I don’t like to see animals in pain. That was very uncomfortable to me. I don’t like factory farming. I’m not an advocate for the meat industry

I have a tattoo on my arm, that says, in ancient Greek, ‘I am certain of nothing.’ I think that’s a good operating principle

Give the people you work with or deal with or have relationships with the respect to show up at the time you said you were going to. And by that I mean, every day, always and forever. Always be on time

What are our expectations? Which of the things we desire are within reach? If not now, when? And will there be some left for me?

Without new ideas, success can become stale

Perhaps wisdom. . . is realizing how small I am, and unwise, and how far I have yet to go

If you’re a writer, particularly if you’re a writer or a storyteller of any kind, there is something already kind of monstrously wrong with you.

I don’t have to agree with you to like you or respect you.

But I’m simply not going to deceive anybody about the life as I’ve seen it. It’s all here: the good, the bad and the ugly.

Luck is not a business model

I’m through being cool. Or, more accurately, I’m through entertaining the notion that anybody could even consider the possibility of coolness emanating from or residing anywhere near me

There is no Final Resting Place of the Mind

You can dress brunch up with all the focaccia, smoked salmon, and caviar in the world, but it’s still breakfast

Generally speaking, the good stuff comes in on Tuesday: the seafood is fresh, the supply of prepared food is new, and the chef, presumably, is relaxed after his day off

You have to be romantic to invest yourself, your money, and your time in cheese

For me, the cooking life has been a long love affair, with moments both sublime and ridiculous.

Meals make the society, hold the fabric together in lots of ways that were charming and interesting and intoxicating to me. The perfect meal, or the best meals, occur in a context that frequently has very little to do with the food itself.

Food is everything we are. It’s an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It’s inseparable from those from the get-go

And now to sleep, to dream. . . perchance to fart

An ounce of sauce covers a multitude of sins.

The way you make an omelet reveals your character

But I do think the idea that basic cooking skills are a virtue, that the ability to feed yourself and a few others with proficiency should be taught to every young man and woman as a fundamental skill, should become as vital to growing up as learning to wipe one’s own ass, cross the street by oneself, or be trusted with money.

An egg in anything makes it better

I’ve long believed that good food, good eating, is all about risk. Whether we’re talking about unpasteurized Stilton, raw oysters or working for organized crime ‘associates,’ food, for me, has always been an adventure

I learned a long time ago that trying to micromanage the perfect vacation is always a disaster. That leads to terrible times

The mishandling of food and equipment with panache was always admired; to some extent, this remains true to this day

I, personally, think there is a real danger of taking food too seriously. Food should be part of the bigger picture

Barbecue may not be the road to world peace, but it’s a start.

You learn a lot about someone when you share a meal together.

Plans should be ephemeral, so be prepared to move away from them.

Nothing unexpected or wonderful is likely to happen if you have an itinerary in Paris filled with the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower

Drink heavily with locals whenever possible.

Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonald’s? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria’s mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head?

I’m a big believer in winging it. I’m a big believer that you’re never going to find perfect city travel experience or the perfect meal without a constant willingness to experience a bad one. Letting the happy accident happen is what a lot of vacation itineraries miss, I think, and I’m always trying to push people to allow those things to happen rather than stick to some rigid itinerary

Skills can be taught. Character you either have or you don’t have

Maybe that’s enlightenment enough: to know that there is no final resting place of the mind; no moment of smug clarity. Perhaps wisdom… is realizing how small I am, and unwise, and how far I have yet to go

It’s been an adventure. We took some casualties over the years. Things got broken. Things got lost. But I wouldn’t have missed it for the world

Good food is very often, even most often, simple food.

You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind

I’m not afraid to look like an idiot

I think food, culture, people, and landscape are all absolutely inseparable

Be aware that you’re very likely to get hurt. Be aware that there is a price for it. But if you’re willing to pay that price… it’s a world beyond description

Without experimentation, a willingness to ask questions and try new things, we shall surely become static, repetitive, and moribund

Skills can be taught. Character you either have or you don’t have

I’m a big believer in winging it. I’m a big believer that you’re never going to find perfect city travel experience or the perfect meal without a constant willingness to experience a bad one

Your body is not a temple, it’s an amusement park. Enjoy the ride

Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind

Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown

If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. The extent to which you can walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food, it’s a plus for everybody. Open your mind, get up off the couch, move

If you’re twenty-two, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel – as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them — wherever you go

The journey is part of the experience — an expression of the seriousness of one’s intent. One doesn’t take the A train to Mecca

Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — and travel — leaves marks on you