A few weeks ago I got an email from a Good Food listener, J. Dough of Our Cook Quest, who attend an event with Ferran Adria at Harvard. He was so excited to share his story about asking the famous Spanish chef a question. Here’s J. Dough’s story:
I was one of the few ticket holders who has no connection to the organizers, isn’t a reporter and doesn’t even go to Harvard. I’m just fortunate to have an affiliated cousin who waited at the box office and understands how much I love cooking.
The request for questions gets my heart racing. I am so focused on my prepared list that I miss an opportunity. Luckily, I make eye contact with the usher and I’m in. I ask Chef Adria, “Has there ever been a perfect ingredient that you felt should never be manipulated because nature was enough?” Chef Jose Andres, our translator, tells me to, “Get ready for the answer,” because it’s not going to be short. Adria tells an animated story that parallels food preparation to a student changing dress throughout the day.
The tale begins with waking up in the morning. “You’re going to dress the right way,” for class. The student wouldn’t go in underwear or a tuxedo. Adria continues with describing getting “spiffy” for a romantic date and as a result, “Imagine … the cologne has worked its magic!” He finally warps us to an age when dress no longer matters. Andres expresses concern about where the story is going and everyone couldn’t stop laughing.
He concludes with, “[it] Depends on the moment, … the place and the company.” My question tapped into his imagination and it was a good feeling.
To quote a compliment Andres paid to Adria: “…praise him because what he has done besides moving cooking forward and bringing creativity is showing that generosity is really what opens doors to the world.” This inspired me to create a blog for fellow cooks to post questions for those who change the way we think about food. Maybe you can present yours one day?