At twenty-seven, I am newly appreciating the differences that come about with advanced age. One major plus for me is genuinely being comfortable with my unpopular opinions. Don't misunderstand me, I've always been steadfast in voicing them, but in the past, I mostly had to mimic the look of the confidence I desired in these situations, ignoring discomfort in favor of conviction. I imagine this to be a relatable situation for some of us.
I'd like to share with you all, as stentorian evidence of this newfound mettle, my least popular opinion.
I adore Guy Fieri.
I do. Here's is a bulleted list of why I respect Guy Fieri:
- Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives is a huge guilty pleasure of mine. I try to be a relatively healthy person, and I live vicariously through the hole-in-the-wall themed shmorgishborg he destroys around the country.
- He worked his way through college and was a regular-well, guy- before he won The Next Foodnetwork Star. He worked hard to have a successful career as district manager of Louise's Trattoria, managing six locations along with recruiting and training for the restaurants. This leads me to my next point-
- He knows how to talk to people. This is my favorite part of the show to see. He's just a dude with a ton of kitchen and food experience and a plethora of cooky, advanced food understanding. He knows techniques, he knows flavors, and he knows how to talk shop with the people behind-the-curtain in the restaurant business. Not only that, but- perhaps most importantly- he genuinely respects the sacrifices and creativity of the people he meets, many of them struggling to share their passion in one of the most basic, yet profound ways to connect with another human (through feeding them). He sees what they do, he appreciates it, and this comes through in the way he speaks to them.
- Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives shines a national spotlight on small businesses. He uses his success to share with others.
- On the internet, there are a lot of pictures with him and his family, and they look normal and happy. I know looks can be deceiving, but they don't look like they hate each other.
- People talk a lot of smack about the way he looks, but, seriously, think about it this way- people know what he looks like. He has a memorable, signature look. Marketing, baby. Genius.
- Speaking of the way he looks- he rocks it. Let's take a moment for quiet honesty- who of us can say that we would be able to walk around like that with the confidence he has? I'm not that brave.
- His little catchphrases are outrageous. My top three phrases? In ascending order: 1.) Gettin' freaky with your tzatziki 2.) Slamma jamma I love that lamb-a 3.) So much salami, call my mommy. The last being entertaining and useful in and out of its intended context.
- He pronounces "gangster" with a very hard R.
That's one of my unpopular opinions. I have plenty of them- most of them are baseball related. I think that indoor stadiums ruin the experience of the game and I believe that the recent changes in the rules geared towards speeding up the game are the moral equivalent of plucking the feathers off of the last bald eagle, but I digress.
I think that being aware and accepting of our own unpopular opinions could allow us to make room for the unpopular opinions harbored within others. Outside perspective can be illuminating, and welcoming it in can cultivate more tolerance and greater compassionate understanding.
Give love a chance