1. He’s not a foodie, but he does have favorite restaurants all over the world.
“There’s maybe 15 or so of them that I go to regularly and keep dragging people back to. Beijing, San Francisco, Tokyo, Jakarta, Paris, Shanghai, Boston…there’s one in every city.”
2. He loves frozen margaritas at That Little Mexican Cafe in Evanston.
“My wife and I love That Little Mexican Cafe and their frozen margaritas. But the best frozen margarita I’ve ever had is at the San Angel Inn in Mexico City. You’ve gotta be a tourist to ask for it frozen, but I do it.”
3. He hasn’t had a hamburger in decades.
“I changed my diet to a kosher diet about 13 years ago, so there’s a whole lot of things I can’t eat. I also choose not to eat any red meat, and I’m not really a fish person. So honestly I end up eating a whole lot of yogurt, granola and tofu.”
4. The best meal he’s had recently was carrot cake and a glass of bourbon.
“About a year ago I was at one of those hot, ritzy restaurants in New York City. There was a lot of heavy food on the menu and stuff I just can’t eat. So — and now this is going to sound strange — but I ended up ordering one glass of bourbon on the rocks and a piece of carrot cake. And I just sat there and ate it and it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had.”
5. He only uses chopsticks.
“Around 25 years ago, I gave up utensils for chopsticks. The reason for this is because of my background in economics, I spend a lot of time in Africa and Asia. And so I would watch people eat, and there was something about the way people using chopsticks just enjoy their food so much more. They eat more slowly. They savor it. So I made the switch. And I recommend the readers of your fine magazine to do the same. I have an incredible chopstick collection.”
6. …But he pretends he doesn’t know how to use them.
“I’m a very uncoordinated person; I’m a terrible athlete. But one thing I am great at is using chopsticks because I’ve been using them for so many years. So what I love to do when I’m offered chopsticks at dinners is pretend I don’t know how to use them. They always assume I won’t know what I’m doing, but I’m a master at this. Then I use the chopsticks to pick up a single grain of rice — and it’s just priceless.”