Buddha-Belly Grub Grab!

So it's been awhile since I last wrote of my adventures here in NZ. And I know what you're thinking. "There goes Travis with another one of his two-post-then-the-abyss blogs." Touche. Really I've just been trying to soak it in. You know, atmosphere and all of that.

But let's get down to the good stuff. The food stuff!

I feel like I'm ready to make some preliminary observations about what I've been stuffing my face with the last month or so. Here goes:

1. Coffee: Totally different approach than the US. They do not really do drip coffee here. Most of what you find in the grocery store is instant (not a fan), and the ground coffee I've been able to find for my french press so far has not been too satisfying. But there are a ton of local coffee shops. Everything is espresso-based in the shops. My go-to drink is a "long black" which is a double shot of espresso pulled over some hot water. Makes my heart beat in that special, "I feel like ADD-children have invaded my bloodstream" sort of way.

2. Burgers: Kiwis make awesome burgers. I went over to my Kiwi buddy Steve's house last weekend and he made me a standard Kiwi burger. Ingredients: hamburger patty, cheese, fried egg, pineapple ring, beetroot. Sounds weird but tastes like High School Musical made edible. In other words, "dancingly delicious!"

3. Peanut Butter: Not as sweet as I'm used to. Kind of disappointing, but probably waaay healthier. But reading my sister-in-law's food blog does not help me with my PB-envy.

4. Bread: Lots of crazy choices. Last week it was soy and linseed bread. Totally delicious, although weird for making sandwiches. My mouth felt very sophisticated. Now if only the rest of my body could catch up....(maybe the Star Wars t-shirts aren't helping any)

5. Ice Cream: Sampled some "Jelly-Tip Ice Cream." It essentially was vanilla ice-cream with a fruity, raspberry stripe mixed in. I was into it. I could eat a pint while watching "Grey's Anatomy" or as I like to refer to it "Go Away Ghost of Dead Boyfriend!"

Those are my buddha-belly thoughts at the moment. I'm sure there will be more.

On the topic of schooling, here's what's up.

I found out at my first class session that I actually have to finish my novel by July 1st. That's less than 4 months. Luckily I was already planning for this (it's a God thing).

We were split into small writing groups with the purpose of looking at each other's work in-depth. I think I possibly have the best writing group in the history of writing groups. My two group buddies are: Emily Perkins, who is a published and award-winning novelist who is just going through the program to "credential-up." Her newest novel "Novel About My Wife" is a great read. She actually just won the 2008 Believer Award, which is awesome (you can read their reveiw here. Needless to say, I am totally pumped to be able to learn from her. The other member of my group is named Zak, and he is working on a post-apocalyptic graphic novel, which is totally exciting. I've already been learning a ton from both of them!

The other writing news is that I have two stories coming out in publications this month. The first is my story "Eyes Open, A Melody" which will appear in the next issue of the Australian online publication: SWAMP. I think the new issue comes out in the next couple of days. The next is my story "Future Music" which will be coming out in a local Auckland literary magazine upstart called PotRoast. I am very excited to be working with them, and hopefully will be more involved in the future. So yeah, pretty exciting stuff!

I will also be giving a public reading of an excerpt from my novel in progress on March 25th. Here's hoping I don't choke. And my voice doesn't crack!

My life outside of food and writing has mainly consisted of pummelling my brain with as much literature/theory as possible. There's a reason I keep daydreaming of Steven Segall fight scenes. I think it's a metaphor.

I recently finished the novel "The Rings of Saturn" by the German author W.G. Sebald. Absolutely beautiful. A haunting and compelling metafictional walking tour through a quickly-fading Europe. It's like a simultaneous dream sequence/folk tale/history lesson. I loved it.

Here's a quote:
"The day was dull and oppressive and there was so little breeze that not even the ears of the delicate quaking grass were nodding. It was as if I were passing through an undiscovered country, and I still remember that I felt, at the same time, both utterly liberated and deeply despondent. I had not a single thought in my head. With each step that I took, the emptiness within and the emptiness without grew ever greater and the silence more profound."