James Norton is The Growler’s Food Editor. The views and opinions expressed in this essay are his own. My mask is in my left hand. My glass is in my right hand. As the first sip of junmai ginjo sake hits my mouth, I can feel my eyes watering in response. I live with my … [ Read more]
Dinner and the Plague: Even as the state okays dining out, patrons need to do the right thing
June 18, 2020 by
From Zero to 629.4: Surviving the North Star Bicycle Race — Part 3
November 29, 2019 by
I thought I knew what pain was. I was wrong. Just outside of Two Harbors, I was facing wind gusts of 20–35 mph as I moved one painstaking mile marker at a time. Everything I owned was wet, and my ass felt like ground beef. I had cried in a Kwik Trip that morning, almost … [ Read more]
Too Close to the Fire: A chef’s story of restaurant burnout and rekindling his love of cooking
June 12, 2019 by
This is the third installment of Off the Map, a column by chef J.D. Fratzke. It appears monthly on growlermag.com and occasionally in print. For literally decades, one of the most zen-like and enjoyable tasks of my 14-hour work day was the 45 minutes before dinner service wherein all the chopping, dicing, braising, searing, emulsifying, and reducing … [ Read more]
Homeward Bound: We quit our jobs, sold our house, and spent 112 days on the road
April 29, 2019 by
In 2015, my husband Brian and I quit our jobs, sold our house, and left our life in Seattle, Washington, in search of a new home. We’d spent years trapped in a never-ending cycle of long commutes, longer hours, and seemingly shorter weekends to afford our life in this beautiful part of the world and … [ Read more]
Essay: How I Wound Up with Three Unforgivably Lame Tattoos
February 5, 2019 by
“Tattoos are like stories. They’re symbolic of the important moments in your life. Sitting down, talking about where you got each tattoo and what it symbolizes, is really beautiful.” – Pamela Anderson, actress and animal rights activist who contracted hepatitis C in 2002 after sharing tattoo needles with the drummer from Mötley Crüe. Pam is … [ Read more]
Carry-on Chicken: An Essay by MaiThao Xiong
January 30, 2018 by
My mom used to say, “Peb ruam ruam,” meaning “We are stupid,” to describe herself and my father. At the time, I wasn’t aware that she didn’t mean this literally—it was her way to motivate us to work harder than her and to be more than she could be. Her encouragement and love are not … [ Read more]
