tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48312719823764041142011-11-27T16:01:00.369-08:00Journaling my switch from (purely) white collar drone to greasy food professional at mid-life, and sharing gastronomic opinion along the way.Jamesnoreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-78859330333078636352009-03-29T08:42:00.000-07:002009-04-06T15:18:01.475-07:00

The Hoover Institution recently published this piece on the shifting morality of food and sex. Take it for what it's worth, but the increasing religious/mystical component of food and its followers is a subject deserving of more exposure. This serious essay provides a good deal of it.

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-14829232680661513492009-03-23T13:14:00.000-07:002009-03-23T13:29:31.488-07:00

The tide is shifting, it seems.While there are still outbreaks of breathless nonsense about food (acai, anyone?), the amount of writing I bump in to that tries to deflate all the puffery about cuisine and diet has increased. Take this piece that's right on the nose about food mythology.

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-86743568007188957252009-03-02T13:26:00.000-08:002009-03-02T13:30:23.195-08:00

One of the unfortunate, and inexcusable, reasons that my motivation for food writing has waned is because the ether is so filled with "foodie" hot air. Sometimes it's best to let others make a very simple point, like this.

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-49163721992869339252009-01-13T15:54:00.000-08:002009-01-13T15:58:19.107-08:00

A friend scolded me, correctly, for being away for so long. So I'm back.Ruhlman posted this (profane) video on his blog. But I thought it was worthy of a rebroadcast, so to speak, and addresses more food nonsense that I love to poke at. More to come. Until then, enjoy.

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-59184171387522150112008-06-30T13:19:00.000-07:002008-06-30T14:03:28.402-07:00

Just read the first part of this article by Michelle Slatalla of the New York Times and you'll see why nutritionists should reside below members of congress on popularity lists. To summarize, the article is really about the increasing popularity of community agriculture - monthly baskets of local fruits and vegetables - a swell idea. But the story features an episode in which the author and her

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-79712103455096329432008-06-05T13:58:00.000-07:002008-06-24T09:12:56.062-07:00

I suspect there will be plenty more evidence, like this, emerging that supports the idea that most athletic-related food is bogus. Good.How can one be inherently pro-commerce yet anti food hucksterism you might ask? Simple. The market works most effectively with the widest possible access to information, including research that debunks all the food nonsense that is taken as fact. Powerbar,

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-43506301341240394212008-05-15T11:49:00.000-07:002008-05-15T12:10:14.096-07:00

Chicago has lifted its 2-year-old ban on foie gras. Such news would typically merit open celebration as legislators are rightfully shamed in to removing themselves from your dinner choices. But, as the article makes clear, there is no moral victory in what seems to be another example of legislative spinelessness and railroading (no, not unique to Chicago, but it sure seems that way).Moreover, I

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-30571055881110924152008-05-14T09:50:00.000-07:002009-01-10T16:11:32.335-08:00

Our close family friends (and they are not alone) adore Aldo's with it's uber-friendly servers, accessible drinks and standard Italian-American dishes. And, admittedly, it's a good place for rambunctious children. If only the review could end here.Surely there are many reviews of Aldo's that attempt to point out its failure of "authenticity." But that misses the point. More importantly, it is

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-24666229345543882032008-05-07T11:31:00.000-07:002008-05-07T11:34:47.382-07:00

Where to begin?5 Restaurants in Manhattan Get Citations...

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-1415315466668459022008-05-07T10:34:00.000-07:002008-05-15T12:11:02.650-07:00

For the most recent foray into culinary eco-Stakhanovism scroll to the bottom of today's Inside Scoop.It will be fascinating to see whether there is any correlation at all between earning the highest blessings of this group, and creative, good food. Apparently it's not enough to earn thimmakka's certification, a perfectly fine idea. One must aspire to greenest-of-all status. Another tiresome

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-30143418145594449132008-05-07T10:12:00.000-07:002008-05-07T10:22:50.947-07:00

For my own record keeping, and the sake of posterity, I'm going to start recording menus that I produce.Our friend, Pam, visited last night prompting this.apples & feta with spiced walnuts, balsamic vinaigrettebutter lettuce, candied walnuts, feta in pear vinaigrettebutter & cream poached chicken, orange scented quinoa, chardonnay reductioncoffee & zinfandel braised short ribs, charred green &

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-70902683774894711992008-05-05T09:38:00.000-07:002008-05-05T16:49:03.491-07:00

While between gigs there's more time to comment on the food scene. The musings about food and the culture, most of it commentary on the hyperbolic and self-important, began before culinary school. But now there's time for more.Rare is the restaurant now that does not claim to cook seasonally and locally (for example). It came to mind reading this review of Bar Jules, which sounds delightful,

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-28713767671318466822008-04-21T12:18:00.000-07:002008-05-11T08:56:44.717-07:00

Rumi hired a full time cook and therefore has no need for a part-timer like me. I'm still "on call" as a substitute. But I don't hold out a great deal of hope that I'll be re-hired or used very often. I'm disappointed because I enjoyed working there. But it will give me the chance to write about my experiences there. More to come.

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-22575652004059637492008-02-04T21:24:00.000-08:002008-05-11T08:56:59.945-07:00

I may be busier than I expected because of this.

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-20915733210114871002008-01-25T10:53:00.000-08:002008-05-11T08:57:26.783-07:00

Rumi made an offer and I accepted it. I just completed my 3rd day as a professional cook. It's good to be back in the kitchen and working. More to come, surely.

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-29057935280618301492008-01-20T15:37:00.001-08:002008-01-20T16:01:37.758-08:00

Rumi has offered me a part-time position as a pantry and line cook on the weekends. I'm likely to take it.I didn't think working in a restaurant was a good idea, as evidenced by earlier blog entries. But this could work: the food is delicious and the chefs are interesting and pleasant (so far). I did a mini stage (fancy word for tryout) on Tuesday, and the environment is mellow with some

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-30235090093700070042008-01-20T14:18:00.000-08:002008-05-11T08:52:10.694-07:00

To call the Village Pub a dependable neighborhood destination is accurate, but utterly insufficient. Its highly accomplished and satisfying menu is augmented by beautifully proper but comfortable surroundings. Bring the well-behaved child, have a burger and wine at the bar, or reserve an anniversary table - the Village Pub is appropriate for each. And while quality showed some hiccups several

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-68586814079053228912008-01-20T09:20:00.000-08:002008-05-11T08:53:25.281-07:00

The holiday season allowed for some new dining opportunities, thus the chance to comment on them.My patience for writing comprehensive restaurant reviews is limited, so the style will be to cover the big beats of these places. Take it for what it's worth.Vioginier is located (strangely?) above the upscale Draeger's market in San Mateo, which gives it the shiny-catalog patina of high prices and

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-20226396999894178642007-12-07T10:33:00.000-08:002007-12-07T10:34:22.612-08:00

"Why did you get in to cooking?"I hear that question a lot (not necessarily directed toward me). There was a San Francisco Chronicle article published back in June that articulated many of the reasons love doing this. Suffice it to say, I have no interest in becoming Ferran Adria (nor could I).

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-54279574160638683382007-12-07T10:04:00.000-08:002007-12-07T10:35:09.712-08:00

The strictly educational portion of my culinary experience is supposedly over, and it's time for an update. Time to find work. So I'm pounding the virtual pavement among Peninsula-based catering firms with a potential gig on the 14th. This is the course to take under current conditions: ad hoc catering gigs. It's appealing to me, it pays sufficiently, and offers the kind of flexibility the

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-52412508686371068762007-11-17T08:35:00.000-08:002007-12-07T10:33:05.392-08:00

On the same day, Friday, my externship ended and I graduated. What will I do now?

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-24121286972247333912007-11-10T10:46:00.000-08:002007-11-13T10:32:59.519-08:00

Working nights makes me tired.The swirl of the past two weeks has been more than pen-worthy. The question becomes, which subject to cover first? Last? At all? In some way the externship has become a job; that is, mundane. So the writing becomes equally so, it seems. But surely there are nuggets worthy of sharing. I know; I'll revert to my past. Here's a bulleted list of observations,

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-2888153057306042662007-10-31T15:36:00.000-07:002007-11-13T10:32:43.954-08:00

Externships are not jobs. But this certainly feels like one.The Four Seasons called last Friday to say I was welcome to contribute my free labor for three weeks in exchange for an unparalleled learning opportunity. I agreed. And so I began on Monday morning by blistering my fingers on molten honey, and making a the soup of the day (broccoli & smoked mozzarella). But that was two days ago.

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-86863745467675771812007-10-24T21:14:00.000-07:002007-10-24T21:21:33.399-07:00

The Four Seasons called today to say, essentially - stop calling. I've been pestering the HR woman about whether they'd gotten the results of my Monday drug test. No.The whole issue is humorous; drugs have little appeal to me, so the issue is moot. But the culinary field is loaded with burners (plenty of my classmates are drug parolees), so I understand the issue. But it's delaying the start

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-590365251436781562007-10-24T21:01:00.000-07:002007-10-24T21:34:05.138-07:00

Today I was beaten by a 21-year-old, 100 pound woman of Persian descent in an iron chef competition, and it's bothering me. I'll be thinking about it while falling asleep tonight. Not because of her, who I like very much, but because I got cocky and soft in the past few weeks of not cooking enough.Actually, as a brief aside, though it wasn't for an iron chef competition, last week I plated two

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-47857514008326978522007-10-21T20:33:00.000-07:002007-10-24T21:23:37.066-07:00

The dog days of school began last Monday: another day of doing the same prep work; the crowded, loud kitchen; the droning ranchero music. I was bored, and the cooking had become a chore. Worse yet, I was placed in a group assigned to complete a non-cooking project. Since Wednesday we've been arguing about what to put on the menu. The details are too greusome, so forget it.Then I called the

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-48983388742092798042007-10-07T09:09:00.000-07:002007-10-24T21:24:21.511-07:00

We have a new student: a vegetarian. She's talented and doesn't proselytize, which makes for a pleasant working relationship. But regardless, the food is boring and dishonest. For the last week we've been treated to vegetarian lunches of various ethnic heritages. And overall the results have been predictably uninteresting.Jambalaya with soy chorizo: nearly flavorless. Soy-based vanilla pound

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-69985321537637770982007-09-21T21:54:00.000-07:002007-10-24T21:26:17.536-07:00

The rumors swirling in the past week are apparently true: the chef instructors seem to have arranged for me to do a two-week externship at the Four Seasons Silicon Valley in the next few weeks. My mentor and I toured the kitchen on Thursday and saw lots of stuff like this: an entirely different standard. Another meeting, this time with the Executive Chef, and I'm apparently in. Not something I

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-43251553284315533312007-09-13T17:02:00.000-07:002007-09-13T21:30:01.811-07:00

My fourth day working saute/grill is over. Tomorrow, a classmate and I are running the station without help. It makes me nervous even though both the customers and the chefs are patient, tolerant. There will come a time when I'm overwhelmed, too easily for certain, by just a few orders. But it has to be done, so in that way I look forward to it.I've found that I can do service well when I'm

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-32850024520176547182007-09-10T16:40:00.000-07:002007-10-24T21:30:08.658-07:00

Chef has me working the sautee/grill line (finally) all week. It makes me nervous because managing the creation of multiple dishes at once can get me ruffled. But I want and need to do it; Friday I'll be managing it alone without the hired sous chef. Good times.Today was slow so there was little pressure. That will change.Humor of the day: in order to learn how to prepare each dish I was

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-71355213072490882632007-09-06T18:56:00.000-07:002007-09-13T21:43:46.575-07:00

Yesterday I competed in my fourth cooking competition since beginning this program. Paired with a brand new student, who was extremely slow, we didn't complete the four plates we were supposed to produce. I was not motivated to compete yesterday regardless, and it showed in the food (The Chef instructor: one dish was boring, the other "sensational").Someone once said that being a professional

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-70399746356800281292007-08-30T20:42:00.000-07:002007-08-30T20:48:01.181-07:00

During cook-off experience number two today (among classmates) I cut my thumb. It's my first kitchen injury, with the exception of a minor arm burn. Worthy of journaling.

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-59001823860993526132007-08-28T21:14:00.000-07:002007-08-28T22:05:39.456-07:00

The end of my second week was marked by participation in my first cook-off last Saturday. A massive catering firm that serves many of the Silicon Valley tech firms invited students from my school to participate (more info here if you care). Only two of us attended, plus two chef instructors. But enough setup.It was amazing.Quickly, the rules: we all met at the Sunnyvale farmers market. We

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-42658728986230578392007-08-21T22:23:00.000-07:002007-08-21T23:23:40.494-07:00

Tuesday, August 21: week 2 begins (after a day off to take care of the daughter).I'm exhausted. The heat hit me hard today, and I didn't stretch this morning. At 39 years of age, getting ready for the kitchen requires the same warm-up as a swim meet did at the age of 21. I won't make that mistake again; my back was aching by just after noon. But it's such an exhilarating workout compared to

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-49786316919890470312007-08-17T17:26:00.000-07:002007-08-20T08:08:46.824-07:00

I love it.Week one is over. Wednesday was the first day. The prep work begins before 8.30 and though it can be disorganized (as is this blog) it provides extremely hands-on learning. On Thursday I asked how I could help (nothing is formally assigned); Chef responded, "can you make a bread pudding?" Sure. Friday - "make breakfast for the kitchen." OK (scrambled eggs with sauteed red peppers

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-81383491928722196572007-08-04T21:47:00.000-07:002007-10-24T21:27:22.247-07:00

I've been accepted to my culinary arts program. The call came earlier this week.I'd pimp for congratulations but I didn't even know that acceptance was up for consideration. This program is run by a vocational school, so I figured that enrollment equals acceptance. But no. And that's fine.All this was prompted by the completion of course prerequesities last week: a job readiness class,

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-47645758191704871292007-07-30T22:48:00.000-07:002007-10-24T21:27:22.247-07:00

The chef-instructor had the temerity to take a vacation the first week of August, so cooking school is delayed until mid-August. More to come...

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-42699997177431750602007-07-20T00:45:00.000-07:002007-07-20T10:19:08.385-07:00

My interest in wine is a relatively recent one, and was spurred somewhat by George M. Taber’s Judgment of Paris, which deserves its own review, perhaps. A recent random grab from the library is red, white, and drunk all over by Natalie MacLean, which is making me consider a full-time return to beer.One of the fundamental criticisms of wine is it own self-regard and preciousness, which MacLean

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-19490884697711130832007-07-15T10:23:00.000-07:002007-08-04T22:43:00.102-07:00

One of the interesting notions of gastronomy is that tastes evolve (obviously). And I must admit that one of the consequences of my culinary education that I look forward to will be to see how my own food opinions are altered throughout this process, if at all. So I'll do my best to track them here.

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831271982376404114.post-91597085974962650852007-07-15T09:46:00.000-07:002007-08-04T22:42:32.531-07:00

So much for being on the bleeding edge of technology. Ten years after the advent of the blog I add mine to the stack, and yet another one dedicated to gastronomy. The rub:After stints in foreign affairs, technology consulting, and market research, the culinary field beckons. It's where I belong, I'm convinced. So I'm off to culinary school - not for 66 weeks and $60,000, but 12 weeks in a

Jamesnoreply@blogger.com0