2006: BEST OF

People are always pairing food with wine, so why not pair food with music?

Here is a rundown of my Top 10 Meals of 2006, paired with my Top 10 Singles of 2006. I don't think these meals should necessarily be eaten with their corresponding singles as the soundtrack, but in some cases, they definitely should. Oh! I didn't put these in chronological order, just in case you're wondering.

#10 - Steak Dinner At Home / Beirut "Postcards From Italy"

We were all (mostly) together, mom and dad cooked, and the food tasted better than anything. This song makes me nostalgic for things that are (mostly) still here.

#9 - Italian Passover Dinner At James Beard House With Matt / Jolie Holland "Mexican Blue"

My friend loves food. My friend loves me. This meal could have been cold beans from a can and it would still make the list for how much it meant to me. I listened to "Mexican Blue" A LOT this year. When Holland sings "I love your songs, I love your sounds/Everything's so much better when you're around" I just lose it.

#8 - Grand Schizuan After Shooting The Pilot / Guillemots "Made Up Love Song 43"

The best day. I was so happy for my friends, and I was so happy for myself, and I celebrated by eating extra-spicy fresh-killed chicken and ma po tofu at one of my favorite restaurants. The best things come from nowhere; it's true.

#7 - Buddakan With Sue / Swan Lake "All Fires"

The dinner was exceptional. I even tried frog legs for the first time (delicious). Then I went home and made a phone call and got my heart broken. I'm over the heartbreak now, but I can't get over this song.

#6 - Birthday Dinner With S and D / Peter Bjorn and John "Defects On My Affection"

My brother and his girlfriend fixed an incredible spread for me and my two best friends the night of my birthday party. Meats, cheeses, pate, crudite, champagne, and a gorgeous chocolate-marbled cheesecake. I went to my party feeling amazing, and the night just got better from there. I laugh more often now, I cry more often now, I am more me.

#5 - Dinner With B When She Told Me She Was Pregnant / M. Ward "Poison Cup" and Dr. Dog "I've Just Got To Tell You"

I was so suprised and happy. I love her, and I love her husband, and now, I love their baby. That's a lot of love, I know. These are two of the most romantic songs I heard all year.

#4 - Dinner With L After Big Meeting / Clipse "Roll With The Winners"

She's known me since fifth grade. She has always rooted for me in my silly career. We ate Chinese food in her new apartment looking over the Hudson River while her infant son slept in the next room. It felt like we both had made it. This song starts with an "Ow!" and a "Yes!" and it makes me feel like a winner.

#3 - 4th of July Barbecue / Destroyer "Rubies" and The Knife "Hearbeats"

My family is complicated, but we really know how to eat together. I was so stuffed my belly was comically distended...which did not stop me from going back into the city and meeting a friend for post-holiday nookie. Doing gluttonous, crazy shit like that pretty much sums up my year, as do both of these songs.

#2 - Dinner With K In Den Haag / Joanna Newsom "Emily"

We bought cheese and bread and wine and chocolate at the Albert Heijn. You cooked mushrooms. We sat and ate and talked. Then we didn't talk again for nine months. This song is a genius, but difficult. It's you.

#1 - Pops In The Kitchen At Three In The Morning / Annuals "Bleary Eyed"

My favorite meal of the year. My favorite song of 2006. They go together.