Inflight Reading Part 1: The Saveur 100

By: Leah Shannon

Inflight Reading Part 1 – Saveur 100: Chef Edition

One of the best things about flying is the license I give myself to buy an orgy of magazines. Typically, they consist of The Atlantic, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, The Economist, Saveur, Fast Company and maybe Wired or the ilk plus “treats” like Nylon. These consequently weigh down my carry on and later exacerbate the effects of the very utilitarian airline seats but very much worth it.

This time, The Atlantic and Saveur took the cake of the lot. The Atlantic’s headlines included Artifical Intelligence: Why Machines Will Never Beat the Human Mind and Tasteless: The Moral Case Against Foodies. Just by the sheer sensationalism of the latter I had to buy it…and as a technology market strategist, I’ve always been fascinated by AI. I think the foodie polemic is a great foil to Saveur’s “Saveur 100 – Chef Edition” which is basically an unabashed glorification of foodie can’t-do-without toys and esoteria.

I started with Saveur. The Saveur 100 is hands down the best issue that the magazine has each year. It is only natural then, that they would extend the franchise to a list curated not by their staff (as the original 100 is) but by (and I say this reluctantly) “rock star” chefs. Grant Achatz, David Chang, Rick Bayless, Zak Pelaccio, you get the drift.

Wow does the issue deliver. Chefs talking about their tools and sources of inspiration is very much in turn, inspiring. Each page is a revelation of sorts, with short essays written with obvious sincerity. And, in the same way that I often cannot handle movies with suspense so taut I have to press pause, I found my heart almost racing while reading through the list and often needing to stop after an exceptionally singular contemplation. I know that seems a bit much but hey, its true. Try to read it and if you’re in any way a culinista, I can assure you of the same “orgasmic” reactions. Pretty soon, my magazine had more dog eared pages than not.

At the simplest, I begin a list of things to buy, such as BLiS syrups and vinegars that Grant Achatz swears by. Or places I want to visit like Masato Nishihara’s Kajitsu in New York City, whose cooking David Chang describes as “cerebral and thought-provoking but also incredibly fun and delicious….fascinated by where he finds flavor…you eat so well yet the food is light. You feel so good afterward.” Is there any other choice but to visit this place and experience vegetarian food that evokes such poetic waxing from the man who elevated pork belly to new heights? No there is absolutely no choice. It’s a necessity.

What I appreciate the most though, is the inspiration from the ideas and the prose.

Jody Adams reflecting on Claudia Roden’s writing on Middle East cooking was just plain beautiful. Roden writes about “The history of this food is that of the Middle East. Dishes carry the triumphs and glories, the defeats, the loves and the sorrows of the past.” And I’m reminded that I’m not alone in my experience with food – it goes beyond the plate, beyond the meal. It is gestalt and is in the end a cumulative experience of little moments that form undercurrents of memories synchronous to your life at that moment. That’s why we find ourselves closing our eyes when we taste a long forgotten childhood favorite or smile secretly when we bite into that dessert we once shared with that hot date in Paris. And that’s why there are dishes that I grew up with or are so special that I take a while to muster the courage to try and recreate because a failure would be disappointing. Visceral.

Jody Adams goes on, “When I cook alone, I blast some music and tango with my knives and whisks.” Oh the metaphors! I love them. Cooking is a joy and celebration and the analog is life.

And then, Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern reflects on kombu – an umami staple for vegetarian cooking – “I add konbu to a rich onion consommé…over locally grown and milled spelt pasta…It’s a beautiful pairing…The kombu adds a discreet backdrop to the dish not so much ocean-y as earthy.” I could almost taste it as I was reading it. I can imagine the flavors coming together. So simply brilliant. It is definitely getting made in my kitchen. Again, how can it not?

Zak Pelaccio takes a turn and writes about the food of Sabah, Malaysia and I had full empathy. A juxtaposition to the kombu onion consommé, Malaysian food is a different kind of pleasure. It is anything but subtle — it is in-your-face flavorful with layers of condiments, spices and textures. Having lived in Asia and having experienced the place he calls his church and temple, I traveled back with each adjective. From the bustling market (hands down the best places to eat Malaysian food) to his description of lato “a seaweed that looks like a cluster of tiny grapes; they pop when you bite them” releasing a taste of the sea on your palate. Ah, I miss it.

And then the revelations! Who knew Nathan Myhrvold, former CTO of Microsoft is a trained chef and “molecular” cuisine (of course) enthusiast who has published a series of books on the matter? Technology and food – a marriage of my two interests – have always fascinated me. WD-50 was a seminal experience. And again, of course, I must have these books.

To be fair, there are the yawn-inducing items such as Craig Koketsu’s (hot as he is!) elevation of Cheetos to white tablecloth heights. Please. This affected “irreverence” and neo-purposing is blatantly begging for hipster edgy status. Its old. And leaves me cold.

Why do I (and so many others as evidenced by the glut of cooking shows, books and magazines) have such an ardent reaction to food? It is of no accident that Conde Nast’s online food presence is anchored in Epicurious. An epicurean is synonymous to a libertine, a hedonist, a pleasure-seeker. Because food is a legitimate and accessible addiction. The droves who watch and read about it promote it to the same fantastic heights as any of the opiate kind. And also why there are such things as $500 dinners.

Which brings me to B.R. Myers’ Fed Up. (Stay tuned next week!)

Leah Lizarondo Shannon is an Integrative Nutrition Counselor and Food Educator. She runs FullWell and works with the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine as a Food for Life instructor.
www.befullwell.com