We’ve been lucky to escape many natural disasters despite living in the American South for 20 years. But all good things must pass. We arrived home after a short book event weekend a few weeks ago to discover how badly our home and city has been ravaged by the after-effects of Hurricane Helene. Parts of the city is underwater. Our home is still standing but buried under giant trees. Many businesses we have come to love and adore are devastated.

I usually talk about writerly stuff at SleuthSayers, the mystery blog, but this week I naturally felt compelled to share my eyewitness report of what we’ve experience on the ground here in Asheville, North Carolina…

Steve and I checked out Botiwalla, a new-ish restaurant in West Asheville. I’d been watching the renovation from a distance for a while now, and when I saw it was finally open, we had to try it.

Basically this is a very casual eatery from Meherwan Irani, the chef who brought Chai Pani to Asheville back in the day. Chai Pani is all about Indian Street food. Botiwalla is a tribute to cafes created by Iranians who settled in India. Irani’s great grandfather ran such a place…

This town keeps coming up with food options. And since Covid, that thing of mine, and a new puppy, I just haven’t been seeking them out the way I used to.

But now I’m back!

…went to Regina’s Comfort Classics Friday morning and chowed down on some tasty stuff. That stretch of road on Patton Ave keeps changing. I had the chicken and waffle, something I’d been blabbing about having for a week since I looked up the menu. Steve had the breakfast sandwich—sausage, egg, and cheese on a biscuit. That came with seasoned fries…