Memoirs are, by far, my favorite genre of books. There’s no better way to gain an appreciation of the world than by hearing other people’s experiences and there’s no better way to hear those than by listening to the people who lived them.

David’s memoir made me think differently about restaurants in the West, and in the US specifically, when he talks about the challenges of opening a noodle bar in New York City. In the East (say, in Korea), a noodle bar is just a small shelter where you can drop in for ten minutes for a quick bite on your way home. But here in the US, that model just isn’t possible. Permits, inspections, insurance, so much overhead just to occupy some air-conditioned square footage. To say nothing of the NYC health inspectors who are notorious for having a chip on their shoulder. Honestly, I’m amazed we have restaurants at all over here and it recasts the patron who sends something back because they “don’t like it” (true story that I’ve witnessed).

But not just the labors of the restaurant business. David is also transparent in what I’ve gathered to be true of almost anyone who has accomplished anything meaningful in life - constant battles with depression and never feeling like you’re “good enough”. It’s heartbreaking to hear from people who have had such a strong impact - being a role model, providing employment and a means to make a living, making us all rethink something we thought was set-in-stone timeless truth - and knowing that they think the least of those accomplishments.

It makes me think a little more about the self-fufilling situation where the wrong people get into power. The people who question themselves, the ones who pause for a moment of reflection - they’re the ones that tear themselves down before they can do something truly magnificent. Meanwhile, the sociopaths of our day, the infinitely few but insanely powerful who ruin it for the rest of us, never pause for such introspection. See also, Anthony Bourdain. I can think of a lot of people I’d happily trade away to get Anthony back but that’s not the world we live in.

We need more people like David. And we need those people to know that what they’re doing is the right thing. In short, be kind to everyone and always tip generously.