CONTRIBUTE TO THE DREAM AND HELP TOM CELEBRATE HIS 50TH BIRTHDAY AT A REASONABLE RESTAURANT IN A SMALL TOWN - CLICK TO DONATE!!! <-----------------
Special thanks to friends and fans who believe in the dream and have helped Operation Copenhagen to reach 34% of the total goal.
I am happy to announce that phase (1) THE PASSPORT is complete. I am happy to announce that phase (2) THE AIRFARE is complete.
All that is left to accomplish at this point, not including general travel expenses and petty cash, is the actual meal at NOMA. With the wine-pairing, the roughly 18 item tasting menu and tip is $550. Not bad if compared to, say, a weekend at Disney World waiting in line to go on Dumbo or Space Mountain.
It has been almost eight weeks without any alcohol, as I promised, and at this point, I'm unable to walk straight, accomplish simple tasks, or speak without drooling. So believe me when I tell you, the sacrifice I made to interest both friends and fans (...and to save up some money...) is trying to kill me.
The best part of this experience so far is discovering just how much people really do care to see others succeed with their dreams. Let's face it, this is a goofy passion and as I've pointed out, there are people who are actually furious that someone they don't even know would donate money to send some guy they also don't know to have dinner on the other side of the world, when it has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with them. I am reminded of Caitlyn Jenner. Why does it make someone who doesn't know or care about Caitlyn Jenner angry that she wishes to be true to her feelings? Who does it hurt? No one. And why do we so easily forget Caitlyn was once considered one of the greatest athletes in the world, was a world-record holder, stood proudly holding the American flag representing achievement, honor, and humbleness to the world. How quickly we embrace cold judgement and forget about value. This piece, Operation Copenhagen, touches on some very troubling realities of our species. But it also illuminates the good, the joy, the fun, the challenge, the mystery, and the absurdness of life on earth as well. As a performance artist, and this being a piece of performance art, I look forward to encountering and sharing more discovery. You can help.
I would like to pop open a fat bottle of whiskey as soon as possible and guzzle down the golden nectar in celebration of reaching the end goal of Operation Copenhagen. I plan on blogging this event and sharing some of the experience with those who care to vicariously join me in this adventure. In particular, I look forward to meeting Chef Rene Redzepi, one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world. Someone asked me, "What's the big deal? It's just dinner." No, it is not 'just dinner'.
This is a journey to explore how we, as members of the human race, are locked in boxes of our own or of others' creation(s). To fully realize our world and be the best stewards we can be for the future, it is important to understand the programming we are entrenched in and be able to both escape it, or to recognize and then make use of it to be fully realized human beings. For example as Chef Redzepi points out, we in the West shirk away in disgust at the idea of eating bugs, and yet how we adore honey (bee vomit). Why! We're happy to confine ourselves to the four animals (those of us who eat meat); pork, beef, poultry, fish? Isn't that fucking BORING!? And why must so-called boring be boring at all? What happens if you treat a carrot like a piece of world-class steak? Will you discover some greater value in a simple carrot? Could you imagine a simple moss as the center piece of a great meal? And what would happen if we would look at people whom we tend not to notice or give credence to, and give them that same care, that same consideration, recognize in them that same greater value? This is not just a dinner. This is an exploration of culture, a pondering of the moment. I encourage you to take an hour out of your day and reflect on this video of Chef Rene Redzepi's presentation. Think about it as it is, and as metaphor. And then, if you are so moved, help me realize this dream and help me to demonstrate that, as Yoko Ono says, "War is over if you want it." There is enough for everyone if we use care, compassion, and the passion to dream. Chef Redzepi had a dream, and part of his dream is a future of flavor, adventure, experimentation, and discovery.
I am happy to announce that phase (1) THE PASSPORT is complete. I am happy to announce that phase (2) THE AIRFARE is complete.
All that is left to accomplish at this point, not including general travel expenses and petty cash, is the actual meal at NOMA. With the wine-pairing, the roughly 18 item tasting menu and tip is $550. Not bad if compared to, say, a weekend at Disney World waiting in line to go on Dumbo or Space Mountain.
It has been almost eight weeks without any alcohol, as I promised, and at this point, I'm unable to walk straight, accomplish simple tasks, or speak without drooling. So believe me when I tell you, the sacrifice I made to interest both friends and fans (...and to save up some money...) is trying to kill me.
The best part of this experience so far is discovering just how much people really do care to see others succeed with their dreams. Let's face it, this is a goofy passion and as I've pointed out, there are people who are actually furious that someone they don't even know would donate money to send some guy they also don't know to have dinner on the other side of the world, when it has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with them. I am reminded of Caitlyn Jenner. Why does it make someone who doesn't know or care about Caitlyn Jenner angry that she wishes to be true to her feelings? Who does it hurt? No one. And why do we so easily forget Caitlyn was once considered one of the greatest athletes in the world, was a world-record holder, stood proudly holding the American flag representing achievement, honor, and humbleness to the world. How quickly we embrace cold judgement and forget about value. This piece, Operation Copenhagen, touches on some very troubling realities of our species. But it also illuminates the good, the joy, the fun, the challenge, the mystery, and the absurdness of life on earth as well. As a performance artist, and this being a piece of performance art, I look forward to encountering and sharing more discovery. You can help.
I would like to pop open a fat bottle of whiskey as soon as possible and guzzle down the golden nectar in celebration of reaching the end goal of Operation Copenhagen. I plan on blogging this event and sharing some of the experience with those who care to vicariously join me in this adventure. In particular, I look forward to meeting Chef Rene Redzepi, one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world. Someone asked me, "What's the big deal? It's just dinner." No, it is not 'just dinner'.
This is a journey to explore how we, as members of the human race, are locked in boxes of our own or of others' creation(s). To fully realize our world and be the best stewards we can be for the future, it is important to understand the programming we are entrenched in and be able to both escape it, or to recognize and then make use of it to be fully realized human beings. For example as Chef Redzepi points out, we in the West shirk away in disgust at the idea of eating bugs, and yet how we adore honey (bee vomit). Why! We're happy to confine ourselves to the four animals (those of us who eat meat); pork, beef, poultry, fish? Isn't that fucking BORING!? And why must so-called boring be boring at all? What happens if you treat a carrot like a piece of world-class steak? Will you discover some greater value in a simple carrot? Could you imagine a simple moss as the center piece of a great meal? And what would happen if we would look at people whom we tend not to notice or give credence to, and give them that same care, that same consideration, recognize in them that same greater value? This is not just a dinner. This is an exploration of culture, a pondering of the moment. I encourage you to take an hour out of your day and reflect on this video of Chef Rene Redzepi's presentation. Think about it as it is, and as metaphor. And then, if you are so moved, help me realize this dream and help me to demonstrate that, as Yoko Ono says, "War is over if you want it." There is enough for everyone if we use care, compassion, and the passion to dream. Chef Redzepi had a dream, and part of his dream is a future of flavor, adventure, experimentation, and discovery.
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