In early 2012, Chow Bella's sister arts blog, Jackalope Ranch, began inviting creative types around town to write a manifesto -- a personal list of 10 hard-and-fast rules of life or pieces of advice. Each manifesto was paired with a local designer who illustrated one lesson/rule in poster form.
We loved the Manifesto series so much that we decided to invite some of our favorite New Times writers to contribute their lists of rules for making your way through the food, art, shopping, and music scenes in Phoenix for this year's Resolution Guide.
Laura Hahnefeld's Phoenix Food Manifesto (illustrated above by Phoenix designer Joshua Rhodes, aka Subtle Takeover) is in this week's print edition of New Times, along with words of wisdom and designs by a collection of Phoenicians. See Hahnefeld's advice after the jump and details on Jackalope Ranch's Manifesto exhibition, on view this Friday in downtown Phoenix.
See also: - Manifestos: Jackalope Ranch's Poster Show of Life Lessons and Rules by Phoenix Creatives - Phoenix Photographer Andrew Pielage to Open the Drive-Thru Gallery on Roosevelt Row
• The answer "everything's good here" from a server is theoretically impossible.• Gambling on unfamiliar dishes at a decent restaurant almost always pays off.
• The best and most affordable ethnic restaurants aren't in your neighborhood. Get in the car and look for faded signage, peeling paint, or a nearby liquor store. If you're not already there, you're close.
• The best (and cheapest) food adventure is the food truck.
• If you're not going to use the sauces and condiments in a Vietnamese restaurant, don't eat in a Vietnamese restaurant.
• Two words for those who say, "You can't get decent seafood in the Valley 'cause we live in a desert": distribution infrastructure. The United States has the best in the world.
• If there are dying plants by the entrance, don't even bother going inside.
• It used to be appetizer, entrée, and dessert, but these days, you can have as many as you'd like served whatever way you wish -- there are no rules.
• Except this one: Put that fucking cell phone away.
• Make all your meals good ones. Even if that means staying hungry a little while longer.
-- Laura Hahnefeld
Stop by Downtown's Drive-Thru Gallery to see the original collection of Manifestos published on Jackalope Ranch. Authors include Deborah Sussman, Tom Leveen, Kim Porter, Jill Anderson, Jo Novelli, Clint Bolick, Vermon Pierre, and James Garcia whose life lessons have been illustrated by Anton Anger, Jon Ashcroft, Peter Storch, John Walters, Safwat Saleem, Nina Miller, Nicole Stumphauzer, and Casebeer Jones.
The exhibition will be open on January 18 (Third Friday) from 6 to 9 p.m. at Drive-Thru Gallery, 918 North Sixth Street on Roosevelt Row. We'll have drinks and snacks (even a s'more stand) and share live music with neighboring gallery 1Spot for its grand opening with art by Damian Jim.
Stay tuned to Jackalope Ranch for more info.
