Is it reality or is it fake?

I took a little break from producing food media. It wasn't on purpose...exactly. I thought, at the time that it was just the ways the stars aligned. Before the high-catering season of the holidays hit, I pre-recorded several radio shows, which also coincided with WNTI's move into a brand-new studio. Right before Christmas there were changes made in one of my writing contracts and then the holidays hit. AngelFood was too busy preparing and serving food for me to even want to think about writing/producing interesting, witty words to promote better planning, buying, cooking or eating. Almost a whole month passed, and all of a sudden, my exec producer at WNTI was barking up my tree..."We need your stuff by xxx!" That was one week, two large parties and two snowstorms away. It was just not gonna happen. But really, did I honestly think she would let me just fall off the face of the radio earth? Not her. I took myself to a quiet place and dug deep for a topic that interested me. Sometimes, very little about the food world interests me. Right now, I'm so busy enjoying other aspects of my life, such as getting physical exercise daily, eating in the name of fuel instead of lust, stringing sparkly beaded jewelry, and hanging with my family that there is very little passion or energy left for trendy dishes, whether on the page, on the air, or on my plate. I chose to interview Chef Eric LeVine, a buddy from a popular professional caterer's internet forum. I admire him, as so many do, for his trailblazing level of creativity and his generosity in helping others with ideas and answers. His newer claim to fame is that he was a contestant on the Food Network's competition "Chopped". I don't get a chance to view television often and when I do, I usually do not choose shows about food (it's a great big world out there!). So, after Eric agreed to be interviewed for my radio segment, I had to find the episode "Prove it on the Plate" in order to conduct a thorough interview. I found it on itunes. I love reality TV. So many naysayers will point out that the shows are edited and I appreciate that. My contention is that there are things you cannot fake and editors cannot change. If the words do not come out of your mouth, they cannot be recorded. If you body language isn't displayed, it cannot be filmed. The editors may move it around for a more dramatic story, but the heart of the actor is clearly on display. I knew from reading Eric LeVine's posts regarding cooking and catering that I would like this guy. Then I knew from watching his "Chopped" episode that his radio debut on WNTI would be fantastic. After I actually got him on the phone, I knew we'd end up being friends for a long time. So far, I'm winning two out of three. And I'm willing to bet we'll be friends for a long time, too. He took me to a place filled with hope (he's a cancer survivor and he just opened a restaurant). He took me to a place of inspiration (he pulled off an apparently delicious sauce with Bosc pears over New Zealand mussels). But best of all, he reminded me that his and my world is a place of belief. Belief that hard work, an attitude of gratefulness and graciousness, with a heaping dose of talent can provide a lifetime of rewards, even if you need to take a little break, here and there. And you can't fake that.