While watching Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on Netflix, was completely lost in episode four. Chef David Chang was in Cambodia along with his friend and actor/comedian Kate McKinnon. The premise of the show is all about the regional food of an area along with background conversations relating to the life journey, thoughts , inspirations and an adventure to ingest as much food as humanly possible.
Apart from loving this premise, I was set back by the depth McKinnon had. To be honest, I was not that big of a fan until listening to her restlessness. She has always seemed quite quirky in her acting and performance, which does crossover into her personality, although I was particularly drawn to a couple thoughts McKinnon shared.
“The struggle of whether to try to completely assimilate, or to be alienated and really run with what makes you different, that tension, is the genesis of any sort of meaningful creation.”
I am unable to express how completely this speaks to me, of me, for me. Wherever I am, when allowing myself to simply look and see what is around I can generate a good photograph. The tension is getting past the photograph and to the meaningful image, the one I feel is different. I am guilty of simply trudging through life not paying attention to those glorious small details that are around. Ignoring those little brain tease moments for another likable photo.
“I was going to say that the best part about traveling is eating, but I think that was wrong. It’s the conversations you have with the people that you meet.”
When I return from a trip an am asked how I enjoyed the travel, most of my initial conversation has always surrounded the food during the trip. I do enjoy the cultural, local dishes and look for what the area has to share. But as I reflect on the food it is always the conversation with the people that made the food and time better. It’s not so much the traveling and tasting the foods as it is traveling and taking in the conversation around the food, then rolling that back into daily life.
Eat dessert first
Play the music loud
Listen to your inner creative
You are the best version of yourself
The excitement of the shot, capturing the slice of time that will no longer be there. What I produce, I am selfish about. It’s not always what everyone else does, but it is what I want.
