She has trouble boiling water. I am a starred French Chef She couldn’t tell a lie if she tried. I can. I also know that if my life ever came down to hanging in the balance dependent on Karen lying for me, adios muchachos! Black hair. Blonde hair. Dark brown skin. Pale white shin. AbsolutelyContinue reading “Differences”
Category Archives: French Food
Red Flags
Your wife is always “too tired” and is totally fine with you going without her. Red flag. Last-minute and pop-up plans are met with a smile and a wistful, “oh well.” Red flag. You decide to drive to a club to go out drinking with your buddies. Red flag. There are too many options thatContinue reading “Red Flags”
Standards
They should be just what they sound like; set, immovable, intractable and not to be trifled with and avoiding, at all costs, the possibility of lowering your standards. I used to joke to my golf buddies that as much mistrust I have of the medical profession (business), I would still rather have a doctor doContinue reading “Standards”
The Long Wait is Over
For me, anyway. The start of the Premier League football season begins today with my Manchester United Reds hosting Fulham, a team that sneaks into the top ten on occasion, but are in no danger for the top six spots. Now, although I am very skeptical about the retention of manager Erik Ten Hag, IContinue reading “The Long Wait is Over”
Smells
Some of my very favorites: Newborn baby smell. Doesn’t last for long. Unspoiled. Japanese villages food stalls. New cut lumber. Old car smell. As opposed to the clean, factory-generated new car smell. I’m talking an old Rolls Royce or Bentley Town Car that has endured five kids, three grandchildren and cartons upon cartons of DunhillsContinue reading “Smells”
Working Stoned
When I think back on the entirety of my working career, I really went to work stoned. A lot. When you are a young chef candidate, you are crushing long hours with other young hopefuls, and guess what? Every one of them is high. Once you attain a level of autonomy and say-so in anContinue reading “Working Stoned”
Give Me a Break
I’m playing this online golf game and I sink an extremely difficult eighteen-foot putt over a huge break for a birdie. My opponent has about a seven-foot putt to tie me. The slope is almost impossible to navigate, so what happens? The machine says, “player took a gimme.” Kiss my ass. When I play golfContinue reading “Give Me a Break”
I KNOW Why Me?
I am my best ally and my own worst enemy. I elevated myself to levels of euphoria and visited the depths of the abyss. From the year 1974 to 1987, if given any two choices, I would indubitably choose the option that was the worse for me. Consistently. Knowingly. When I entered the higher echelonsContinue reading “I KNOW Why Me?”
Don’t Forget Dessert
As Executive Chef in fine dining establishments in the eighties and nineties, I witnessed firsthand the changing landscape from the traditional (classic) dishes to the new, colorful platescapes that overzealous chefs, with their squeeze bottles in hand, chose to paint like graffiti artists. I liked SOME of the new look plates, and I was oneContinue reading “Don’t Forget Dessert”
A Little Something Extra
I was involved in one position or another in restaurants in my journey. Part of that journey was as a tipped employee. I loved that position better than any I held afterwards, even after I ascended to the Executive Chef position in a starred French restaurant. Why? I was single and working in a majorContinue reading “A Little Something Extra”
