mermaidcamp
Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
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Last week I was very excited to have tickets to attend a stage show in Providence called Good and Evil. This two man show stars Anthony Bourdain and another chef, Eric Rippert. Although I had no idea what to expect I thought it would be funny and entertaining. I even convinced a friend to go with me based on my expectations. The theater itself was completely amazing, and the music played before the show created a great warm up. I was super pleased to be there in the Providence Performing Arts Center ready to be entertained.
What ensued was anything but entertaining. These tragic egos insulted each other in turn, and then turned the vitriol on all other celebrity chefs. It was name dropping in the most useless way, only to insult and criticize. Bourdain went off insulting vegetarians saying that if you travel to a foreign place being vegetarian is offensive to all natives who do eat meat. Sorry, Tony, I was living in Venezuela in 1963, flying into Amazonian fishing camps where there were no people except remote native dwellers when you were in diapers. As an adult I have gone to third world places that you would never attempt without a TV crew and big budget. Speaking the language or attempting to communicate and be part of the scene is the important link. I have always been treated really well in the third world, and have never sensed any resentment from locals when I eat no meat. The Cubans were particularly happy not to have to procure meat for the outrageous dinner they made for me. The view you have created for yourself is false, creepy, and shows your imperialistic roots. Boorish is not endearing to anyone.
Tony, Tony, Tony, your tone is inappropriate, but the subject matter is tasteless. Without the trappings of the CNN crew and budget your personality is bitter and very tiny. I may be able to watch you travel and eat now, but I will never be able to respect you. Name drop and insult people in private. We, the public ( and former fans) do not need to know just how tragically toxic your liver actually is. Spew that toxic bile all over somebody in private if you must. It does not belong in a classy theater.
I have a sourdough start that has been living for about 5 years. I feed it potato water, sugar and potatoes to keep the yeast alive. The yeast lives in the air and will be different in each geographic location. Technically beer yeast and bread yeast are different strains, but they are both alive. The sourdough is a domesticated life form growing in my kitchen. Each time I make bread I take out half of the starter and add potatoes and sugar to the bowl. After it grows for a day or so I refrigerate it because I have no need to make bread every 24 hours. The ritual of making the bread and keeping the levain alive is important. Mine is unusual because I use no flour in the starter liquid.
Making and sharing food has deep significance. Not everyone has time or interest in bread baking or cooking as a sport, but everyone gets hungry. The way we deal with our appetites tells us something about our relationship to divine providence. To be too strict or picky results in loss of joy, whereas to be undiscriminating will have the exact same result. Culinary taste can and does vary greatly, but the full pleasure of dining is in the execution. The delightful MFK Fisher wrote before the advent of Food Network and the crush of celebrity chefs as entertainers. I have purchased tickets to see Anthony Bordain live on stage in Providence because he does the same schtick. His travel and dining adventures are metaphor fairy tale food stories. Once I saw that he and I will have traveled to the same city at the same time I knew I had to see his show Good and Evil, an obvious referral to food as life. He and I do not eat the same things, but we dine with the same attitude. I look forward to the evening with delight. It will be tasty.
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