Russ Brown, owner-chef at Pancho and Lefty's Outlaw Grill in downtown Monroe, reads with the same amount of passion and careful attention he puts into the food he makes. He took a break from the restaurant recently to talk with us about his love of books and reading.
What are you reading now?
I'm a Hemingway fan and have been for a long time. I got a 3-volume set of his major works, "The Sun Also Rises," "Farewell to Arms," and "For Whom the Bell Tolls" about 20 years ago when I was in the military. When I read books from an author I really enjoy, I always want to learn more about the author. I've read various biographies of him written by scholars, and now I've run into some of these offshoot biographies written by his younger brother Leicester ("My Brother, Ernest Hemingway") and sister Marcelline ("At the Hemingways").
Have you always been interested in Hemingway?
I have been for quite a while. I really enjoyed reading about the man, as much as his work, because he was such a fascinating character.
In my previous job, we had a chance to stay in Boston for a period of time. I went down to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum - they have all of Hemingway's artifacts there. I was able to go in and page through copies of old letters and stuff from his life, which was pretty interesting. It's like an archaeological dig - I keep finding a different angle on him. It's been a long-term, entertaining journey.
What book has inspired you?
I think the one book that has really influenced me and changed my life is "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain. We run a restaurant here in Monroe and I love food. I've always loved food. I'd been thinking about starting a restaurant my whole life - it wasn't practical and it was a big leap.
As I got a little older, I knew I had to do it. Reading this book just describes precisely and humorously what it's like to be a line cook and be in the business and all the different facets of it. That gave me the ability to visualize what it would be like.
All my young cooks who come on, I give them a copy. It's a great primer because it isn't easy in the kitchen. It's a little rough. It is dangerous and hot. It is like being in the military. You've got to support each other.
What was your favorite book growing up?
I would say it was the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. I loved "The Hobbit" and then got into the trilogy and think I read it 12 times between freshman and senior year. I bought the big leather volume that has all three books. I remember it was $35 and I had to borrow money from my mom to get it. I still have it today.
If you could be a character in a book, who would you be?
A fictional character? I don't know. I really identify with a lot of authors. I love biographies, especially autobiographies. It's very interesting to read about people who've had great success in various fields. How they got there. What their beginnings were. How did they end up being who they are? I'd have to say that Ernest Hemingway was a really unique, interesting, talented guy that I find extremely fascinating.
Tell us about a book that you were disappointed in.
Thomas Wolfe's "Look Homeward, Angel," I couldn't do that. Then I tried to read Gertrude Stein's "The Making of Americans." It was the most odd, repetitive, unreadable thing I've ever seen. (As) part of that whole period in history, where there's a lot of interesting writing, things going on in art - that was pretty disappointing.
I just tried to read "War and Peace" this year. It goes back to Hemingway. (He) wrote a list to a young writer (of the) ten books or so you should read. Tolstoy had a couple of them and I thought, "I'm going to try and read some of these." I could not get through "War and Peace." I bought it from Kathi at Fireside Books. She just has a great collection and she's really knowledgeable of the stuff she has and books in general. She said, "If you're not into a book, just put it down."
If you were stranded on a desert island and only had one book with you, what would it be?
Wow, that's a tough one. Hopefully it would be a big book. It might be the dictionary because every book is in there. If I were younger, I would have said the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. That's a huge book and there's so much going on. It's fun to read. These days, it would be very tough to decide. If I were more religious, it would probably be the Bible. In fact, the Bible's probably a good one because it's a fascinating story on top of the historical significance to mankind.
Can you speak to why reading is important?
I can't sell reading strongly enough to other people, especially young people. You run into ideas in books. We spoke of "Kitchen Confidential" being a great help to me in opening a restaurant because I learned lessons that were very specific to that business. I can get ideas from other people of all sorts of things and they all get put into your personal computer, your brain. That's the ultimate thing, just to be furnished with a constant flow of ideas and different opinions.
I've forgotten a lot of stuff that I've read, but there are so many great experiences, I'd say, and this is just talking about books. It's like "The World According to Garp." When I first read it, it was 1980, and a buddy and I were backpacking in Europe. We were reading it on the plane, the trains, and then we went to Vienna and walked down the strasse that was mentioned in the book. Those things can happen through reading. I find that fascinating. You're right where things happen.
What are you reading now?
I'm a Hemingway fan and have been for a long time. I got a 3-volume set of his major works, "The Sun Also Rises," "Farewell to Arms," and "For Whom the Bell Tolls" about 20 years ago when I was in the military. When I read books from an author I really enjoy, I always want to learn more about the author. I've read various biographies of him written by scholars, and now I've run into some of these offshoot biographies written by his younger brother Leicester ("My Brother, Ernest Hemingway") and sister Marcelline ("At the Hemingways").
Have you always been interested in Hemingway?
I have been for quite a while. I really enjoyed reading about the man, as much as his work, because he was such a fascinating character.
In my previous job, we had a chance to stay in Boston for a period of time. I went down to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum - they have all of Hemingway's artifacts there. I was able to go in and page through copies of old letters and stuff from his life, which was pretty interesting. It's like an archaeological dig - I keep finding a different angle on him. It's been a long-term, entertaining journey.
What book has inspired you?
I think the one book that has really influenced me and changed my life is "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain. We run a restaurant here in Monroe and I love food. I've always loved food. I'd been thinking about starting a restaurant my whole life - it wasn't practical and it was a big leap.
As I got a little older, I knew I had to do it. Reading this book just describes precisely and humorously what it's like to be a line cook and be in the business and all the different facets of it. That gave me the ability to visualize what it would be like.
All my young cooks who come on, I give them a copy. It's a great primer because it isn't easy in the kitchen. It's a little rough. It is dangerous and hot. It is like being in the military. You've got to support each other.
What was your favorite book growing up?
I would say it was the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. I loved "The Hobbit" and then got into the trilogy and think I read it 12 times between freshman and senior year. I bought the big leather volume that has all three books. I remember it was $35 and I had to borrow money from my mom to get it. I still have it today.
If you could be a character in a book, who would you be?
A fictional character? I don't know. I really identify with a lot of authors. I love biographies, especially autobiographies. It's very interesting to read about people who've had great success in various fields. How they got there. What their beginnings were. How did they end up being who they are? I'd have to say that Ernest Hemingway was a really unique, interesting, talented guy that I find extremely fascinating.
Tell us about a book that you were disappointed in.
Thomas Wolfe's "Look Homeward, Angel," I couldn't do that. Then I tried to read Gertrude Stein's "The Making of Americans." It was the most odd, repetitive, unreadable thing I've ever seen. (As) part of that whole period in history, where there's a lot of interesting writing, things going on in art - that was pretty disappointing.
I just tried to read "War and Peace" this year. It goes back to Hemingway. (He) wrote a list to a young writer (of the) ten books or so you should read. Tolstoy had a couple of them and I thought, "I'm going to try and read some of these." I could not get through "War and Peace." I bought it from Kathi at Fireside Books. She just has a great collection and she's really knowledgeable of the stuff she has and books in general. She said, "If you're not into a book, just put it down."
If you were stranded on a desert island and only had one book with you, what would it be?
Wow, that's a tough one. Hopefully it would be a big book. It might be the dictionary because every book is in there. If I were younger, I would have said the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. That's a huge book and there's so much going on. It's fun to read. These days, it would be very tough to decide. If I were more religious, it would probably be the Bible. In fact, the Bible's probably a good one because it's a fascinating story on top of the historical significance to mankind.
Can you speak to why reading is important?
I can't sell reading strongly enough to other people, especially young people. You run into ideas in books. We spoke of "Kitchen Confidential" being a great help to me in opening a restaurant because I learned lessons that were very specific to that business. I can get ideas from other people of all sorts of things and they all get put into your personal computer, your brain. That's the ultimate thing, just to be furnished with a constant flow of ideas and different opinions.
I've forgotten a lot of stuff that I've read, but there are so many great experiences, I'd say, and this is just talking about books. It's like "The World According to Garp." When I first read it, it was 1980, and a buddy and I were backpacking in Europe. We were reading it on the plane, the trains, and then we went to Vienna and walked down the strasse that was mentioned in the book. Those things can happen through reading. I find that fascinating. You're right where things happen.