One aspect of being a chef that I secretly enjoyed was changing the mind of a guest. I relished the chance to go to a table and explain why they should order the beets despite the protest that they hate beets. Excuses usually involve a previous experience with beets that made them gag, but occasionally the guest would admit honestly, “I’ve never had them.”
Some folks make up their minds about what they don’t like through lack of trying.
I use beets as an example because I personally love them, and have a fond memory of my grandmother’s pickled beets that she would put by every summer. I recall fishing them out of a quart canning jar with my little fingers and biting into the taste of red dirt mixed with sweet and sour brine. It’s a pretty unusual and complicated flavor for a little boy to acquire. Today, that sensation takes me back there immediately. I guess I was destined to be a chef from an early age.
Another rejection of my proselytising of beets was this argument. “I know what I like and what I don’t like. Why would I want to learn how to like beets?” To which I would reply, “for the same reason you want to learn anything.”
Curiosity.
I was 17 when I discovered that beef could be enjoyed at any other temperature besides well done. My only early experience with squash was in boiled form. No wonder I didn’t like it. Liver was on my banned list until 12 years ago when I had a farmer give me some and I determined to expand my mind and move past my aversion that formed at my childhood dinner table. Since then I’ve used it to create braunschweiger, blood pudding and even a Midwestern version of haggis.
I want to discover more of what I don’t know.
Anything worth possessing is worth the effort to obtain it. The surgeon doesn’t come by the knowledge to replace a knee just because she had a knack for it and cutting on bones comes naturally. If you’re under that knife, you are deeply grateful for the training and education that is presiding over your operation.
To be a Chef is to nurture, which is why I love stepping into that role. I get to turn my curiosity into a chance to nourish, not just your belly, but your mind too.