In Search of the Lost Taste

Book excerpt: Joshua Ploeg's cooking blows my mind so much that a secret door opens in the back of my head and white doves, musical notes, and winged horses fly out. His cooking is transcendent: dangerous, strange and perfect. It's full of colorful tastes that explode in your mouth like Pop Rocks ­ flavor combinations you never thought possible. Crazy alchemy. Freaky magic. Joshua's been in a bunch of hardcore bands and he brings all the good things punk rock gave us: risk, passion, creativity, and weirdness; then he applies them to his meals.