Livin' in the Blurbs: Cold Beer, Warm Food, Travel Envy

When I say the word "brewer," what comes to mind? A bearded guy in big rubber boots? Well, it turns out that many brewers, especially here in Oregon, are women. Oregon women also own pubs, write about beer and teach classes about beer. Their stories are collected and engagingly told in a new movie called "The Love of Beer," a documentary about women in the craft brewing industry. There are screenings coming up around the state, and I'd encourage you to attend at least one of them:

• Coalition Brewing: Sun., Oct. 9; 8 pm, screening is free but donations are encouraged. 2724 SE Ankeny St.
• Lucky Labrador Beer Hall: Sun., Oct. 16; 6 pm; $5, tickets available at the door or online. 1945 NW Quimby St.
• The Guild: Thurs., Oct. 20; 7 pm; $5 at the door. 1101 E Burnside St.
• GoodLife Brewing: Oct. 21 and 22; 6 pm and 8 pm both days; $5 adv., $6 door and online. 70 SW Century Drive 100-464, Bend.

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Now that the cooler weather has returned, it's time to get back to some cozy cooking. And to me nothing says cozy like the aromas and flavors of Indian food. My friend Sophie Rahman will be offering a plethora of classes at her home cooking school, Masala NW, adding vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options to the lineup of biryanis, curries, breads and samosas.

And if you want a hands-on experience, check out the fall schedule from my pals at Portland's Culinary Workshop for everything from knife skills to bread baking to butchering a whole pig. Not to mention mastering the tricks and techniques of the foods of Asia, Greece, El Salvador and Brazil.

For those who want to learn to cook more economically using what you already have in your pantry or to learn how to set up your pantry so you don't have to make those last-minute runs to the store, Katherine Deumling of Cook With What You Have has a class with your name on it.

All of these folks offer outstanding, value-filled, worthwhile learning experiences for a great price, so check them out for yourself or a gift certificate for a friend!

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If you're an armchair tourist or if you want to know what a food-obsessed traveler would do with nearly a month in Italy, you'll want to follow contributor Jim Dixon as he travels from Venice to Tuscany, then on to Umbria and the Adriatic Coast, ending up in Sicily. He's set up a new Facebook page called Italia Redux that is guaranteed to document every bite, bump and meeting with old friends. I can guarantee it'll not only have drooling all over your keyboard but rushing to check out the cost of round trip tickets.