“In pursuit of joys untasted”
a quote from Verdi’s La Traviata could be my on my calling card just after “phoenix from the ashes.” A long standing pleasure junkie looking for his next fix is an accurate description of how I’ve led my life.
And as we’re the sum total of our parts and everything preceding this moment shapes us good or bad- experiences can create a well rounded individual or produce a dolt. As situations accumulate we learn “fire hot!” though “that’s cool” is more to my liking.
Travel can teach you more than any book. Exposure to other cultures expands world view- if you’re open to it.
In France for instance, I learned that cutting off the nose on a wedge of brie is acceptable only if you’re a child… or an American.
With a lifelong interest in rhythm, food and the associated cultures, travel is my drug of choice. One I’ve been strung out on since my parents took me to Manhattan multiple times as a child on buying trips to the garment district for our clothing stores. My father went seasonally, 4-5 times a year but every summer my mother and I accompanied him and no doubt cramping his style big time.
Day 1 began at our buyer’s office on 28th St where an 8 year old sport coat and tie (or dickie) attired me was front and center at the goat rodeo of men pushing schemata’s* on racks through the street of manufacturers sweatshops and clothing models.
But the next few days were for my mother and I to explore NY which we did from Harlem to Staten Island. The Guggenheim and used book shops. Walking down 42nd street or going to the U.N. Broadway plays and kosher dairy restaurants where they brought you what they wanted often without taking your order. Fwiw, I’d never order farmer’s chop suey on purpose.
I’ve learned more from being out of my element in foreign lands than from any book I’ve read at home. My perceptions changed for the better as they evolved by circumstances.
I’m not nearly the asshole I was, although I still display vestiges of it on occasion.
An opportunity to immerse myself into another culture is my equivalent to a big fat hit of the motherlode. Seeing things from a different perspective is the reward for getting out in the world, and one to be embraced on the road. Traveler’s kismet.
Soon my bride and I will be sipping port in the Douro Valley and checking out the Tower of London. Making memories to add to my bank of experiences, which in turn influences anything I may write, cook or record in the future.
I’m not rationalizing a vacation. It’s part of doing research and development for all that follows. It influences and informs future work with new insights that will present themselves in some form yet to be determined.
You’ve got to show up if you want to meet the muse.
* schemata’s – Yiddish for a rag or piece of garment or in this case a nickname for clothing.
Chef/percussionist/writer/reprobate and lover of all things beautiful & delicious, Chef Alan Lake’s culinary career includes East Bank Club in Chicago; Sunset Marquis in W. Hollywood; Izakaya Hiwatta in Ichinomia Japan and legendary nightclub Purpur in Zurich, Switzerland. Working all around the world for over four decades, he's won numerous awards, professional competitions and distinctions. He’s the author of Home Cookin'- The Stories Behind The Food and The Garlic Manifesto- the history of garlic going back to 10,000-year-old Neolithic caves and contains facts, fiction, folklore, myths and legends (besides 100 recipes).
A lifelong musician that plays 70+ percussion instruments, he coined the term “Jazzfood” to describe his cooking style i.e. “solid technique coupled with tasteful improvisation.” He views his food as he does his music and writing and has been known to bust a pout if subpar in any way.