On Food and Cooking

mind returns to the first Erice workshop and a
saying shared by Jean-Pierre Philippe, a chef
from Les Mesnuls, near Versailles. The
subject of the moment was egg foams. Chef
Philippe told us that he had thought he knew
everything there was to know about
meringues, until one day a phone call
distracted him and he left his mixer running
for half an hour. Thanks to the excellent result
and to other surprises throughout his career,
he said, Je sais, je sais que je sais jamais: “I
know, I know that I never know.” Food is an
infinitely rich subject, and there’s always
something about it to understand better,
something new to discover, a fresh source of
interest, ideas, and delight.