Daily Musing #7 - Lunch With a Frenchman

I ate lunch with a French man once who told me, “I can always judge a restaurant by how seriously they take their bread and butter”. Being in the wine business I’ve had more than a few lunches with Frenchmen. All deeply enjoyable. However, this comment had inordinate staying power. I think about it almost once a day. The big metaphor is obvious - take pride and care in the small things in your day to day life. Play the small stages like they’re the big ones…etc. But I think the real thing here is slowing down to analyze the quality and the enjoyment you're getting out of bread and butter. This is a rare talent in the age of mass consumption and unflappable mediocrity. If you can learn to get your bread and butter analysis game together, you could undoubtedly conquer the world in short order. Or, better yet, enjoy it a whole lot more.