A sad and gloomy Friday........

It was indeed quite gloomy enough today; dark angry clouds hovering above, leaves thrashing about due to the wind.

 

Things didn't get better when I received a text from Candice delivering some very sad news..... San Diego's most respected and perhaps feared food critic Naomi Wise had passed away. In shock, I quickly accessed the Reader's Food Blog and  found out that it was true. I must admit I felt quite sad......it's not that I really know Naomi or anything, over the years we've exchanged emails, going back to when I first moved to San Diego, and she always took the time to reply. I only met her once, but I'll never forget it. For someone who managed her anonymity to near perfection, she was quite a character, witty, with a tongue as sharp as her pen. In a world where it's getting to be more about a "personality" than food, she could weave a story while keeping us interested in the restaurant she was writing about. All the while she understood the food critic's separation of church and state, something which I have always tried to do, but without as much success as she(luckily, I'm just an eater!). She was a "real" writer, able to convey the sights, sounds, tastes, and ideas, from a wide range of eating, cooking, and travelling experience, in an entertaining format.

I'm not sure you know this, as I really try to keep it separate from the blog, but on occasion I write a column for the Reader. Naomi was instrumental in both broaching the question, which I faintly remember, and getting me to accept when I was stunned to receive an offer from the Reader. At first I was worried that Naomi was being pushed aside, that someone was doing an "end run", having seen this done many times in my career I made sure to contact her, but she reassured me:

"When we were at dinner, we briefly discussed my idea to have you write something that would run occasionally in the Reader. It was obviously an idea whose time had come."

When I mentioned that I wasn't a "real writer", nor did I consider my self one....I always say, "I'm an eater not a writer." She fired back quickly:

"Everybody there already knows that, but your prose is plain, simple, grammatical. That's all we want. But don't forget there has to be a story."

"But don't forget there has to be a story......."

That phrase came to mind as I watched the fast moving clouds passing overhead. I'm truly hoping that Naomi's spirit has retired to the place she wished, Chiang Mai...with occasional side trips to the sandy beaches of Phuket.

Thanks so much for spending those few hours with us Naomi, as well as all the encouraging emails.  The San Diego food scene is much better because of you......

Rest in Peace.

Comments

[Carol]

Aw, that's so sad. A great post in her memory, Kirk.

[kat]

that is sad, great tribute to her though. take care.

[Dennis]

I remember you telling me about Naomi our drive down to CV... My sympathy goes to her family Kirk.

[Uncle Lefty]

You are a real writer, Kirk. You're the best food writer in San Diego. And I hope I can encounter her spirit in Chiang Mai some day.

[Kirk]

Hi Carol - Yes, it really is.....

Hi Kat & Dennis - She was quite an original.

Hi Uncle Lefty - Thanks for the kind words. I hope you do......

[Su-Lin]

Sorry to hear of her passing and yes, this is a lovely post in her memory.

[Janfrederick]

Not a writer my arse! I'm a reader and wouldn't bother with your blog if you weren't a writer!

Sorry to hear that.

[kirbie]

I was sad when I saw the news in my twitter feed on Friday. Even though I never met her or talked to her, I remember you describing her to me just a few months ago, so it was such a shock. This was a really nice tribute.

[Kirk]

Hi Su-Lin - She indeed changed the restaurant scene here.

Well geez, thanks Jan. I'll miss Naomi, she was one of a kind.

Hi Kirbie - She was an original!