Chef/Owner, or Academic

And probably not in abundance where you are thinking of opening.

Or perhaps they are? I don't know.

It's quite clear you are inclined heavily towards the haute cuisine. I would also speculate you are rather biased toward the idea to the extent of seeing and hearing only those things which support it while lessening the impact of any statements against.

Tread warily, my friend.

The 'child project' can blinker a person's eyes to such an extent that they reject anything in opposition and are unable to seek independent counsel. The fabric the dream is made from surrounds to such an extent that the world is made only from it and nothing else may enter; even family, who are often relegated to the outskirts while the dream is 'realised' and become strangers in the process.

 

McFox, as always I appreciate your thoughts. Several things.

You are quite right about the dangers inherent in the "child project." As I understand from our attorney, my wife and I were actually quite lucky, comparatively speaking, in that we saw the writing on the wall earlier than many. Clearly our bistro was not making it - we were borrowing our way into a further hole. We made the painful decision to close shop earlier than many, limiting inherent tax liabilities, and for that I am grateful.

You are also quite right about the bias. While my bent is not to haute cuisine but rather sophisticated "country cuisine" or auberge cooking, you are right that this is where my heart lies. I deplore the notion of artiste, of preciousness in cooking or any endeavour. But mine is an unusual mix of the sensualist and the intellectual and the dilemma, for me, is how to feed both worlds. I do know that when I have tried to jettison my life as an craftsman - whether it be life as a Shakespearean actor, writer, chef - the antic comes creeping in and knocks quite loudly until heard.

More practically, I have looked at the life of the academic, and the prospects for a career there. At the conclusion of 6-7 years of further schooling, I am not so sanguine that the job prospects are any more stable than in a would-be culinary endeavour. At least in the States, the academia market is becoming increasingly competitive and though a PhD from Berkeley is highly respected, the likelihood is that I would have to piece together a full time occupation from various adjunct professorships, across institutions, each paying a few thousand per semester. From there the road to a full professorship is long - and not in any way guaranteed, much less likely. Doing all this during my '50's, with my family in tow, and expenses incurred, has given pause. In other words, "ya gotta wanna." And I am not so sure I wanna enough.

Thanks again.

Paul