I don’t need a ring or watch, but new cultural experiences I never tire of.
Having learned more from travel than from any book or class, and subscribing to the “you never lose when you invest in yourself” adage, it was time for a trip. Nearly 3 weeks in Europe were on the menu.
It recalibrates what you think you know and tends to leave one with perspective different from where you began. For most, a good thing. For some, a burden as it’s been said ignorance is bliss.
So off to Porto, the Douro Valley, Lisbon, world heritage site Evora and the Algarve followed by a week in London to scratch the itch. As nice as home is, with your own bed and proper pillow-age, requisite darkness, clothes hangers galore and soft toilet paper- living a bit rougher is a small tradeoff, one I’ll take anytime.
What this has to do with publishing remains to be seen. What this has to do with personal growth is obvious and therefore advantageous despite not knowing how or when it will be applied… but no doubt will be useful somewhere, sometime.
From sitting in a vineyard as the winemaker describes how the micro climate of their particular terroir stresses the roots to grow deeper, in turn creating a more desirable fruit on the vines- my knowledge of winemaking improved. She suggested we dine at Lisbon restaurant JNcQuoi (pronounced je ne sais quoi) which was a revelation of style and substance, as was her 98 point rated wine, Pintas, so there’s that as well. Thank you Sandra Tavares.
Pristine ingredients simply grilled or steamed like the turbot above or razor clams or lobster or secreto recently ingested reinforces just how important letting ingredients speak unmolested.
Forever a push my luck and gild the lily kinda guy, it brings home the theory of less being more.
Once after a trip to the farmer’s market in Portland Oregon for a tasting menu, the definitive peaches called to me. Never in my career had I had a better example, so having the good sense to leave them alone, I presented one each, whole, at the end of the meal- a decision derided by some but I knew enough to get out of the way. There was nothing I could do to improve them with a chef’s manipulation so didn’t.
Are you really complaining about the best fucking peach ever? If so, you don’t deserve it.
Börek with foie gras, pork belly and cabbage was a revelation, and a pairing that would never have occurred to me, as was the check presented in a well worn hallowed out book, so in these ways my knowledge of food also improved.
Travel makes me a better person, a better cook, a better writer and musician. It’s money in the bank. No idea how I’ll spend it but comfortable that it’s there when I’ll need it and will use it somehow somewhere.
So have a bon voyage, keep your eyes, ears and tastebuds open and have one on me.
Tchau
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.
Loved your description of simplicity and not improving on what nature provides. There is certainly something about the perfect taste of a simple fruit, and in peaches is often hard to find. Nice style Al.
As soon as you get home it’s a blur. Did you keep a journal?