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A Universal Language
March 2007
I was watching a recent Oprah show on extraordinary people. An
ex-con who is now the executive chef of Café Bellagio in Las Vegas,
was talking about how in prison, mealtime was the highlight of each
day. Assigned to washing pots and pans, he found that the kitchen
was the best place to be. When he went on to cooking meals, he soon
became the most popular guy in prison. The appreciation he got for
his culinary efforts gave him a sense of true accomplishment for the
first time in his life and it transformed him.
What struck me about this story--among other things--was how it
reminded me, once again, that food truly is a collective pleasure--a
universal language of sorts. Though I’ve always recognized the
central role food plays in all our lives--a brilliant observation
since none of us can live without it--still, I had never really
thought of it in terms of a universal language! It got me
thinking…..
As a kid, when I used to bring friends home from school, my mother,
who spoke very little English, always welcomed them by making
something wonderful to eat. She spoke to them using a universal
language and they understood.
When the girls in Oprah’s Leadership Academy sat down to Christmas
dinner, and dined for the first time on a feast of plenty, their
delight in the delicious food was apparent. They didn’t even have to
know what it was they were eating---they just knew it was delicious.
When children who are hungry are fed, they don’t have to be
convinced you are their friend. They know it.
Maybe if America cooked for all of its enemies, they too would
become our friends. It couldn’t hurt! Hey, that could be our new
foreign policy! It’s simple. All we would have to do is send Rachael
Ray, Bobby Flay, Giada, Paula Deene and Emeril to Iraq and they
wouldn’t even have to pretend to “come in peace”. They could just
make an immense and scrumptious meal and invite the warring parties
to dinner! They couldn’t make war if they were too busy eating.
As a professional chef having cooked tens of thousands of meals
over the years, I never get tired of hearing how much someone enjoyed
something I prepared. If you’re a good cook, the accolades are
immediate and it feels great every time! Instant gratification---I
guess in this sense I never grew up.
More importantly, if food is a universal language, it’s one we can
all easily learn. It doesn’t take years to master, just a
willingness to enter the kitchen and make something you like to eat.
Simply start with that.
This month I have a few universally good dishes. Try them. Enjoy
them for yourself and then share them with friends----or enemies.
You just never know what can happen.
Chef Silvia
Recipes this month...
Warm spaghetti with a cold sesame peanut sauce
Pan seared sea scallops over thinly sliced romaine, topped with prepared seaweed salad
Also, if any of you are interested in organizing you own style of cooking
class/dinner party, including
Corporate Team Building Events, check out my
cooking classes page for more information.
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