Figs (or Plums) on a Plate

I have been thinking about some of the amazing food experiences I have had in the last few weeks.

On top of diving into the restaurant industry, within which I get to experience preparation to plate to service of food, I have been lucky enough to dine in a few choice restaurants.

These restaurants, although all different in aesthetic and general food theme, have something in common: The emphasis on local, fresh, in-season ingredients. As awareness of the impact of our sustenance come into focus these restaurants follow suit. Lucky for us, these goals are good for our overall sustainability, make our food nutritionally superior and the ingredients themselves even more excellent.

"Fuckin' every restaurant in San Francisco is just serving figs on a plate. Do something with your food." - david change, 2009

Oh, Mr. Change. You may be right. But how grateful I am to walk into a restaurant and know that the simple, well prepared and seasonal food is not covered in batter and if it is can be slightly changed so I'm not sick the next day.

I often think about the importance of eating "real food." The Gluten Free and Vegan industries are filled with processed foods. It seems counter intuitive that these diets, meant to be for those who are taking their eating to the most simple and essential life sustaining elements, are bombarded by an industry trying and replace those products left behind. My gluten free bread will never taste exactly like the bread I ate through my late teens.  But sometimes I just want a cookie and I thank my lucky stars for the companies that have made my cookie eating experiences exceptional. A delicate balance.

But really, this is a conversation about food. We eat to sustain, enjoy company, bond with our friends, take care people and feel good. I think of real food as ingredients that make me feel good as I'm eating them and then as I am digesting. So what if they are simply figs on a plate? The figs are in season and they taste better than any concoction I could come up with. Those that are nutritious because they are built that way always make me appreciate nature. Like oranges when they are in season (vitamin C, folks!) and the process of transitioning your body from winter into spring with our leafy greens.


Why do you eat the way you do? Tell me more.

love you, mean it.

barton