Pink of Perfection

I have a major girl crush on Cathy Erway. Fed up with brunches that give you two little poached eggs in return for a hard-earned hamilton, Cathy resolved to not eat out, not ever, and started writing about it on Not Eating Out in New York. That alone, as an exercise in anti-consumerism and Girl Scoutish self-sufficiency, is reason enough for me to love her blog dearly. But Cathy also writes in this droll voice that makes me want to invite her over, get her drunk on old-fashioneds, and make her spill all her secrets. I settled for the next best thing: sending her questions over the internet and profiling her on Pink of Perfection.

It’s hard to walk to the corner in New York without running into a
restaurant, a push cart, or a take-out joint. So why Not Eat Out?

I ask myself that all the time. But really, I thought it would be a fun project or “fast” to test out, and I wanted to see how easily or not easily it could be done. It might not be practical for everyone, but I’ve benefited enormously through it all, from figuring out how to braise beef cheeks to eating more healthfully for myself and for the environment to saving tons of cash.

What’s been the most unexpected result of not eating out?

That it became so routine. Sometimes my friends ask me if I order the occasional “cheat” take-out when I’m just home alone, and I think — why would I ever do that? I’d much rather grab a nice cut of steak, or good wedge of cheese or something really exciting at a shop instead and make something wonderful out of it. Maybe I just enjoy cooking too much.

I’m always trying to figure out things to cook for dinner that feel
totally luxurious and restorative but are as fast as ordering in. What are
your go-to weeknight meals?

This is sort of what I was talking about with buying one or two really good, luxurious ingredients, like a ripe avocado, or steak, maybe some crusty bread, and doing what you will with them. But for my go-to weeknight meal, I’ll say a stir-fry with rice. I make them with any combination of ingredients, the most common perhaps being chicken and broccoli. This stuff really takes me back to my childhood. It’s simple to throw together and makes good leftovers, too. Another good one is pizza — get the dough from your local pie shop, raw, and throw some fresh mozzarella and whatever else you want on it.

What are some of your favorite Brooklyn destinations for eating, not eating,
imbibing, buying things, looking at things, walking, etc…?

Lately, it’s been Prospect Park, where I like to ride circles around and then flop on the grass. I like making a special trip to DUMBO, to see what’s in the art galleries and bookstores there, hang out at the waterfront, buy some baking chocolate at Jacques Torres, and imbibe at Superfine. Ditto for Red Hook, switching Baked bakery for the chocolate (or some other goodies), the bar to Sunny’s, and if there’s time, adding a shopping trip to Fairway Market.

What’s your ideal day look like?

Probably doing all of the above. And then making an elaborate feast with friends and bringing it to a nice spot outdoors — parknic!

What song is totally making your commute/exercise/scrubbing the tub a
rollicking good time?

Raw Ramp by T. Rex, a bonus track on Electric Warrior. I’ve been listening/dancing to it with friends so much it’s not even funny anymore, and nobody can figure out why it’s called Raw Ramp.

Maybe T. Rex has a thing for spring onions? What books are you your bedside table right now?

I’m reading Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province by Fuchsia Dunlop right now. It’s the province that my grandparents were from.

So I’m not the only one who reads cookbooks in bed! What blogs can’t you get enough of?

I check out what Deb is cooking at Smitten Kitchen all too frequently; I read Apartment Therapy, especially the kitchn, and Serious Eats often, too. Makes me wish I were a whole staff of bloggers instead of my little, time-constrained self.

Man, do I hear that. What’s one dream you have for something you’d like to do in your life?

To do a year’s worth of research/eating/learning to cook in Taiwan and then writing a book about Taiwanese cuisine.

That’s a book I would definitely buy.