Introducing the Half-Assed Gourmet

Welcome to the Half-Assed Gourmet, a new regular feature in which I take you into the world of what passes for cuisine at Cultureshark Tower, or at least in the takeout/delivery radius surrounding Cultureshark Tower.

I'll also cover restaurants, usually of the chain variety, and every now and then, maybe I'll make a meal or two and report back on it. That's right, I'll discuss the best in pre-packed, frozen, and/or microwaveable chow.

Let me relate some of the precepts on which the Half-Assed Gourmet is based--a manifesto, if you will.

*Frozen food may not be tastier or healthier, but it's usually a hell of a lot easier.

*Those fancy meals prepared by those TV chefs? Look great, but who has time?

*Fresh ingredients are the best, but it's a pain to go to the store every day. And then, the ingredients, like, go bad and stuff.

*Cooking for one can make you question whether it's worth the effort. My wife and I are normally on completely different schedules, so I am always dealing with these kinds of issues.

*Sound lazy? Yeah, maybe. But I prefer "Half-Assed."

*When it comes down to it, sometimes nothing beats a good restaurant experience.

*Yes, "good restaurant experience" can include the Olive Garden. I don't personally like Olive Garden all that much, but there's nothing wrong with places like that. So cut us chain neighborhood-casual-style restaurant goers some slack, you food snobs!

So watch this space for the kind of keen culinary insight you'll only get from a Half-Assed--nay, from THE Half-Assed Gourmet.