The Fresh Factor

A few months ago I was contacted by the owner of the Guam Guide. She had been following Peyt's Island and wondered if I would be interested in writing for them. Well, that was back in December when I was off island for several weeks. Once back on island, I hit the ground running with one thing after the next to get our Manila and Saipan trips going. Then we went to Palau. I also had two rounds of visitors and some major fundraisers at church. Given my desire to simplify this year, I couldn't justify adding a new commitment to my plate, even if sharing my zeal for exploring Guam did sound like fun.

This past week, with my major church commitments behind me, no visitors lined up to come, and no Facebook to distract me, I pitched an idea to the Guam Guide. I proposed doing a series of columns focusing on the fresh foods that are available here on island. This is something I have been passionate about ever since returning from Thailand, but I didn't know where to take it. Peyt's Island isn't really the right place, since my audience here is mostly Stateside, where it won't do you a bit of good to know what the Agat market has to offer. I didn't want to start a whole new blog and take the focus away from my original purpose of keeping in touch. So it dawned on me that the Guam Guide would be a perfect forum for exploring this new interest in my remaining months here. The right topic for the right audience... and finally, the right timing.

So, I'd like to introduce my new column, the Fresh Factor. My first post is boldly titled "How to Cook Local on Guam." I say boldly because this headline makes me sound like some sort of an expert, when I myself am still very much learning the "how" part of that statement. But I am really interested in this and have picked up some great information and ideas that could at least help other people get started. I will be linking the articles here as they appear, so feel free to take a look. But Peyt's Island will stay the same, sporadically recounting our adventures here. That, is, until September when it all comes to an end. That's right, we've got orders (yes, actual paper orders... crazy). But for now, I am excited about this new venture that will have me continuing to make the most of my time here by branching out into new local flavors. Let the deliciousness begin!