What a happy life it would be only to cultivate raspberries.
- Alice B. Toklas
Welcome to my food blog, documenting gastronomical adventures in Eugene and the surrounding Willamette Valley. We live in one of the richest culinary regions in the country with products that are achingly delicious and relatively inexpensive, a creative, young foodie population with energy from transplants and local organic farmers, a local culinary school, and yet we still have restaurants overcharging for mediocre, traditional food and no reliable local restaurant review network. This blog undertakes to address these issues, one recipe, one review, one tale at a time.
This is also a diary of my progress to eat better: to try to cut processed foods out of my diet, incorporate the local terroir, if not the specialties of the Pacific Northwest, into my own cooking. Sometimes it will be about my own quirky style of cooking, influenced most often by French bistro, Middle Eastern and Japanese cuisine, and my family’s roots in Eastern Europe, plus any particular ingredient over which I’ve grown obsessed. Sometimes it will be about food I can’t find here and therefore make myself at home.
My husband and I are both academics, and I’m officially still in graduate school in California, finishing my dissertation from afar; therefore we are short on cash and long on needing deliciousness. I’m one of those dreaded southern Californian transplants so universally disparaged in Eugene. Well, sort of. I’ve been in school there for a while, but I don’t really share many of the LA values that make southern Californians unpleasant additions to simpler living in Eugene. We are both Berkeley graduates, so I do have a great deal of unapologetic California and hippy love in me, and I was born and raised in the Midwest, so I can also be square and conservative when the mood strikes. I’ve traveled widely in Europe and Asia, and really love cooking ethnic food and understanding both authentic ethnic cuisine and the way in which ingredients can be used creatively (and sparingly) in other dishes.
Writing about local food is becoming more and more important to me. I have been a certified Master Food Preserver since June 2008, and regularly volunteer for the Lane County Extension MFP program, teaching workshops, answering food safety and preparation questions on our statewide hotline, preparing foods for demonstrations, fundraising, etc. I also volunteer for the Food Pantry Project, preparing and serving
nutritious recipes at local food pantries using ingredients widely available from major donations. I write a monthly food column for the Eugene Weekly, and plan to devote a slice of my academic research to the history of culinary literature in the 20th century after I finish my dissertation. I recently taught a food politics class to college freshman, something I’d love to do again soon, and teach community education classes on local food and preservation.
I mention all this stuff because I’d like you to know where I’m coming from, how I fit into the fabric of our community, and how much I will enjoy writing about one of my real passions in a place I’ve come to love. I hope to provide thoughtful, non-sponsored, and impartial reviews, quite a bit of honest grumbling, and cheerleading for places and food experiences that show the energy and creativity that Eugene can foster.
Please note all text and images are mine, unless carefully marked, and I will not take kindly to reuse without permission. Excerpting my work under “fair use” is fine, as long as you credit my blog. I don’t mind sharing for certain educational purposes with appropriate citation.
Please feel free to contact me at wellsuited at gmail if you’d like to republish something I’ve created or to discuss freelance work. I’d be happy to hear from you!
Regards,
Your hostess Eugenia
Eugene, OR
28 January 2008 at 10:56 am
Brilliant… :) I will be here frequently>
29 January 2008 at 7:13 am
Good job! Love your new blog. Your passion for the subject shines through your words.
11 February 2008 at 11:26 am
Yay! Finally another food blogger in Eugene! After Jocelyn left me (Brownie Points), I was feeling quite alone, so I’m so glad you’re here! And another graduate student, no less. Do you work at the school (we do!)? I’m guessing you live in South Eugene based on some of the comments you’ve made (we do too!)?
20 March 2008 at 11:06 am
Eugenia, so many posts about local food in such a short time. Cheers to that and keep up the great posts!
30 May 2008 at 1:24 am
Hi Eugenia,
Herewith a message from Holland
I came across your site while searching for the Germany culinaria. I collect the Dutch version of the series.
Should you have any questions about Dutch recipes, just let me know!
ciao
Hannah
30 May 2008 at 8:29 am
Thanks to everyone who has commented with such nice things to say.
Hannah, thanks for the offer! My post on the Culinaria cookbooks series (http://culinariaeugenius.wordpress.com/2008/02/04/culinaria-cookbooks/ )is by far my most popular post on the search tracker that comes with WordPress blogs. There’s not enough press for these terrific books, in my opinion! I hope you’re enjoying them as much as I am. I wonder when they’ll be coming out with a Culinaria Netherlands cookbook?
4 November 2008 at 12:46 pm
I just learned something new today! I had no idea there was such a thing as a certified Master Food Preserver. I’ve been looking at becoming a Master Gardener, but I had no idea!
Great blog. I’ll be back. :)
8 December 2008 at 2:29 pm
I love your blog and will be back soon. I am interested in the Master Food Preserver you mention. Is that a local thing or a national program? I love food!
Thanks for sharing!
Eli
9 December 2008 at 7:50 am
Eva and Eli, thanks!
The Master Food Preserver program is part of the Extension Service offered by public universities across the nation. About a hundred years ago, there was a bill in Congress that established federal matching funds for mainly rural colleges with agricultural programs to extend their services throughout each state. They did this by establishing “Extension Service Offices” in every county that they could. Some of the services these Extension offices provide in your county may include 4-H programs, commercial crop and home gardening advice from certified volunteers, homemaking education and nutrition education for schoolkids and seniors. And, of course, the Master Food Preserver program.
It all depends on your area, though. Many counties have eliminated Extension altogether, since it relies on federal, state and county-level funding, so if the county is broke, the programming can’t continue. That’s what’s happening in my county, Lane County. We’re in the midst of a big fundraising campaign to keep Extension alive and well in Lane County. We’ve raised $30,000 in the past few months to keep our doors open until June.
If you’re in Lane County, you might consider taking the Master Food Preserver certification training in 2009, which starts in April (check out the link to the right for more information). You receive 40-plus hours of training, take a certification test, then volunteer 40-plus hours to complete the program. I’d strongly recommend taking it this year, just because funding issues are likely to continue and the training may not be offered in the future.
If you’re in another county or state, you may or may not have a MFP program. Other counties and states do training differently — check with your local Extension office to see if you have a MFP program and how to volunteer.
And good luck! The MFP program has been such a wonderful, life-changing experience for me. Don’t hesitate to become involved.
16 January 2009 at 2:07 am
Hi Eugenia-
Wanted to let you know I moved my blog to http://ourhomeworks.com/.
-Amy
16 January 2009 at 11:52 am
Thanks for the link to the Eugene Friendly Neighborhood Farmer’s group!
10 February 2009 at 8:16 pm
Eugenia,
Thanks for your nice words about my blog. I was impressed by Culinaria Eugenius, and pleased to discover another blogger is interested in both Korean and Hungarian cuisine. Keep up the good work!
14 February 2009 at 5:42 pm
Hi Eugenia -
Actually not sure how I found you except that you and I live in Eugene and are both Master Food Preservers. I haven’t been involved in MFP for about 5 or 6 years and am really missing it. Hoping to come back and help out this year. My daughter-in-law and I will be at the bread-making classes next Fri/Sat and then again for the last one. Thanks for all you are doing to get people more involved in eating locally. And I love those beans!
Sharon
25 March 2009 at 4:18 pm
I’m new to your blog (and love it), so please correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t see any postings about eating in at Long’s Meat Market.
If you haven’t yet tried eating there, you must! They have the most delish BBQ brisket sandwiches on delicate ciabatta rolls, potato salad, mac and cheese, and baked beans that are to die for.
They also do a “braise of the day.” When I was last there, it was braised oxtail, which was amazingly tasty. They have all kinds of meaty treats (and beverages)…and you can get them to go or eat them at the butcher shop–which is a cultural experience in itself!
26 March 2009 at 10:18 am
Bruce, Sharon and Raychel, thanks!
Raychel: thanks for spreading the news about Long’s take-out items. Long’s is linked to my blog as one of the only stores in Eugene you can buy local meat. I didn’t know they did a braise-of-the-day, though. I’ll check it out!
1 April 2009 at 5:31 pm
As a fellow Californian (Pleasanton in the East Bay) transplanted to Eugene (for school at the U of O) and also an aspiring foodie, I stumbled across your blog and really enjoy it! Keep up the great work!!!
19 April 2009 at 9:04 pm
Hello,
Happy to have found your blog. I hope that the Buffalonians treated you well, as I was born and raised there. I, too, moved here from California. I am now proud to call Eugene “home.”
My husband and I helped to start Eugene Local Foods (www.eugenelocalfoods.com). Check it out and let us know what you think!
Cheers,
Carrie
11 May 2009 at 10:53 pm
[...] is Jennifer B. Levin, an English PhD. who writes food columns for the Eugene Weekly and blogs at Culinaria Eugenius. After trading posts for several months, we all finally met in person last Saturday night! Though [...]
1 July 2009 at 10:38 am
awesome blog! thanks for doing it!
10 July 2009 at 1:11 pm
hi eugenia, i like your blog. you tell it like it is and show it’s ok to have high standards for our local food and restaurants. we just want good quality food, good service, and a fair price.
that said, if you haven’t check us out yet, i encourage you to. i own Field to Table, we’re a full service catering company and also have a booth at the farmer’s market on tuesdays and saturdays. we prepare food on-site and keep it local, seasonal, and organic (as much as possible). i invite you to come down for breakfast, lunch, or brunch and check out what we’re doing. you’ll dig our weekly changing chalkboard menu too. cheers!