I went into SF the other day to go meet up with a twink I'd made an appointment with.
No, not quite like that.
Though that would have made me modestly legendary, since I'm talking about the frenetic B. Dylan Hollis of food TikTok stardom. He was in San Francisco as a stop on his book tour for his second cookbook, Baking Across America: A Vintage Recipe Road Trip. I'll probably be reviewing that later this week now that I've got my hands on a copy. But back to the day with the man himself.
One of the more pleasant things about meeting a media figure in the flesh and up close is the chance to see what's underneath. While the vigorous enthusiasm and bombast is very much still on display, the frantic edge disappears to reveal a much more nuanced and contemplative young man. The event itself being held in a church may have done a bit to temper some of the more robust ribaldry, but Dylan's also a musician- so adjusting to venue is familiar, and he surfed that wave like a proper Bermudan.
Throughout the meet-and-greet were all manner of interesting questions that yielded intriguing insights, many of which matched my own past analyses. One that has always pleased me very much was the comparison of a recipe to a piece of music. They share a great many attributes, of course. They're guidelines and specifications, constructed in a way that evokes a given time, place, and circumstance. They're also precise in enough ways to create a Usual Way To Do It, but vague in others so as to allow for interpretation, arrangement, variation, and occasional amusing disaster. Good on him for figuring that one out.
Much was also made of the making of the book itself, which often involved photoshoots in awkward places and all sorts of unexpected bystanders. I won't spoil anything in case any of you are catching a spot somewhere on the tour, but I have to say this: I wish they'd had a film crew too, because that blooper reel would be absolutely brilliant.
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