Inspired Ash

I just had a great lunch with my friend Ash. He is a great guy. One of his best traits is his passion, especially his passion for food. Although he spends much of his time as an incredibly successful business owner (financial company and high tech company), he actually is also a restaurant owner. I believe that he is on his fourth restaurant. This one is a fantastic Indian restaurant called Roti Indian Bistro (http://www.rotibistro.com/). Ash is actually a trained Chef.

What is really interesting is how he talks about food. He has that emphatic voice with this great zeal. His face gets animated. There is love there. Now, it is great to hear people that are passionate about almost anything. Food, however, is one of my great pleasures. To hear someone talk about the intersection of two flavors or the lusciousness of a certain fruit or how the texture of a dessert is on your tongue is really inspiring.

I guess this is the difference between a foodie and a non-foodie. It is one of those great universal truths. Whether it is a chicken wing lover who works in a bank in Albany or a goat cheese afficionado who teaches at a University, some people just love food. Those are my kind of people. I never really understand the people that just eat to survive. Don't they get that great rush from spicy food or that moment of ecstasy from good chocolate. Just thinking about good cheese or really tasty fruit or perfectly roasted chicken makes me pause.

I don't know about other foodies, but I spend much of my time thinking about what my next meal or two will be. Gotta run, I need to plan restaurants in New York later this week.