Charlie Trotter Quotes
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If you want the meaning of families and life and religion and philosophy rolled into one package, all you need to read is 'The Brothers Karamazov.'
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You can't be afraid to not have everything figured out. There's too much pressure on young people today to have it all figured out when they're in college.
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In a time when it is common for chefs to simply reproduce the innovations of others, the few who speak for themselves through their food become the skilled artists of their time.
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All four elements were happening in equal measure - the cuisine, the wine, the service, and the overall ambience. It taught me that dining could happen at a spiritual level.
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I believe in focusing on details.
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To me, searching for perfection isn't anywhere near as interesting as trying to find your own voice.
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Sometimes I think I should have chosen a line of work where it was just me alone in the room, with the sun coming in, and God, insofar as he or she exists, smiling down upon me. Then I would have never been accused of being a tyrant, other than towards myself.
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When I graduated I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but I knew I didn't want a conventional career.
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Ultimately, I want to prepare food that will be recognized equally in Tokyo, London, and Paris. I am after that universality, that transcendence.
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My plan is to work on a master's in philosophy.
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I timed my previous wife's pregnancy to the moment to have my son born on Bob Dylan's 50th birthday. There is no bigger Bob Dylan fan than me. You don't just time the day and impregnate your wife to get your kid to be born on Bob Dylan's 50th birthday.
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Excellence is about fighting and pursuing something diligently, with a strict and determined approach to doing it right. It's okay if there are flaws in the process - it makes it more interesting.
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I have always considered desserts to be of equal importance to the savory food.
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The most successful food, I think, is food that both appeals to the super-sophisticated diner or foodie and to the lay diner at the same time.
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I'm really not that comfortable with people. I mean, I love individuals, but I'm not very social.
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It's a challenge to demonstrate that you can prepare some really interesting food with humble ingredients.
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I got on a Dostoyevsky kick right after college. I started with 'Crime and Punishment,' went on to 'The Possessed' and then 'The Brothers Karamazov' and 'The Idiot.'
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I don't ever want to lose that mind-set where you've got to be able to realize different ideas-slash-fantasies-slash-possibilities in your life.
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Life's too short. You may be on this planet for 80 years at best or who knows, but you can't just pedal around and do the same thing forever.
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If you ever want to get anywhere in life, you're going to have to push it, and somebody's going to push you to get there. End of story.
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I took the obligatory economics classes in school, but I've long been a fan of the Milton Friedman philosophy and its libertarian bent: One must be free to do what one wants to do, as long as you don't harm another. This is the seminal treatise on free-market economics.
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I wasn't using college as a stepping stone to law school or some other career. I just wanted a liberal-arts education.
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You've got to give away what you love.
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The body cannot produce enzymes in perfect combinations to metabolize your foods as completely as the food enzymes created by nature do. This results in partially digested fats, proteins, and starches that can clog your body's intestinal tract and arteries.