Welcome to the National Grub Year!

Aloha and welcome to 2019! 

If you're just tuning in, I've done a different project and blogged about it each January for the last 7 years. In 2012, I celebrated a different holiday each day in January, according to when they took place throughout the year. Those exploits can be found here.  In 2013, I did something that I had never done before each day, details of which can be found here.  In 2014, I had someone teach me how to do something new each day. Those lessons can be found here. In 2015, I did something every day to prepare for the birth of my son. Those stories can be found here.  In 2016, I cooked a meal from a different country each day. You can get the recipes and results here. In 2017, I interviewed someone new each day to try to get a better understanding of the different perspectives that surround our daily lives. Those chats can be found here.  And in 2018, last year, I did something each day to help me become a better parent. Those activities and interviews can be found here.

Each of these projects has taught me something, and each of them have been enjoyable in their own special way. For example, the first one, the Holiday Month, took place during the second month of my relationship with Elizabeth.  I'd like to think she enjoyed celebrating with me so much that month that she became my wife so we could continue the celebration for the rest of our lives.

My favorite project so far was when I cooked a different meal from a different country each day. I've developed a love of cooking over the years, and I have only gotten better in the subsequent years since the Global Grub Month.  So this year, I wanted to stretch my cooking talents again and do a cooking themed project. And instead of exploring different countries, I wanted to look at cuisine inspired from each of the 50 states here in the USA.  

This year, I'm changing things up a bit.  I'm enrolled in a doctoral program now, and that, coupled with being a full time husband and father (in addition to that pesky work thing), means that a daily blog was simply too much to handle (many thanks to Elizabeth for pointing that out).  So for 2019, I won't be doing a project contained within the month of January.  Instead, I'm branching out into the entire year.

Each week, I'll be cooking a meal inspired by a different state (plus a week for D.C. and a week for the Territories).  While these meals will by no means encompass all of what each state has to offer, they'll exemplify at least some aspect of their history and cultural traditions. We live in a big, diverse, messy melting pot of a nation, and there's so much out there to try and explore. I'm excited to see where this will take me!

Check back in throughout the year as I attempt to cook my way around the country.  Welcome to the National Grub Year!