It can be intimidating to eat with a food editor. They are the ones who know how food should taste, why it tastes the way it does, and what the trends are that led to each dish showing up on the menu. And, as a food editor, I realize that my friends find even my small degree of knowledge intimidating.
So I take great pleasure in eating with a more experienced food editor. Even the best should realize that in this world, there is always more to learn, more to uncover, more to taste.
A truly noted food editor and publisher sat by me in a lunch meeting the other day, where food had been catered in from an Asian restaurant. We weren’t at all sure what we were eating, but gamely dived into the assorted dishes. Midway through, I heard a “yum” on my right, and saw a surprised look on his face.
“I don’t know what that was, but I haven’t tasted that before.” he said.
We all jumped up to try to unearth the new “find” and taste it for ourselves.
The reality is, those of us who live in food don’t have all the answers. There are new foods to discover all the time. We don’t know how to pronounce them all, let alone spell them. We don’t know their uses. We don’t know where to find them.
But we will find out. Because it is the pursuit of food that keeps us going, keeps us energized. Not for the pure energy value of food, but for the romance, the story, the imagination and the fun of food.
Who knows where the pursuit will take us.
Go along for the ride at www.foodchannel.com
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