Trying New Things

Tonight I had the pleasure of sampling braised pig’s ear and steamed jelly fish at a Taiwanese restaurant in Rockville, MD. Why would I do such a thing you might ask? Has this running and blogging thing made me mad? The simple answer is no. I did so because of two powerful forces - passion and friendship.

You see, tonight I enjoyed a meal with two old friends and mentors. One of them, a Zen master from Taiwan (at least that’s how we think of him and he really is from Taiwan), has a passion for exotic cuisine. As he described these delicacies with such intensity and enthusiasm, also known as passion, I became convinced I needed to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. We also ate a few other interesting dishes and finished off the meal with a delicious desert made of shaved ice lathered in lychee juice, a caramel like sauce (I’m not sure what it was made of), and softened peanuts. The passion my friend shared with me encouraged my agreement but it was the friendship we share that ultimately motivated me to follow through. Much to my surprise braised pig’s ear taste like beef jerky and steamed jelly fish has a similar taste and texture to calamari. I highly recommend you try them if ever in a Taiwanese restaurant with a Zen master.

Tonight’s lesson builds on the concepts of passion and friendship. Passion is a powerful force that can inspire you to do things you never thought you would do (this can be good or bad though). The idea is to become passionate about things that enrich your life and the lives of those around you, like trying new foods, jumping out of planes, dancing like a lunatic when you are home alone, etc… Passion wakes you up in the morning and inspires you to get in motion. If you feel you lack passion in you life you might want to ask yourself why. One easy way to get some passion is to spend time with passionate people and say, "Yes," when they offer you braised pig’s ear and steamed jellyfish. This is where friendship comes in. Passion pushes you into action, but caring about people fills you with the courage to act. Tonight I was blessed to see all of this manifested in an exotic meal with two great people.

Here is an inspiring tale of passion and avant-garde cuisine. This is a must see.

Chef José Andrés on 60 Minutes

Also, here is an intro to Zen if you're interested.