JUST ANOTHER FOODIE

Hello. My name is Christian. I love food. Most nights you can find me sitting in front of my television watching whatever program is on The Food Network. When I'm not too burnt out from my day job, you'll find me making one hell of a mess in my near none existent micro-kitchen. The price you pay for living downtown in Vancouver I suppose. Nonetheless, I always seem to manage half decent food from this hole in the wall. See, over the past five years or so, my love of food has become a full fledged obsession, to the point where I am considering walking away from a six figure salary to start a food truck. Am I crazy? Probably. 

 And what of my cook book collection you ask? Well, they can be found under the bed, on the living room floor, in the back seat of my car and in my desk drawer at work. From the "must have" staples such as, " The French Laundry" by Thomas Keller, to the more comical "Booty Food",  featuring recipes said to heat things up if you know what I mean. I am proud to say I have accumulated at least a few baker's dozen. As a part time DJ and music producer, I guess it's not hard to see why I love food so much. For the record, that was the first and last time I mention my music career.  Food, much like music, has the ability to transport you to a particular place in time, like your childhood. It can remind you of cities once walked, like Paris or Madrid. I love food for its simplicity, yet its complexity. I love cooking for its artistic expression, plating, presentation, but also for its scientific methods, molecular gastronomy, the liquid nitrogen tanks. Food is fucking cool. At least to me. 

Before I start ripping restaurants apart, or posting my home made recipes, you may want to know a bit more about my culinary history. Fair enough.

My Spanish born father spent over 30 years working in the restaurant biz; both in Spain and here in Vancouver. He was born in the coastal city of Vigo, which makes him some what of an expert in seafood. His knowledge of food and wine far surpasses anyone I've ever met. While he ran front of the house as a profession, I believe his greatest talent lies in the kitchen. Like most Spaniards, he has had hundreds of recipes passed down to him from my late "Abuela", his mother, Maria. Did I mention he also makes a bad ass Paella? Just saying.

Funny enough, but not surprisingly, I grew up like most Canadian kids, addicted to burgers and pizza. However, during my late twenties, I started to develop a real love for cooking. For this, I have Jamie Oliver to thank. Yes, the charming, always energetic celebrity chef from Essex. My girlfriend at the time has been observing my obsession of watching Jamie's cooking show, "Naked Chef". That Christmas I was given my first cook book, "Happy Days With the Naked Chef". The rest as they say, is history. A couple of years later I decided to take an 8 day cooking course on the "Fundamentals for the Aspiring Chef". Obviously these were very basic cooking techniques, but from that point forward, I was hooked. Looking back I guess I have come a long way. If you would have asked me what a gastrique, chiffonade or vinaigrette was I would have thought you were speaking French.... no wait....errrr.. never mind. 

Anyway, the truth is this blog is nothing more than an outlet for me to share my food experiences with anyone that will listen. Whether it be reviewing a restaurant here in Vancouver or abroad, sharing a new creation from my humble kitchen, posting a favourite culinary video clip found on You Tube, or discussing who I think should win the next Top Chef, if it is related to food and I'm inspired to write about it - I will. 

Christian

aka The Seasoned Palate