Taking a plunge into this here Samizdat.
Food and music.
Many have touched on the relationship of the two. Anthony Bourdain wrote about music in kitchens, chef-musicians and what loud clubs kitchen folk go top for a nightcap/industry happy hour.... First off, I'm not a professional chef. I haven't been educated, or have worked through the ranks. I simply have a certain love for the subject, I am friends with many chefs, I could hold my own on the line, but I prefer just the geeky creative aspect over the assembly line mass production aspect of many a pro kitchen. I do DJ professionally, but I have the same attitude toward that craft. I will not answer requests for hits and/or top 40 tracks, I am here "not to stoop to the lowest common denominator, but to raise it" to quote a dj acquaintance of mine, Jeremy Sole from Los Angeles.
So, by keeping those two crafts as hobbies rather than professions, I believe I am able to keep them close to my heart. This intimacy with my hobbies keeps me from losing sight of why I feel so passionately about sourdough, or a great wobbly bass line.
At which point do the creative professionals start compromising their vision in order to earn the paycheck? Like a chef who will order from Sysco instead of shopping at the farmer's market, or a dj who will play Black Eyed Peas mashups until his ears bleed just to keep a major commercial club residency? Is it still "doing what you love?"
Last night's dinner was a chicken version of a porchetta sandwich. Chicken, brined with garlic, bay, black peppercorns and fennel was pan-seared with butter, finished in the oven, pulled off the bone and piled onto freshly baked sourdough bread. I've been obsessing with this bread, slow-fermenting it in the fridge over 96 hours time to get that sour/creamy crumb. About a year ago I added some yeast from the bottom of a Rodenbach Grand Cru and I swear I can still smell the flemish sour notes.
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