On the cutting edge

It’s been a long time, I know. Too much going on in my life, as usual – and emotionally I am still chasing after the actions that seemingly are way ahead of me.

My next stop in life is bringing me to Singapore. I explain later… Let me first explain  my agony from yesterday…

While preparing for a new menu tasting session, working in a rent-kitchen and without assistance, I found myself helplessly doing everything alone. Even opening the sesame oil bottle. Have you realized in the last recent years, when you buy one of those fancy “special” vinegars or oils, you are confronted with all sorts of difficult bottling techniques. There is the one with the turn cap, first you have to rip off the perforated plastic that never rupture where the dots are, or the threat pulls from underneath without even perforating the palstic. So you use your teeth or anything sharp that you force angrily from the bottom up and violently shred the cover away. Next you are confronted with a little tiny plastic ring way too small to pull the inside lid out of the bottle neck.  Heck this wine is better packed than a Chateau Neuf du Pape 1968! Especially with your little finger, which over the years you managed to force through nostrils and ear canals, but limited by the glass neck you can barely reach that loop. Once you fished it to the surface the thing rips, leaving you to take a little knife to poke a hole in the top. Turns out the plastic seal is so strong, even a kitchen knife bends out of shape during this attempt… Who comes up with this crappy packaging ideas??

How about the one I was confronted with. It’s a common 21 edged bottle top (that indeed are 21 edges, count them next time you have a pop, it’s a patent from 1894…) But before I could even pop the metal off the tiny oil container, I had to get the plastic wrapping off; an imitation lacquered decorative finishing. So I used the big kitchen knife. I got the plastic off effortlessly, although some stuck to the bottle neck and clogged the edges of the bottle cap. Holding the “special” $ 18 oil glass in my left hand, way up on the neck, I now placed the back of the large blade behind and underneath the cap- sharp side facing away from me under the edged rim so to force the lid off the neck. I applied force, sorta with my right hand lifting while pulling the backend of the blade towards me…Somehow I slipped over the rim , pulling the knife with such force over the edge I had to correct the motion, so I moved with the bottle in my hand towards the sharp side of the knife. Do it in the air…It all makes sense. Yes, I sunk the knife into the top of my hand just above the wrist and cut a smiley face curved ledge deep into the skin. Got a visual on that? Yep, I too felt that cold rush on my back. Clearly, I gave up opening the sesame oil, instead holding my parting skin together and asking a very baffled friend to rip a towel in stripes to make a tourniquet to stop what I believed cut through my arterial vein. But luckily I did not. Hardly no blood at all? Nevertheless we made sure I could not loose any liquid and I bravely went through the menu tasting procedure, biting the sting before hurrying to the ER and getting six stitches. The doctor commented: “I can see, you scratched the artery, very lucky, ‘would have been messy in that kitchen…

Back up Raphael…

I am changing my life completely around. No, this has nothing to do with the cut from yesterday, which is healing fine, thank you.  I am in a general daze. If I could collect the last ten days into one sentence it would sound something like: I now know why my Creator has pulled me through the life I had and dropped me into this space of being for the purpose to give my all.  Yes, I am somewhat amazed and deeply touched by the experiences of the last few weeks.

I am slowly awakening amongst incredible souls, talent and compassion and my next journey already develops to be the most significant and extraordinary adventure. I am back on my blog and will have lots of catching up to do. I will write real soon and explain it all! For now it’s called project Q and I am Chef 007…

One week I thought my future is In Thailand the next moment I am contracted to open a very special Restaurant for an uniquely intriguing concept. Somehow leaving a few good souls disapointed but certainlytrying to do the best I can. My chefs in Thailand are dearly missed!

As of today I am homeless; All my furniture were hurriedly packed onto a container and still await in a port in Los Angeles to be shipped to Asia. Currently I am living out of the “wrong” suitcases in a Hotel room without Internet access nor TV. I miss CNN!!! I miss watching Richard Quest. First I was  guest at the www.NewMajesticHotel.com and really liked the quirkyness of it. There is however one draw back, they serve Shark Fin Soup and I even told the chef to take it off the menu! Write ‘em, bug ‘em… It’s a fun place but not cool to kill them sharks! http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f00/web3/mccabe3.html

Paige, my friend helping me with packing up my life and in the haste mixed up the suitcase that goes with the shipping, so – upon arrival in Singapore I found a suitcase filled with kitchen towels and silverware instead of my pants and T-shirts.  It’s all part of the fun. Today, still one-handed, I learned that my future apartment is being renovated and now looks worse than what it was before… I’m smiling about it, I did not think it would be easy, just more exciting. I cant live in a sky scraper, I need the cozyness of ‘lived’ and ‘adged souls in my walls’…

I know I lost you all – I moved to Singapore! You all will be with me; I have some catching up to do!

Greetings,

Raphael