Well, I guess it's that time to publicly reveal what has been an inevitable and long-coming process, a transition into what I've always wanted to do: cooking professionally. Yes boys and girls, this cat's jumping the philosophy boat and putting his profession where his passion is.
If this year in Germany has taught me anything, it is that (1) I cannot--at least not in this part of my life--properly conduct independent study in philosophy and that (2) I am much happier and interested in spending my time researching food, developing new cuisines, and cooking delicious food as my principal vocation. The vast majority of my free time over the past few years has been devoted almost exclusively to just that goal; there is never an idle moment in my life in which I'm not planning the next dinner party, thinking up what new dish to try, or baking some delicious pie or cake for a friend as a present. It only makes sense that I use those skills I've been honing since I was young in a professional setting.
This means a few things. First of all, it means I will definitely be returning to Pittsburgh in the fall after my grant is over here. Not only do I know and love Pittsburgh through and through, but I have the support of my loving friends and family to help me along as I embark on this new adventure. It is the perfect city in which to set up shop: the timing is right, the public is hungry for change, and the rents are low. Secondly, I will not be able to do this without the help of Wren, with whom I will be opening a cafe in the near future (at latest within a year) on account of our strong passion for food. I've had the most gustatorily wonderful collaborations with him over the past few years, and we are both in a perfect position to give this a shot. We've been developing plans since we first joked about doing this as a back-up plan pipe dream exactly one year ago, and want to ride the wave of momentum that's grown through our communications since then. Thirdly, I will become an entrepreneur, setting up a couple different businesses and looking for a few other sources of incomes and outlets for my home-cooked food, doing something vastly different than what I've been training to do over the past four years.
As far as what the businesses will be like, I have two in mind at the moment: the cafe, which is more long-term, and a pie delivery business, which is more short term. I will set up the pie business as soon as I return, using it to lead into the cafe, which will take more time to plan and realize. As I have told many of you, the principal philosophy behind the cafe will be: (1) to offer a weekly and seasonal menu featuring unique and experimental dishes spanning nearly every cuisine, food, and technique imaginable; (2) to encourage an interest and passion for good, healthy, locally-grown, and natural food through food education; (3) to promote a stronger sense of community through various events such as weekly cooking classes. Food is by and large the most vital part of our lives, the stuff that not only is a major factor in our personal health, but also that which holds together our community networks and social bonds. It's more than just an inconvenient daily requirement that has to be met through any means possible--it is who we are, just as crucial a part of our culture as things like language, music, and sports. Every social gathering is centered on food; every family convenes around the dinner table. Most restaurants are content to serve the same food day in and day out, on a menu similar to nearly every other restaurant within the same category, and do it without explaining where the food came from or how they cook it to their customers. In a world full of ultra-fast, chemically-altered, nutritionally-unsound food, we have forgotten what it means to eat well and live well through that. My goal is to help others rediscover the magic and wonder that is downright good, delicious, healthy food, and have fun doing it.
This decision of mine to become part of the food business, however, does not mean that I'm abandoning philosophy altogether. It's become one of my most treasured hobbies, and is among a group of a handful of activities that has most dramatically (and positively) influenced my life. I cannot begin to count the valuable advice, different perspectives, and profound knowledge I've gained through my study of philosophy. Indeed, I could not have arrived at my current life juncture without first having traveled down the windy, complex, wondrous path that is philosophy. Were it not for the nuggets of wisdom I've distilled from those dense philosophical tomes, I would not have the wherewithal and confidence necessary to start my own food business.
So that's that. A new chapter of my life begins, one involving much flour and butter, roasts and reductions. I've finally been able to allow myself to pursue that which I've wanted to do over and above all else since the young age of nine, and be totally certain that it's the right decision. Let the cookery begin!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
Busking Bonanza, Hitchhiking Hoopla, Munich Memories, and Random Updates
My, oh my. Much too much has been happening in my life as of late to keep up with on this here blog. My past month has been incredible--seriously one of the most productive of my life--and has had an extremely positive influence on my life. I've picked up a few new hobbies, gained a new-found confidence and sense of self-worth, and have generally been having the time of my life doing it. Though this post can't possibly do justice to just how great things have been going, I'll try to describe it the best I can.
So this whole busking adventure has taken on a life of its own. Partly through the pure fun we experience through doing it, and partly from Will's initiative in promoting us as a busking duo through social media, busking has been the activity which we've focused the majority of our energy on in the past couple weeks. During our busking shift last Friday, I experienced a couple of things I never thought I would. Firstly, we continue to connect with all sorts of people in an extremely positive way. For one reason or another, we had a lot of contact with the so-called 'vagrants' of the street: the homeless, drunks, and other 'unpalatable' people that an average middle-class person would avoid. However, they didn't aggravate, beg money from, or show any sort of hostility towards us in any way. While roaming around Alexanderplatz, we walked past a group of such people who only wanted one things from us: to play a song for them. When we stopped and paid them the little bit of attention they politely asked for, the response was simply electric--we haven't made people so happy through our busking besides then! Afterwards they shook our hands and let us go on our way, without any of the usual money-grubbing or disgruntlement that they show towards people who ignore them. Amazing.
Secondly, we performed for somewhere between 70 and 100 people at the Kottbusser Tor U-Bahn station for around 20 minutes before the security guards asked us to stop. The energy we created there was astounding - when the guards came to stop us, everyone gave them a resounding 'boooooooo,' and then cheered for us when we bowed. I think that qualifies as me completing my recent goal of wanted to perform on stage! What's more, five girls we had met two nights before at a bar showed up to listen and cheer us on. We told a lot of people that night about us, and weren't expecting many (if any) to show up, so that was rad. We got some video footage of the event, which we'll be soon editing and posting on our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Funky-Anglo-Boys/281964835205989.
Thirdly, we had a glimpse of what it must of been like to be a Beatle: as we were standing on a relatively empty platform waiting for the next train and talking to the few people sitting there, we were about to play a calm, quiet song when a full train pulled up.When the doors opened, nearly 35 teenage girls stormed out, screaming wildly and swarming us. I changed tunes to "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and tried my damnedest to keep singing during the wave of shock that hit me like a ton of bricks. For the entirety of the song, they were surrounding us, getting their pictures taken by their adult chaperons (it must've been a school trip or something), screaming all the while. And they left as quickly as they came, leaving those of us who had been on the platform before standing there in confusion and disbelief. So random, but so awesome.
Fourthly (and least importantly, though certainly great), was that we made over 110 Euro in around two hours of work! Not only was it incredible to have felt such a strong, highly-energized connection with so many people that night, but it was great to see people's generosity. We even managed to get three free beers and some melted chocolate during the tail end of the night. Most importantly, though, was just how happy both we and those we performed for were during and after our busking. One particular carriage full of drunk-off-their-rockers 50-somethings for whom we played "Take Me Home Country Roads" was memorable for the happiness and warmth exchanged there, as well as the countless people we talked to who were intrigued by what we were doing. We even gave one Euro to another busker with a much more professional set-up, who couldn't restrain his laughter when he saw who was paying him compliments. As I said before, this busking gig is becoming bigger than we ever expected: on Monday, we went out for a couple hours simply as a pick-me-up when Will was feeling a little down. Of course, afterwards we felt on top of the world! And we got invited to play at a kindergarten from a couple on the subway! Lovely randomness continues to ensue from our busking adventures. More stories from the busking front soon to come!
-----------------------------
In the hitchhiking department, I'm making huge strides in gaining confidence and experience through doing it more. Two days ago, I hitched back to Munich from Berlin in around an hour more than it would have taken had I caught the train (even though I got rides from four different drivers). I took a more proactive approach this time, going up to drivers at rest stops and asking if they had any interest in taking a hitchhiker instead of standing on the side of the road with a sign. Shortly after arriving to my first rest stop outside of Berlin, I ran into a young couple also hitching to the south (to Rosenheim, just an hour or so south of Munich). They had much more experience hitching than me, and it was great to observe and learn from them. They were suuuuper relaxed about the whole enterprise, and had absolutely no fear in confronting everybody who stopped at the rest stop. Of course, they were extremely courteous and humble (which you sort of have to be for anyone to take you), and just let things happen as they would. We ended up getting three rides together, and they even got the last one for me (since the guy was going to Munich, not Rosenheim). The whole day was quite full on, as we didn't wait for longer than three minutes at any given place after the first stop (at which we waited for about half an hour). In fact, between the second and third rides, I barely had enough time to pee and scarf down a sandwich! I had some awesome conversations along the way with my travel companions and those who picked us up. After that, I'm more than confident that hitchhiking is an easy, stress-free way to travel, and will continue pursuing it when I have the time to do so.
---------------
Otherwise, I've been hanging out in and around Munich with my friend Karen from Pittsburgh and Cathy, her friend since childhood. They're on a six-week European backpacking adventure, and will be spending a week with me, half of it here in Munich, the rest in Berlin. We've been taking advantage of the warm weather by frequenting various beer gardens, leisurely strolling through the great parks of Munich, taking a sobering trip to Dachau, succeeded by a much needed 'water-break' at Kloster Andechs for some delicious German beer and food. Tomorrow a couple of my Munich friends will be over for dinner to celebrate Karen and Cathy being here as well as my brief return to Munich before hitching it back to Berlin on Saturday. I'll spend another couple of weeks there to attend the Fulbright Berlin Conference, as well as hone my busking skills some more with Will, before shipping off to Paris to meet my mother for her first proper trip to Europe.
Well, that's all I have the patience and energy to write about for the moment (and more than enough than you probs want to read), so I'll end here. Though I will say there will be an important blog post coming soon, which deserves all the attention of a whole post to itself (which can't be given justice here and now). I'm still working out the finer details, but my life is going to change directions drastically within a few months. It will probably not come as a surprise to most of you, but it's something I've struggled to convince myself of doing for the longest time. But if I've learned anything so far during this year in Germany, it's been that I need to do this. Until the next post!
So this whole busking adventure has taken on a life of its own. Partly through the pure fun we experience through doing it, and partly from Will's initiative in promoting us as a busking duo through social media, busking has been the activity which we've focused the majority of our energy on in the past couple weeks. During our busking shift last Friday, I experienced a couple of things I never thought I would. Firstly, we continue to connect with all sorts of people in an extremely positive way. For one reason or another, we had a lot of contact with the so-called 'vagrants' of the street: the homeless, drunks, and other 'unpalatable' people that an average middle-class person would avoid. However, they didn't aggravate, beg money from, or show any sort of hostility towards us in any way. While roaming around Alexanderplatz, we walked past a group of such people who only wanted one things from us: to play a song for them. When we stopped and paid them the little bit of attention they politely asked for, the response was simply electric--we haven't made people so happy through our busking besides then! Afterwards they shook our hands and let us go on our way, without any of the usual money-grubbing or disgruntlement that they show towards people who ignore them. Amazing.
Secondly, we performed for somewhere between 70 and 100 people at the Kottbusser Tor U-Bahn station for around 20 minutes before the security guards asked us to stop. The energy we created there was astounding - when the guards came to stop us, everyone gave them a resounding 'boooooooo,' and then cheered for us when we bowed. I think that qualifies as me completing my recent goal of wanted to perform on stage! What's more, five girls we had met two nights before at a bar showed up to listen and cheer us on. We told a lot of people that night about us, and weren't expecting many (if any) to show up, so that was rad. We got some video footage of the event, which we'll be soon editing and posting on our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Funky-Anglo-Boys/281964835205989.
Thirdly, we had a glimpse of what it must of been like to be a Beatle: as we were standing on a relatively empty platform waiting for the next train and talking to the few people sitting there, we were about to play a calm, quiet song when a full train pulled up.When the doors opened, nearly 35 teenage girls stormed out, screaming wildly and swarming us. I changed tunes to "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and tried my damnedest to keep singing during the wave of shock that hit me like a ton of bricks. For the entirety of the song, they were surrounding us, getting their pictures taken by their adult chaperons (it must've been a school trip or something), screaming all the while. And they left as quickly as they came, leaving those of us who had been on the platform before standing there in confusion and disbelief. So random, but so awesome.
Fourthly (and least importantly, though certainly great), was that we made over 110 Euro in around two hours of work! Not only was it incredible to have felt such a strong, highly-energized connection with so many people that night, but it was great to see people's generosity. We even managed to get three free beers and some melted chocolate during the tail end of the night. Most importantly, though, was just how happy both we and those we performed for were during and after our busking. One particular carriage full of drunk-off-their-rockers 50-somethings for whom we played "Take Me Home Country Roads" was memorable for the happiness and warmth exchanged there, as well as the countless people we talked to who were intrigued by what we were doing. We even gave one Euro to another busker with a much more professional set-up, who couldn't restrain his laughter when he saw who was paying him compliments. As I said before, this busking gig is becoming bigger than we ever expected: on Monday, we went out for a couple hours simply as a pick-me-up when Will was feeling a little down. Of course, afterwards we felt on top of the world! And we got invited to play at a kindergarten from a couple on the subway! Lovely randomness continues to ensue from our busking adventures. More stories from the busking front soon to come!
-----------------------------
In the hitchhiking department, I'm making huge strides in gaining confidence and experience through doing it more. Two days ago, I hitched back to Munich from Berlin in around an hour more than it would have taken had I caught the train (even though I got rides from four different drivers). I took a more proactive approach this time, going up to drivers at rest stops and asking if they had any interest in taking a hitchhiker instead of standing on the side of the road with a sign. Shortly after arriving to my first rest stop outside of Berlin, I ran into a young couple also hitching to the south (to Rosenheim, just an hour or so south of Munich). They had much more experience hitching than me, and it was great to observe and learn from them. They were suuuuper relaxed about the whole enterprise, and had absolutely no fear in confronting everybody who stopped at the rest stop. Of course, they were extremely courteous and humble (which you sort of have to be for anyone to take you), and just let things happen as they would. We ended up getting three rides together, and they even got the last one for me (since the guy was going to Munich, not Rosenheim). The whole day was quite full on, as we didn't wait for longer than three minutes at any given place after the first stop (at which we waited for about half an hour). In fact, between the second and third rides, I barely had enough time to pee and scarf down a sandwich! I had some awesome conversations along the way with my travel companions and those who picked us up. After that, I'm more than confident that hitchhiking is an easy, stress-free way to travel, and will continue pursuing it when I have the time to do so.
---------------
Otherwise, I've been hanging out in and around Munich with my friend Karen from Pittsburgh and Cathy, her friend since childhood. They're on a six-week European backpacking adventure, and will be spending a week with me, half of it here in Munich, the rest in Berlin. We've been taking advantage of the warm weather by frequenting various beer gardens, leisurely strolling through the great parks of Munich, taking a sobering trip to Dachau, succeeded by a much needed 'water-break' at Kloster Andechs for some delicious German beer and food. Tomorrow a couple of my Munich friends will be over for dinner to celebrate Karen and Cathy being here as well as my brief return to Munich before hitching it back to Berlin on Saturday. I'll spend another couple of weeks there to attend the Fulbright Berlin Conference, as well as hone my busking skills some more with Will, before shipping off to Paris to meet my mother for her first proper trip to Europe.
Well, that's all I have the patience and energy to write about for the moment (and more than enough than you probs want to read), so I'll end here. Though I will say there will be an important blog post coming soon, which deserves all the attention of a whole post to itself (which can't be given justice here and now). I'm still working out the finer details, but my life is going to change directions drastically within a few months. It will probably not come as a surprise to most of you, but it's something I've struggled to convince myself of doing for the longest time. But if I've learned anything so far during this year in Germany, it's been that I need to do this. Until the next post!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Busking in Berlin
Life happens so damn fast--way too fast to match its pace with proper updates. Although a number of events worthy of writing about have happened since I last posted something, I'm going to write about just one--and probably the most interesting and momentous of those events: busking in Berlin.
Just five days ago, a best friend of mine and I decided to busk, something we've been contemplating doing for a long, long time. Though busking itself was more of an interest to him, I had had a desire to perform live music before an audience since I've started up playing the guitar again in January. Though more than seven years have passed since I first picked it up, my guitar playing had always been sporadic at best and non-existent at worst. Inspired by a couple of friends in Munich to give it a serious go, I brought my guitar back to Europe with me after visiting the States over Christmas. It's been one of the best decision so far of this new year.
After a short period of re-learning songs I once knew, I quickly regained my guitar fingers and was eager to put my re-discovered skill to good use. Until now, I've only ever practiced alone or played for small groups of friends, never actually performing per se. Thus the desire to play on a stage before strangers appealed to me. Ever since moving back to Germany in September, my stay here has been a thriving period of growth for me, gaining life experience, learning heaps of useful and fun skills, overcoming obstacles, setting and smashing new goals for myself nearly every day. So when I came to Berlin to visit my best friend William, someone who routinely inspires me and encourages me to be as awesome as I can be more than most, busking was an inevitable outcome.
In Berlin, buskers are a city institution. On the streets, in train stations, even on the U-Bahn (subway) trains themselves. Though everyone knows them and some pay them heed (or money), they lack something: creativity. Half of the time you see a group of buskers in this town, chances are they're a a bunch of foreigners dragging around a amplifier blasting the karaoke version of "Hit the Road Jack," accompanied by poor trumpet and sax playing and even worse singing (and only of the chorus at that). Rarely do they seem to enjoy themselves and even rarer do they instill a sense of fun and merriment in those to whom they're playing. It seems too routine, too forced, too boring, too lifeless. Many patrons of the U-Bahn have learned to accept them as just a part of the scenery, something else to ignore like the countless number of eyes with which they neurotically strive to prevent contact.
Hence: opportunity for the Funky Anglo Boys. Since celebrating Karneval in Cologne two weeks ago and buying tiger costumes for that party of parties, Will and I decided to one-up the current breed of buskers. So we donned our tiger suits, gave ourselves a name, and hit the streets. The main mission of our busking is to spread the fun (though getting a few coins here and there is a nice reward). Nothing is more worthwhile and rewarding than inspiring a smile on a stranger's face, particularly in an environment when people want nothing more than to distance themselves as far as possible away from other people. As we step into each train, we instantly focus the energy of all the people on us, rebounding it back to them amplified a thousandfold with kitschy pop and rock songs that everyone knows the words to. After blowing the ice to smithereens from the sheer absurdity of a couple of guys walking onto the U-Bahn playing music in tiger suits, U-Bahn passengers seem to find us refreshing from the norm and even...dare I say...fun. Countless people have already sung along, danced to the music, or even stopped to chat with us, turning a boring, time-wasting train ride into a bona fide party.
After getting a taste for a few hours the first time we went out to busk, we decided to do it again just two days later, this time adding two more songs to our repertoire. And we're going again tomorrow, with yet again two more songs. Since I only have a couple of more weeks here in Berlin before I head back to Munich, and because we're having the time of our lives doing this, we're attempting to busk every couple of days until the two weeks are up. There are few activities that are as rewarding as it: we get to practice the songs we've just learned, we get a boost of confidence when people listen and enjoy, we make other people happy, get plenty of physical exercise, and even get a little monetary compensation to boot! I've just found myself a new hobby!
Just five days ago, a best friend of mine and I decided to busk, something we've been contemplating doing for a long, long time. Though busking itself was more of an interest to him, I had had a desire to perform live music before an audience since I've started up playing the guitar again in January. Though more than seven years have passed since I first picked it up, my guitar playing had always been sporadic at best and non-existent at worst. Inspired by a couple of friends in Munich to give it a serious go, I brought my guitar back to Europe with me after visiting the States over Christmas. It's been one of the best decision so far of this new year.
After a short period of re-learning songs I once knew, I quickly regained my guitar fingers and was eager to put my re-discovered skill to good use. Until now, I've only ever practiced alone or played for small groups of friends, never actually performing per se. Thus the desire to play on a stage before strangers appealed to me. Ever since moving back to Germany in September, my stay here has been a thriving period of growth for me, gaining life experience, learning heaps of useful and fun skills, overcoming obstacles, setting and smashing new goals for myself nearly every day. So when I came to Berlin to visit my best friend William, someone who routinely inspires me and encourages me to be as awesome as I can be more than most, busking was an inevitable outcome.
In Berlin, buskers are a city institution. On the streets, in train stations, even on the U-Bahn (subway) trains themselves. Though everyone knows them and some pay them heed (or money), they lack something: creativity. Half of the time you see a group of buskers in this town, chances are they're a a bunch of foreigners dragging around a amplifier blasting the karaoke version of "Hit the Road Jack," accompanied by poor trumpet and sax playing and even worse singing (and only of the chorus at that). Rarely do they seem to enjoy themselves and even rarer do they instill a sense of fun and merriment in those to whom they're playing. It seems too routine, too forced, too boring, too lifeless. Many patrons of the U-Bahn have learned to accept them as just a part of the scenery, something else to ignore like the countless number of eyes with which they neurotically strive to prevent contact.
Hence: opportunity for the Funky Anglo Boys. Since celebrating Karneval in Cologne two weeks ago and buying tiger costumes for that party of parties, Will and I decided to one-up the current breed of buskers. So we donned our tiger suits, gave ourselves a name, and hit the streets. The main mission of our busking is to spread the fun (though getting a few coins here and there is a nice reward). Nothing is more worthwhile and rewarding than inspiring a smile on a stranger's face, particularly in an environment when people want nothing more than to distance themselves as far as possible away from other people. As we step into each train, we instantly focus the energy of all the people on us, rebounding it back to them amplified a thousandfold with kitschy pop and rock songs that everyone knows the words to. After blowing the ice to smithereens from the sheer absurdity of a couple of guys walking onto the U-Bahn playing music in tiger suits, U-Bahn passengers seem to find us refreshing from the norm and even...dare I say...fun. Countless people have already sung along, danced to the music, or even stopped to chat with us, turning a boring, time-wasting train ride into a bona fide party.
 |
| The Funky Anglo Boys |
After getting a taste for a few hours the first time we went out to busk, we decided to do it again just two days later, this time adding two more songs to our repertoire. And we're going again tomorrow, with yet again two more songs. Since I only have a couple of more weeks here in Berlin before I head back to Munich, and because we're having the time of our lives doing this, we're attempting to busk every couple of days until the two weeks are up. There are few activities that are as rewarding as it: we get to practice the songs we've just learned, we get a boost of confidence when people listen and enjoy, we make other people happy, get plenty of physical exercise, and even get a little monetary compensation to boot! I've just found myself a new hobby!
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