Lessons from Massimo's lemon tart

When I look at the lemon tart offered by Massimo Bottura, it reinforces two things in my mind. The first one is about beauty; it can exist in imperfection. The second one is about mistakes. The world doesn't stop because we have erred. There may be redemption and reprieve.

Massimo's dish is called "Oops! I dropped the lemon tart". As the name reflects, it is what happened in reality too. While preparing the lemon tart for a customer, the sous chef affectionately called Taka dropped the lemon tart. Massimo was quick to recover and see the lemon tart from a different angle. As a result, you have a lemon tart which taunts you into trying it. Massimo also turned around a situation which would have ended up as an embarrassment.

We often strive for perfection. Why does everything have to be perfect? Haven't you seen a person with crooked teeth but has a ravishing smile? Haven't you heaved a sigh when a freckled face lighted up the room? In a traditional sense, those aren't perfect. It is still beautiful.

Sometimes, you see the world through different eyes by making a wrong turn. It may not always be the case. But there is always the possibility of discovery through a mistake. As a result, we should be encouraging people to fail. It is better than living in fear of failure. 

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