When The Moon Hits Your Eye...
Posted by Steve at 10/1/2009 11:54 AM 
Categories: Signs of Taste
Tags: Steven Mark Weiss gastrology Signs of Taste Christmas food gifts Domino's Sandwich Stars Julia Child food astrology
Categories: Signs of Taste
Tags: Steven Mark Weiss gastrology Signs of Taste Christmas food gifts Domino's Sandwich Stars Julia Child food astrology
Some years ago I had a wonderful job as the food editor of a national restaurant trade magazine. This was back in the pre-web days when being in print counted for something and, even better, when real world experience was considered a prerequisite for adequately doing one's job. I caused no salary envy among my peers back then, but I covered a broad domain and had a generous expense account that allowed for dining and travel at a level almost impossible to imagine in these cost cutting times.
Back then, I would frequently have the opportunity to visit and engage in discourse with restaurant industry luminaries. It was a thrill and an honor to be granted insider status by the likes of Ella Brennan (Commander's Palace in New Orleans) , Don Roth (The Blackhawk in Chicago), Paul Kovi & Tom Margitai (New York's Four Seasons), and so many more who built the essence of the modern restaurant industry. The late Joe Baum, the individual most responsible for conceiving and building the restaurant complex at New York's World Trade Center, gave me special access in the heady years of his WTC work and I was forever enriched by his collegiality and mentoring.
In the context of the preceding it is amusing that the richest and most powerful of the restaurant developers I was ever to personally meet in those days was someone I pretty much blew off. The setting was the National Restaurant Association convention, in Chicago, and I was running some thoughts in my head for a speech I was about to give on menu trends. I was approached by a lean, wavy-haired open-faced guy in glasses who was carrying an attaché case that seemed just a bit too large and cumbersome for maximum business image effectiveness.
So this guy sees by my convention badge that I'm an editor and he awkwardly opens the attaché case while starting to tell me about several pizza joints he owns in Michigan. I try to be polite by feigning interest but this guy is way too into the magic of pizza delivery for my tastes and, besides, I'm preparing to give my own presentation. I somewhat grudgingly accept a brochure and a business card and pretty much immediately forget about Tom Monaghan and Domino's Pizza.
So now you're probably wondering how my presentation went. Actually, it was great and even received some front page coverage in the next day's USA Today (no kidding). In an era when nouvelle cuisine was starting to make an appearance, I had the bright idea of surveying a hundred food experts regarding what foods they really needed to survive on a deserted island...and there wasn't a mention of radicchio lettuce or goat cheese in the bunch.
The other bright idea I had was to ask all of my survey respondents their birth dates, and I was pleased to observe that the survey results showed a fair amount of consistency when divided zodiacally. An expanded questionnaire and a couple of hundred interviews later, I was able to get out this cool little sun sign astrology book, Signs of Taste, about people's food preferences based on their astrological signs. That's a picture of the recent re-issue at the top of this blog entry, and it is presently available at all fine on-line book outlets in case you're Christmas shopping for the foodie in your life. http://stevenmarkweiss.com/Signs_of_Taste.html
I'm aware that I fondly mentioned the pre-web years at the beginning of this entry, but man I could have used Amazon back then. The book generated an enormous amount of bemused coverage around the country in newspaper food sections (it was a features 'natural') , and I even had an ambitious media tour that placed me on talk shows from New York to Los Angles. Sadly, though, the small Oregon-based publisher who brought out the book ran afoul of its distributor and copies of the book saw far fewer store shelves than they might have under more fortunate circumstances.
Anyway, every so often since the original publication of the book I come across someone who finds the notion of gastronomy coupled with astrology (I call it "gastrology" in the book) charming or amusing. Magazine editors are the most likely candidates, and I've done a few high profile speaking gigs, and every once in a great while a real for-profit food-oriented business takes a look. But what were the chances, really, that after all this time Domino's Pizza would express an interest?
Now let's be honest here. Tom Monaghan is no longer a hands-on player at Domino's, and one may safely assume there would have been no astrology, however harmless, on his watch. But getting to share some astrological expertise with the current Domino's regime in support of their new line of Oven Baked Sandwiches, is a very special pleasure for me...almost like an appointed destiny or an atonement. If you have a moment please check out the press release at http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=135383&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1336523&highlight=
or the deeper facebook exegesis at http://bit.ly/dominos_stars.
or if you just want to order a tasty Chicken Habanero or a Mediterranean Veggie sandwich then go here: http://www.dominos.com
Finally, I realize this entry violates every rule related to blog length, but if you are still with me I have to mention my biggest culinary fanboy moment from the old days. I'm at a fancy culinary event in Santa Barbara, California, and the seat next to me at a luncheon is untaken. A voice above me asks if the seat is occupied and I look up to see that the inquisitor is Julia Child.
I could tell you a lot about that encounter, but the absolute key fact was...and I swear on a first edition of Mastering The Art of French Cooking that this is true...I just happened to have Julia's astrological birth chart in my briefcase. I guess I kind of played the role of Tom Monaghan in this meeting, but I did summon the courage to take the chart out and show it to her and ask if the birth data was in fact accurate. She seemed more startled than pleased, but she did say something that I will never forget and pretty much sums up this whole astrological business.
"What," said the inimitable Julia Child, "does this mean?"
For more information please visit http://www.stevenmarkweiss.com
Comments