Author: reggiesoang

David Chang interviewed Corey Lee, chef at Benu, in one of the latest podcast episodes. Corey recently debuted his much-anticipated Korean restaurant with take-out concept only. David and Corey talked about the meaning of the job as a chef, David Chang’s new memoir, Eat a Peach, and the future of the restaurant world.

The podcast started with a discussion on artistry and craftsmanship. In order to hone in on artistry and craftsmanship in cooking, chefs go through years of training. Artistry and craftsmanship existed in two extremities in David’s perspective when he was a young cook; chefs are craftsmen who perform with consistency. Nevertheless, David’s bridged the two concepts through learning different cultures and foods, in which he sees cooking and feeding others could be done artfully with a chef’s own interpretation.

With the rise of celebrity chefs and the culinary profession, Chef Corey associates the boom in the restaurant industry as a bubble to burst imminently; restaurants have been opening at an exponential rate without much of thought in its economics; too many people are opening restaurants, which drives up the demand for quality cooks, yet the supply is not enough to support the industry as a whole, due to the constant struggles to give fair wages and benefits.

The expansion of culinary industry brings a new set of rules to the professionals. David and Corey debate on the “rule 17” written at the end of Chef David’s memoir, in a chapter called “33 rules for becoming a chef”. “Rule 17” is, don’t edit it in your head, which is his enouragement for chefs to stay curious and hands-on; results are shown from experiments and not hypothesis.

Last but not least, the conversation turns its attention to changes in our industry “post-pandemic”. David, Corey, and Chris (another guest on the podcast) discuss whether a “brigade system”, which was developed by Escoffier. still has its place in the future. There is no clear answer to its potential demise or permanence. The Brigade system’s worked because of its clear definition of hierarchy practiced in a highly stressful environment, yet, developed the controversy on its contribution to toxicity at workplace.

I highly recommend this thought-provoking, yet lighthearted, conversation on restaurants and chefs. The silver lining of the pandemic could be its power to open honest conversations on struggles and solutions. Chefs are courageous, resourceful, and perseverant. While COVID-19 has decimated the restaurant industry, I remain hopeful that what forced us out will get us back in with new attitude and perspective.

Kevin Hart’s interview is inspiring. Kevin challenges us to get rid of negativities and live with an intention; this interview gives an informative resource to stay mentally fit and continuously live a joyful life. 

I have 5 highlights from this interview. (I will also give you the time slot on the podcast so you could skip around and find the segment that resonate with me the most)

18:50, goes on for about 3 minutes
We are very much aware of own effort in everything we do.

Kevin was apathetic toward academic when he was young and he felt left out when his friends went to colleges. After being left out, Kevin cultivated a strong work ethic, which comprises of a healthy dose of self-critique and discipline.

27:00, and goes on for about 6 minutes
Seize opportunities and make long-term investment in yourself

Kevin’s goal was to become an international comedian; a goal that took years of doing low budget production shows, networking, and doing the grunt work. Kevin shows patience and stamina in investing in his career, which pays off eventually.

34:30, and goes for about 1 minute
Many successful people, ones who have done well for themselves in my definition, have rigid morning routines.

Kevin works out in the morning. Taking care of his health is his commitment to being the best version of himself everyday.

38:23, and goes on for about 4 minutes
In times of uncertainties, informative and useful contents are invaluable; they provide confidence in decision making.

Kevin pushed up his latest audiobook release, The Decision: Overcoming Today’s BS for Tomorrow’s Success, because he believes that his book could lend some wisdom during the current climate. Kevin’s book is about his trade secret in staying mentally fit and away from negativities or bulls*t (in his own word).

46:31, and goes on for about 2 minutes
Humans are attracted to negative news; we feed off the arousal from seeing the bad news and then get manipulated by the social media, which lead to making bad decisions (someone understood the power of social media and used that tactic to win the 2016 presidential election).

Kevin asks a thought-provoking question – why do we rather choose to read about a wife cutting off her husband’s genital than a brave man saving a child, if these two hypothetical stories were posted side by side? (I’d be guilty of choosing to read about the bad ones without a doubt).

Jimmy Chin might be the best athlete in the world that we have never heard of; he’s climbed to the top of Mount Everest and then skied down the entire way. Jimmy had attempted Shark Fin’s route twice in climbing Meru Peak, in which he failed the first time due to a severe weather condition, and then followed by a second trip where he and two other climbers had become the first to succeed at reaching the top, while filming the trip.

Meru is a documentary about the breathtaking (literally and figuratively) experience of climbing Meru Peak by taking the Shark’s Fin route. I find Jimmy’s story inspirational because he’s founded a career in climbing, photography, and film making by living through the process of learning those skills from scratch.

I have 5 highlights from this interview. (I will also give you the time slot on the podcast so you could skip around and find the segment that resonate with me the most)

12:14, and goes on for about 2 and half minutes
A passion is only practical if you could do the work and learn the craft, and support yourself with the earnings from selling it.

Jimmy is asked to choose and keep one of his three professions, climbing, photography, or film making, he’d choose to keep climbing because extreme sports inspire him to do the other work. Extreme sports are Jimmy’s passion, and his creative process in photography and film making is rooted in his exposure to nature.

28:00, and goes on for about 2 minutes
Alleviate the perceived fear in climbing by teaching the safety system and practice it often

Jimmy tells about his approach in teaching a beginner to climb. Jimmy would have his student start with bouldering to get familiar with the movement and techniques, and then follow by teaching the student on manuevering the ropes. Fear in climbing is often rooted in perceived risks, and if the beginner were able to learn the basics and safety early, then he or she’d be better at managing the fear.

59:16, and goes on for 2 minutes
When face with obstacles, draw from experiences and temper expectations, and focus on the tasks on hand.

In the film Meru, there is a sequence of climbing that is called House of Cards; Jimmy had to climb a section of the mountain with extreme care because any uneven distribution of his weight could cause the rocks to peel off and take the entire expedition team down the mountain. With such difficult task on hand, experiences and rational decision making are critical in staying alive.

1:04:54, and goes on for about 5 minutes
Mountain climbing and reading are beneficial in acquiring new skills and stimulating growth

Mountain climbing involves teamwork and organizational skills, and also promotes self-discovery. Reading, not exclusively to books, leads to creativity, and ultimately leads to better output at work.

1:18:58, and goes on for about 2 minutes
Giving advice to a 30-yr old self: think of the long game, and chill out. Accept the ups and downs of the life

The interview was conducted when Jimmy was about 40-year old. When asked about giving some advice to a 30-year old self, Jimmy says that he’d tell the younger self to “play the long game” and enjoy living through the ups and downs. His own advice resonates with me because I share a similar sentiment of slowing down on life and enjoying it for its highs and lows, and also to cherish the privilege of eating good food and reading great books.

The inability to pay off the student loan is a frightening truth in America; Americans are duped to believe that our government has the best interest in helping us get the finest education by lending us the money, yet it has rarely shown any interests in relieving our burden.

Federal government passes off the menial student loan management to private companies where they’d receive portions of fees in managing debt. However, student loan servicers often give the wrong information, process payments incorrectly, and fail to act when consumers file complaints. The above negligence has led to tens of thousands of Americans struggle to come out of their debts, which amounts to both emotional and physical pain.

In this podcast episode from “Against the Rules”, Michael Lewis explores the corruption in the consumer financial industry, where middle-class Americans are often the victim to the greed and apathy of capitalism.

My 5-takeaways are below, which resonates with me the most from personally being in debt with student loans and credit cards for a decade. (I also jotted down the approximated time slot in the podcast to help you skip around and listen to the juicy parts of the episode)

• 9th minute, and goes on for about 30 seconds

There are 44 million Americans who owe about 1.5 trillion in student debt (about 75% of the CARES act that the Congress had approved to help the Americans during COVID). More than 4 million Americans are already in default, with more people going broke sooner or later.

• 13th minute 43 seconds, and goes on for about 3 minutes and 30 seconds

In 2007, Congress passed Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, in which any public servants could have their student loans forgiven after serving 10 years in a qualified field and make 120 payments on time. However, loan servicers, such as Navient (the biggest in the U.S.), often gave the wrong information, processed the payments incorrectly, and failed to act when borrowers complained about loan problems, which prevent our public servants from getting out of their debt. 

• 18th minute, and goes on for about 4 minutes

There is a “7-minute rule” that whenever anyone calls Navient, the agent on the opposite end of the phone will end the call within 7 minutes without giving the customer a solution. The agents from Navient are also trained to not help customers apply for loan forgiveness. Government pays Navient a fee to help it manage federal loans, and the more clients (which are ordinary citizens) that Navient has, the more fee they’d collect; therefore, Navient has no incentive to help Americans, and yet tries to bury them with interests for as long as possible. 

• 28th minute 10 seconds, and goes on for 3 minutes

Not only have the students been exploited by our financial institutions, but military members oversea have also been tormented by the wrongdoings of big banks. Service Member Civil Relief Act that has been around since the Civil War forbids banks to foreclose homes owned by military members. However, financial institutions would bet on the troops not knowing the law and foreclose their houses while they are serving abroad.

• 36th minute, until the end of the podcast, about 10 to 12 more minutes 

The last part of the podcast revisits the subject on the student loans; a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau staff had predicted the catastrophic outcome due to the incompetence and negligence of our government and loan servicers, yet, our current administration further denies American access to loan forgiveness and buries evidence on the wrongdoings by loan servicers.

I used to think the career of a chef is simple and straight forward; you work your way up the rank and you become a chef, and then you’d enjoy the perks that come along with the hard work, the end. However, the road to becoming a chef is rather winding and surprisingly, without a summit. Being a chef does not conclude my journey, but rather just another pit stop off a long, exhausting, and yet rewarding climb in my pursuit to eat and cook good food. And at some point, being a chef and earning a title is no longer that important, and engaging in the work inside of the food industry becomes my sole motivation to wake up everyday and do it repeatedly.

Over the years, I had many lows. I had debts and I drank, and I hated the vicious cycle of waking up hungover and going to work, and doing it again, though at times that the camaraderie was worth it. I started on the recovering journey when I realized that what I wanted did not exist and never will. “Making it as a chef” is as abstract as “being successful”, at what point does my success complement the role I embody when I take off my chef jacket? To me, the greatest chefs are the ones who take an interest in other subjects, who are family-oriented, and who devote their time to teaching and mentoring. Being a chef embodies the role of a counselor, an entrepreneur, an innovator, and a great parent.

I am a patient of my own after seeing the worst of myself through job losses and breakups. I grip onto the faith that my continuous effort to be the best version of myself will lead me to a more joyful life. To achieve honesty, integrity, and accountability, I continuously write rules for myself in order to steer me towards a more pragmatic path. I’d like to share my rules here.

1. Life is not easy and fair, and don’t try to make it so.
   • I knowledge my privilege and therefore will not play the victim card in any circumstances. The secret is…I had played the victim card quietly in my own world for some time and it’s only hindered my progression to be a better friend, a more thoughtful partner, and a more understanding chef. I will not allow myself to do it again.
2. Do not be surprised by the absurdity of this world
   • Humans are capable of loving and hating; don’t let others surprise me with their effort to bring me down. Use their negativity to learn about compassion and develop a growth mindset. On the other hand, believe that others are capable of loving me as I am capable of loving them.
3. Happiness is the byproduct of my hard work. If I don’t work hard, I don’t deserve to be happy. Nevertheless, I can be joyful and content with my life during the process.
   • I find happiness after winning a pick-up basketball game. I find happiness after cooking a delicious meal for my friends and anonymous guests in the restaurants. These happiness are the byproduct of my consistent practice and training. To achieve any of these happiness, I first have to find joy doing the work, and be content with my total effort, even if I fail.
4. Turn the page
   • I am the author of the book on my life. Own up to my mistakes, make amends, and then turn the page and start over, but never forget.
5. 10,000-hour mastery only gets you a better job, not the best job
   • Everybody can cut or dice an onion, what makes my onions better than his or hers? The best job does not need the “perfect diced” onions, but the finest onions for the job.
6. Dissect opportunities through gratitude because chances are…I was lucky.
   • None of the jobs I have ever had was because I deserved it. No one is entitled to a job regardless of his or her experiences or background. Opportunities show up because life is a lot like luck. Be consistent, and keep doing what I am doing, let luck takes its course and grab onto the opportunities.
7. Give my obstacles credit
   • Obstacles and fears push me to be creative and to overcome challenges. I have been defeated by fears and overwhelmed by obstacles, and I have had many bad days. I have also learned that obstacles and fears don’t sympathize with my circumstances, my pride and ego will only feed my own denial, and it’s only my acquired humility and growth mindset that will help me navigate through my time on this planet.
8. Time is the most expensive currency
   • There are two items in my world that I won’t get back: the death of my loved ones and time. Death and time work hand in hand. Life is short…but how short? Time is precious…but how precious? I don’t have the answers and time does not wait for me to figure that out.
9. My role is to support
   • One of the best ways to lead is to support. Being in a supportive role, I could empathize with the pain, create a joyful environment, and live with no regret. The most dreadful thought is to have lived but not have lived to be the best and kindest.
10. Constantly define and refine the concept of success for myself
    • Currently, being a great support, being content with myself, living with intention, and looking after my health are on my scorecard for being successful. I have to feed each category with a healthy dose of attention to achieve my own success.

I practice these rules everyday. Through my own practice, I’ve become more confident and assured of myself. I embrace uncertainties, and these rules guide me through the noises and bring out the best version of myself even on a bad day.