My Anonymous Career
In the third year of our marriage, which coincidentally was my third year of trying to finish a novel, Rainy said to me, "Get out there and be a breadwinner, you big galoot."
I signed on with a large national restaurant chain to write descriptors for menus, and I was the very first to use the term "farm-fresh" to refer to eggs and "kettle-simmered" to describe soup.
Menu writers toil in anonymity, but my reward came when the National Restaurant Industry awarded me the Golden Napkin Holder for coining the adjective "artisanal" to describe, well, pretty much anything overpriced, from bread to beer to pizza.
Although you'll never see my name on a menu, I can guarantee you've eaten in one of this chain's many outlets and I will bet my descriptors added to your interest in sizzling, creamy, buttery, garden-fresh, succulent, melting, old-timey, home-made goodness and artisanal flavor-bursting dishes.
One day, to supplement my income, I answered an ad in the paper calling for writers to contribute heartwarming sentiments and pithy sayings to a collection that would be called "Chicken Soup for the Soul," and we would be paid by the word but get no author's credit.
The book was a huge hit and spawned all kinds of sequels, such as "Chicken Soup for the Golfer's Soul," to which I (rather proudly but anonymously) contributed, "In life, you've got to bogey before you can birdie."
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Author's Note
Just thinking about writing for money but not for recognition.
Other stories by Gita M. Smith
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KETCHUP and EGGS
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Food Writes
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Oh, this is fantastic!
You might even say that it's:
"sizzling, creamy, buttery, garden-fresh, succulent, melting, old-timey, home-made goodness and artisanal flavor-bursting" prose.
Very juicy. And without that bitter aftertaste.
love it.*
Very good, hitched to it at the seam. Food writing as direct internal advertising. A little golf. *
Having been a restaurant person for many years, I know the NRA, or National Restaurant Association, might be offended that you didn't know their correct title : ) Enjoyed this. So many writers out there, so little recognition.
JP -- it was all a joke. If the NRA is proud of its initials, they're dumber than I thought.
Very very smart. I LIKEY. Perfect tone.
Wryly written, and a tribute to others of us who have written in anonymity in pursuit of cash. "sizzling, creamy, buttery, garden-fresh, succulent, melting, old-timey, home-made goodness and artisanal flavor-bursting dishes." Thanks.
Some years ago, as a newspaper reporter, a piece I had written got picked up by Reader's Digest. I got a teeny royalty check, but my name was not on the story -- just the paper's name. I would have traded the $$ for the byline.
The ending matter of factness finished this fine work of finess Gita. The smooth confidence of the narrator made this a fave.
A farm-to-fork off to those bastids who make crap sound delish! But for you dearie - a well crafted tome and I simply love anyone who is named Rainy.
So much off-the-cuff anonymity to he proud of in life. I've said so many witty things as a therapist that just disappeared into think air, written nowhere but a top-secret medical chart that will be destroyed by law some day.
Hilarious! (Wise, too.) *****