Tassie, well frankly I'm too busy for it.
High points. I have at present a great crew. We few, we happy few, except two, who buggered off without too much ado. Their young, and I'm proud of them, they're gonna come good.
I'm moving one of my interests on in the new year, to concentrate on my primary concern and limit my exposure due to an almost inevitable lack of time and frankly I can see whats coming in terms of supply costs wage demands etc. Everyone is going to want greasing in 2009 and they will be wanting to shaft a few people too. For that reason I will be concentrating on the secure and not the flirtatious. Time to batten down a few hatches. Oh, and for any body buying the whole"Australian immunity thing" spend a few late nights with the bankers and pollies quaffing the Brandy and digesting the steak. Their shitting themselves and hoping you will save so as they can keep things alive, its like a cancer you don't know its there until some one says so. Trust me on this.
On the bright side. Happy Christmas. Hope you all have a great 2009, especially you Rita.
Cartouche
Trust you to cut right to the chase Cartouche! Well said.
I take your point and agree wholeheartedly with you about battening down the hatches, and the Australian (and especially Tasmanian) immunity thing! Who do they think they are kidding?
Anyone with a modicum of intelligence, and with the ability to read (and interpret) overseas data sees the writing on the wall. And understands that what they're reading will relate back to them soon.
2009 will be extremely hard for all of us.
Let's quietly celebrate this Christmas whilst gathering the required strength for 09.
I hope your businesses will survive in some acceptable form Cartouche, and that you have a great Christmas with family and friends.
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