I got this great quote by Studs Terkel in a holiday email. He's the one-time radio interviewer, journalist and oral historian who was required reading when I first training to be a reporter. Something to think about for the new year.
“Work is about daily meaning as well as daily bread. For recognition as well as cash; for astonishment rather than torpor; in short, for a sort of life rather than a Monday through Friday sort of dying... We have a right to ask of work that it include meaning, recognition, astonishment, and life.” - Studs Terkel
Writing a story about a restaurant a few years ago, I asked Anthony Bourdain, the renegade chef and writer, "Restaurants always die. What's the secret to longevity?"
Bourdain replied: "The secret to longevity is to decide early on what one does well and then do it relentlessly, fanatically well, never wavering, never letting things slide, never allowing oneself to lose sight of one's original standards and intentions, and not falling victim to trends or unreasonable fears."
Advice that could be applied to far more than restaurants...
Love love love both those quotes - thanks!
Posted by: soupnancy | December 23, 2007 at 03:28 AM
Hope to see you at Eco Farm this year
Posted by: Organic George | December 27, 2007 at 12:38 PM
George, Am not coming out to Eco-Farm this year though it looks real good. For those who don't know, Eco-Farm is the premier West Coast event for organic and sustainable farmers. Highly recommended (I spoke there last year). To see their program held at the Asilomar conference center near Monterey check out: http://www.eco-farm.org/efc_08/index.html
Posted by: Samuel Fromartz | December 31, 2007 at 08:32 PM