Breakfast Down at the FARM

I took Mother to FARM this morning for breakfast. It's Bloomington's newest up-scale restaurant with a real twist. I've seen the Chef-owner, Daniel Orr, highlighted frequently in the Indianapolis Star and the Bloomington HT lately. A home-grown Indiana boy, Chef Daniel has a long and distinguished culinary petigree that includes stints in New York and Anguilla. I had been to FARM for lunch and wanted to try it again at a different time of day.

The Saturday brunch menu was really unique for the area. Usually brunch in town consists of various versions of omelets, eggs to order or as sandwichs, bisquits and gravy and French toast. Sometimes yogurt, granola and fruit are also available. The FARM menu had many of the same (no bisquits and gravy) but with combinations of ingredients that were truly unique. Mother chose the French toast made with locally baked bread soaked in a flavorful custard flavored with a combination of cinnamon and other spices and a liqueur (I think it was grand marnier, maybe not). The soaked bread was then baked and served with a very light butter carmel sauce rather than syrup. It was delicious--a little too crusty on top--but enjoyable just the same.

I selected the omelette of the day made with only two eggs (started Weight Watchers this week). It came filled with small slivers of ham, brie cheese and cranberrys. An unusual combination--but it too was tasty. I'm glad I asked to have it downsized (at least I think it was). The side house potatoes were too plentiful and a bit too dry. So the next time I'm there for brunch, I'm going with the French toast. (Note, photo left was copied from the Indpls Star website.)

Chef Daniel was there meeting guests even at such an early hour (10AM) on a Saturday. As it turned out he's from southern Indiana where my mother's family farmed. The Farm decor deserves a peak-see. It's eclectic, mid-century (1950's) farm design spotlights some of the area's finest antique farm tools and object d'art.

(As a side note, the FARM Bloomington web site is one of the finest I have ever seen. The photography and design is superb. The link to its web design firm goes to Anguilla, a Caribbean island. All that bright sun, blue water and white beaches have given them an extremely keen eye for color and visual appeal.)

Insight to Direct TV

In my previous post, I described my parents' drive (literally and figuratively) to watch their beloved Hoosiers. Saturday and their inability to watch their team play Purdue and win the Oaken Bucket finally drove them to make the big switch to satellite TV. The law of supply and demand has taken the day. When you can't supply the big games, the consumer is driven to search for other avenues to satisfy that demand. It's an amazing phenomenon.

Based on the front page article in Saturday's Indianapolis Star, Mom and Dad aren't the only ones feeling the pain inflicted by Insight...Comcast or other Indiana cable TV carriers. Supply and demand has won the day. The free-market economy and the consumers' demand has spoken. But will the suppliers actually listen. More to come.

Workplace Satisfaction

The front page of the Indianapolis Star today, Labor Day, cites research conducted by Walker Information that reveals only 29% of Hoosier employees are committed to their employers. I'm proud to say, "count me in!" It's taken more than three decades but I finally look forward to getting up and going to work every morning and leaving at a normal time without gilt that I should be putting in at least eight more hours before going home. I can even taken vacation knowing my job will still be there when I return and not be mysteriously deleted from the organization chart.

It's probably shameful to admit that I love my work, my job and my profession--not many people do these days. According to the Star article, Walker found that nearly 40% of employees don't like the companies they work for, "don't plan to stay, and would bolt" if another job came along. That's a terribly sad statistic since most people spend the majority of their lives at work. I can truly attest to how stressful it can be to spend 40+ hours a week in a place where you feel terribly ill at ease and even "shunned." But it's those kind of experiences that make one appreciate the work environment that's welcoming, empowering and gratifying--such as the one I now enjoy.

So today, on this Labor Day as a working person, I'm celebrating my victory of finally doing what I love; with people I respect and admire; and most important, for an employer that strives to improves the quality of life for people around the globe...as well as its employees.