Gandalf The White

about me

Based in NJ, but I travel frequently for business, so you can find me throughout North America, Europe, or Asia. Lived in both southeast UK (3 years) and in NYC (2 years).

Physician, working for a pharmaceutical company, doing clinical research, drug development.

Fun ... cooking, eating (they seem to go together), enjoying my family, reading, traveling, photography, yoga, meditation ...

Favorite cookbooks ...
To read: anything by Copeland Marks (my hero — Julia Child and Indiana Jones rolled into one!), Barbara Tropp, or Nina Simonds.

To cook from: Nina's "A Spoonful of Ginger", Barbara's "China Moon Cookbook". Any Japanese cookbook ...

Passions: learning and teaching. Sharing good food, good experiences with old and new friends. Savoring life.

Peeves: the American fascination with diets and the firm belief that finding the "right one" will let you stuff your face with as much as you want, of nutritionally awful things, anytime you want and grow thinner while you do it ... there's no "free lunch" (or dinner!) ... you are what you eat and if you eat Big Macs ... you'll be supersized!

Favorite Foods:

Comfort foods from my childhood were all Eastern European — brisket, meat stuffed dumplings, chicken soup, roast chicken. My mother, who passed away in July 2008, was a far better cook than I ... for all my cooking courses! Her memory comes back to me, each time I make one of her dishes ...

Today, I'm almost completely vegetarian + fish (no seafood, no meats or poultry). My favorite cuisines are Japanese, Chinese (classic or fusion, but spicy), Italian or Thai.

When I come back from having eaten too much rich food on the road, I detox with rice and tofu/miso soup ...

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