Side/Dishes was born of Jim Baker on February 18, 2016 in Lincoln, Nebraska, sprung fully formed from the consummation of two enduring loves: music and food.
The First and Guiding Thought was to write short (~200 – ~400 words) observational commentary on lunches and meals enjoyed while listening to one “side” of music: maybe the first side of an LP, maybe 25 / 35 minutes of music – hence the name of the blog “Side/Dishes.”
Conceptually, the name unifies a few threads I’ve been fussing with for years – wherein the beloved “side dish” is a metaphor, a distraction, a moment at the family table between grace and argument, a work of starch, a shared thing done outside the work of preparing the main course for the evening – or a panoply of small plates to which all else (save conversation) is secondary. Banchan, for readers acquainted with Korean cuisine – a digest of myriad ideas for collective gustation.
Thank you for joining me here. Feel free to reach out to me at james.eugene.baker@gmail.com.
Side/Dishes 