Episode 34 - Christian Pritchard: A British-Canadian-Italian Joyful Chef and Human Being

While I was doing the interview with Christian Pritchard, I heard a lot of what he said. I also missed some it. Why? Because I was thinking about the next question. That is an occupational hazard of any interviewer, something we look to correct. But following the actual interview itself, I listened to the show in its entirety to determine what i should edit out. It was then I heard Christian clearly on HatRadio!, and the frequent gems he espoused on HatRadio! It was then I embraced my guest fully and appreciated him to the fullest.

So what did I hear? I heard that Christian is seriously committed to life, love, his family, cooking, music and his other passions. He is a man, with boyish tendencies. He therefore spoke in  mature terms, except when he didn't. It was then the high volume of his 47 year-old voice increased and he essentially roled around in that proverbial playground, acting and talking silly, the way many guys do, including myself.

As a man, Christian talked about his appreciation for his parents and how it made him proud to be the son of CFNY's (a once iconic station in northern Toronto) first program director, and a friend of Frank Zappa. The man side of him was completely comfortable telling me he cried, sobbed, last year upon hearing about some questionable health issues. Christian became quite serious, and somewhat misty eyed when he relayed the point, that his son, 11, still holds his Dad's hand.

And of course the boy side of this chef and entertainer shared with us, the content of the birthday card he sent to his Mom stating, 'your tits are sagging'. The boy side of Christian comes out too when he failed  the Jewish food quiz i gave him. He failed miserably!

Christian is not politically correct, and that is why he made such a beautiful guest.

He's one of those guys we want to be, at least that very free side of him. At some point in the show, Christian said without hesitancy after being asked if he had to work on becoming Italian in order to do his current job well (working for Aurora Foods, an Italian food distributor):  "I know who I am". In other words, 'no', he didn't end up adjusting his very WASP accent or utilizing that Italian sort of street grunt we'd hear from Rocky or Tony Montana in Scar face.  Christian said he already talks with his hands so that wasn't a stretch. 

Episode 34 is compelling because it's an in-depth story of a decent man who lives in Brooklyn, Ontario, and is a highly accomplished culinary pro,  is truly in love with his accordion-playing wife and has a blast with her. It's a moving episode, especially at times when he spoke about his fatherhood, the fact he is a 'dance-Dad', and his belief that he is a great dad, with a lot to learn. 

We schmoozed about food and more specifically the four fundamental ingredients needed to make great Italian food. And we shared information about the many regions of Italy where locals straddling one area can be very jealous and angry at others living in another region, claiming to have the best pizza. We talked about his bass playing, and the contest he's about to be part of, going up against an Italian mother to determine who can cook better.

We covered a ton of ground. Fortunately both he and I seem to be ADHD, so the frenetic nature of the show worked well. 

So when I listened to the show, I discovered, my guest, Christian Pritchard, is a very decent fellow, someone i could hang out. I quite liked him, felt his warmth and delighted in his sense of humor. 

Have a listen to Episdode 34 with Christian Pritchard, a good man who enjoys life (like food people do) and more so, experiences love in a very beautiful and special way. 

HatRadio! The show that schmoozes.