Pseudopod 435: Raw Appetiteby
Christa Pagliei“
Raw Appetite” first appeared in the August 2014 “Kitchen Sink” issue of
Fictionvale. “I suppose that I want people to think about the intersection of honing a craft, and obsession as well as mentorship.”
CHRISTA PAGLIEI lives in Brooklyn, New York where she writes and works in Television as a Producer’s assistant. Her work has appeared in
Fictionvale, Strangelet Journal, strong>InstaGatorZine, and more. When she’s not working she enjoys riding her bicycle, listening to Rock N’ Roll, haunting Flea Markets, and anything that’s a little creepy. Her first feature film
Now/Here, on which she was was a co-screenwriter and producer, is set to premier at festivals this year. You can follow her on twitter @ChristaPags or her tumblr:
ChristaPagliei.
Your reader this week –
Brian Rollins – is a voice actor living in Denver, Colorado with his wife, two kids, and a Great Dane that thinks she’s a lap dog. When not narrating audiobooks, he’s on stage or chipping away at that steampunk novel that lives in the back of his brain that won’t go away. He also writes reviews for the Sci-Fi website,
Bureau42.com and blogs at
TheVoicesInMyHeaD. Magic Moments, Inc. is a non-profit organization, established in 1983, that produces an annual musical and theatrical production in the Denver area. Each production integrates persons with physical and developmental disabilities into the total performing cast of amateurs and professionals. The mix is truly magical for everyone involved – cast, staff, and the audience. You can find out more at
Magic Moments.
Jonathan Chaffin (aka Atari)’s CASK OF AMONTILLADO Kickstarter can be found
here!
“As a commis I worked under the rest of the Chefs de Partie. The first two months were a slog of relentless hazing and trouble. I never flinched, just kept moving forward. I knew I was the lowest man on the totem pole and I’d simply have to wait out the abuse.
In my sixth month when Chef first asked me to keep his knives sharp I was taken aback. I didn’t even know that he knew my name. He’d certainly never spoken directly to me before. Chef Catalan never let anyone even touch his knives, but to trust some aspect of their care to a mere commise… It was unusual to say the least.
The hazing stopped, but now I was only spoken to in a professional capacity. I became an automaton to them, a tool, no more worth socializing with than a ladle or a whisk. I never let any emotion show as a rule, but I certainly never showed them how much their silence pleased me. The more I could streamline my existence. The more I could eliminate every superfluous thing, person, and interaction, the more I could dedicate myself to my craft. It only took two weeks to get the knives as he wanted, or at least get past the point of a daily critique of my sharpening technique. When dealing with Chef Catalan, two weeks to anything resembling pleasure is a triumph.”
Listen to this week's Pseudopod.