"Make New Friends, Keep the Old"

A song me and my sister Christal used to sing went "make new friends, keep the old. one is silver and the other is gold"

I think that it is important to maintain this ideal in the world of food as well. In the creative mosh pit that the culinary industry is becoming, one MUST keep in mind the solid foundations that allowed them to get to the point that they can express themselves creatively. everything thing starts with technique. once technique is learned, then you can apply creativity. but first and foremost...you must, must, must have technique. in a world of hyper modern cooking appliances, and texture bending chemicals such as sodium alginate and methyl cellulose, it is easy to get sucked into the gimmick and lose appreciation for the flavor or the ingredient itself. when younger chefs ask me about how to use new age techniques i always ask them the same question "what is NaCl?" if they dont know then i tell them that they have no business learning new techniques if they dont have the basics down. when the cant even identify the proper chemical name for the most prominant ingredient in the kitchen. "Make new friends" (NaCl) "Keep the old" (salt)