SPK: TMB, thanks for sending me that post on 'Tools For Thinking' by David Brooks. Nice column in the NY Times. I typically get to it, must have missed this one.
TMB: You are welcome. Complexity, supervenience, emergence…. What can I say? Only that it’s encouraging to see my interests gaining popular attention.
SPK: Thank you also for that piece in the Wall Street Journal, "What John Keats Can Teach a CEO." The lessons of language afforded by poetry can be a particularly valuable resource for any workplace.
TMB: You actually read everything I send you?
SPK: It would be impolite not to say so.
TMB: Slippery and eel come to mind, when I hear a response like that.
SPK: This might be your first experience with a polite, slippery, straight shooting eel?
TMB: Sounds like something you could order fresh in Kowloon to eat!
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| Eel Meal |
SPK: Talking of eating, I wanted to open a topic with you.
TMB: You know I am always ready to open topics. So, shoot, you straight shooting eel.
SPK: I have been writing fairly regularly for the past several years. Recently I have been thinking about my writing hobby as being akin to cooking for guests at my house. (Not that I cook well, or even cook for that matter).
TMB: Appetizing thought. Tell me more.
SPK: To set up the analogy then, guests who come to a dinner at one's house, I imagine generally don't care how the food is prepared, but can tell a good meal from a bad one.
TMB: And their review of the meal would be rather visceral and immediate and need not even be verbal, it is most often non-verbal. They may ask for seconds, or if impressed, maybe even ask for the recipe or on the other hand, politely reject it. I see what you mean.
SPK: So I am imagining, that my intent in pursuing my hobby of writing is to serve up a delicious meal to each guest. And since I am not in the restaurant business (i.e. am not interested in getting paid for cooking - in this analogy, writing), I can be selective about my guests and about my cooking.
TMB: Interesting. In my own case, one of the reasons I decided not to do a blog is that I wanted everything I write (served up) to anonymous ‘walk-ins’ from the general public to measure up well – both in terms of writing (kitchen skills) and innovation (new cuisine). I realized I could not yet do that even with topics I know fairly well (menu specialties) not to mention whatever the day’s topics might offer up (requests from the clientele). And for various reasons, didn’t want to do (cook) anything that could work against the central project (brand new food concept) by evoking bad reviews.
SPK: Interesting!
TMB: In your case, to further the analogy, I am imagining that in your context, it would be akin to having a large, open, comfortably designed kitchen around which open house parties revolve with folks coming in and out amid conversations to nibble on whatever’s been put up on the counters around the stoves, ovens and work areas, and where one can feel free and welcome to linger and engage in a smattering of conversations going on there.
SPK: And maybe even nibbles or drinks that the guests might have brought to the party to suit the occasion (i.e. will have the good sense to not bring Injera on 'lets celebrate the Kazhaks' day).
TMB: Thus the guests can anticipate, a low key atmosphere in your 'house', hopefully interesting food with an occasional tasty treat / gourmet curio served by me, the host focused on keeping things fun, interesting, friendly. Hey, who wouldn’t want to drop in to such a place?
SPK: You got me dreamin'
TMB: Of food?
SPK: No, of David Niven
TMB: Whaaa? There is a non-sequitor if I have heard one
SPK: No, no. David Niven's friends said of him that he was a better dinner party host and conversationalist than he was an actor!
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| Now, that's a dinner party |
TMB: Boy, you sure shoot high!
SPK: Worth a dream. Whaddyathink?
TMB: I was more thinking this guy.
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| Bob's Big Burger? |
3 comments:
I loved the dialogue with your buddy. There's too little discussion of the creative process and putting it in the context of food only helps with the digestion.
Good analogy.
I think you put out a smorgasbord of food. People choose what they are going to nibble on. Some they like; some they pass over.
I think also you focus your friends by bringing dishes to the attention of the people you think will like them. But then they sometimes find something new to eat.
This makes you a mixture of both cook and maitre d’.
You have to also think about what you get out of it.
I suspect with this analogy you would have become very fat, because you like ALL the food that is put out there.
Funny!
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