Richmond is full of great personalities and none may be more interesting than fellow leisure enthusiast and author, Jason Tesauro. I came across his book, with whom he co-authored with Phinneas Mollod, and learned some interesting tips that have helped me improve myself. I also found it to be so enjoyable that I have passed around several copies to my friends, who have in turned passed it on to other fiends. The Modern Gentleman, Second Additon, has recently been released, and I thought I would use it as an opportunity to get Jason to talk about his work, passions, and our lovely city.
You have described yourself as an expert in the study of leisure. What all does that incorporate and does dining fit into that category?
Next time you meet someone new, in lieu of asking, “What do you do for a living?” inquire instead, “What do you do for leisure?” An answer of “caving,” “I play the squeeze box in a band,” or “nuthin’” is more revealing than what’s on someone’s business card. For many, work is duty, a mandate, but leisure is a choice. But why wait until the 5:01pm or the weekend to start living? I devote my life to those choices so that discovering a new wine region, cupping micro-lot coffee, shucking local oysters, and collaborating with the bespoke cobbler are my work. In the early years, of course, I simply looked like a career-less slugabed who forewent a full-time job for half-carafes of dry rosé. Yet, after amassing a portfolio of documented experiences, I do indeed consider myself an expert in leisure and fun, and supping and sipping are the foundation of those experiences. Continuing education and field research are always on the docket, so any meal or cocktail menu is a chance for enlightenment. Plus, stamp your passport often enough and you can’t help but assimilate foreign tastes and values. For me, the No Child Left Behind Act shouldn’t just fund schools and teachers, it should fund plane tickets for American children. Exposure to foreign language, leisure and flavor has been a creative catalyst and a linchpin to my personal evolution. Not to make a mountain out a mole sauce, but I believe that the ritual of breaking bread is the most fundamental bridge of human interaction.
What do you think the so-called foodie could learn from your book?
“Foodie,” like “feminist,” is a loaded term. For some, it conjures snobbery and elitism, for others, it’s merely a descriptive noun. For a moment, let’s just define it as “a curious and conscious eater.” In that case, foodies will find in The MODERN GENTLEMAN fodder for edible discovery, such as primers on farmers markets, French press, and sustainable caviar. However, lest anyone accuse me of fancyfoodism, I also wax poetic on the simple beauty of a proper BLT. Food and wine are not static topics that can ever be comprehensively contained between any two covers, thus my goal is to inspire, expand and educate taste buds and hone a more purposeful food culture.
Kristel Poole Photography
Though the book is aptly titled The Modern Gentleman, what should compel a female to read it?
I was raised on the untamed cityscape by a pack of wild women. Every man should be so fortunate. I am not THE modern gentleman…just a Jersey boy aspiring to be one. While there’s certainly plenty of gender non-specific material in the book (vittles, vino, host savvy, etc.), I hope that any woman with a copy will view the book (1) as a novel glimpse into the male psyche and (2) as a tome worth bestowing upon seasoned gents and up-and-comers alike as a handbook to their ongoing mastery. From what I’ve heard from fans, most men have been gifted a copy of MG from a clever lady (whether mama, sister or luvah) who cared enough to invest in that man’s refined cool.
as an expert is the finer things in life, what are some of the gems we have here in Richmond (food and beverage related) that we may overlook?
Especially given the size of our fair metropolis, I believe that Richmond has a marvelously high food and wine IQ. Pals in LA and NYC bemoan my provincial address, but I stick up for the 804 and stash a bottle of Octagon in my suitcase. Right in the Acknowledgments of my latest book, I say “a bushel of appreciation to Manakintowne Specialty Growers, Rural Virginia Market, Sub Rosa Bread, and Gearhart’s Chocolates.” Frits and Andrea Huntjens, Kendra Bailey Morris, Julia Battaglini, Barboursville Vineyards and Lamplighter Roasting Company are also thanked. These names aren’t necessarily overlooked, but until the majority of Richmonders are converted to Virginia bounty and the Commonwealth as source of the finest viogniers in the United States, there’s still work to do. Any list of underrated gems should include Fresca on Addison, Aziza’s on Main, sushi at Umi, banh canh do bien at Vietnam 1, dim sum at Full Kee, the fresh fish selection at Tan A, the hand-formed burgers at Bamboo Café, and raw local honey as a remedy for allergies. Nevertheless, I dig a scene that supports our cavalcade of food trucks and banh mi throwdowns, An Bui’s beer menu, Bobby Kruger and Arthur Grant’s cocktails, SausageCraft and Olli Salumeria. I support Paul Karns’ burgeoning brewery co-op, my sweetheart pens newsletters for our CSA, and our family makes a weekly pilgrimage to the Byrd House Market, yet when it comes to the mission of converting neighbors, I’ve barely made a dent on my own block. I’ll just keep eating, composting and spreading the word of my girl’s homemade arugula pesto.
For more information on Jason, check out his website at http://themoderngentleman.com. You could also catch Jason in Charlottesville as he will be hosting the Wine Blog Awards at the 2011 North American Wine Bloggers’ Conference with wine luminaries Jancis Robinson and Eric Asimov.
PG Wodehouse is alive and the DRONES are in session!
Required reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unexpurgated_Code:_A_Complete_Manual_of_Survival_%26_Manners
Hey Bosco, Che Guevara called and he wants his rhetoric back.
Jeez … does everything have to be about class warfare?
Che was a punk.
He was not liked by the barbudos because he would say “You cubanos are not real men because you drink rum and eat pork & chicken. Real men drink red wine and eat beef.”
Pinche Argies.