I've been tagged by Nilmandra at Soy & Pepper with the following instructions:1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
Here are my seven admissions of random and/or weird things about me:
1. I keep a Word document on my PC with every food-related idea I come up with. I might suddenly get the inspiration for a new flavour combination at the pub on a Saturday night, and whenever I do it goes straight into a memo on my phone to be copied across later. One day when I open my first restaurant I'll have a huge database of ideas from which to create my über-modern 25-course tasting menus.
2. I'm a very fussy eater. I can't stand foie gras, brussels sprouts, liver, kidneys, gizzards, fennel, star anise, licorice, celery, sweatbreads, squid, veal, fish roe, green peppers, button mushrooms, endives, baby sweetcorn, hard boiled eggs, skimmed milk, corned beef, tripe, dill, karela, commercial mayonnaise, durian, escargot, chervil, English mustard, curly parsley, capers, anchovies, gherkins... I could go on. But I've tried them all at least once because I don't believe in criticising things that I've not experienced.
3. Totally off the subject of food: When I was very young I once watched the film Moonwalker every day for an entire week. Michael Jackson was once quite a hero of mine, I've still got every one of his albums.
4. I'm an ale drinker. I've got vivid childhood pub memories of asking my parents for a sip of their IPA and then recoiling at its bitterness. But growing up I soon acquired a taste for bitter flavours and I've been an ale man since the age of 16 when I could buy my own pints. A few of my favourites are Boddingtons, Old Speckled Hen, Greene King IPA, London Pride, Sam Smith's Old Brewery, Worthingtons, Tetley's and Theakston's Old Peculiar.
5. They say you either love it or hate it. Well I absolutely LOVE Marmite!
6. Since I started working at Comerç 24 I've caught what some like to call "Chefs' OCD" (Chef's Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). This common medico-culinary condition is most often developed through the obsession of having one's section laid out in a precisely uniform fashion. Symptoms include erratic behaviour and feelings of severe anxiety and stress brought on by objects not being located in their designated spot and at the correct angle of orientation. If you happened to be dining at the table opposite my section during service you'd see me constantly fidgeting with items after each use to ensure they're sitting centrally in their place. OK, I've now cleared up any doubts you may have had regarding my sanity after I wrote in great detail about The Chef Waltz. For anyone who's still curious enough for more detail, this is what my section looks like three seconds before the first order is called out.
7. Again off the topic of food and onto the topic of weird - I once turned my back on one of the most famous people in the world. Confused? Make sure to catch my next post and all will become clear...
I've chosen 7 bloggers whose writing I particularly like, but who I don't think I've ever tagged before, to continue this meme. They are:
1. Franka of Can Cook, Must Cook.
2. Niamheen of Eat Like A Girl.
3. Robyn of Eating Asia.
4. Antonia of Food, Glorious Food.
5. Helen of Food Stories.
6.Charlotte
7. Su-Lin of Tamarind and Thyme.
2. I'm a very fussy eater. I can't stand foie gras, brussels sprouts, liver, kidneys, gizzards, fennel, star anise, licorice, celery, sweatbreads, squid, veal, fish roe, green peppers, button mushrooms, endives, baby sweetcorn, hard boiled eggs, skimmed milk, corned beef, tripe, dill, karela, commercial mayonnaise, durian, escargot, chervil, English mustard, curly parsley, capers, anchovies, gherkins... I could go on. But I've tried them all at least once because I don't believe in criticising things that I've not experienced.3. Totally off the subject of food: When I was very young I once watched the film Moonwalker every day for an entire week. Michael Jackson was once quite a hero of mine, I've still got every one of his albums.
4. I'm an ale drinker. I've got vivid childhood pub memories of asking my parents for a sip of their IPA and then recoiling at its bitterness. But growing up I soon acquired a taste for bitter flavours and I've been an ale man since the age of 16 when I could buy my own pints. A few of my favourites are Boddingtons, Old Speckled Hen, Greene King IPA, London Pride, Sam Smith's Old Brewery, Worthingtons, Tetley's and Theakston's Old Peculiar.5. They say you either love it or hate it. Well I absolutely LOVE Marmite!
6. Since I started working at Comerç 24 I've caught what some like to call "Chefs' OCD" (Chef's Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). This common medico-culinary condition is most often developed through the obsession of having one's section laid out in a precisely uniform fashion. Symptoms include erratic behaviour and feelings of severe anxiety and stress brought on by objects not being located in their designated spot and at the correct angle of orientation. If you happened to be dining at the table opposite my section during service you'd see me constantly fidgeting with items after each use to ensure they're sitting centrally in their place. OK, I've now cleared up any doubts you may have had regarding my sanity after I wrote in great detail about The Chef Waltz. For anyone who's still curious enough for more detail, this is what my section looks like three seconds before the first order is called out.
7. Again off the topic of food and onto the topic of weird - I once turned my back on one of the most famous people in the world. Confused? Make sure to catch my next post and all will become clear...
I've chosen 7 bloggers whose writing I particularly like, but who I don't think I've ever tagged before, to continue this meme. They are:1. Franka of Can Cook, Must Cook.
2. Niamheen of Eat Like A Girl.
3. Robyn of Eating Asia.
4. Antonia of Food, Glorious Food.
5. Helen of Food Stories.
6.
7. Su-Lin of Tamarind and Thyme.
2007 and moved to Spain, where I trained in Barcelona at Carles Abellan's Comerç 24 (which won its first Michelin star) and Martín Beresategui's Lasarte (which won its second Michelin star) and was chef de partie and later Pastry Chef to Paco Morales at the amazing hotel restaurant Ferrero in the Valèncian mountains. This Spring I returned to London as part of the team of celebrated Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes, opening East End restaurant Viajante. I'm still working with food, but taking a break from fine dining. Passionately pursuing my life-long ambition to become a top-class chef and, one day, a world-famous restaurateur.
11 comments:
Durians are known as the Marmite of the fruit world... I love both!
Thanks for the tag - I'll get to it soon!
1-Wouldn't a moleskine notebook be easier? 2-Oh how I hate the fennel, star anise, and licorice! Does anyone really like them? As for the rest, you really ARE picky.6-When it comes to your set up: I thought I was obsessive!!!
If I didn't before (from being a regular reader) I would definitely trust the recommendations and food from someone who acknowledges that people just have different tastes and preferences. Personally, I wish the people who put vanilla essence or extract into every single dessert item, without thought to the other ingredients, would just disappear...
And I thought you were linking to a photo of the layout of your cuarto frio section - but a drawn, coloured and labeled diagram? You're really letting it all out about this Chef-OCD aren't you? :-D
Thanks for your tag Trig, I'll try to narrow down the random facts about myself to a select few! I must say I also share your love of the great MJ. I can't tell you how many times I've watched the 'smooth criminal' section from Moonwalker.....
I love it when people admit their OCD tendencies.
Nilmandra - a good line, but you still won't persuade me to enjoy durians.
Su-Lin and Helen - Looking forward to some of your secrets.
William - Glad someone else doesn't like anise-flavoured produce. Not liking anise is almost a bar to eating in Michelin restaurants these days. Notebook? This is 2008! A notebook to me is a small laptop.
Chennette - That'll be my dad who puts vanilla extract into every dessert. Don't be too worried about the OCD. I've got a design package on my PC that makes that sort of thing very easy. It's all information tucked away for one day when I open my own restaurant...
Amanda - There's some more to come. I'm in a confessional mood. Watch this space.
no offence meant to your Dad - I didn't really intend for him to disappear.really I didn't!
but still, that vanilla thing...
Chennette - everybody's at it. The first post I've checked today on my rounds of food blogs uses vanilla essence in breakfast cereal. That's even beyond my dad, so I guess he can come back again.
I can't stand olives- I want to like them I just can't do it. Fruit of the devil.
Thanks for the tag - I enjoyed your answers (had trouble getting on your blog for the past week due to probs with my computer, hence the late response). Love the diagram of your cold larder section! You really do have it all very organised... And couldn't agree more about the fennel/licorice/star anise hatred. Horrible!
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