Rigor Required

I was reading about a new documentary coming out entitled 'Kings of Pastry', which is about a very serious competition for France's highest distinction for trade workers, the ability to label oneself MOF. Chefs are graded on their mastery of skills in a three day competition that includes France's most distinguished chefs.

Kristin Hohenadel had this to say about the competition and its filmmakers:

"So how did Ms. Hegedus and Mr. Pennebaker, the American husband-and-wife filmmaking team best known for fly-on-the-wall documentaries like "The War Room", the 1993 film chronicling Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign, end up directing a movie about Frenchmen making cream puffs?

'I think there is a big issue couched in this funny pastry competition', Ms. Hegedus said over a plate of macaroons at the filmmakers' headquarters on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. 'It's a microcosm of larger issues that people have in their life about being passionate about what they're doing and trying to do it on the best level possible and creating meaning in what you're doing. It's about much more than cream puffs.'"

And isn't that real life? The fight you had with your spouse this morning about new shoes for the kids - was it about shoes, or money or control? Why did you choose the profession you did? Wasn't the reason deeper than a paycheck? Its always about much more than a cream puff!