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A Self-Evident Truth
By No Reservations Crew on January 18, 2009 12:34 PM | Permalink | 26 Comments
By Jared Andrukanis, Segment Producer
I have been to DC before, but never like this.
In the past, I have spent countless hours wandering the National Mall, hitting up the Smithsonian Institute's cadre of museums, taking in precious moments at the Reflecting Pool (why do Forest and Jenny always come to mind?) sandwiched between the Lincoln and Washington Memorials, gazing at the sheer sobering geometrics of Arlington National Cemetery, and so much more to list.
My previous trips seemed to happen in the fall or winter, and adding to the visual effect of all those bright white tomes to our country's past was a brisk or downright frigid breeze. This has cemented that whole "George Washington crossing the frozen Delaware River" image burned into my brain during all those valuable middle school history classes.
**In reference to the above comment (and in defense of the prowess of my middle school teachers) I know that George's crossing of the Delaware occurred during the Revolutionary War, which was before DC was even founded, but still that painting sums up the whole place for me for some reason. Maybe it's just me. **
To the point - When I was there with Tony and the crew shooting the show, it wasn't winter. As a matter of fact, it was so far from winter that for moments I wondered if winter had retired from the team. I forgot what snow was or how it was made (plummeting cloud pieces from the stratosphere?). It was hard to comprehend how humanity survived in such a hellish place. Getting hit by a blast of air conditioning could cause shock to set in. I would enter buildings and immediately look for a place Tony and the crew could lie down and elevate their legs above their heads - just in case.
I understand now why they never painted George in the summertime. He wore shorts and a tank top. That would have looked ridiculous in the history books …especially with that hat.
Not to overstate the obvious (too late) - It was hot.
Like melting the matte box off a camera hot.
Like there is no way that anyone could survive in this heat hot.
Like if given the option to try to catch a large water balloon full of half-melted ice cubes in your mouth or to delicately sip a bottle of Evian you would choose the former hot.
And I have to carry this backpack with me everywhere.
You see - we are a small crew, and a hell of a team. We work well in tight spaces, kitchens, on boats, hanging from car windows …in pretty much all situations imaginable. The smallish nature of our crew leads to all of us taking on more tasks to keep our numbers low. The camera guys do all of their own lighting, grip work, and sound. The producer of the episode carries gear and helps shoot as well as making sure all the pieces of the puzzle come together properly.
And I have my backpack - full of the essentials for a shooting day on No Reservations. Here is a quick list of the first ten items a police officer randomly reaching in during a search would find in it.
1 - 9 volt batteries
2 - fake blood
3 - rubber mallet (don't ask)
4 - an impressive smattering of pills for all kinds of ailments (all legal, of course)
5 - Quik Clot (look it up online)
6 - a Blackberry that looks like someone threw it into a washing machine full of rocks
7 - back up tape stock
8 - bottles of water (day shooting)
9 - bottles of beer (night shooting)
10 - Trapper Keeper notebook (Transformers edition)
There is more in there, and the contents vary, but it all adds up to about 40 pounds of necessities for the crew strapped to my back. When combined with the oppressive heat of DC, my backpack felt as if I was carrying a space heater with me during our shoot days. I actually would color coordinate my clothing based on the shirts matching the pants after they were soaked through.
A major part of my job is making the first contact with our guests on the show. I walk up, shake hands, and introduce them to Tony and the rest of the crew. I felt self conscious about walking up to them looking as if I just ran a marathon, but the locals didn't even seem to notice …it was like they just understood that summer in DC is hot - and there is nothing you can do about it.
Two showers a day worked for me as a start.
-JA
26 Comments
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I find this article quite amusing; as a DC native, dealing with the rush of people for the Obama inauguration and the weather in the teens, this seems like a reprieve from dealing with the chill and the bustle; a throwback to easier, warmer, stickier times.
Sounds like August to me. Hard to believe, but I miss the swamp atmosphere of the east coast in the summer since I moved to Colorado. Great mental pictures.
Thanks, Jared, for reminding me that we did once have weather that wasn't this arctic!
I just watched the episode (don't ask me how I got it a day early) and it was great! Great work at showcasing "the two DCs." Glad to see y'all got some great eateries that don't usually get a lot of press. Well, glad for them anyway; line's going to be out the door now at El Pollo Rico!
I was there in August. It was so hot. I never want to go back in the summer.
I am an eight generation Arlingtonian and have learned to bear our muggy sweltering summers and tolerate fickle winters that bring balmy breezes or blizzards once or twice a centuary for the pleasure of living in a place where the world is my restaurant. I was so excited to find the Washington DC episode of No Reservations on my new on demand feature and gathered extended family and friends to watch our Tony comment on our chicken and chili place and our Eden Center. I eat our friend "Nick's" place once a week for pho and I was trying to tell him that the show included a nice shot of his sign and window. He had no idea who AB is but took that opportunity to ask me what the funny fat chef on TV's name is. I went through the list Andrew Zimmer? exc and then it came to me of course it was EMRIL. Emril at chicken pho and a garden roll, refused to have his photo taken and left breaking Nick's heart. No worries my friend your place is on national television! Thank you crew of No Reservations for going the extra mile for your productions. I have always been a fan of his written works, but now I make it a point of watching the show as well.
After reading my posting I found it was full of typos and grammatical errors. Sorry readers, but it was written on a computer in a very busy emergency room in northern va. Hope no one gets sick eating at any of the balls and for gosh sakes layer up if you are going to see Barak tomorrow.
You may be getting a call from your middle school geography teacher: The Delaware River is nowhere near DC (DC's river is the Potomac). Washington crossed the Delaware River from Pennsylvania into Trenton, NJ.
Great job on the DC episode!
I enjoyed the D.C. episode it was nice to see at different side to D.C. not a political one.
Just the hard working people of D.C. and their every day lives.
Job well done everyone at ZPZ.
I agree with june-baby, a really great episode guys.
Hello,
i agree with june baby too.
who knows how can I send a email to Bordain? Iam tv producer from Brazil
thanks
Just a comment on the domestic shows in general; I like them.
I am surprised you guys have not done a Kentucky show...
from the Bourbon Trail, to Spoon fish caviar, their excellent country hams, horses, lakes, bluegrass, Mammoth Cave, burgoo, unique barbeque- including mutton...etc etc. It is far more rish than you'd imagine. No, I am not from Ky....
Great epi. DC is my hometown, well, the sprawl of the metro area is anyway. I never bother watching travel shows on DC, they always focus on the same old stuff, all the Federal bits.
I really enjoyed the highlight of DC Central Kitchen. It's had a place in my heart for a long time, so I was thrilled to see it get the fame it deserves.
You got blue crabs right, well, the guys on the wharf did, but you SHOWED them being cooked correctly. As a Marylander, that makes me happy.
Bravo!
I love the blog, happy to see entries pop up in my RSS reader. :) No Reservations is my fav thing on TV. That's so cheesy, but it's true.
Not that you are looking for blog ideas or anything. But I'd love to see a gear list for what you travel with.
Sweating is a sign of health. Think about it, what do you smell of the next day? All the toxins u gotta get out of ur system.
as a fellow lover of pork dishes, Tony HAS to check this out!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/dining/28bacon.html?_r=1&no_interstitial
I liked it when José Andres shoved Tony's head into the bushel of peaches(?) at Eastn Market, saying "Jou got to really smell dem, Tony!"
So funny -the contents of your bag. You might end up under the care of the police if not for your very well-known show. By the way, why drink beer? you are putting toxic in your body.
Thank you Dania.
I wish we could get together for some tea.
Kind Regards.
I am sending some folks to work at KAUST.
Ma Sallama
Janet
IT only took me a year to find this program that I missed last July. Since I recruit medical, teaching, engineering staff to work in the middle east I don't know how I missed it. But is now enbedded in my web site.
DO I agree with everything some countries enforce? No. But when you are a guest and observing other cultures it is best to do as the Romans do (is that how the saying goes?). Otherwise, stay home.
Thanks for the non-ethnocentric and objective post! As a Bolvian convert to Islam who married an Afghan (Pashton)and lived in Mauritania, it is nice to see that some people make the best of any situation. I have worn everything from Tank tops to full Burqah (my choice-OMG!) and it has always been my choice.
They have to work harder like Danya to shine, it is true, but they are working on it. We have our share of oppressed litte mice right here in spite of our so-called freedoms. Go Danya!!!
I eat our friend "Nick's" place once a week for pho and I was trying to tell him that the show included a nice shot of his sign and window. He had no idea who AB is but took that opportunity to ask me what the funny fat chef on TV's name is. I
I usually don’t post on Blogs but ya forced me to, great info.. excellent! … I'll add a backlink and bookmark your site.
@Smokey - I thought I was the only one! I'm also a DC native transplanted to Colorado and MAN this lack of humidity is killing me. I read this post with a sigh as I imagined my skin, hair, and nails happily soaking up some humid DC summer air and suddenly becoming stronger, healthier, and less likely to kill me with a sudden jolt of static electricity.
I really enjoyed the highlight of DC Central Kitchen. It's had a place in my heart for a long time, so I was thrilled to see it get the fame it deserves.