Meeting Martha

Last Saturday, I met HER. Martha Stewart. The maven of all things of the home, hearth and garden. Mother Superior. Pope Martha.

OK...I exaggerate slightly, but I know people who feel that way. Martha Stewart has built a following (and a fortune) on the legions of people who look to her as paragon of taste. Her empire--which started as a humble catering company--now includes magazines, books, TV shows, and even a satellite radio network.

So, when she was here in Dallas on Saturday to sign copies of her Homekeeping Handbook, I decided to go by and join in the frenzy. I'll admit I was curious to see Martha in person, but was also interested to see (and hopefully talk to) the other folks who came to see her.

Martha? She was "floppier" and less rigid than I thought she would be. For years, Martha embodied the image of perfection. You couldn't roast a wonderfully moist turkey. It had to be organic--or even better raised by hand on your own farm. Spices had to be alphabetized, and there was a certain way to fold towels. So, I expected rigid posture and piercing eyes. She was warm and friendly, slightly slumped in a simple brown dress and impeccably colored hair. It was not intimidating at all.

Of course, this is Martha post-scandal and post-prison. If you've watched her TV shows over the years, you know that we're dealing with a different woman (or at least a different carefully cultivated image). She seems more willing to "fail" and easier to talk to. Heck, just this past week, she swigged tequila out of a bottle when making strawberry margaritas with comedienne Mo'Nique. And she's become great at the well-timed probation joke. I like this one better quite frankly. She'd be fun to talk to over cocktails.

But Martha the concept is still too intimidating for many of us. Even those of us who are pretty good around the house. Yes, her recipes can work brilliantly. (I once, to the amusement of my in-laws, did the whole Martha turkey thing--complete with cheesecloth and twice-hourly basting. It was wonderful. But, wow, the work involved!) And I admire the simple elegant beauty that she seems to surround herself with. Her homes are amazing. Her love for nature has always inspired me; her life is filled with animals, plants, gardens and birds. But, who are we kidding? This woman has millions of dollars (and hundreds of worker bees) to make it look easy. What about us common folk?

I still throw up my hands when I see the complicated pumpkin carving templates she encourages us to download from the website. And more than one celebrity guest has failed to accomplish the craft project she gives them on her latest TV show. So my experience with Martha is taking (and sometimes simplifying) some of her ideas, using others as vague inspiration for my own concepts, and chucking the rest. (Although she still has her devoted following; one of the women I stood in line with at the book signing said she had always admired Martha for her "high standards"--even when she herself couldn't keep up.)

And that's a valuable lesson for all of us to learn. Our lives have to be our own. The best ideas from the best experts mean nothing if they can't be accomplished or appreciated by us mere mortals. Rachael Ray? Yes, she can make quick meals, but if she coins one more term like "spoonula" or "stewp," I (or more accurately, she) might need a restraining order. EVOO anyone? Even my idol sommelier Andrea Immer. I respect her wine expertise and chalk much of what I have learned to her TV teaching, but can't join in her enthusiasm for Riesling. It's one of her favorite wines, and I just think it's too dad gum sweet.

Pick and choose. Read and watch all you can. Agree and disagree. Adapt and simplify. Take what others say or preach and make it yours. Even the stuff you find on this blog. I don't expect people to agree with or adopt everything I say in here. This is my life, and yours has to be yours. (If someone DID decide to follow my advice lock-step, I again might need a restraining order. Stalker anyone?)

In the meantime, I'll keep reading and watching Martha and Rachael and Andrea and Food Network and Southern Living and all the other stuff out there. I'll distill some of it and bring it to you here. Then you'll distill it and make it your own. Kind of a cool process, huh?