It's three weeks from the 1st of the month, so it's time to announce the third Living Out Loud Project! The theme this month is food. A lot of folks are giving up things for Lent and many times it's some sort of food. Food itself can have such an emotional aspect that it's no wonder many people can't resist certain temptations. I myself have an entire bookcase dedicated to cookbooks that I just like to open on a Sunday afternoon and shuffle through, with no intention of ever preparing the majority of the dishes but drooling over the photos and combinations of flavors.

It's way down there in the foundation layer of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and yet having a good relationship with the things we eat regularly seems to kick our ass. Hell, I had a burger yesterday and it reduced me to tears.

So for this Living Out Loud Project, I'd like you to talk about your own personal relationship with food. Are you a picky eater? Are there certain foods you love or hate? How have your tastes changed over your life (or are you still limited to the same three foods you would eat when you could fit in Underoos)?

The second part of this project (again with the two-part assignments!) is to try something you never have before. You can cook a dish you've never tried before or try a nationality of food or specific meal you've never dared try before. Maybe you've been scared of sushi but have never actually tried it. Maybe you aren't sure how to use an oven and if you lost the Pizza Guy's number, you'd starve. Maybe you're not sure if your own stomach can handle tripe. Maybe you'd like to try eating gluten-free for a day just to see what it's like for others. Just try something new to expand your relationship with food. And then write about it.

Since April 1 is a "school night" and not a Sunday like our previous projects, we'll push the deadline back to 9pm eastern time. Email me a link to your blog entry at genie [at] inabottle [dot] org (or write the entry itself in the email and I'll post it here if you don't have a blog). I'll compile them after the 1st and announce a winner! There's even a prize! I'm excited to see what you all have to say!