Cooking, Sex Scenes, and Unearthly Places

I had decided to take a break from cooking and from blogging. As of late, the two have grown into a slight addiction and I figured that I stood to benefit from a night away from my beloved kitchen. Instead of food, my night would be about sex. Yes, you heard me, SEX. I planned on going to see a reading of Sex Scenes by Polly Frost. Sex Scenes is sort of a comic and erotic ‘soap opera’ read by actors to a virtually over flowing and eclectic crowd. I remember the first time I was ‘turned on’ to Sex Scenes. I had been working where Polly held her readings, and as she greeted her actors and guests I couldn't shake the feeling that, somehow, I already knew her. As it turns out, Polly had been a customer at the Cedar Tavern and had actually done much of her writing there.

As I spoke with her about the tragedy of Cedar’s closing she told me a little bit about her work, “I just think all couples should write erotica together…” she told me with a firm yet breathless energy that was impossible to define. Here was this woman who writes ‘erotica’ (whatever that means) standing before me speaking to me with Zen-like assurance . Her voice was gentle yet assertive, positive, and almost bubbly. She invited me to stay for the reading and I accepted gratefully. I had no idea what to expect. Just how graphic would it be, erotic, hardcore, soft core, racy? I had no idea.

As lights dimmed, the audience chatter simmered down and they sat quietly at attention. Halfway through the first scene, there was no denying it, her work was hot! So much so - I had goose bumps - that it might have been embarrassing if it had not also been funny, heart warming, and true to life. This writing was not merely about sex; it was about life and all its conflicts, choices, and rewards. And, without a doubt, it was about sex. As I listened, it struck me: Sex Scenes was as much about sex, as my blog was about food. Gourmet Peasant is based around food, yet food is simply the palpable thread that stitches together and enhances the less tangible elements of my life. Food and sex are rudimentary elements, and at the same time they are so much more than that; they are the foundations of a majority of our experiences, and are a means of our expression and fellowship. I could go on and on, but I will spare you. What I am trying to say is that I can take a break from my kitchen, and I can take a break from my blog, but I can never escape the roots of experience - nor would I want to. My second Polly Frost reading was as interesting and moving as the first. In taking a night off from cooking, I had found my way back to the same unearthly place to which food can transport me, only this time, food was not the vehicle, sex was.