My Mission Statement (kinda sorta)

Hah! Since I have such a hilariously shitty food blog (I reeeaallly need to get to work on getting some damn pictures taken of food I cook--jeez--is it really that hard?) that it's very fortuitous to have no one who actually reads this blog.

But, here we go. Let's talk about who I am and what I do. My name's Lyndsey and I grew up in Hawaii, Michigan, Iowa and California, which led to my varied culinary loves and styles. From hearty Midwestern comfort fare to taste explosions inspired by my Japanese and Hawaiian family members: Ono style. I favor bold spicy foods, and made-from-scratch, fresh from the garden cooking. I also love crafting and making all sorts of non-food items. 

I love cooking and tweaking recipes so they adhere to my standards of flavor and nutritional content. However, I also very much believe that food fear mongering and absolutes (i.e. miracle foods, outrageous health claims, this is so bad for you/this is so good for you, yada yada yada) are unhealthy and lead to significant culinary confusion amongst those not fortunate enough to have the time, money, or education/history to know how to cook, grow food, or balance a nutritious diet. 

I do not like fad diets, pseudoscientific claims, or detox/toxin language, but I DO believe in pharmacognosy where we study and utilize the power of plants in order to simplify our lives and get back to our roots, before technology complicated things and gave us all depression/anxiety. I do not idolize these concepts, it is just how I like to live my life, and if others are interested, great! I hate selling people stuff, so you won't see much advertising or bs fluff. I just aim to represent myself, my lifestyle, and my beliefs in good living, and self-love. 

I like to disrupt our capitalistic culture and obsession with money by creating as much as I am able, and minimizing my daily needs. I am lucky enough to live in a weird small college town where there is a predictable amount of waste during move out time. Perfectly good, clean (often brand new) furniture, electronics, books, school supplies, even unopened, fresh food stuffs, which I often pass around my community to folks who want it and don't care that it didn't come from the store.

I like to garden in a sustainable way that encourages foraging and allowing local prairie plants to take over. I strike a delicate balance between my vision and just letting weeds get out of hand. Speaking of weeds, I LOVE them! Some more than others, and especially the edible, local, and bee/butterfly attracting ones. 

My basic beliefs: grow your own food, and get as much as you can locally. Do some foraging, but be aware of where you are foraging! I don't gaf about organic, but if you want to do that, go for it. 

Buy as little as you absolutely have to. Have clothing swaps with friends, go to thrift stores. Don't be afraid to dumpster dive.