You know we fixate on the food so much itself: “Oh, the ultimate brownie or the ultimate this or that” -- well, let me tell you something: It’s all poop in about 12 hours, okay? The real power that food has is its ability to connect human beings to each other -- that’s the stuff right there and, to me, everything else is secondary to that.
Interpretation
Food is not just nourishment; it serves as a means to bring people together.
Alton Brown emphasizes that while we often focus on the culinary aspects and the perfection of food, the true value lies in its power to unite people. The enjoyment of food becomes secondary to the connections it fosters among individuals, highlighting the importance of shared experiences over the mere act of eating.
In practice
During a family gathering, you might quote this to emphasize the importance of togetherness over the meal itself.
The kitchen's a laboratory, and everything that happens there has to do with science. It's biology, chemistry, physics. Yes, there's history. Yes, there's artistry. Yes, to all of that. But what happened there, what actually happens to the food is all science.
Although I don't take myself very seriously, I do take my work extraordinarily seriously.
A home cook who relies too much on a recipe is sort of like a pilot who reads the plane's instruction manual while flying.
Cooking is an observation-based process that you can't do if you're so completely focused on a recipe.
Everything in food is science. The only subjective part is when you eat it.
Since Michael died I think I've worked constantly. Friends and colleagues are very sustaining. They're the people who get you through it... It's no good to be on your own.
You are not reconciled to God if you are unreconciled with your fellow human beings.
I had to go on without my mother, even though I was suffering terribly, grieving her.
Joint undertakings stand a better chance when they benefit both sides.
So, let us not be blind to our differences - but let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved.
I prefer neurotic people. I like to hear rumblings beneath the surface.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.