Will Guidara takes the Proustian Questionnaire (for the first time)
Q: Your perfect idea of happiness?
A: The fleeting moment where I want for nothing in the world.
Q: Your greatest fear?
A: That I’ll spend so much of my life chasing goals that I won’t fully appreciate where I already am.
Q: The trait you most deplore in yourself?
A: When I’m prone to compare myself to others.
Q: The trait you most deplore in others?
A: Greed.
Q: Which living person do you most admire?
A: My dad.
Q: What is your greatest extravagance?
A: Furniture.
Q: What is your current state of mind?
A: I had a kid three weeks ago… overwhelmingly happy/tired.
Q: What is the most overrated virtue?
A: Righteousness.
Q: On what occasion do you lie?
A: To make someone else feel good.
Q: Your favourite qualities in a person?
A: Others-centredness.
Q: Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
A: “Extraordinary”
Q: What or who is the greatest love of your life?
A: My wife.
Q: When and where were you happiest?
A: Last night on the couch with my three-week old and my two-year old, watching the movie Up.
Q: Which talent would you most like to have?
A: Hmmm… it’s either the piano or surfing…
Q: What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A: That my best friends in the world, I’ve known since I was a little kid.
Q: If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A: Me.
Q: Where would you most like to live?
A: Here, in the Hudson Valley.
Q: What is your most treasured possession?
A: My mother’s wings from when she was a flight attendant with American Airlines.
Q: What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
A: Lonliness.
Q: What is your favourite occupation?
A: Restaurants.
Q: What is your most marked characteristic?
A: I like to laugh.
Q: What do you value in your friends?
A: Loyalty.
Q: Who are your favourite writers?
A: On one side of the spectrum, Hemingway, and on the other side, Lee Child of the Jack Reacher franchise.
Q: Who is your hero of fiction?
A: Dominic Toretto of The Fast and the Furious franchise.
Q: Which historical figure do you most identify with?
A: Joe Baum, the guy who created Restaurant Associates, the Rainbow Room, Windows on the World and The Four Seasons Restaurant.
Q: What are your favourite names?
A: Frankie.
Q: What is it that you most dislike?
A: When people are willing to hurt others for their own benefit, and sea urchin.
Q: What is your greatest regret?
A: That my mom wasn’t alive to meet my kids.
Q: How would you like to die?
A: In my house, surrounded by friends and family.
Q: What is your motto?
A: What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?
Q: Your favourite meal?
A: Either a pasta Bolognese or a Double-Double Animal Style from In-N-Out Burger.
Q: Your favourite wine or beverage?
A: A beautiful bottle of Barolo.
Q: Your most memorable restaurant experience?
A: Eating in The Skybox at DANIEL with my dad after I graduated college.
