A denouncement of The Best

I finally have taken my first week off in over a year. Feel's good. A little weird I must admit to downshift, but good. The reason was the birth of my daughter Arabella. A miracle and an absolute gift. You can tell I'm smitten and in love, can't you...:)

Two things caught my eye this week that I wanted to share though...

The first was the 2009 Winter Holiday Season Catalog from Patagonia. Normally clothes catalogs are nice to flip through for about 30 seconds but that's it for me. This one is widely different and I think Yves Choinard and Patagonia have created the perfect business meets life trip/story I've ever seen. The catalog is featured around the release of the Malloy movie 180 South and is a re-creation of the original trip done by pals Yves Choinard and Doug Tompkins traveling from California to Chile, and finishing in Patagonia. The trip is re-created by surfer/adventurer/mountain climber Jeff Johnson. I've yet to see the film but it looks amazing. A complete purist view of the world venturing to one of the purest places in the world...for no reason other than to do a trip.

And my magazine trolling also saw me looking at a lot of, well, magazines. And I began to notice something. The word, or better yet, the expression- "the best" is used way too much in our society. The Best. What does that mean?

If I write and tell you that a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is "the best" does that mean that every other Napa Cab pails in comparison?

If you read a restaurant review and the writer says that a restaurant makes "the best" butternut squash soup does that mean that every time you go to another restaurant and order butternut squash soup you know you are ordering a second rate soup?

I am red handed in this. For years I've used this phrase to sell a lot of wine. My daily emailed offering constantly included the phrase "the best". The Best Chianti for Under $15. The Best 10 Wines for the Holidays. The Best White Burgundy Value. What does the phrase do- it certainly catches your attention which is why it's used so much. It's why I used it. But is it honest? Even after honestly extolling the virtues of what may be an absolutely excellent choice White Burgundy-one that may be at a quality much higher than most of its peers- is it right or correct to say that that wine is "The Best" White Burgundy?

No. It is not.

The Culture of the Table is about the complete embrace of life and relationships centering around what happens at the table. Each experience table side is different, carrying its own background and context, and for that reason there never is any best. There are fantastic moments, great highs, unbelievable treasured meals, and magnificent wines...But without the people with you at the place in time, with the back drop of the setting, and the circumstances of the day...nothing tastes and feels as good. In essence, embracing The Culture of the Table is embracing a living terroir very much like Jeff Johnson embraced life by traveling down to Patagonia.

So, why the big diatribe and all of that about this phrase that basically means nothing but sells a ridiculous amount of product? It is because from this point on I have decided to never use that phrase again. It's not honest. It carries no integrity. It does not tell the story of the table. And it explains nothing of a living terroir.

Embrace your relationships and the moment- cherish them. They are the foundation of the Table.

Happy Thanksgiving. All my best to your family.

Christian