Thursday, August 3, 2006

Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to play Warcraft

It has now been a WHOLE WEEK since Foodgoat declared himself done with playing Warcraft and quit cold turkey.

Thus far, withdrawal effects have been minimal (he has checked himself into the methodone program known as XBox 360). And if his rehab sticks, he may be one day be the fully functional Foodgoat again. Meaning, cooking adventures may start up again in earnest. One can't fully inhabit the kitchen if one is playing five days a week.

Perhaps he could also use more inspiration. And today I stumbled upon someone who might be a man after Foodgoat's own heart: Anthony Bourdain.
Although he's a giant among foodies, I thought he was just some snobby French chef, so I never saw his show, nor did I ever read "Kitchen Confidential". Alas, little did I know that his philosophy of food fit so closely to our own. Eat for pleasure. Try everything. Relationships are built over shared meals. Rachael Ray is the devil.

His talk with the Commonwealth Club of California that he completely won me over (listen to it here), talking about stuff from favorite meals, the Food Network, immigration policy, foie gras, and Mario Battali.

Now excuse while I run out to get a copy of ">Kitchen Confidential so I can read it out loud to Foodgoat.

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:04 PM

    I'm reading Kitchen Confidential right now (almost done, it's a quick read). A little over the top in places, but some really great nuggets of information. Thanks for making me no longer feel like the only foodie who took this long to read it!

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  2. i'm a recent convert, too. bourdain was v. much an acquired taste for me; i never finished reading "kitchen confidential" and i found his short interviews in his initial rise to fame to be somewhat obnoxious and sort of attention-getting. however, after watching "no reservations" and reading some of his longer food essays, i've really come to understand and appreciate him and his food philosophy better.

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  3. i haved loved him for years, even eaten at les halles in nyc a time or two. he wrote a really interesting book about typhoid mary - who in an addition to be a carrier of that deadly disease, was also a cook. i think he's cool. and smart. and cute. and a mensch. i like him, can you tell? we watched his show on beirut and were riveted.

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