Pizza Brings People Together

Cue a rousing version of "It's a Small World" (which, by the way, was my favorite Disney attraction when I was a kid*)...

At the pizza party Tuesday night, I saw the smiley gentleman below sporting an Arts & Letters Daily t-shirt. It seemed like serendipity since I'd just discovered that awesome treasure chest of big ideas a few days before. When I commented on his fine choice in apparel, he pointed to his charming companion and said, "Her dad is the editor."

I gushed about how I'd kicked Facebook to the curb and replaced it with Arts & Letters Daily; she looked pleased and told me her dad lives in New Zealand. I immediately promised to write him fan mail and insisted they pose for a photo. (Sorry I don't have more photos. I was really trying to not be that girl who simply must blog and tweet about everything as it's happening.)

That's Steven and Sonia (on the right), with Jamie Bowers, the other artistic half of the Christian-and-Jamie combo that hosts the legendary Pizza Nights. (Here's a glimpse of one of the pizzas we tried on Tuesday night.)

I also spent a few minutes talking with Carla Crownover, co-owner of the Austin Urban Gardens. At the beginning of the year, she challenged herself to survive all of 2010 without shopping at a grocery store. She's on day 166; you can read her daily updates here. Turns out, with a little discipline it's really not too hard to pull off, thanks to our vibrant farmers' market culture here. But there are two staples in my kitchen that are a no-go from local sources: coconut oil and coconut milk. That's a deal-killer for me. But I like the philosophy a lot. (Here's a an interview with Carla on the Austin Farm to Table blog.)

My sister-friend Stefanie and I drank wine and shared pizza and made the rounds to meet new people (which is always scary and fun for me... frexciting!)... a screenwriter/filmmaker (and former sound engineer) who wrote the sequel to Valley Girl and made me laugh about the agony of being a writer... a leggy, blonde chef with a killer smile and a heartwarming commitment to the ways food brings people together... and behind the scenes, Christian creating artwork pizza and making it seem like an effortless endeavor.

*