It's time to stop slacking.

Well, it's been over a year since I posted anything on this blog.

I think about it often, but gone are the days of living on the road, discovering a new country every couple of weeks and endless exploration through back alleys and street markets for the best bowl of noodles around. Writing was easy then. It seemed like there was so much to talk about, I was writing more often than not. Since I got back to Cayman in December of last year I've been working constantly on my new restaurant YARA. We opened the doors in May of this year and it's been keeping me busy, I haven't once felt a modicum of inspiration to write. 

Since I stopped traveling I've told myself that I didn't have anything interesting to write about. I didn't know how to reinvent my voice to tell a new kind of story. However, the more I though about it, the more I knew that I was just being lazy and talking myself out of putting in the time and effort to shift gears and think of new, interesting and valuable things to share with my readers. (If there are any of you left that is!)

A few weeks ago, I took a step back and evaluated a few things. I knew I was slacking a little in my life. In the far recesses of my brain I was still quasi-living the carefree life-on-the-road, and not focusing and all of my energy and effort as I normally would. I decided to make a change.

Today as my team and I finalize YARA's new menu for next season, I'm shifting those gears and making a commitment to myself (and to you) to dedicate time back to this cork-board collection of recipes, photos and stories. Last year when I was traveling I didn't have a kitchen to work in so I focused mainly on travel tips like my 8 Saigon Scooter Commandments or telling stories about my love/hate relationship with Dumpling Roulette. Now that I have a kitchen again, I'm going to start posting recipes in hopes that maybe they'll inspire you to cook something, or maybe you'll find the photos are just pretty to look at. Either way, I hope you enjoy.

But first... last month my girlfriend Amber and I took a cheeky little road trip through Europe. I could bore you with the details but instead I'm going to leave you with this little video called Taste of Italy : Road Trip Pt I.. It's my first time taking a crack at video editing, so have a look, and if you are still out there, leave me a comment... I'm totally OK with talking to myself, but it's always nice to have a little company.

-Dylan