Thursday, September 24, 2009

the call that never happened

i used to be painfully shy. like in 5th grade, i was afraid to raise my hand in class - that kind of shy. but i quickly developed into a talkative and confident 6th grader, when i got cast in in the school play. and you couldn't shut me up when i was the president in high school.

now, i wouldn't consider myself shy at all. soft spoken - sometimes, but shy - no.

so i was kind of surprised when i realized that a part of me really is still shy, at least in some situations...

i had already planned to bake the gateau therese from david lebovitz's hilarious new book, when i found out he was going to be interviewed on by adam roberts on the same morning. the interview was streaming live online, and callers could ask questions. let me be clear: david lebovitz was one phone call away, at the exact moment that i was baking this cake.

i quickly tried to think of a question. the first thing that came to mind was "did you forget the vanilla in this recipe?" what a horrible question!!! i didn't want to insult the author before i even tried his recipe. adam kept asking for people to call in and ask david questions. ok come on, christina. think of a good question. um... "i only have an 8.5 inch glass pan and a 9.5 inch metal pan. Your recipe calls for a 9 inch loaf pan. Which one should I use?" yawn, booooooring. i want to ask him a question that makes him think and smile at the same time. come on, christina!

as i listened to the interview, my internal battle intensified. at one point, i even picked up the phone and dialed a couple numbers. then suddenly, the interview was over. i slipped the cake in the oven and plopped down on the couch, dejected. did i really let this opportunity slip out of my fingers? the timer beeped before i could get too depressed, and what emerged from the oven actually made me smile: a soft, dark, fudgy, intense, bittersweet rectangle of goodness.

later, i wrote a bland review of the book and recipe, but i never posted it.

so why am i telling you about the call that never happened right now? because david lebovitz is coming to the bay area! and i am not going to miss out on another opportunity.

i'm going to meet him, and tell my little story. then we'll laugh and eat dark chocolate.

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