The case of the jaded palate

[kpurvis]

When you've been disappointed by too many restaurants you wanted to love, or you've seen too many plates of cunningly arranged heirloom tomatoes, or you've typed "crunchy" so many times the keys are rubbed down on your keyboard, is there something you do to fall back in love with the job? Is there something you read that reinspires you, or something you cook for yourself? How do you make yourself want to go back for more?

[Tom Sietsema]

(Hiya, Kathy!)

I spend waaaaay too much time at restaurant tables. Probably about 30 hours a week, I figure (two meals a day for an average of two hours). That doesn't leave a lot of time for "real life" -- going to the movies or whatever.

No matter how busy I get, though, I hit the gym three days a week for a no-nonsense hour with a trainer. (It's not a yuppie thing, it's a NECESSITY in this gig, at least if I do it for long.) And once a month or so, I try to cook dinner for friends. Balance and hobbies and pushing away from the table now and then make for a better writer, I think.

Honestly, though, I never get bored. For inspiration, I might dip into my library and peruse MFK Fisher or another literary great. But I'm really fortunate to get paid to do what I love to do.

Do I ever want to stay home and eat a salad in my sweats? Sure. But I have very few complaints in this occupation -- and there always seems to be an interesting meal around the corner.