The most unoriginal question I get asked is—”What would your last meal be?”
My answer is even less original.
“I don’t care.”
No one wants any meal to be their last. That’s dumb.
The question should be—”What would your first meal be after you die?”
The second most popular question I get asked is—”What made you want to be a cook?”
This question is valid. I like it. But I never answer it honestly. I offer corny jokes, like, “I knew at a young age I liked cooking, but didn’t know I wanted to make a career of it, until my wife cooked for me.” Stupid shit like that.
The real answer is—Pain.
Not only is it what led me to cooking. I firmly believe it’s what leads most of us to eating.
Not to be in pain, but to kill it.
The best meal I’ve ever eaten was at FEAST. Not because I was the chef. No. It was the result of standing bedside next to my wife all afternoon, while we waited two hours for a surgeon to arrive after she suffered a compound fracture of her leg.
Bibb Salad. Hamburger. Fries.
Comfort food—killing pain.
This blog isn’t about doing research. I’m writing from experience. And I can say without exaggeration that more than half the service industry staff I’ve worked with are in pain.
Serious. Pain.
Isn’t that fucking ironic? How pain finds a purpose—by making others feel better?
Can you imagine food cooked and served by happy people? It doesn’t track. It even sounds funny.
I also believe this is why good food and service have become harder to find. Whether people have grown wise to pain or are afraid of it, there certainly aren’t as many people jumping blindly into an industry that thrives on it.
I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. It’s not my place to decide. But when I bite into something truly delicious or receive exceptional service, I can’t help but think: what the fuck has that person been through?
Sometimes they reveal their secret while no one’s looking. And trust me, neither you nor I want the recipe—until it’s too late.
Epilogue
Rest in Peace, Russell Crawford. It was a pleasure working with you.
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