#3: James — Food, Music, Sci-Fi
His taste is capital E Eclectic. Watch us go from sci-fi to Stromae to the best croissants in the world.
James and I worked together at Burning Man. We sat back-to-back at the org’s Mission HQ, and I immediately could tell that whatever James was doing, eating, watching and listening to, that I wanted what he was having. Effortlessly cool and fun, James compels me to start taking notes whenever I talk to him. His taste is capital E Eclectic, and I always learn about something delightful from him.
James works at Autodesk by day and is on stage by night. In fact, I have tickets to see him in the sold-out “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812” at the end of this month (the Chronicle called it an “astronomical phenomenon”). I can’t wait to see James in action and cheer him and his divine tastebuds on.
Do you think of yourself as a tastemaker?
I'd like to think that I have good taste, but I don't know that I've ever thought of myself as a tastemaker. I'm always ravenous for anything that I think is good, or I find people whose opinions I trust and I generally like what they recommend.
Who or what inspires you?
One is just being an artist, an actor and a singer. I've been studying those things for a really long time. It’s constantly evolving; you constantly have to reinvent yourself. That’s helped to cultivate my eye and ear. You're constantly learning how to trust your instincts and be expressive, and then how to distill things down to what you think is the most important thing the art is trying to communicate.
Second, I credit my tastes to my sister. When we were growing up, she always knew the coolest music, movies and TV. A lot of things from my early childhood set the foundation for what I like — especially the 80s and fantasy and sci-fi films.
Growing up I listened to a lot of hip-hop, R&B and rock ‘n’ roll. That's actually my parents’ influence too…a lot of classic rock ‘n’ roll, oldies, Motown, disco, funk, things like that.
How would you describe your taste?
Very eclectic. I'm of the belief that there’s something out there for everybody. It's just a matter of finding what speaks to you.
Do you have any rituals that nourish your taste?
Absolutely. I watch a lot of TV and film. Growing up, I would watch things like the Food Network, or my dad was really into History Channel and things like that. I watch a lot of TV documentaries, like Netflix’s Chef's Table or street food series. I also love to watch old cooking shows, like the ones with Julia Child and Jacques Pepin.
I would like to credit a lot to social media, as well. I'm such a millennial. I'm still into Instagram. I have not gotten on the TikTok train. I've tried.
Which Instagram accounts do you cherish?
A few big food publications like Food52 and Eater. When it comes to music, I love Pitchfork, because they’re very eclectic like my tastes.
🧀 I love cheese, and there's a really great account called Cheese Sex Death. Oh my, I love all the cheese boards that she makes.
What are some unusual items that you like to put on a cheese board?
Well, I really love cured hams. Iberico ham. There's a really great Spanish store over in the Inner Richmond on Clement, it's called the Spanish Table, and you can get different grades of Iberico ham. It's expensive, but it's delicious.
I also like putting fun fruit on my cheese boards. There are so many different kinds of apples now, and one of my favorites is the 🍎 Cosmic Crisp apple; it's a hybrid of a Fuji and a Honey Crisp. It's not always available, but if you ever see it, get it.
Another thing is Nduja. The best way to describe it is a prosciutto spread.
Where do you like to eat in San Francisco?
🍝 Che Fico, an Italian restaurant on Divisadero. I always aim to try different foods, but Italian food just continues to be one of my favorites. Honestly, I love pretty much anything along the Mediterranean. It’s about the quality of the ingredients and not a lot of frills. It's about cooking the ingredient the way that's gonna make it shine the best.
🥐 I'm really obsessed with pastries. Arsicault has the best croissants, ever. I've never had a croissant like that, even in France. As soon as you touch it, you can feel like the butter on your hands. It immediately begins to crackle as soon as you put your hands on it, and then as it shatters so beautifully. On the inside it has that beautiful, open structure. And it's so so so so so delicious.
🥮 You must go to B Patisserie and get the Kouign Amann. It's hard to describe. It's like a croissant, but it's sweeter. And B patisserie makes the best one. It's what they're known for.
Yum! Now tell us about your favorite music, TV, etc.
🎵 Stromae “Multitude”
Incredible, such a beautiful album. I got to see him perform twice last year, once at Coachella and then here in San Francisco. Amazing.
🎸 St. Vincent “Daddy's Home”
So few people do rock and roll anymore. She still does it so well. And in such a cool, weird way.
🎶 SZA “SOS”
She has such a beautiful voice. She does some rap, some spoken word and then beautiful singing and melodies and wonderful beats. It's a really, really, really beautiful album.
📺 His Dark Materials on HBO
Based on a book series by Philip Pullman, which was one of my favorite books that I read in my early 20s. They made a film from it in the mid-aughts starring Nicole Kidman, which wasn't very good. But then HBO made it into a TV series, and I thought it was so well done. It was a really good translation of the book to screen. Excellent cinematography
📕 “The Book of Dust” by Philip Pullman
An extension of the world from “His Dark Materials.” There's going to be three books; two are out now. The first book was great. It takes place before “His Dark Materials” series begins. The second book takes place seven years after the series ends. The second book blew my mind. It was so beautiful; the world building the characters and just how he writes, in a really elegant way that sounds very intelligent but also is very accessible.
📘 “The Three-Body Problem” by Liu Cixin
A Chinese science fiction book series. During the Cultural Revolution in China, the Chinese government sends a signal out into space trying to make contact with intelligent life. And they do. They get a message back from the alien saying that in 450 years, they’re going to come and take over the earth. What is humanity's response when you know that your Conqueror is coming? It’s really interesting how the author plays with the concept of time — over 450 years in the span of three books.
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In case you haven’t noticed, I love people with good taste! In fact, I have a podcast about it for Flipboard. Check it out!