Saturday, May 21, 2011

Last Meal

My cooks had a pre-service discussion about "a last meal" last night, no doubt mused by the forthcoming rapture.  I walked into the kitchen just in time to hear some pretty interesting selections.   You can tell a lot about a person by what their last meal would be.  Now that I think of it, it would be a great question to ask in an interview.  What would my last meal be?  It would depend on the time of year, but if I had to pick one today (you know, because the world is supposed to end today) I would probably go with slow-cooked beans, carne asada and fresh tortillas with a heaping side of green chile.  I would want something satisfying, filling, extremely comforting and something that carries a strong and positive memory for me.  This reminds me of eating at my grandparents house in Taos, New Mexico, the place I grew up visiting and loving, the place my wife and I met and the place I hope to retire.  I have been asked many times why I haven't opened a New Mexican restaurant and the answer is always the same.  Cooking like that is my grandparents job and I love to miss it.  If I had a New Mexican restaurant, visiting my grandparents and Taos would lose just a little bit of special.  Maybe when my grandparents are gone I will open southwestern restaurant as a way to remember them.  For now if I want my grandma's tortillas, I will wait until I visit my grandma.

On a side note, if you are applying for a job at BLG and I ask what you last meal would be, please don't reply with some elaborate, upscale, pretentious dish.  If that is really what you would like as the last thing you ate in this lifetime, you are probably not the right person for the job...

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