You know how 7-minute abs can give you a workout in seven minutes? Well, I can whip up a 5-course meal in an hour and a half. Although I don’t recommend trying it at home, that’s actually a test I took at Le Cordon Bleu, where I’m a culinary student. Believe it or not, I’ve tried to make a national dish from each country I’ve visited. I’m a South African whose second greatest passion is travel and what’s similar about travel and cooking is that things always go wrong. I’ve been stuck overseas due to volcanoes and snowstorms, and all you can do is simply laugh and improvise. Come to think of it, that’s what it’s like being a parent, too. No one teaches you what to say when your seven-year-old wants a $1000 puppy, so I just stick with the easy answer: “no”. While “no” may be my daughter’s default, I prefer to say “yes” to my man. I’ll buy you that original Star Wars poster you covet, make you fresh squeezed orange juice on Sundays, and offer frequent public displays of affection. If you’re a "student of life" and want to make the best of every single day, join me. At least you know you’ll eat well.
You’re kind to strangers. You’ll smile at the fish vendor in Dubrovnik and wave at your elderly neighbor. You believe in handwritten letters. You want to climb the glaciers in Patagonia. You look great in a suit. You’d come to watch Anthony Bourdain speak. You shower me with kisses when standing in a crowded intersection, hold my hand in Griffith Park. You’ll think nothing of adding a few extra tools to my toolbox, just in time for me to use them in fixing up my house. You believe in spontaneity. You’ll surprise me by picking me up from work and whisking me off to dinner. You’d book a trip to New York to watch the Knicks play the Lakers. You’d ride the class 5 rapid. You’d feed the sharks (from a cage) with me. You snag tickets to the LA Auto Show. You’re a big kid who knows how to handle kids. You believe in sending poetry. You believe that life is short and should hold as many memorable moments as we can muster. You’re ready to share it all.
