I was always the food guy. In high school on boys weekend trips to a friend’s house for a football game, a camping trip or any other sort of event that required a volunteer to feed our clan, it was always me manning the stove. I wanted it that way, I loved to cook. In college I cooked all the meals for my housemates and room-mates, and when I graduated I went to work in restaurants, and began my culinary career in the kitchens helmed by some of the world’s greatest chefs. I kept cooking even when I was off the clock, for friends and their families and their children, and as the modern American food movement took hold in NYC during the ’80s, I was thrilled to see that children were no longer persona non grata in fancy food eateries. Chefs in restaurants had to know how to cook inventively and with style, even for their youngest and pickiest of eaters. The comfort food movement that exploded in the ’90s I think is a direct result of great chefs cooking for a new wave of younger diners. How else do you explain the fact that Mac n Cheese is on every menu in the United States? By the time I got married and became a father, I knew how to connect to palates of all ages and had a plan in mind for our son Noah beginning with his first real meal that we didn’t have to puree and spoon feed to him ( it was pan fried noodles with chicken and black bean sauce). Continue reading: Kids, Food and Culture »
Bizarre Foods
May, 2010 Archive
Kids, Food and Culture
One of My Favorites
Boy, what a rough subject to write about this week! Everywhere we go, just trying to shoot a fun little travelogue food show, it seems trouble follows us. We shoot two shows in Thailand and civil unrest erupts. We shoot in Arizona and the next thing you know the state government imposes restrictive policies on constitutionally guaranteed privileges aimed at resolving local immigration issues. What a world. This proves one thing for sure, look for all hell to break loose wherever we go next. Continue reading: One of My Favorites »
Arranging My Son's Wedding
Alongside of Botswana, Cuba and our upcoming shoot in Syria, this trip was revelatory in a way that few trips ever are. Do you know anyone who spends a lot of time in Mongolia?
Mongolians live off the grid in a profound way, the capitol of Ulaanbaatar is a city of over a million people with a few 20-story skyscrapers and live animals herding through mid day traffic jams outside the Russian Market. Need a camel head for soup? No problem. Want to spend a week without seeing another soul, or even a jet contrail in the sky? Easy. Care to get your five-year-old married off over a bowl of fermented mare’s milk? Careful what you ask for. Continue reading: Arranging My Son's Wedding »
Rich History, Exotic Cuisine
Often overshadowed as a tourist haven by its oft visited neighbors, Thailand and Vietnam, Cambodia is a stunning country with a rich history and distinct exotic cuisine. Crisscrossed by major rivers that regularly overflow their banks and flood the countryside, Cambodians thrive on fish and rice. Some of their strange delicacies, like roasted spiders and bats, were born out of necessity during hard times; yet these food traditions remain part of the culinary landscape in this now bustling economy. Once a colonial outpost, the French have greatly influenced Cambodian cooking and architecture. Add to that the outlook and friendliness of a people eager to share their rich culture with the outside world and you can see why Cambodia is an appealing travel destination. From the majestic and awe-inspiring temples at Angkor Wat to the bustling markets of Phnom Penh, I went in search of some of the most amazing and bizarre foods in Southeast Asia. Continue reading: Rich History, Exotic Cuisine »
