Posts by Pat:
Are you a cook or a chef?
It may seem as if these words are interchangable: after all both individuals may wear a chef’s hat or coat, work in a kitchen and prepare food.
However, every chef was once a cook who went on to learn new skills and create new combinations that cooks can then follow.
As Wolfgang Puck, the celebrity chef and restaurateur said, “A chef is a mixture of maybe artistry and craft. You have to learn the craft really to get there.”
A cook uses a recipe (probably designed by a chef!) They might have some know-how, but the chef has real knowledge. The chef is an innovator, invents recipes, knows raw ingredients and how to combine them.
A true chef understands the flavor profiles and combinations at such a fundamental level, at the first principle level, that they don’t even use a recipe.
A cook may be very skilled at following a recipe and have quality control, consistency and diligence. They may even make some slight variations, but they need the recipe.
The chef, on the other hand, understands how the recipe works, sees patterns and opportunities and can change the recipe to fit the problem to be solved. They even create recipes. It’s about concept in addition to process and result.
Both cook and chef are useful.
(If you think this post is about cooking, you may be a cook rather than a chef.)
Lessons from a squirrel?
Squirrels are just small rodents to some folks, but to admirers they are high flying acrobats, fuzzy-tailed philosophers, scampering tree huggers and resourceful survivors. (They are also rather cute!) Here are 4 (+1 extra!) life lessons we can learn from our squirrel friends. 1. We all know this easy one: save for the future. 2. […]
Can you be creative?
Sometimes we think that we are not creative; that the gift has passed us by. But we have each… come up with creative solutions to family problems, figured out a clever workaround to not having the perfect tool to make a repair, said what needed to be said, but tactfully and compassionately. Here are two […]
In just 4 words!
If less is more and if a short sermon is more memorable than a long one…then here are some quotes of only four words that you might find meaningful! From some philosophical folks… From some business folks… “Aim for the highest.” Andrew Carnegie “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” Steve Jobs “Whatever happens, take responsibility.” Tony Robbins […]
The Spare Change Principle
I saw a video from a few years ago by Jon Acuff that made good sense to me. He shared that he had run 1,000 miles the previous year. How? Short answer: he ran a lot. Long answer: he used the “Spare Change Principle.” And what was that? It was his willingness to do an […]
Response-Ability
We have the responsibility to choose. And we have the ability as well! We can respond or we can react. And the quality of our life depends on the choice we make. We know there is a difference between trying to control everything in our life and taking charge of our life. After all, haven’t […]
The weather is just the weather…
Has our summer been sweltering, oppressive, scorching, or just hot? Just like Calvin, we often describe our weather as “too much!” Let’s refuse to listen to weather reports. Weather reporters this past winter often described the weather as being gloomy, dismal, or miserable rather than just saying it was cold, rainy or windy! The weather […]
Don’t let the tail wag the dog…
So, what does that mean? It means don’t let the smallest or least important part of something be in control of the larger or more important parts. And this is not just in dogs. The purpose of a tail is complicated. Not just for communication, but also for balance. A retriever in the water (me?) […]
Complaining is easy…
Complaining is easy. It’s as natural to us as breathing. Complaining is describing something (an event, an experience, a person) negatively without any indication of next steps or plans to fix the problem. It requires little thinking and zero action. Whether it be whining about God, the government, the universe, slow Wi-Fi, the authorities, or […]
How do YOU respond?
Learning to respond rather than react can provide us with many benefits, especially peace of mind. I share three thoughts for you to ponder. Thought #1 Somtimes the water gets murky and the mud that is churned up happens in a way that is heated. We might express anger or others may express agression. But […]