Croissant in the City

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

~Benjamin Franklin

'Why you might just as well say that "I see what I eat" is the same thing as "I eat what I see"!'

~Lewis Carroll

"When you open a restaurant, you live it, you sleep it. You always have sawdust on your clothes. You can't shower the smell of the place off you."

~David Chang

"Keep it simple and keep it consistent. I cannot repeat this enough."

~Mireille Guiliano

A topic constantly on my mind is supporting local farmers.
It’s good for our farmers but there is a selfish reason; we are getting
high-quality, fresh food for our tables. In doing this, we are teaching the
younger generation – that is so used to the couch potato video games, social
networking as the entire means of communication, food only comes from the
grocery store, cellophane wrapped meat – that food does come from somewhere and
you should care.

In our active endeavors to encourage healthy eating for children, we’ve forgotten about an important part of
our culture, the older sect. The elderly are more often than not, placed in any
number of facilities, where food becomes an afterthought.

I remember going to visit my grandmother at her retirement
facility. The food was horrific. I got a piece of
chicken that was bone-dry and grey, with large glistening, globulously
gelatinous, goobles of fat dotting the top. This is what they are serving to my
grandmother? 

Food is a simple pleasure. It is one of the daily moments in
our lives that we can stop the spinning of the crazy around us, and for a brief
amount of time, enjoy. 

Read the letter from the editor in the latest issue of Gastronomica, that touches on this topic. Thought provoking. 

"I felt terrible. I was wracked with stress. So I did the only thing restaurant cooks know how to do: worked harder and harder."

~David Chang

(A fresh coat, a fresh day.) 

"I like asking questions, to keep learning; people with big egos might not want to look unsure."

~Heston Blumenthal

I'm sure that we all cross paths with people who have large egos, but kitchens run rampant with Anthony Bourdain wanna bees and young cooks who feel that they should be running the kitchen. I hate cocky and I hate egos. I try to not be like that. I try to ignore those who do. 

How much do we close ourselves off from learning and experiencing when we put up a front about knowing everything? Do we lose face or do we look stronger for accepting the fact that we don't know everything?

Ponder. 

Sent from my iPhone

Sent from my iPhone

Sent from my iPhone