Interview with New Yorker Writer D.T. Max
Another thing is, I tried to make the cancer a character. Cancer is supposed to have a tone in the piece. It’s almost as good of a character, to put it strangely, as Grant is. Grant is the champ in his field and the cancer is a champ in its field.
And the last thing was the whole section on the history of taste. Who knew that there was so much we didn’t know about taste?
How did you capture such detailed descriptions of Grant’s dishes?
I had no idea what I was doing. Someone’s going to know more than you when you’re writing these articles. I’m not a person who knew that these dishes existed but that wouldn’t necessarily be a problem because if you know too much going in, the reader doesn’t get the chance to learn with you.
Did you spend most of your time with him in his restaurant?
I went to his restaurant for about two days. I interviewed him and hung around and watched them put together meals. I had a meal and came back the next day to watch them put it together again. Then I made a separate visit later on when they were trying out some ingredient with his sous chefs when he couldn’t taste. And there was a bit of pressure in that piece where he was gaining his taste as the weeks went by.
How did you get such detailed information about the food into this story?
I was writing as I ate, before I ate, after I ate. I might have had a tape recorder to record what the server said, if I remember right. Because they went so fast and so I’m pretty sure I did it that way. Often I would use both at the same time, sometimes one without the other.
I could not just watch once and distill what happened. I needed somebody to break it down. It helps to be in a big magazine to make these types of requests to people, without a doubt. When they are going to spend an hour describing exactly how the bacon is charred before it’s placed on the sticks that dangle on the bowl made of corn syrup and then frozen … they have to be willing to do it. I make a big request of them. I had people who would explain things over and over.
Grant was willing to do the interviews. I think the trick is with someone like that who’s been interviewed before is to try and do something a little different. You want to try to capture, capture, capture. Something I tend to do is not quote them on the most obvious things they can be quoted on. There were certain things he said that were wonderfully said that weren’t crucial points. I tend to give the quotes to the more mundane sentiments or moments because I think it’s a very detailed way that someone’s voice is there and captivating.
