An intuition is something you saw and let slip.
David Foster Wallace, Anthony Bourdain, Facebook's millionaire artist, and a story of human triumph.
1. The Unfinished - David Foster Wallaceās struggle to surpass āInfinite Jest.ā (2009)
Wallace did not like being the object of so much attention. He wrote to Don DeLillo, with whom he had begun a correspondence, that he had ātried my best to tell the truth and to be kind to reporters who hadnāt read the book and wanted only to discuss the āhypeā around the book and seemed willfully to ignore the fact that articles about the hype were themselves the hype (for about a week there it seemed to me that the book became the Most Photographed Barn, everyone tremendously excited over the tremendous excitement surrounding a book that takes over a month of hard labor to read).ā
Two weeks ago, in Intelligent people simply arenāt willing to accept answers that they donāt understand, I linked to Boiling Point, the documentary that followed Gordon Ramsay as he tried to become the youngest chef to be awarded three Michelin stars.
This week, I found an Anthony Bourdain clip from the era, which gives you a visceral sense of how good Ramsayās food was.
2. Anthony Bourdain visits Chef Ramsay (2000)
āHeās walking that tightrope between perfect and overkill. I like that.ā
3. Donāt Eat Before Reading This (1999)
Bourdainās career was also kickstarted in 1999, with the publication of his seminal New Yorker essay Donāt Eat Before Reading This, about what really goes on in restaurant kitchens. The essay opens:
āGoodĀ food, good eating, is all about blood and organs, cruelty and decay. Itās about sodium-loaded pork fat, stinky triple-cream cheeses, the tender thymus glands and distended livers of young animals. Itās about dangerārisking the dark, bacterial forces of beef, chicken, cheese, and shellfish. Your first two hundred and seven Wellfleet oysters may transport you to a state of rapture, but your two hundred and eighth may send you to bed with the sweats, chills, and vomits.ā
Related: 1/4 of the investments in Blackbirdās third fund was invested in startups focussed on alternative protein like Fable, Sunfed, and Vow.
In the clip above, Bourdain and artist David Choe go to Sizzler in LAās Koreatown. Choe spoke recently about his relationship with Bourdain, and his own struggles with mental health. A warning: itās incredibly raw.
If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (24 hours/seven days) or chat to a crisis supporter online atĀ lifeline.org.auĀ (7pm ā midnight).
4. David Choe Remembers Anthony Bourdain
There is a story in startup folklore about the artist that spraypainted the first Facebook offices and became a millionaire by taking stock, instead of cash, as payment. That artist was David Choe, and of course, this being the internet, thereās footage.
One of the biggest positive shifts in society over the past decade has been the increasing openness around mental health, and the destigmatisation of admitting you need help.
The AFL this year released the series The Last Time I Cried and it is compelling viewing to watch modern day gladiators open up and share their vulnerabilities.
When it comes to expressing complex emotions, we have come a long way.
Last weekend, another chapter in the remarkable life of Majak Daw played out, as he took the field against the Adelaide Crows.
Daw is the first ever Sudanese-born Australian Rules footballer. In 2003, with his parents and eight brothers and sisters, he migrated to Australia as refugee, fleeing civil war in Sudan.
In December 2018, Daw was hospitalised after falling from a Melbourneās Bolte Bridge. Since then, heās had to learn to walk again.
In the fourth quarter of last weekendās match, he kicked a goal. His teammates ran to him, surrounding him in embrace. It was, as the commentator called it, āa story of human triumphā.
7. Love & Bubbles - The Siamese Fighting Fish
Letās end on a more buoyant note. My four-year oldās bedtime routine includes ten minutes of us watching David Attenborough documentaries together. Last night, we learned about the breeding process of the Siamese Fighting Fish. Itās surprisingly, and remarkably tender (starts at 48:43).
Real Quick:
This week Blackbird announced its $500M fourth fund. On the Wild Hearts podcast, Mason dug into the back story with Blackbird founders Niki, & Rick, and Blackbirdās founding investor (and now Chairman) Mike Cannon-Brookes.
Our blog post announcing the raise has all the details.
āThe coming years for Australian and New Zealand startups will be our greatest yet; the good ole days are right now.ā