I'd never been "tagged" before, until last week, when I was tagged twice.
Christie at Pigeon Pair and Duncan at Syrup and Tang have tagged me with quite similar rules to the tag, 7/8 things that "you didn't know about me".
So here goes:
1. When I was recently in France and Spain, for my first time, I didn't enter even one museum, art gallery or church, there was far to much eating to be done, no time for cultural visits. I did go to the Louvre, considered going inside, yet decided to check out the cool bar across the road.
2. I did Year 10 work experience in a kitchen. I had wanted to be a pastry chef, until my career planner at school told me pastry chefs start really early in the morning... well that solved that, cooking wasn't for me! I often think, that I should have trained as a chef, yet would I still love food as much, possibly not, there are a lot of chefs out there that don't love their jobs.
3. I ONLY go to the gym so I can eat whatever I want and often come up with some great work food ideas while pounding away on the crosstrainer.
4. I hate shopping at the supermarket, and would always rather to spend double the time at a market or a great shopping strip where I can go to the butcher, the fishmonger, the fruit and vegie man, the baker and where ever else looks desirable. It often sends PDC crazy that I can 'just look' in a butcher or at a fruit shop, even with no intention of a purchase.
5. Occasionally, I have to shop at a supermarket, due to the hours I work. I love to stand in the long queues and look at what people have in their baskets as they go by. Perhaps it's the food snob in me but I internally giggle at the silly people with the apple pie and the low fat custard, or the people with the old looking 'fresh' vegetables and diet coke.
6. Very few people that actually know me, know about this blog. I don't like to talk about it with restaurant friends, it just gets too politically tricky. Anyway this community have very little knowledge about the world of food blogs, so the ones that have worked it out (my full name is listed on my profile) get full points for savviness when it comes to local blogs.
7. When I worked making food look pretty all day, as a photographic food stylist, I had virtually no appetite, touching, manipulating and thinking about it all day. People would say, wow you must get so hungry doing that work, no way, it's not real food, it's painted, preened and glued in scary ways.
8. Apart from some seasonally long hours, I think I have the best job in the world for me. It's still feels funny being paid as 'the food expert', as my boss likes to say when he can't remember my official title (Menu Concept Designer), but that also brings other stresses like having my lunch scrutinised by the office as they walk past, wondering what the food nerd eats! Feels like I am in the supermarket and the roles are reversed!
Jack
NB So who do I tag in return, ... ?!!?
I love it!!!
ReplyDeleteHow does one become a"Menu Concept Designer"?
It's the best job title ever
ReplyDeleteHey Jack... congrats on this. It was fun to read all these little facts. I love fact no. 2 about not wanting to get up early. I've been through the same process in my head! My pillow is far more important to me early in the morning. :)
ReplyDeleteHey Jack, does that mean you go into restaurants and tell them what to cook for the next season? Do you have to give them recipes or what? All sounds very interesting... V x x x
ReplyDeleteMike, My job is one of those, right place, right time things With a background working with talented chefs and then food styling, my skill set was right.
ReplyDeleteEd, yes its a cool title, but complicated to explain to new friends, it never can be an easy answer. Sometimes it would just be easier to be able to say accountant or something like that.
Duncan, the funny thing about that story, is that I was advised as if it was a bakery (yes, such an early start is usual that many would call it late) not a restaurant pastry chef, where I've since learnt that start later than the other chefs as they are there later plating the last desserts... just one of those things I guess.
Vida, no I'm more of an internal resource for the catering company that I work for. I help the kitchen stay relevant in a rapidly changing and demanding food world. I spend most of my day writing differnet menu ideas and then trying to translate to the guys in the kitchen what exactly I meant, sometimes I give them recipes but more often its explaining the concept and 'the look'. A strange world to the type of chefs that I use to work with in restaurants were the food was their thing, this is more of a creative collaboration.
Jack
Hey Jack! Interesting to read all your facts, and yes we are all extremely jealous of your job... :)
ReplyDelete