Ming Tsai out, Sara Moulton in at cul de sac
Ernie adores Jaques Pepin. I mean, he ADORES Jaques Pepin. When he watches him he gets this tiny little smile on his face and he does quiet little imitations of him for himself. Our friends Jim and Diana sent him Jacques' autobiography a number of years ago. It is a wonderful book. Unexpectedly fascinating.
One time when we were watching him Ernie mused about how much he wanted Jacques to be his neighbor. You know, he and Ernie would drink red wine and chat. Jacques would give Ernie cooking tips and tell him stories. Ernie would find Jacques' favorite music and play it for him. So, Ernie created a mythical cul de sac and we would live in one house in the cul de sac and Jaques would live in the other. I don't know why he landed on a cul de sac as we don't live in an area with cul de sacs (yeah, I know we've got that faux dead end but that's a bit different) but we've gotten quite fond of our mythical cul de sac.
One time we were watching a Ming Tsai clip and we decided maybe he could live on the other side of us. That's how the cul de sac was for a long time. Jacques on one side, Ming Tsai on the other. Heather questioned our choice of Ming Tsai but I explained that I had been fond of him ever since we watched him his first Food Network appearance on Sara Moulton's live cooking show when he was filling in for her. He was so nervous that callers began telling him he was doing a great job. It was very endearing.
Recently I came across an interview with Tsai however and he was somewhat egregiously pompous verging on offensive (roofie jokes?). So, sadly, he is out of the cul de sac. Who could replace him I wondered. We are pleased to announce that Sara Moulton will be the other member of the cul de sac. One of my favorites and doesn't get enough credit for all she has done I believe. Do read this article: Sara Moulton’s Long-Overdue Autopsy of 1990s Food Culture.
We may add others to the cul de sac. How many houses fit on a cul de sac? Who else would you want to hang out with, drink a glass of wine with as you stood in your driveway?