Adrenaline Junkies

I was probably around 10 years old and it was those dog days of summer where the heat was getting to us and whatever "cops and robbers" game we had been playing started getting old fast. Next thing I knew we were dumping gasoline all over the trucks and wheels of this skateboard. I can remember lighting that fucker up and trying to ollie over my bike. Much to my inability the flaming tony hawk board went flying into the shrubs lighting them on fire which, in turn lit the metal gas can on fire as well. Always preparing for the worst (yea right we were probably smoking pot too) we had a bucket of water ready for such a miscue. We dumped the water onto the shrubs and into the gas can, extinguishing the fire. Simultaneously my neighbors' father came out of the house, and shouts "No wonder my lawnmower has been running shitty, you assholes have been putting water in my gas!"

Close call.

This got my wondering though. We played with fire... A Lot. All of my fondest childhood memories, at least the misbehaving ones, involve fire. And come to think of it I always had an obsession with knives. There was always a certain kind of adrenaline rush back in those days like doing something "bad" and getting caught would certainly mean a few lashing off Dad's belt. It's no wonder I love life in the kitchen. As far back as I can remember this is the kind of shit I've been cool with. Now I've finally reached a point in my life where I've wised-up and began to channel this energy into something I like doing. I still crave that adrenaline rush. I need constant mind stimulation. Constant flow pumping through my veins as if I just jumped out of a plane. Cooking on the hot line is my flaming skateboard. I Need it. I crave it. It satisfies my very being. It can be very fucking stressful at times. It physically beats the shit out of me daily and I like to think I'm a tough mother fucker. The truth is I think all cooks, anyone working in the trenches is an adrenaline junkie. There has been something in our life leading up to our choice to cook that satisfies the empty gap. There is something about that rush that is purely addictive. Sometimes this can be dangerous. It's hard to shut off. But our ability to harness this power inside ourselves is one of the very unique things that makes us cooks.

Slang of the Week
"Guango/a"- A loose asshole (meaning you take it in the ass)
Eg: "Tienes guango?"