No Reservations: A Night with Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain is real. It's like he stepped out of the TV in my lounge room and on to the stage at the State Theatre.

Tall, casual, beer in hand. He seems more in proportion in real life. He paces back and forth on the stage and only occasionally glimpses his notes on the lectern.

The format of the night is about an hour speech followed by thirty minutes of questions from the crowd. It's like sitting around the dinner table and shooting the shit. Awesome and entertaining. You get what you see, that's what I love about this man.

If you haven't noticed already, it's true. I'm a groupie. I'd say #1 fan but I'm not willing to flash my boobs at him. That would be like flashing my dad. Let's not go there.

I'm not going to give you a blow by blow of the night. I've got better shit to do. If you want the detail, you should have paid to see him like we did.

But I will give you Tony's top travel tips:

1. Observe local custom; consider where you are and remember you're an ambassador for where you come from.
2. Drink. Drink a lot of "whatever the fuck it is" that's the specialty in that location.
3. The breakfast buffets at hotels are a killer. Avoid hotel buffets and hotel food at all costs. If you must order hotel food, go for the least sinister thing on the menu.
4. Never eat where the concierge tells you to eat. The filthier the bathroom, the better the food. Find out where cooks like to eat when they're drunk.
5. Find out what the local specialty is and go where the locals think its best.

Earlier today one of the cooks from Cafe Sopra and I were chatting about how history shapes the food we eat. Tony summed this concept up well: he states that food is the history of the world. People have paid a price for their national cuisine, it's their identity. When someone cooks for you, they're communicating with you, telling you a story: where they come from, what their experiences have been, rituals, traditions and tidbits passed down from one generation to the next. Then it's preserved, copied, bastardised, rehashed, recreated and reinvented. And not necessarily in that particular order.

Food is about sensation. It's about enjoyment and emotion. You can't plan the most perfect or delicious meal; its a process of discovery, it just happens to you.

Tony's life seems to have just happened in this manner. Working a deep fryer at a restaurant one moment, to author and rock 'n' roll chef celebrity the next. I've been thinking about this concept of life a lot lately: that life itself is a process that must be embraced and enjoyed, from moment to moment. Creating, evolving, changing, responding to emotive stimuli. That's the shit that keeps it interesting man, living in the moment and letting it all unfold before your eyes like a beautiful, rich and colourful tapestry.

I can't wait to see the new season of No Reservations, especially the Sydney episode where Tony visits favourites such as Porteño and Bourke St Bakery. I love you Tony! You have the best job ever; I gotta get me some of that.

Sydney Mardi Gras 2012

Happy Mardi Gras Sydney!!!
I could still hear the faint music of an after party in the background when I woke up yesterday. A lot of seedy people not having crawled into (their own) bed yet. We didn't dare venture down Oxford St to see the fall out.

We did brave the weather and crowds to attend the approximately 300K spectator strong parade on Saturday night though.

All the glitz, glitter, glamour and well...tackiness, did not disappoint. There were plenty of Kylie look-a-likes, celebrating the pop princess' 25 year music career and the fact that she was the headliner at the official after party held at the Entertainment Quarter. Oh yeah, plus she's like THE gay icon.

This year's theme was "infinite love". So it was no surprise that the crowd was generally well behaved, happy and insistent on volunteering to pose for photos.

The regular messaging prevailed and rightfully so, as well as this year's focus on marriage equality. I asked my gay couple friends that accompanied us what they think of Mardi Gras. They've been there, done that. What used to be a rally about human rights and equality, has now become a freedom parade, where all walks of life come together to express themselves.

Of course there were lots of pretty (and not so pretty) people to gawk at. These ladies went all out, they were just fabulous!

The following two were my muses. Shall we shag now, or shall we shag later?

There was even a little something something for the plush animal lovers out there.

And when you got hungry? Which was inevitable by the end of the night. You had the aptly delivered "chips on a stick" to satisfy and soak up all that alcohol.

Thank you for a colourful night Sydney, you rock! 

Keep spreading the infinite love and equal rights to every human being on this planet no matter what gender, religion, sexual preference, race, age or choice of shampoo.

Chicken Liver & Green Peppercorn Pâté

There's nothing quite like home made pâté. One whiff of the good stuff and I gotta get me a glass of wine. This is not always applicable, especially when I'm spreading pâté on my morning toast.

Rich in protein and iron, you can't go wrong. This is the blood build up power food. It's the breakfast of champions whilst I try to build up my energy over Meditative March. Check out the health benefits in detail here and here.

Pâté recipes often dictate the use of large quantities of butter. Since I'm not a massive fan (of adding fat to my already generous Greek hips), I've kept butter to a minimum.

Chicken Liver & Green Peppercorn Pâté
10 mins prep time, 2 hrs marinating, 15-20 mins cooking time plus refrigeration

500 grams fresh chicken livers
1 small onion, diced
3 tablespoons fresh green peppercorns
sea salt
splash brandy
2 bay leaves
thyme (fresh or dried)
1 garlic clove, crushed with side of a knife
2 small sticks unsalted butter
olive oil
milk

Shove the chicken livers in a large bowl add milk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours. I like to use rice milk and refrigerate overnight.

Heat the olive oil and one stick of butter in a pan, brown the onion. Take the chicken livers out of the milk, add them to the hot pan with onion and stir. Add the green peppercorns, thyme, bay leaves and garlic.

Douse the ingredients with a splash of brandy. I find the brandy kills any "livery" smell.

Cook for no more than 10 minutes. The chicken livers should not be overly cooked, so inside they're still slightly pink.

 

Take pan off the heat and set aside. Remove the bay leaves and thyme twigs (if any).

Shove the ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth. Add a stick of cold butter and whizz.

Spoon mixture into an airtight container and refrigerate. The pâté will last up to 6 days.

Tips

• If you like your pâté sweeter, add a splash of port when you're whizzing the mixture.
• You can freeze the pâté if it's too much to eat in one hit.
• If you love your pepper and extra heat, after you've whizzed the mixture, stir through some whole green peppercorns.

Restorative & Meditative Yoga with a Side of Meat

I'm not a yogi. There's only so much hummus I'll eat and I'm so no about raw food unless it's sashimi. Oh yeah, and I love my freaking meat (in case you hadn't noticed already). Yet I do enjoy taking the odd yoga class.

Last night I took my new favourite class: Restorative and Meditative Yoga. After it I feel like a million bucks. Balanced, content and with a clear mind to take on anything life throws my way.

This is not the type of class where you sweat it out and do your power moves. It's all about doing postures that relax you and restore your energy levels. You hold the same posture for quite a while and focus intently on your breathing throughout it.

One of the hardest things is to keep your mind focused on the breathing alone. It's so easy for random thoughts to pop into your head and distract you. The instructor tells the class to acknowledge those thoughts then move on, get back to your breathing.

To take an hour to yourself to connect with your body through any form of exercise, is peanuts in the scheme of things. Yet so much benefit can be derived from it.

I'm pretty slack with sticking to an exercise plan, but I will commit throughout Meditative March, aside from my regular walking, to go to at least one yoga class a week.

What form of movement will you commit to?

Meditative March - a challenge

It's been a month and half since I started this blog. A decent amount of posts through which the process of self discovery continues.

What is Food to Culture? How to define it?

It's an experience. It's a feeling, a sense of who we are, where we came from, how we define ourselves going forward and how our environment is shaped. How we help shape that environment and how that environment shapes us. It's the evolution of ourselves, people, things and the environment around us.

Simultaneously to writing my blog, I've been going through my own process of evolution, enlightenment or whatever. I've had time to rest, rejuvenate and reflect. I've had quiet.

In a world where we are constantly bombarded with information (advertising, stimuli, entertainment, modes of escape, synthetic sounds and environements) it feels that quiet is a commodity. In my corporate job I was always switched on, wired, connected, in demand. It's been great since I dropped my mobile phone down the toilet (literally) and not had anyone contact me.

And I'm still tired. I'm tapped out. My holistic therapist tells me I'm totally heart and liver blood deficient. My energy is dwindling. I feel it, I know it, I'm trying to rectify it in an attempt to get back to some sort of version of my real self.

I'm taking the month of March to continue to reflect specifically on things, experiences, people, food that make me whole, that satisfy, nurture and fulfil me. I will not only reflect, I will do, see, experience, feel, taste.

I invite you to do the same and to share your experiences. During the month of March focus on all things that soothe your soul and calm your spirit. Nurture, love, honour and have fun!

I'm unsure of the structure yet. Why don't we let it unfold together?

I've just joined Pinterest, this shit is obsessive! After all, an image does say a thousand words. We can share images and experiences together on there or on Facebook to start with.

Happy Meditative March everyone!

One of my happy places: Miyajima Torii, Japan