A Matter of Perspective

If you pay any attention to this blog, you probably know that the eat portion of eat. move. change. tends to occupy the most space. What can I say about food and eating? I'm a big fan. And I usually bring positive associations to my opinions of everything food-related.

But - in a strange change of pace - I am discovering a cynical, apologetically crass, and altogether loathsome perspective of food from (surprise surprise) chef Anthony Bourdain. While part of me wants to hurl his nonfiction book Kitchen Confidential into the trash, part of me is fascinated by the so-called "underbelly" of the food business. Bourdain's self-aware, haughty prose details anal sex in front of dumpsters, drug deals at bar tops, and disgusting "knife play" in the kitchens of famous, expensive restaurants. I can't say that I enjoy reading this stuff...but - as I mentioned earlier - it is a completely different perspective of food for me.

While reading the book, I can't help but compare Bourdain's world of food with the worlds of other food writers. My favorite books in this genre include A Homemade Life by blogger Molly Wizenberg and Cooking For Mr. Latte by New York Times columnist Amanda Hesser. In these books - and many others - food is associated with love, family, and positivity...and I'm a sucker for anything positive - - especially food-related. Perhaps this is why I was so disappointed and shocked by Bourdain's perspective; it goes against everything I believe about food. But does that make it wrong? Of course not! Just because it is truthful, however, doesn't mean I have to like it.

Anyway, this food analogy has been following me around everywhere; I've made similar comparisons (on a shallow level) between Glee covers of famous songs and the original versions and (on a much deeper level) between opposing religions. *Whoa* Justin's getting deep. But, no, really...It's true.

We live in such a big world, made bigger by the ever-expanding internet at our fingertips. It's so easy for us to find like-minded people who share our beliefs. But maybe it's good to give those beliefs a little shake sometimes. One single perspective is flat; multiple perspectives can make anything three-dimensional. So, go ahead and read Kitchen Confidential if you're so inclined. Or, if you already love Anthony Bourdain, read something by Amanda Hesser (this is, of course, assuming you like to read food lit like me). If you aren't interested in food writing, find another topic and subscribe to a perspective opposed to your own. Just to see. It really makes you examine your own beliefs and, in my example with the food, serves to reinforce my own viewpoint. To me, food is - and will always be - a comfort: something positive and glorious in my life. No one, Anthony Bourdain included, is going to change that. And I never would have found this resolve without reading his dirty book. Hmmm.