5.2022 Edition

What's up Reader?

This sounds so boring, but I had a revelation with my desk setup this week. And yes, even if you don't work at a desk, I've got a lesson to share.

I realized that I had pigeon-holed the layout based on placing a few key pieces (microphone arm and monitor stand) first, making it nearly impossible for anything else to be flexible. Since I use a small desk on purpose, I don't have a ton of real estate to work with.

The placement wasn’t based around anything strategic; it’s just the same way it was in my old office. This caused a lot of janky cord lay-outs, and even a weird workflow where I would have to un-dock my laptop to print shipping labels.

So the “short and sweet” of this week’s experiment is that I’ve re-arranged my desk layout and I’m loving the new setup.

The lesson for you might be found in asking: what part of my setup is either “inherited” or not related to anything strategic?

We often end up doing things “because that’s how they’ve always been done” or because they were setup like that from the person before us. But until we stop to ask ourselves a simple question of “could this be improved?” do we unlock the optimization that saves us time, stress, or unnecessary steps.

Try it this week, and respond to this email if you end up making a monumental progression 👊

Highlights from the week to share 💥

To Read 📚

An NFT restaurant opening in New York will serve up status with a side of seafood - NFT’s and Web3 have been making their way into every sphere, including the restaurant and chef world. Flyfish Club will be a “seafood-inspired” dining club based in Manhattan. The unique part of it is that members must have FlyFish NFT, equivalent of around $13,600 for a regular-membership.

This concept is making headlines right now because it has celebrity backing and "first mover" status, however I don't think people are quite comprehending how this could change the ownership dynamics and incentives in restaurants to a much healthier place. I'm keeping my eye on this structure for sure...

How Hospitality Workers Identify and Manage Stress - Restaurant industry is infamous for being one of the toughest to work in with poor conditions. Working in such a demanding industry often leads to an unhealthy work/life balance. Friend of the show, Ray Delucci, shares stories from people struggling with mental health and how to maintain it.

To Binge 📺

I Broke My Onion Record Using This Basic Principle (Atomic Habits by James Clear) - Alex, also known as The French Guy Cooking decided to improve his onion cutting technique in order to get faster by following James Clear principle and using every little thing that could improve his speed (including the Dyneema glove...). I interviewed Alex for The Emulsion Podcast, you can watch the whole video here, or listen to the audio-only version.

Per Se Experience - If you enjoyed the #TPC The French Laundry last week, check out another fantastically shot experience recap from 2,800+ miles away from Anders and Kaitlin!

To Peep 👀

#SpoonDrop is BACK - Yup, unpacking has finally gotten to a place where spoon inventory is available, so we're re-launching one of my favorite projects.

For those who are new, I don't have a merch line (yet).

Instead of throwing the logo on a t-shirt or a hoodie, I pick up silver-plated spoons, clean them, package them up and put them on my shop page. The hope is, if you aren't able to find high-quality spoons to cook with or unique bowl shapes, #SpoonDrop is for you! Your purchase goes right back into supporting the free-to-consume content like The Emulsion Podcast and all the videos on the YouTube Channel. Plus, I have a ton of fun sending you folks new gear 😉🥄

Italian Coffee Name - Italians are victim of the “Fake Italian Coffee Syndrome”- you can find coffee with fake Italian names anywhere, including in Italy. This time, you can generate your own Italian coffee name using this AI with just 1 click. My Not Real Italian Coffee Name would be Gardiscia Decaffeinato. How long until we see this with other aspects of the industry? Wine, cocktails, or non-alcoholic beverages?

Decked-Out Designer Birkenstocks - I wish I was able to feel comfortable in Birkenstocks because they look awesome, however the arches hurt my feet. This is obviously a bit over the top, but I kinda like it?

ICYMI

Feeling Burnout, Young Chef Advice, and Memorable Restaurants | AskJK January 2022 - On this #AskJK I talk through a bunch of your most upvoted questions about kitchen productivity, staging in another country, advice for beginners, and most memorable restaurants. Watch the full video on YouTube, or listen to the Audio-Only version. I hope you got some value from the answers 👊

Korin's Mahogany Royal Blue Inox | A Well-Balanced, Asymmetrical Edge - New Knife-Review video went live on the channel. I reviewed Korin’s own, 240mm, royal-blue handled, mahogany wood chef knife.

Current experiment I'm running 🧪

See: the rant about my new desk setup above 👆

Quote I'm Pondering 🤔

"A calm mind is not the absence of conflict or stress, but the ability to cope with it." -Shane Parrish

Thanks for reading,

👊Justin

Photo of the week - Did my first bouldering session here in Seattle this week with my friend Sriram! We stuck to mostly easy layouts but it was immensely fun to do physical activity that just felt like “play” for the first time in a long time 🧗‍♂️

Surprise Throwback: Whet Stone Pressure "Basics” - Today’s Surprise Throwback video is all about Whetstone Pressure “Basics”. It’s a piece from a podcast episode with Adam Witt, where we talked all about knife care, choosing the correct knife and sharpening. If you're behind on getting your knives on your stones - play this in the background while you get it done this weekend 😉