A few ground rules...

As I stated under the blog title, my premise is simple: to eat one new thing every day for a year (365 continuous days). Well, maybe it's not so simple. There are some rules for this experiment.

First: common variations on a food I've already had don't count. I can't just slap a flavored mayo on a turkey sandwich, put a new topping on a pizza, or buy a new flavor of Doritos. However, if there's a unique or exotic ingredient involved, it counts (ex: chicken heart tacos, rosemary & olive oil ice cream, spaghetti alla bottarga) Also, creative twists on a classic are acceptable (ex: fried Twinkies)

Second: only solid food items. It'd be way too easy to count beverages or condiments, since there are so many to choose from. Beverages or condiments can only be used as a last resort if I absolutely can't find anything else by the end of the day, and they have to be creative and/or indigenous. Prepackaged foods are OK, as are snacks and candies, as long as they’re unique or interesting.

Third: I must update every day, regardless of where I am or what I'm doing. I don't have to buy a single item at a time (stockpiling is permitted), but I must eat and post something new at least every 24 hrs.You're likely to see food from run-of-the-mill fast food joints, taquerias, convenience stores, food trucks, and fine-dining restaurants alike. No establishment is off limits.

Overall, it doesn't have to be weird or bizarre, but it has to be new to me.

My lifestyle will also present some challenges for this project. My schedule as a musician is extremely unpredictable, and I sometimes end up in some pretty remote locations to play a gig. If it means going into a sketchy grocery store in some redneck town in Alabama to look for something, so be it.

Above all, I want this to be fun. I know it'll be a challenge, but I'm up for it. Who knows what I'll discover in the next year? The madness starts on Monday, August 16, 2010...stay tuned.