“If I just do Molly's book, it'll go uncredited. No one will know that I worked on it. It'll do nothing for me or my career. I may as well have not written anything at all." "But is that what this is all about for you? You and your career? Is that why you became a writer, so that people would know who you are? Or was it to do work that matters?" This was spilling over into the same debate that they'd had on their first date. Gabe was comfortable in the shadows, setting his ego aside and staying out of the limelight. But was Gabe doing the honorable thing or the cowardly thing? What kind of career could you have--- as either a chef or a writer--- if nobody knew who you were? Isabella wasn't sure that she wanted to give up her shot at the limelight just yet. "You can be a well-known writer who does good, meaningful work... They're not mutually exclusive," countered Isabella. "Is it good, meaningful work when you're betraying someone who trusts you? To expose all of their secrets and stories from their private life?" That one stung. "It's not a betrayal when you're telling the truth," argued Isabella, repositioning herself to face Gabe. "If someone lets you into their world," said Gabe, rolling to face her, "isn't there a presumption of privacy? I can't imagine writing a tell-all about any of the chefs that I've worked for, even when the chef was shitty. Nobody in my industry would ever do that." "Of course they would! Haven't you ever seen The Bear?" "The Bear's a TV show." "But it started as a book." "I'm pretty sure it didn't." "The point is," said a flustered Isabella, getting out of bed, "the right choice will be obvious to me when it's time." She said it with such conviction she almost believed it herself. "The right choice is obvious to me now.” Verbal SaltDisagreementsGhostwriterCareer Pressure Book:Food Person Source: Food Person
“I'm not sure why you gave me such a personal book if you cared about it so much." Isabella's fuse, famously long, now blew in an instant. "I gave it to you... because I thought that maybe, somewhere, inside of you... there was the tiniest semblance of a soul." Isabella's cheeks were bright red, as was her neck, as hot tears filled her eyes. "What did you say?" "I thought that maybe... maybe beneath all of the... all of the hair products and the lip gloss and the eye shadow," said Isabella, her voice shaking, along with her hands, "there was an actual human being inside of you. But... there's nothing human about you." The look on Molly's face was one of both shock and awe at the fury stirred up in Isabella. "You're just... an empty vessel. You're all exterior. And you'll never write a great cookbook or do anything great in your life, because... because whatever part of you was human, whatever part of you existed that could connect with other people, is gone and it's all been replaced by... by... Botox." Isabella put her mug down and headed for the door. Molly, too stunned to speak, watched her. As Isabella pulled open the handle, she turned back one last time: "Good luck with the cookbook. You can delete me from your phone. I'm going to keep you in mine and change your name to an emoji, just like you did with me. Only your emoji is going to be... it's going to be a smiling piece of shit!” Verbal SaltTruth BombEmojiNot HumanPop Off Queen Book:Food Person Source: Food Person
“At least I can cook," said Isabella, the words bursting out of her like a spray of bullets. "What?" "You heard me," said Isabella. "Do you honestly think people aren't laughing at you when you make food on your Instagram? Do you know how ridiculous you look, chopping kale, hacking it like a blind executioner, and making a salad that wouldn't be good enough for a hamster cage?" "She's just jealous," said Molly, turning to Xavier, who was watching all of this while vaping against the wall. "She can't handle the fact that I'm pretty and thin and famous and that I can do what she does just as well as she can, only I look better doing it." "Ha!" said Isabella. "That's such a fucking laugh. Do you think you could ever make this meal?" She indicated the food in the kitchen. "Do you think, in a million years, with a million lessons and a million cookbooks and a million helpers, you could ever make a coq au vin or butternut-squash soup? I bet you don't even know how to turn on the heat.” Verbal SaltShots FiredCatfight Book:Food Person Source: Food Person
“Can't we just agree to disagree?" she asked. "It's a little bigger than that," said Gabe as he got into bed. "Meaning?" "Meaning, it's making me question your character.” Verbal Salt Book:Food Person Source: Food Person