I have to say, whether anyone has been reading my blog or not, I certainly have enjoyed holding myself to the promise to create an entry every day. My motivation has forced me to self-reflect and to be constantly working my way up in the culinary world through the things I have learned as a result.
For example, as guest after guest approached my station today, I noticed more than ever the desperation in their eyes over a slice or 2 of mediocre pizza. Many of them approach the area with a sense of urgency, as if they are liable to lose their minds at any moment should we not have exactly the slice they're jonesing for. Their wide eyes and domineering stances leave me uneasy, and I have to fight the urge to slap each of them as they reach over the glass, nearly contaminating my pizza with their greedy fingers. As I watched the cycle repeat itself with guest after guest, I understood that their behavior was bred, in part, by the environment. Suffice it to say that an air of relaxation and enjoyment is not fostered by an environment where food is produced in bulk. The message sent by these sorts of bulk suppliers is that they are taking a turn and burn approach and maximizing the number of sales they can make, rather than the guest's indulgence in the product. As sacred as food has become for me, I simply cannot fathom owning an establishment where the enjoyment of my food was not the priority.
I lend an enormous level of care to the creation of my food, and I want nothing more than for those who taste it to experience it as I had intended. I have always understood dining to be a community event, one that would bring people together over a common, and often indulgent necessity. When the time finally comes for me to own a restaurant, I can only hope that my food will succeed in slowing people down, giving them a break from their lives, and allowing them each to just live in the moment.
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