image courtesy Jaçques Pepin and NYT
One thing I can say for sure, I may not remember what I had for lunch yesterday, where I left my keys or where I am supposed to be today at 10:30, but I do, most very certainly have a full, sharp and poignant encyclopedia of food memories from my past that are intact. They come with a full complement of time, place and details of the physical surroundings, in addition to the food itself. For those who don’t, I am truly sorry.
Scan over the landscape of today’s food personalities and who rises to the top of the collection like a perfect depiction of deep-rooted, enduring , ever-growing, still sprouting, still in the state of wonder and expression, and certainly not thinking of going anywhere anytime soon. Yes, Jaçques Pepin has what you would call a proverbially “Full Plate” and it is still firmly on the front burner. And, from what I can tell, he’s still very happy about that.
I had occasion to meet him a few years ago at the Newport Food and Wine Festival, where I found him to be relaxed and engaging. Later that day, without him knowing I was watching, I saw him, with his family, strolling along the waterfront, happy and relaxed as could be. I remember thinking, this is a man who knows how to work and enjoy life.
Yesterday, like I’m sure millions of others did, I enjoyed reading Jaçques Pepin’s essay in the New York TImes Food Section. For most people, there may be absolutely no need to follow-up on a piece of personal writing such as his – for it most certainly speaks for itself, doesn’t it? But, his references to Affective Memory hit such a strong note for me, I had to sit down this morning and flush this out, for no one else perhaps, except myself.
Mr. Pepin is now unquestionably one of the priceless American icons in the world of food. His story is inspirational to me for, while he began out of duty and in an apprenticeship program in France that seems slightly foreign to us now, he transformed his experience with food, family and friends into an all-encompasing, long-term and seemingly undying love affair.
I have been watching Jaçques Pepin on television for many years. For a long while I mostly enjoyed watching him cook with Julia Child in her home. I have also watched his own many shows on PBS over the years and always felt as though I was studying with him, so to speak, as I did with Julia.
Yesterday’s essay was especially poignant for me as I read through. In it Jaçques describes his most powerful of memories around food and how they are directly related to the people he was with when he was foraging, cooking and enjoying with them. He uses the term “affective memory” all through the essay.
I went around and did some looking into the term, affective memory yesterday, mostly, to try to attach it to the feelings that I have when thinking about food in a reflective way. Mostly I found references to how affective memory is used as a tool of study and evocation in the acting profession. Wow, now there’s an understatement – I thought to myself. Here is a key to a vast treasure-trove that just may be the foundation of a lifetime of fulfillment, as has been the case with Mr. Pepin.
There were several references online to how and where one could cultivate their skills using this format in the so-called “actor’s studio”. I found this to be somewhat perplexing. For me, I need no coaching in this regard, for the propensity for this very specific kind of recall is so very high in my little brain. And yes, you can, if you wish, jump to liken this tie to affective memory to the possibility of one’s “acting” in the kitchen. But, I won’t discredit Mr. Pepin in this way, on any level, in this regard.
I find myself, especially as I read pieces such as Jaçque’s, wondering if there is some specific characteristic of people who have these very strong threads, more like arteries, running through their lifetimes. Is this something peculiar to people who are so deeply involved in the food world? Is there some particular circuitry in the brain that, for some people, ties the senses to the memory and to the table? I’m certainly not saying I’m like Jaçques Pepin, but I can certainly identify with his sentiments. I could list for you, but won’t bore you with all of the very specific food situations I have burned into my old brain, never to evaporate. They are among the most important of my lifetime.
One of the things I especially love about Jaçques Pepin is his impulse to paint, draw and sketch his mental images and transfer his jovial nature to paper and canvas. In these activities of his, he broadens out the expressions of his creative senses and thereby his life experiences in a multi-leveled array of mediums. I love this. As a person who also has some of these impulses, but no talent, I am especially impressed and awed by this.
The sketch shown here (google to see more of his impressive artwork) is particularly touching to me for, in addition to depicting him at work, it so powerfully evokes a sense of whimsy, reflection, and contentment. I love the depiction of the uniform in total – toque, bandana, coat, buttons – it is so classical and fun. All of the props here make me smile. I wish I had a copy of this image to hang in my kitchen.
Over the years as I have watched Jaçques and Julia together and Jaçques with Claudine or other guests in his kitchen, I have been interested in observing the clues to his temperament unfolding there. This is, in addition to the power behind the affective memories of what he may be cooking or how they influence what he makes, as he often refers to the countless dishes his mother prepared both at home and for the restaurant when he was a child. They reveal quite a lot.
There was intense patience and respect emanating from him when he worked with Julia. There was also the playful banter and challenge between them as they each interjected their own firm approach to ingredients and technique. I have always found the dynamic between he and Claudine puzzling – he somewhat pointed and bordering on impatient, she playing off his expertise, pretending that she is a complete novice there – which of course, she can not be. With his friends, he is warmer and jovial. But, it is with his granddaughter, Shorey, that I see his completely unadulterated adoration and seamless love. What I wouldn’t give to have been in the restaurant kitchen with him during those years to observe him there.
All in all, he is, as he says, grounded most profoundly by the Affective Memory. Here is his springboard and foundation from which he pursues his creativity. He is quick to point out just how thoroughly this is so, down through the decades, in his essay from the Times yesterday. As I read and study myself, so many older and contemporary home cooks, chefs and restauranteurs, I like to see how strongly they bring this particular element of their psyche to the forefront of their present-day experience.
Jaçques Pepin is a very good example of today’s Renaissance Man. He is part Chef, part Historian, Part Artist, Part Naturalist, Part Observer, Part hard-wired reflector and image-maker, and part sharer. He is intent on expressing what he still has to offer out there every day. He is keen in understanding the affect his past has on his present. He is a multi-dimensional presence in the “business”, if that is what you want to call it. As I see it, he is intent on continuing his 80-year-old love affair. Perhaps I most identify with him because this is what I endeavor to do myself. I feed on people like him and will, as I did with Julia. I may never meet him again, but I will enjoy and take in all the inspiration he has to offer. And so, whether prompted by affective memory or not, here is someone whose passionate and wide-ranging exuberance I can hold onto – and use as a great example, daily.
Memories:
oh well
at work