Food for thought: passion fruit

The following is a racist entry based on a generalization... 

Passion. Thats what's missing from American culture. I finally put my finger on it after five years of feeling like something was missing.  

I went to see the Fine Art Museum in Buenos Aires, Argentina and it brought me to tears. There was something about the color and intensity of all the pieces that resonated so deeply with my heart. Argentenians (and Latin Americans in general) are such fiery, passionate people. They feel something and they express it. They build up simple things and live the drama. Spend a day with Argentenians and you will see that these people are interpersonally fascinated; the highs and lows of live in Argentina are experienced unabashedly.  

I think it took a trip to a culture where it was ok to express yourself in a colorful way for me to realize the thing that I have missed most  since moving to Los Angeles five years ago is some plain and simple passion around me. I miss the collective permission to express intensity. Albeit, Hollywood is a place where people make a good living of creative expression of emotional complexity. However I dont believe that American culture is at ease with this. I think people are comfortable with passivity due to a desire to fit in. 

Its no wonder that Americans suffer from the highest levels of depression and anxiety. They are bottling all their stuff up to stay normal. "Crazy" is the name people who are passionate are labelled in a country where no one speaks their mind. I think its sad that "crazy" has become synonymous with passionate. From personal observation I have learned that many Americans feel if they unleash a little passion in their lives they will self destruct. 

I have noticed a distinct difference between the blunt and honest expression  of Argentenians and people I know in LA. People here just say what they feel when they feel it. They are constantly in a flux of full fledged reaction without apology. I think Americans can learn so much from the Latins. Putting up a fight with some real Latin kinda gusto may be the only thing that bolsters the economy from insecurity. 

Im wondering if the pursuit of an artistic lifestyle requires a mandatory commitment to protecting passion at all cost. From what Im seeing its the difference between what's good and what sucks. Makes some sense. What makes the heart move is what keeps it going.  Do you agree with my theory? 

 

Surrogate decision making

I can never make decisions.

I particularly enjoy restaurants that have a limited menu because it significantly reduces the amount of time I need for making a choice about what I would like to order. I am afraid of places such as The Cheesecake Factory and Jerrys Deli. They have everything you can conjure up in your head. They extend you ten pages beyond the club sandwich and chicken ceaser salad. Yet somehow I always order the club sandwich.

I have a lot of dissonance about decisions. In marketing school they teach you about post purchase dissonance. It is when the buyer starts to rationalize and justify their purchase making by finding clues and evidence to back up their decision. I spend a good deal of time doing this. I ask people for their opinions and I read into street signs. The other morning I was making a decision based on a quote I pulled out of thin air about "we" and "me". A lady jogged past me and was wearing a tee shirt that read "Its about the "we" not "me" ". Case closed. If thats not a sign that you're on the right track then what is?

There is a possibility that selective attention has a lot to do with this. Its as if its Easter and I hid all the Easter eggs in my own garden and I am deliberately picking out the places to look that I know I will find the eggs. Im squealing with delight but really I knew the eggs would be there. Do you believe in selective treasure hunting?

So what do you do if you know you're being selective with reasoning and you want to find the truth? How do you know if you are making the right decisions?

I think there should be a place you take your decisions and submit them. It should be a box and look like a sweepstakes barrel. You write your decisions on little A5 pieces of colored paper. You label their urgency and category. You place a return address and you post it. You get to pick if you would like express mail or regular post (sometimes you dont want to see the "correctness" of your decision for a few weeks) There is a panel somewhere - TBA - that assesses and weighs your decision merit. It responds with feedback that gives you the truth about the consequences of your choice. You get a score (its out of 100%) and you will know for a fact whether you made the right choice. The closer to 100% you get the better your decision was. Lets just say you scored poorly, you get a chance to retake the test and make a different choice next time. If you choose expedited service maybe you even get to postpone making a decision until you can be certain you're aware you're making the choice with the best possible outcome.

The reason i like this quantifiable and qualitative way of measuring decision making is that it gives the decision making power to something else to handle. Oh have you seen that movie, "The Surrogate"? Is it a movie or a TV show? I really dont watch TV but I do see the posters and billboards everywhere. This Surrogate idea is ideal. Someone else lives your life. You get to tell them what to do and they take the weight of the responsibility for you. I think this is also a very good idea to couple with the decision making submission box. Perhaps the surrogate submits the decision on your behalf. That would be even better.

I need to make a decision. Life is too short to keep waiting for someone else to make one for you.

A Return to Baking

I am inspired to bake cupcakes again. 

There is a craze in the United States of America right now. It is very cool to open a Food Truck business. A Food Truck is a restaurant or cafe on wheels. It parks off street for lunch or dinner hours and serves food to pedestrians at cheap prices. They come offering all sorts of inventive foods; Korean BBQ, Vietnamese, french fries and cookies, sweets, grilled cheese sandwiches and hotdogs. 

I had a cupcake from a Food Truck on Thursday evening and it blew my mind. During the 30 seconds that I consumed the cupcake I was just in awe at the skill of the baker who created it. I love simple pleasures like a tasty home baked dessert. The couple that owned the truck were aware of their talent in the baking department. They were this sweet Asian couple that were busy as bees flitting around making sure that cupcakes were coming out of the ovens in perfect timing and that icing was being completed simultaneously. There was so much love going into the careful decoration of each individual patty to ensure it looked appetizing to the customer. I noticed the customers that were lining up to purchase their delectable offerings were also as pleased with the cupcakes as me. The people who owned the truck looked so proud of their business and happy to serve the people who wanted them. 

The whole experience of watching this shook my heart. I want a slice of the pleasure that this woman took from baking cupcakes. I want to serve people and enjoy the pleasure on their faces as they express sincere gratitude and excitement at something I helped to create. 

My mother was a fantastic baker and when I was growing up my brother and I would spend hours and hours in the kitchen busy copying her baking recipes. We would prepare a cake batter together, make an obnoxious mess about it and my brother would secretly putting green food coloring so it would come out green and blue when baked. Some of my happiest memories are helping my brother bake in the kitchen. 

I really want to bake cupcakes again.