Last One??....

It would seem inappropriate if the world were to end today, and after some 450 Bottom Feeders, I had not made a final posting. So, goodbye.

Or maybe the sun will rise tomorrow as usual, and we’ll go on our merry way. I guess Mr. Camping will have some explaining to do, or it could be he’ll just drop out of sight and his followers can claim he was correct. Wasn’t there a Kevin Spacey movie (K-PAX) like that years ago?

Anyway, you can’t help but think about it, and I have come to the conclusion after observing the believers, that if it does happen, I think I would enjoy the company of those left behind more that the ones who rise..

Bookend

MFO was making an order on Amazon the other day, and I threw in a book I had seen in one of the magazines that sort of intrigued me. It was called “Think like a Chef”, by Tom Colicchio, a well regarded chef that is behind (among others – Gramercy Tavern) the “Craft” series of restaurants. The review I read said that the book emphasized techniques and cooking concepts rather than recipes, allowing the aspiring cook to be more creative. Being a slave to recipes myself I thought it might prod me into a broader sense of cooking, hence the order.

Through the magic of Amazon (I think they are in league with aliens) the book appeared on my doorstep yesterday afternoon. After returning home last night after the Historical Society Dinner, I opened the book and took a look at it. It begins with a forward, followed by a Preface. I read the said preface which is mostly an autobiography, letting the reader know how he got to where he is today. As with a lot of chefs, he came from a background where food was an important part of the family (Italian heritage), and he was entranced with cooking from an early age. He then relates the various jobs he had as he grew up (peeling 60 Lbs of shrimp over and over in one place), eventually working in some pretty well known restaurants and some big name chefs (Thomas Keller). What struck me was how often he moved around. A year here, nine months there, a trip to France for a “stage”, always trying to improve his cooking skills and concepts. Pretty typical of these high profile chefs..

But what also struck me was that in the beginning of the book that shows the copyright stuff, it was first published in 2001, and this edition from 2007. And, on the front cover along with a nice picture of him and the title, down at the bottom is a little box that says: “Head Judge of the Hit Series, Top Chef”. This always bothers me. There is no doubt that he is (I hate this word) passionate about his food. But what propels these guys that grew up preparing food, dedicate their lives to the art, to all of a sudden forsake the kitchen for the “Top Chef”, or “Iron Chef” and all the myriad of the silly competition shows. I doubt it’s the money, after they have successful restaurants they probably are pretty well off financially. I guess their ego is not satisfied by merely staying in the kitchen producing great food. Too bad, really.

Well, if I don’t see you tomorrow, have a nice life.

In any case, I for one will be
DFD