In the vast landscape of food and wine, I am just one of many tourists seeking to cultivate my taste for finer food and wine. "Cultivating Taste" is my attempt to document the often challenging, complex, and complicated search for great food and fine dining. I'll admit to you now that I am a novice in the world of culinary criticism. I'd like to think that I know everything, but the reality is that I don't. I just have very strong opinions about the food I eat.
A little about my background: I got my passion for food, or rather, for eating food, from my Dad, who served as a gourmet chef for the first 10 or so years of my life. He is the person who introduced me to the pure pleasure of taste and the way various flavors can dance with each other in absolute contradiction and simultaneous harmony. My family and I spent many-a-holidays in the often stuffy environment of fine dining establishments. Perhaps it's a sort of nostaligia, but I cling to those memories and to the memories of tumultuously tense family dinners with wonderfully brilliant food prepared and served by my Dad.
Indulging in fine food is part of who I am. I don't come from a culinary background necessarily. And, I'm certainly not a great chef (in fact, not even in the slightest). I do, however, consider myself someone who can recognize the passion and personality of food and the way in which it brings people together. Food is art. It is emotional. It is complex. It reflects social changes. It reflects a person and who they are.
That being said, I am a very critical person. I am not so much proud of this quality as aware of it. This too, was passed down from my Dad. I have very little tolerance for sloppy work, sub-par food fare, and thoughtless concoctions. It is my hope that I can use this quality for some good. I hope to provide you with an accurate and honest representation of the wonderful food that is out there to eat, exposing it's weaknesses and celebrating it's strengths.
I hope to share with you my discerning palate and my vast appreciation for the pleasure that a well crafted dish can provide. Here begins my journal of culinary excursions. Enjoy!
