The measure of my tastes (2012)

I grew up a foodie.  I am not exactly sure how that happened.  Perhaps because my father would take me to formal dinners to which he was invited and to which my mother would not attend.  Perhaps due to having a cook who could and would cook anything we requested - no dish was beyond his reach.  By the time I was 7, I had already learned to cook a complete meal, and had tasted various dishes from caramel custard to deep fried crickets.  My later years, however, were formed and influenced by several people whom I never met.

The first was John Anthelme Brillat-Savarin whose book (unknown to me, was translated by MFK Fisher) "The Physiology of Taste" completely overwhelmed my college years.  My major field of study was Computer Science and Mathematics, but my secret love was Brillat-Savarin.  I discussed becoming a chef with my parents and was guided to remain in my field of studies (being a chef, my father insisted, was being destined to a life of poverty). So I went underground.
My parents entertained visitors from various parts of the world in our little home in Bethesda, Maryland.  and I cooked most of the dinners.  My Aunt in London had sent us the series of cookbooks from that famous bastion of cooking, the Cordon Bleu in London, and I practically memorized each of the recipes.  My favorite from those books was the preparation of Canard à l'Orange.  Unfortunately for us, I could only imagine the various preparation steps and not actualy execute them in our little kitchen.  That was until some Korean dignitaries request a French meal.  To my delight, I could recreate that dish with nary a glance at the recipe on the open copy of the Cordon Bleu recipe on the counter.  I became the wine consultant in the family and extended family and friends.  I sat with the "cool kids" at the University's Student Center and eavesdropped on their recollections of dates and meals at Washington DC's great restaurants, mentally cataloging whatever information I could about the dishes, service, tastes ...
The Professor (as Brillat-Savarin) was called, was my mentor and guide into the fabulous world of a class of food that I could only dream of.  Pheasants consumed by the dozen.  Oysters by the bushel.  Special dishes like Faisan à la Sainte-Alliance (which has recently made a comeback in American kitchens as "Turducken") .  I was blissfully unaware that the English language version that I held in my hands most days was courtesy of another famous American chef and writer: MFK Fisher.  It was much later when I discovered her own writing and fell in love again!  These books significantly influenced my appreciation of food and cookery - especially the one titled "The Gastronomical Me".  Much later on, I "discovered" Julia Child whose cookbooks became (as with most committed foodies in America) part of my kitchen library.
There may be other stars in the universe, but none in my humble opinion, quite as bright as MFK Fisher.