When I was 15 years old I went to Royce Hall at UCLA to see Marcel
Marceau. I really hate admitting that because people razz me about it
all the time, but honestly, I was dazzled by what I saw. The idea that
you could make people laugh without uttering one word fascinated me.
Seeing him play the strong man in the circus and give the illusion of
holding an enormous barbell as he bends all the way back to the ground,
or “walkeeng against zee weend”, or being trapped in ‘zee box’, just
blew me away man.
I don’t know what gave me the balls to do this, but I went backstage. After gushing for 5 minutes I asked him if he could recommend someone in Los Angeles who could teach me the technique. Let me first say, that when he opened his mouth and spoke, out came a high-pitched, reedy voice. He chose the right trade. But the guy was so kind and gracious. He told me that Richmond Shepard was a former student of his and a good teacher.
Most people go to Vermont to watch the leaves change colors in the fall but I like it in the spring when the leaves on the trees are green, 67 colors of green, so that the bonnets of the trees look like a jigsaw puzzle and the tulips are in bloom and the geraniums and the cherry blossom trees – there’s nothing fancy about Vermont, it’s all straight up plain flowers plainly blooming everywhere, as if the earth is starting fresh again after winter and toward the end of May it hits an optimum equilibrium even if it does rain every other day which if you’re only there for a day and a half isn’t very good odds, at least not of skipping the rain. But people in Vermont don’t mind, they just take out their umbrellas and keep on truckin’…. 
Living in LA is easy. Eating out here is hard. Sure you can wear whatever you want, and reservations for most places aren't necessary, but the high prices for ho-hum food and lackluster service by kids waiting on you while waiting for their big break (this is not a myth) mostly keeps us at home where the food is at least warm, the company enjoyable and (for us) the wine cellar filled with lovely selections. When we want a fix of beautiful, inventive food, we just turn on Top Chef and watch the pans fly. That's where we discovered Nyesha Arrington.
I think it must be old age. Once upon a time, when a new restaurant
opened, my wife, Peggy, and I were the first in line. We would fight
for a reservation, make sure to try the newest new thing, and then tell
everyone we knew about our latest dining adventure. We just don’t do
that all that much anymore. Maybe we have gotten old.
Cooking and travel shows make me angry. That's right, I said angry. For
a very irrational reason. They make me hungry, which leads me to
snacking which is making me fat. I usually have pretty good
self-control, mainly because I don't stock snacks in my home to begin
with; however, after watching Anthony Bourdain traveling the globe
eating across country after country, Mario Batali delivering another
delicious Italian dish and the Top Chef contestants turning vending
machine food into gourmet treats, I want to enjoy what they're
eating/making right at that moment and I can't.