Over at her blog, Insatiable Gourmet, our own Gael Greene delivers news of Eric Ripert’s pilgrimage to India to meet with his holiness, the Dalai Lama. Yes, as Carl Spackler says in Caddyshack, “the Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald … striking.” But did the Ripper get, you know, a little something for the effort? Even if it’s just total consciousness when he dies? Apparently not. While Ripert did get to hear the Lama speak, the chef’s plan to train the refugees who run the Norbulingka Institute in India, which was founded by the Lama to preserve Tibetan culture, has run aground on the rocks of Sino-Tibetan political strife. Ripert had hoped to start a foundation to send American chefs there, but that’s on hold for the moment, as you might expect. Ripert, we are happy to report, is back safe and sound at his post at Le Bernardin.
Short Order [Insatiable Critic]
