As a former classical musician with excursions into lo-fi production, just like many other habits, interests, and hobbies; I abandoned these practices and have succumbed only to the most frequent listening of music, curation of playlists, and singing in the shower and lonely nights at my desk typing away, to soothe my soul. However, I feel when I am truly making music in recent years… have been in the kitchen.
I’m under this assumption that I take as “food for thought” that musicians and cooks are two sides of a coin. We know how to layer, produce, build, cut, chop, syncopate, compose, especially compose flavors. Flavors may be genres. Genres always have a flavor. They can fluctuate and advance or be simplified, just as any recipe. A recipe is simply a song in essence, right? Then that flavor becomes a cuisine, a branch. When I feel most enjoyment upon either structure, is the use of sampling, per say. I love to hear sampling in any song and it allows for beautiful melodies, beats, and lyrics to live on generation to generation and form a special bond and affirmation of the warmest energy to circulate and reach the masses. I feel this is the same as paying tribute to the ideas of “authentic” and “traditional” recipes. Though as time changes, there is more access to ingredients, spices, and know-how of direction and doctrine associated with cooking, I seem to find everyone wishes to put their own spin on a dish. As you should. Make it your own. It is not controlling, but an homage. Evolution is necessary as the times of the world change. Though some things should stay the same. Some things are truly perfect in essence, they never needed to be changed, and have not changed. Just as a perfect 4/4 time signature or favorite scale you wish to play in, or the mirepoix or concept of “yum.” These concepts have existed for long and we still hold dearly onto them. But just as the mirepoix was reincarnated into the holy trinity, and the majors are played in minors even with the same notes… I feel there is this acceptance, or there has to be this acceptance rather… that change is good. Why have salt and pepper, when there’s a whole spice rack? Though it will never change, you will always need salt and pepper.
So I find myself between these imbalances. In my personal life holding onto dear Filipino recipes based in tradition in the province my Mother was raised in. Then finding myself exploring in my own hometown that so beautifully boastied flavors of both tastes and sounds, that even I could not find at home, but reminded me of my home anyways. Became my home, wherever the stars were that I followed and the paths it led me down.
Tradition and Evolution are bound in theory just as the construction of the double helix of DNA.
This too is good.
“…
The meatballs were round
And the pancakes were flat
I ask G-d in heaven
To keep it like that”
-The Old Automat On 23rd St. , Leonard Cohen
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