Can we talk about squid?

Two recent visits to the venerable Joe's Shanghai in Chinatown inspired me to take to the knife and attempt a dish by tastebud, sight and invention. A new friend asked a great question: Where did my obsession with cooking come from? I think the answer is closely related to this blog, my books and my chosen profession. I love writing, but at the end of the day, when you have written, most often what you are left with are...words. Tasty, but not always filling. So going back as long as I can recall, preparing food late at night was the reward at the end of a good day. (When we lived in Rockport, splitting wood worked, too.) 

As to this curious new medium of which I am always trying to decipher and define, the below culinary excursion defines The Ramen Blog for me, perfectly. Fun fixin's, a little creativity, and super low cost (read: writers & artists are far more often found in the 6-soup-packets-for-$1.99-aisle than in the $15/cocktail speakeasies of NY!) 

So...

--Couple of cleaned hunks of squid

--Scallions

--Garlic

--Oil

--Flour

--One packet of Ramen

Total cost, under five bucks. The experience of gettting it right on the first try? Priceless!