GUSTO FOR ROBUSTO

Date: Friday, March 27th, 2009
Location: Kafe Kerouac
Hours: 8:00 PM
Admission: $8
Address: 2250 N. High St. Columbus, OH 43201
Phone: (614) 299-2672
Web: http://www.kafekerouac.com/

Come to Kafe Kerouac's March 27th Beer Tasting, at 8pm, for an 8 for $8 tasting of California based beers. The West Coast is home to some of the finest breweries in the country, and the world, and to be sure, the beers that will be featured are truly fine examples of what the "Left Coast" offers the world of beer. Also, there will be live music featured on the night, and all this is another great example of the fun, unpretentious, cozy events that are presented by Kafe Kerouac. So come out, relax with some lively music, and remember that all these events are brought to you by LifeEpicurean.com, your home for all things good life.

Remember to also check out all the great beers afterward, as they'll be featured while supplies last, at Kafe Kerouac, both on the night, and in the days ahead.

On Behalf of LifeEpicurean.com and Taj Mahal, Chris and I would like to give an immense thank you to everyone in attendance tonight. It was a huge success beyond our greatest expectations, and we'll be doing plenty more of these kinds of events -- whether at Taj or elsewhere.

Again, our deepest gratitude goes out to everyone that came out tonight. We had a great time and we're so glad everyone else did, too. We heard nothing but positive things.

Coming up later this month we will be hosting a beer tasting, featuring a horizontal tasting of Avery's fine line of beers, at Kafe Kerouac. Be sure to join us for this event, it'll be much of the same and much, much more.
It will be on Friday, October 31st and yes, costumes will be encouraged! This should prove to be a great time and we hope to see you all there again!

Be sure to check out the event calendar on LifeEpicurean.com for all our latest events and happenings. And of course, stop back in at Taj Mahal real soon for their fantastic food and service. Without them, tonight would not have been possible.

Once again, thank you all so much and we look forward to doing it again.


Regards,
Matt Reese
Art Director/Co-Founder
LifeEpicurean.com

So far this summer has proved to be full of adventure and excitement. As neo-Kerouac or Easy Rider as it may be, my girlfriend and I set off on the road heading west with no set itinerary nor intentions of staying in hotels. We chose instead to follow the road west, wherever it and our whims may take us, and experience -- just experience. I think it's important in life to take the time to just do something for the sake of doing it and really embrace any opportunities that may come along the way. That's exactly what we did. We casted ourselves into the unknown, at least to us, and took in everything we could on limited funds. After leaving our home and city, the places we are most comfortable, that warm night in early July, we found ourselves traveling the country, city to city, every day a new place, new people, new things to see, do and eat, and each just as fresh and exciting as the last.

Traveling on the cheap isn't easy, but cutting out the cost of lodging helps tremendously. We managed to do this by sleeping in the car. Really, it wasn't as uncomfortable or awkward as it may sound. I have an SUV and, with the back seats folded down, it provided ample space for laying down. We also had a futon mattress spread out across the back adding to the comfort. Pillows, blanket, towels over the window so weirdos can't peep in, and it was just like our bed at home.

Wal-Mart parking lots became a welcomed sight (and at times our Zion after extended drives through more desolate areas). The majority of our car-camping was spent in various Wal-Marts across the country. I'll tell you, it is nice to find Wal-Marts that are open 24/7 when traveling like this. The convenience of buying much needed supplies and the even greater convenience of an open restroom can seem a godsend at times. These are the sacrifices to be made when traveling on a budget.

When distanced from civilization or in cities not known for exceptional culinary offerings, we opted for cooking soups and homemade chili over a propane grill we had picked up at a Wal-Mart. My chili is great, I must admit, but after eating it for two weeks straight, I was glad to see it gone by the time we reached Seattle. PB&J sandwiches, granola bars, and trail mix were other staples of our diet.

Bathing may have been the most pressing issue. See, that's a tough thing to just not do. Two sweaty bodies, confined to a car, roasting under the summer sun for hours on end, doesn't make for too pleasant a smell. One way around this, at least for a quick fix, was to use plenty of deodorant and Neutrogena oil blotters (again, purchased at Wal-Mart). We also washed our hair daily with shampoo and bottled water. Brushed our teeth with bottled water as well. But showering, a good thorough shower, that was the hardest obstacle. We could in no sane frame of mind simply de-robe where any passerby could see and bathe with soap and bottled water. Even if it were miles off a main road, behind an abandoned building, neither of us would resort to that. So this became problematic. We stopped at a few truck stops and used their showers for travelers, but, at $10, that was entirely too expensive. We ended up buying some sanitary wipes, cleansing ourselves with those, and stopping to shower only ever other day or so.

Fortunately, we managed to break this up enough by staying with friends, camping at a few natural wonders, leasing an apartment in San Francisco for a week, and breaking down and renting cheapo motels on two occasions.

Aside from the aforementioned hardships, which really were not that bad at all, the trip was comfortable and turned into a way of life for us. This is just what we do. We travel. We experience. And we set off in anticipation for the next place. Keeping on the lookout for a Wal-Mart to sleep in that night became normal. Moving all of our bags and supplies from the back to the front seats to make room to sleep every night became normal. Waking up at 8:00 AM to unexpected sweltering heat and beams of sunlight peeking through the cracks of carelessly towel-covered windows became normal. Fumbling-with-the-keys-to-insert-into-the-ignition-so-that-we-can-roll-down-the-back-windows-and-reach-out-the-door-to-open-it-from-the-outside-because-the-handle-inside-is-obstructed-by-the-folded-seat became normal. This was just life and this was just another day in that life.

It also helped that we had A/C.




More to come. I haven't even begun to touch on what we saw and did.

With the summer in full swing, I think it's time to shift the focus of The Definitive to drinks appropriate for the weather. I've already covered the Mint Julep and Gin & Tonic, so I think next up will be the Mojito. After that, I'm not so certain. Ideally I'd like to keep things more aligned with classic cocktails, but a Michelada is tempting to do.

Any suggestions?

Wow, I just want to say that Montreal ruled. Chris and I, as well as our lovely ladies we brought in tow, had such a great time experiencing everything uniquely Quebecois. It's one thing to take in all the high-end places such as restaurants and bars, but it's necessary to slip away from the epicenters of commerce and check out the neighborhoods and scenery to really fully appreciate a city. I made it a point to check out some of the neighborhood bars and local shops far removed from anything touristy. Of course, the touristy stuff has it's time and place too. Our trip wouldn't have been complete without checking out the Port, Old Town, Notre Damme Basilica, and Parc Olympique.

As much as I love Columbus, Montreal has certainly earned a spot in my heart. I plan on returning again and again in the future.

Viva poutine!


» An index of all Montreal content on LifeEpicurean.com

We've got the site, but I think I'm going to start using this journal to become more active in the LiveJournal communities. I'd like to post entries on here that would be much more anecdotal than would be found on LifeEpicurean. Much of what we do on the site is very focused and professional, so I think that keeping a LiveJournal in addition would provide for an opportunity to be more personable and interactive. I'll probably be writing about "behind the scenes" sort of happenings from our events and travels, ideas for future content, and so on.  It's always nice to just have a written record of things, too.

Any how, feel free to add this account and talk with me. I'll go ahead and open the dialog:


Hi, I'm Matt.  What's your name?  

Too often in our contemporary life, we’re rushed. We rush out the door in the morning to beat rush hour traffic. We rush through breakfast and morning coffee, maybe getting it at a drive through window, rather than our own kitchen. We rush through the work day, not taking our time as the quality of our work suffers, and we try to get through the day as quickly and as painlessly as possible, only to rush home for dinner and the news, maybe leaving us enough time to veg out in front of the TV with the newspaper, watch a little American Idol, or something like it, tuck the kids into bed, rush up to bed, watch a little Dave, or a little Jay, get some sleep, only to rinse and repeat the very next day. Even on the weekends, we rush through errands and supermarket trips to get back home in time for to spend at least a little time with family, maybe even make a trip out to see our friends or relatives.

And even college students aren’t immune to the rush. We rush out the door much the same way as our workforce parents do, forgoing breakfast many times, rush to class to avoid being late or counted absent, rush out the door of a boring lecture, rush back to the dorms or our apartments, rush through our homework, rush back out to grab a bite to eat, or a few beers with our friends, or maybe rush off to our jobs to pay for bites with friends. We rush through study sessions, even, hardly paying the same attention we’re told to give to the material.

For what? Why do we feel so hurried? Is this living?

As one can no doubt guess, we at LifeEpicurean.com would posit the idea that this isn’t living. It’s dying.

We’re here on this earth for but a short while. Why rush it? Why speed through activities that we’re not even really enjoying anyway? We speed and we rush, for what? Only to speed and to rush on to the next task? It’s an awful way to live. We must set aside more time, we must take a moment to appreciate, to savor, to learn, and to live. And more than the individual, I must stress the word “we.”

We must be more appreciative of the finer things in life, the simple pleasures, and everything in between. We have to find the time to drink deep the fine wines, and learn from them that life can be brighter, fuller, and more vibrant than we previously thought. Those so inclined amongst us must take a while out of our day to enjoy a great cigar, and do as Josh Bernstein noted in Cigar Aficionado—send our prayers up to the winds, and meditate and reflect as the wind takes us wherever it may, and appreciating that place we find ourselves for whatever it is, wherever that may be. We must savor our meals, and try to eat the things we love, and put things in our body that can build us into better people—both in mind, and in spirit. While moderation is important, to be observed in all things, the old saying has never been more true—everything in moderation, including moderation.

Living life to its fullest and loving it is what we are all really here for. It’s not our things—not our jobs, our money, our clothes, or our cars. Responsibilities matter, and they guide us day to day, on our journey, but instead of living to work, we must work to live, and live to the fullest, and savor those little pleasures of life. Our life’s journey may take us to new and strange places, present us opportunities to eat exotic and wild things, and to learn things about ourselves we never before imagined. This is what we are meant to live for.

Life is short—we hear it all the time. We’ve lived and governed our lives according to that guiding light. That said, we must do that with the idea in mind that with a short life comes the urgency to savor, appreciate and truly live it while we can.

With that, we say, live life with an Epicurean sense. Take the time out of your day, and love the things you do, and the life you live. We surely do.

Welcome to a life worth living, a life all inclusive of the world around us, a world full of beauty, art, great food and drink, cigars to help us relax and reflect, and the sport and the affairs that inspire and intrigue us, and with that, the camaraderie that comes with it. We are a part of a bigger life—a Life Epicurean.

Let’s get busy living it.


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