I am a writer and cook living in Northern California with my husband and cat. My writing appears regularly on PopMatters.com, where I review books and write the Curious Omnivore blog.
Prior to taking up writing and cooking, I was a devoted dance student who spent hours at the barre. That changed in 1996, when a series of lifelong health problems finally received a diagnosis. The painful “tendonitis,” chronic G.I. trouble, and eerily flexible joints had a name: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. As the Rheumatologist handed me the paperwork necessary for a disabled parking placard, she instructed me to quit dance immediately.
Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a connective tissue disorder causing lax collagen. You can learn more about it here: www.ehlers-danlos.org
While relieved to have an explanation for my unpredictable body, I ignored medical advice. It took a full dislocation of my left knee before I quit dance for good.
Now in my late forties, I find myself spending more time in the kitchen—canning, preserving, confiting, roasting, just making dinner. Cooking is an absorbing pursuit that helps distract me from my body’s increasing misbehaviors.
So welcome. Despite no dishwasher, two electrical outlets, and a dented cook, the Insufficient Kitchen cooks seasonally, from scratch. There’s always room for company at my 1950’s red Formica table.
Pull up a chair.
For a little more about why I started cooking, which is a story in itself, feel free to read the More About page.