One of the greatest aspects of this job (and perhaps what has kept me coming back for more), is the people I have met along the way. Fellow swashbucklers from all walks of life, with skills ranging from underwater welding, bilge scrubbing, expert iron-creasemaking, diesel engine reconstructing, stain removing, big ass boat driving, white glove table service, and alas, my fellow cheffies. Many have I met this year over in Europe, and I have been humbled by their knowledge, acquired skills and above all, their willingness to share.
Which brings me to my new cheffie friend who let me borrow the Big Fat Duck Cookbook, even before he could get his fingers flying through the pages, he insisted that I spend some time with it...(maybe because I was drueling when he mentioned it was on order, hmmmm).
This book speaks to me, like nothing else I have EVER read. I can only imagine a similar contentment achieved by young protogees of a master such as Mozart or Beethoven....as those perfectly constructed melodies flowed into their ears for the first time, leaving that one word internally screams throughout the soul, "YES!!!!!!!!!!!!" He gets it. This is what it is all about. Passionate, questioning, inventive, reasonable, unreasonable, crazy, beautiful, sensory-encompassing, etc, etc.
For that reason, I have to stop blogging now and get back to reading. I miss it already. However, in the midst of inspiration, I came across a very fitting quotation by a girl my age, who completed a stage at the Fat Duck (tempting).....
