The Breakdown

I'm Adair Seldon. Welcome to my Breakdown.

My brain cells keep pretty busy with their OCD, ADD, TMI, OMG and WTF. Whether questioning the corporate takeover of our food, dreaming up a dish that my taste buds and vital organs will thank me for, waxing whimsical about a tuber, or searching for saffron at a spice souk in Morocco, much like this sentence, they don't get much rest. A veteran Los Angeles ad copywriter, I've also written musical theatre, political satire and a slew of assorted syllables before parlaying two of my greatest pastimes—overthinking and overeating—into this blog.

In Cascais, Portugal; working on Prop 37 GMO labeling campaign in LA

What's on my mind?

Issues Free-range thoughts from a conscious culinarian

Recipes Simple, organic, vegetarian fare

Travel Food from my journeys around the world

Ogden Nosh Bite-sized odes to food

The couch of Dr. Sigmund Food

My Q&A Session with Dr. Sigmund Food

Dr. Food: Does zees obsession vith food stem from childhood?

Lentil Breakdown: Well, my mother had many talents, but cooking was not among them. She was gifted at overcooking, however. Burnt frozen dinner is not an oxymoron. We ate so many tv dinners that when I left home, I vowed not to live the rest of my days on box-raised meatloaf. So I embarked on my first omelette and have been cracking things open ever since.

Dr. Food: Vhen did you first know you had issues?

Lentil Breakdown: When I found myself reading cookbooks in bed. And then I noticed how long I was spending reading labels in the grocery store. My "what’s in this dish?" progressed to "what’s in our food?" Now I straddle the line between culinary enthusiast and culinary inquisitor. If curiosity killed the cat, I'd be guilty of feline genocide.

Dr. Food: Vhat’s on your plate?
Lentil Breakdown: I support my local farmers’ markets and enjoy a plant-based diet of fruits, veggies, legumes, grains, nuts, minimal dairy and some sustainable seafood. I rarely eat meat, but I might as a special treat cheat under the right conditions. You might say I’m a flexitarian locavore on a Mediterranean diet—or a vegetarian who cheats close by while yearning for a faraway land.

Dr. Food: Vhat makes you crazy?

Lentil Breakdown: GMOs (genetically modified organisms), processed food, pesticides, factory farming, overfishing, food waste, food deserts, hunger, the rampant use of plastics, environmental toxins, cruel labor practices and corporate meanies who put profits before people. But that's just off the top of my head.

Dr. Food: So vhat's za point of zees blog?

Lentil Breakdown: I want to share my love of food, unique observations and serious concerns in an entertaining way. Who needs Big Pharma? Laughing with your mouth full is the best medicine.