An ode to Gwyneth

I belong to a small group of people that doesn't find Gwyneth Paltrow annoying. I love Gwyneth. Love her.

In the mid-1990s, I was living a few blocks away from the Landmark Theaters in Hillcrest. The movie theater had an arrangement with the restaurant where I worked, I don't know what we were trading, but whatever it was, we were able to get in to the movies for free.

"Emma" came out when I was going through a particularly rough time with my alcoholic boyfriend and I saw it in the theater AT LEAST five times. So that's how it all began.

A few years later, I went to see "Sliding Doors" with some people from the newspaper. As we were leaving, a girl who I didn't particularly like very much, wouldn't stop talking about how annoyed she was by Gwyneth.

How was this even possible? Did she not appreciate Gwyneth's short hair cut?
And what about that scene where she throws a party and puts flowers in her hair? The scene that inspired me to have a Springtime Extravaganza party so that I could put flowers in my own hair?

Over the years, I've been able to overlook the things people hate about the actress -the expensive hotels and restaurants she recommends on her online newsletter, the names of her kids, the macrobiotic diet. I've completely ignored the whole country music thing. To me that doesn't even exist.

So obviously when someone at work gave me a copy of Gwyneth's new cookbook, I was inappropriately excited. Excited even though I was sure it'd be out-of-touch, filled with complicated recipes and anecdotes about the Speilbergs.



OK, OK, so it does have random anecdotes, like how she doesn't eat red meat because of the talks she had with Leo DiCaprio.

But for the most part, it's a sweet book about how much she loves her dad. She loved going out to eat with him and cooking with him and just spending time with him. The book is basically a love letter to him in the form of recipes.

And because she has two kids (like me!), the recipes are actually on the simple side. There are few dishes with ingredients that require a stop at the fancy supermarket. But mostly they are uncomplicated and easy to understand.

I haven't tried any recipes yet. But I will. And I already know this is going to inspire Springtime Extravaganza II. And if you hate Gwyneth, you're not invited.