I like to drink young wines, wines which are robust and have a lot of forward fruit to them.
And don't forget music - music in the kitchen is an essential ingredient!
A kaiseki meal is like that, very small courses over a long period of time.
A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe.
Once you understand the foundations of cooking - whatever kind you like, whether it's French or Italian or Japanese - you really don't need a cookbook anymore.
Its not about passion. Passion is something that we tend to overemphasize, that we certainly place too much importance on. Passion ebbs and flows. To me, it's about desire. If you have constant, unwavering desire to be a cook, then u'll be a great cook.