my father

[my father] taught me early that the value of a dish is the pleasure

it brings you; where you are sitting when you eat it—

and who you are eating it with—are what really matter.

perhaps the most important life lesson he passed on was: don’t be a snob.

it’s something I will always at least aspire to—something that has allowed me to travel this world and eat all it has to offer without fear or prejudice.

to experience joy, my father taught me, one has to leave oneself open to it.

anthony bourdain
lily donaldson by ben hassett for numéro #134 june/july 2012