Fine. FINE. I guess the secret’s out and now everyone knows where to get the best avocados. And chorizo. And barbacoa. Ok, look, Carniceria Ruiz has a lot of great things. But they really do have the best avocados, and there’s a big gorgeous pile of them right by the counter, and they’ll help you pick one out that’s perfect for whenever you plan to consume it.
And honestly, most of the time they’re not even sold out.
Tough choices like these are what being an adult is all about, I guess.
I ended up going with the pharmacy by the Korean market, because it is ALSO across the street from an ice cream shop that does a killer mangonada! (Perhaps I’ll draw a comic about mangonadas later, because they are pretty amazing.)
I felt pretty good about my decision. But then, as I was on my way to the pharmacy today, I found myself wistfully wondering about the tacos that got away. Did I make the right choice? Will we ever know?
Hey everyone! It’s been a long while, huh? Lots has happened – I cut off like a foot of hair, for one. I haven’t had short hair in years, and it feels great!
I also spent most of the winter illustrating two different books, both of which should be out later this year, so that’s fun! But I’m dialing back my illustration projects, and hoping to get back into making more comics again. I have at least a handful of new Sauceome comics planned, so watch this space… I’m also working on finishing up a new minicomic in time for CAKE, and I’ll put it up in the shop for anyone who can’t make it to the show.
Speaking of shops! I have a brand new Threadless Artists Shop! It’s insanely easy for me to get new designs up there, so if you have any requests for shirts, just let me know! In the meantime, here is one of the shirts you can order, in case you feel like telling the world how much you love banh mi sandwiches in an election year:
What else? Oh, I guess I could talk about this comic. :) I’ve been working through a lot of very intense feelings lately, and trying to unpack them and figure out where they come from. For instance, I know it’s a lie when the smokey head monster tries to tell me I’m not pretty, but why do I feel like I have to be pretty anyway? And why do I feel like I’m failing somehow if I’m not? Why is it even relevant? I don’t have a job that requires being pretty. My looks aren’t the most important thing to anyone in my life, anyone who’s important to me, even anyone I work with. I don’t owe the world prettiness or sexiness or compliance just because I was born with two XX chromosomes, guys.
I figure I owe it to the world to shower and be courteous and that’s about it.
This is totally cheating, and I absolutely encourage it. :)
If you can master the proper way to poach an egg, vinegar, vortices and all, you’ll find that your eggs are poached more evenly and more consistently that way. But if you’re in a hurry, and you’re not a perfectionist, this is a marvelous quick fix.
I encourage experimenting a little – different sized eggs will take a little more or less time to cook, and if you add more water it’ll take a little longer. There’s lots of different advice out there too – some people recommend covering the mug (or bowl), some people use vinegar instead of salt. This is what’s been working for me pretty consistently.
The yolk will also cook a little faster than the white in the microwave, which is weird. So don’t be surprised if the white is a little looser or the yolk a little less runny than you expected, and you can always pop it back in the microwave for a ten-second burst if it’s not cooked enough.
Enjoy your infinitely improved lunches!
Apples are full of stories!
So I haven’t yet decided if there’s going to be a part 3 to this. I feel like I have a little more to say but I’ve been having the hardest time articulating it, so we’ll see. But this was part of what was bugging me about the whole conversation. I was at Bryn Mawr to talk about food and food illustration and food comics, and specifically how images of food are almost never designed to factually represent the food as an object – they’re designed to tell the story of the food as an experience. A history, a recipe, a memory, a meal – it’s all about communicating the many layers of what a particular food means to us as humans, and that goes far beyond the mere object nature of the apple.
Hey everyone! So I recently got back from an amazing creative residency at Bryn Mawr college, where I gave a talk about food and art and comics and, essentially, the stories that we tell when we talk about food. I got to interact with a class full of ridiculously clever and thoughtful and engaged students, and eat probably the best dim sum I’ve ever had. It was phenomenal, and inspiring, and I had the best possible time.
There was one weird moment, though, when I ventured out into town to find a Starbucks. What started out as a pleasant enough conversation with a fellow caffeine-seeker turned a bit… weird. I mean, there’s going to be at least a second part to this comic. I’m reasonably sure this guy didn’t really mean anything critical or condescending by his comments, so nothing against him. But the whole conversation definitely shook something loose in my brain and left me pondering a lot of stuff, which I’ll get to in my next comic.
In the meantime, what’s going on? How are you? I’ve got a lot going on, but I’m working on a new mini (among other things) and I hope to have a confirmed convention schedule ready to post soon. Also, it’s spring, I got some ramps today (YAY!) and I’ve started getting my container garden ready. The neighborhood squirrel has already started tearing up my hanging boxes, though. Anyone have any ideas how to distract squirrels from delicious basil plants?
Hey everyone! I’m crazy busy of course, again, as always. I’ve been working on a series of comics for Ladydrawers, I’m doing a residency (and a lecture!) at Bryn Mawr next week, and I painted a bunch of crazy nesting dolls for serving cocktails in at Billy Sunday. I’m also working on a few (print) minicomics, one of which is going to be a little travelogue of our recent trip to Stockholm. Here’s a preview of that, just for you!
Whenever people start arguing about the superiority of regional pizza styles, Niles likes to say “all pizzas are God’s children”. I feel the same way about ramen, and there’s so much incredible ramen popping up all over Chicago these days! Niles was a sweetheart and for Christmas last year he donated to the Furious Spoon kickstarter campaign in my name, and got us into a pre-opening ramen tasting! The tasting was the other night, and it was a ton of fun and a ton of deliciousness. I highly recommend the furious ramen – especially if you like a little spice. They’ll be open February 18, and they’re giving free ramen to the first 100 customers!
In other news, Hourly Comics Day was the other day! You can read mine here. You can also find a link there to an article where a USA Today reporter asks me about the snowstorm. TL:DR version: a lot of snow happened in Chicago and I didn’t care because there was free pinball at the arcade.
Let’s break this up into manageable parts.
1) The few times that I have been a complete ass on my bike – and it’s happened, a very few times – the drivers were pretty nice about it. They seemed relieved that no one got hurt, and I was pretty apologetic, completely acknowledging being at fault. The only times drivers have ever unloaded obscenities on me on my bike have been immediately after the driver did something stupid, dangerous, or downright illegal. This guy came up behind me – I’m assuming he saw me from a ways off – and once he got in front of me he swerved well into the bike lane just to cut me off, and then shriek at me. People are really ugly sometimes.
2) I’ve lived in Chicago for 12 years now, and I’m usually pretty good at ignoring things that people shout at me on the street. (It’s almost never anything worth listening to.) It’s kind of hard to ignore someone who just tried to kill you, though. Especially when they’re confirming insecurities that you were JUST THINKING ABOUT.
3) Photos. Why are photos so hard? I mean, I know why they’re so hard, it’s a frozen moment where you have all the time in the world to criticize flaws, and even find some new ones. It’s very easy for me to look at a photo of myself and see it as a referendum on everything wrong with me. But that’s not going to change. Even if I lost a crazy amount of weight, I’d still hate my own photos. My eyes are too squinty, my teeth are too big, my hair looks dumb, etc etc etc ad infinitum. But no one cares about those things except for me. I’ve got to find a way to push those thoughts out and see photos for what they are: a reminder of a really great time, laughing and talking and having fun with some really great people.
4) It’s taken me too long to admit that smoky head monster is back. I really didn’t want to accept it. It was naive of me to think that he was dead forever, I guess. But! I sent him away once before. I can do it again.