18th
chez panisse
as a californian (transplant, but resident nonetheless), and as a foodie, i’ve always had a quiet reverence for alice waters.
today i heard her speak for the first time. i don’t know why, but i was extremely disappointed that she was not eloquent or even articulate. in a rare moment of self-reflection, i pondered my own disappointment; why do i attribute vision or capability with intelligence?
perhaps the answer lies in the word “genius” which we haphazardly attribute to intelligence or creativity or vision, when there is no fundamental basis for commonality among those disparate vectors. perhaps the answer lies in our culture’s promotion of celebrity to idol-status. perhaps i just needed a symbol, and was disappointed to see humanity tarnishing the forced halo.
