Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Meet & Eat: Erin Zimmer, Serious Eats Staff Blogger

Posted by The Serious Eats Team, June 25, 2008 at 6:15 PM

Editor's note: Another Meet & Eat today with the folks behind Serious Eats. Today we're pleased to introduce you to Erin Zimmer. She's been with us for a while, writing from D.C., but she recently moved to New York and has joined us here in the office as our staff blogger. We're happy to have her here, 'cause we've got lots for her to do in helping make the site even better. You've seen her name all over the place on Serious Eats, now get to know her! Please give Erin a warm howdoyoudo! —Adam

Name: Erin Zimmer
Location: New York
Occupation: Serious Eats staff blogger

Favorite comfort food? Oatmeal every morning with rotating toppings. Blueberries, roasted almonds, dried fruits, various milks.

Guilty pleasures? Drinking more diet Coke (and Coke Zero, and diet cherry Coke, and various other forms of aspartame-containing liquid junk) than I should. If you ask me, I'll say I quit last week and doing just great! "Green tea exclusively now, can you believe it?!"

Describe your perfect meal. Slow-cooked barbecue grub with a cold wheat beer. A piece of berry pie for dessert, and a tiny cup of pistachio gelato wouldn't hurt—eaten with a tiny spoon of course.

What food won't you eat? Mayo. Even if it's homemade, get it out. My dad feigned an allergy to the creamy gunk his whole life, simply because he loathed it so much. He even included sour cream under this mayo-hating umbrella, which is admittedly extreme by many standards. Maybe mayo was my favorite condiment in another life, but for now, there's just fear.

What would you like to try but haven't yet? The Mangosteen. All the food geeks freak out about this "queen of fruits," the "forbidden fruit" like it descended straight from Eve's hands. Also related, but very different, Indian mangoes. What are all these exotic mangoes and mango cousins?! And can't I just eat a regular one and live a full life?

Favorite food person? Jane and Michael Stern. I wish I could time-travel back to the '70s and get shoved into their station wagon, which I read somewhere was a Volvo, and that would be ideal. I'd pop out as they cruised across country from deli to roadside stand to 24-hour diner, offering my taste buds. Then climb back into the trunk to nap, look out the window, or serenade them with mixed tapes.

When did you first realize you were a serious eater? When our elementary school had a "free table" during lunchtime where discarded sandwiches and carrot sticks would go to die. While other kids played handball and hopscotched, I'd snoop over there and shop around like it was an open-air farmer's market.

What do your family and friends think of your food obsessions? My mom still finds it very un-ladylike to snag bites off other people's plates, even if it's socially acceptable—and encouraged—within the food community. I've tried to explain this to her, but then she starts the "were you raised in a barn?" banter. My friends get it by now. They know I'll shoot them evil looks if they even think of double-ordering dishes.

Favorite food sites or blogs? Other than Serious Eats, clearly. Adam of the Amateur Gourmet cracks me up. Back in Washington, I always read Counter Intelligence, written by a dear friend Melissa McCart. I like listening to the Splendid Table too.

What is your favorite meal of the day (eg., lunch, dinner), and what's your go-to spot for that meal and what do you usually order? Breakfast, hands down. Omelets slathered with salsa and guacamole. Croque Madames. Scones with preserves and fluffy muffins. Lots of coffee refills. You've got the whole day ahead of you, so this meal by definition is inspiring.

Do you ever cook? What's the best dish you make? Yes, but it's less cooking, more throwing tasty things into a bowl. I like salads full of meats, nuts, dried fruits and other crunchy stuff—lettuce, not always included. Just a heaping bowl of colorful, filling and fresh things, usually dressed with a balsamic-based vinaigrette.

15 Comments

Tags: Erin Zimmer, interviews, Meet and Eat, Q and A, SE Meet and Eat