Inevitable….i know…but the day had to come where the puppy would be the starting point for a post….a Monday morning post no less. To be honest though, the basis for this inspiration is my gig for the week – dogsitter. My dear friend over at Incyourself is off on an exciting adventure for the next few days and I’ve been given the opportunity to mind his house and his sweet animals. So armed with my pup Ian – that’s him in the pic – and a few other necessities, we’ve created a magicfish camp and plan for lots of reading, writing and inspirational thinking/brainstorming. It’s one of those things – being in a different space, no distractions from all the stuff at home, and the peace & quiet offered by a lovely little house – that fills me with a great sense of creative inspiration. And an excitement to see how much I can accomplish! What a great way to begin my week. O….and not to worry, there will be plenty of puppy fun going on as well.

Feeling deeply in need of some spiritual/foodie inspiration, I tuned into Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations on the Travel Channel and got the fill that I was looking for. The 3 back-to-back episodes traveled from Hong Kong to Tokyo and finally, and most beautifully, to Vietnam. The sights, the sounds, the beauty of the jewel-like food, and the lovely people were amazing to take in and I truly felt as though I was almost there. The banh mi, the steaming bowls of pho and the incredible bounty of fresh seafood was almost too much for words.

It’s that connection that food brings….that connection that spans continents, cultures, political divides and language barriers that has, and will forever, fascinate me. I really believe that sharing food, sharing a meal reveals something of our souls and hearts to one another and it doesn’t matter the location on your GPS. I will continue to explore the richness that food brings to our lives and to our souls as the magicfish swims through the vast oceans of the web….

And if you have a minute … check out incyourself’s latest post about the iPod shuffle mode … it will make you fall in love with your musical self all over again!

So I’ve been thinking that magicfish Fridays should be about the coming weekend – food ideas, the farmers’ market watch, community events – all those cool things that wind up in the net we cast out into the web. I intend to keep most of this on the local/regional level but, if it fits the magicfish profile, we will certainly report on the global level. 

Given that our nets were cast a bit late this week our catch maybe a little on the slim side but look for bigger & richer hauls as our Fridays continue. 

Here are a few upcoming items you may want to check out:

Downtown’s Galleria Mall is the site for the 5th Annual Art Fur Animals event. Sponsored by Friends of the Cleveland Kennel, all proceeds from this benefit go directly to the  neglected, abused, and homeless animals in our area. This one is lots of fun with good food, music, tantalizing artwork up for silent auction bid, and the live auction of the event’s signature ceramic dogs

art fur animals

With their Saturday markets in full swing now, North Union Farmers Market gives us another reason to just love the weekend. Two locations, Shaker Square and Crocker Park, provide the settings for the rich bounty of our local farmers and food artisans. North Union’s markets carry certified producer-only products ensuring that their shoppers get the best our Northcoast has to offer – the real deal that is! If you feel you need a bit more persuasion, check out their “10 reasons to eat local” page and see if that doesn’t whet your appetite. And remember, get to the market early if you want the best of the bounty! 

So that’s a wrap on this week’s catch. Look for more to come as the Fridays roll on and if you have any ideas or suggestions, please let us in on them. Have a great magicfish weekend!

So look for the more than just the occasional update, new beautifully cool discoveries and lots of food passion. Just promise you won’t do any googling of “crossroads of life”….