Cole Gerst is a designer and illustrator living in Portland, OR. He recently illustrated and authored the book Buckminster Fuller: Poet of Geometry.
What was the food highlight of your year?
Sometimes my fondest memories of food are not simply great meals but revolve around other events of some sort. I've had some spectacular meals this year but I think my favorite food highlight was just an impromptu trip to the Oregon coast where my girlfriend and I hit every dive bar and seafood shack we could, devouring massive amounts of oysters & crab and just drinking beer and getting to know the local people far away from all the touristy places.
What was the music highlight of your year?
Built to Spill at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland. I had seen Rocket from the Crypt earlier in the day at an outdoor festival so I was already in a good mood and full of PBR. I hadn't seen them in maybe 15 years, it was a bit sentimental to me. I think I teared up for a second.
Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?
A friend of mine surprised me with last minute tickets to Guided By Voices and told me to meet him at the taco place below the venue. When I got there, to my surprise, the taco place had been replaced by my favorite sandwich shop, Bunk Sandwiches. I proceeded to eat my old standby, the Meatball Parmigiano Hero, and bounce around to GBV for almost 3 hours. Now every time I have that sandwich I remember that show.