Chow bio interviewer.
Why are you retiring from the Chow Bio column after two and
a half years?
I was asking the same 10 questions on repeat. At that point, it’s
time to let someone else step in and get creative.
Any bios you regret?
Only one. The guy I was interviewing was trying really hard to sound
impressive, but he ended up coming across as really pompous and
ridiculous. “In my free time I enjoy reading books on horseback,” that
kind of thing. I printed the bio even though I knew he wouldn’t be
portrayed as he intended. My one consolation is knowing that only two
people read these damn things. (Hi, Mom! Hi, Preston!)
Best dish you’ve eaten in the last six months?
The cream-cheese sorbet topped with chilled carrot soup at Tilth.
(It’s a dessert.)
Have you ever worked in food
service?
I was a barista in Boise for a yuppie coffee shop. Customers would
routinely steal change from our tip jar to pay for their drinks. There
are two types of people I intensely dislike: bad tippers and dog
haters. They are generally self-absorbed and nurture victim-complexes.
I picture them chain-smoking cigarettes and shaking babies in their
free time, and then I picture myself in the shadows with a tack hammer.
The coffee shop I worked at eventually closed down after the owner beat
her neighbor’s dog to death with a shovel.
What are you doing now that you’re not writing a column?
Starting in September, I’ll be a writer-in-residence for the Richard
Hugo House. Anyone in the community can contact me about their writing
if they want a critique, or just the feedback of a well-trained
reader.
Good fucking luck.
Interview by Cienna Madrid
