My Family Skipped My “Pointless” Award—Then Watched It Live From a Restaurant TV

and over to study how professional chefs curled their fingers to keep from losing a fingertip. I learned to listen for the subtle pitch change in a sizzle that meant garlic was about to cross from golden to burnt. I found secondhand cookbooks at library sales and annotated them with sticky notes and ballpoint scribbles until they looked like they’d continue reading …