OUR eldest son just had his junior-senior prom night last week. It was something that he was looking forward to for quite some time. You could say that it was the coming-of-age part of his life.
It was quite a fascinating journey for him. For a couple of weeks, we had to look for the perfect attire for the prom. It was back-and-forth between the fashion sense that Simon, Nick, John and Roger carried, but definitely not Andy’s.
Try to Google those names together if you are not familiar with them, and you will be surprised at who I am talking about. I guess it was one of the influences I had on him.
Since our son is so much into music, he has also set his mind at enrolling in the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music for college.
The wife and me are not discouraging him one bit. He has our full support. We want him to find his own way in the world.
I am even encouraging him to form his own band this summer, and see where it goes. I told him to get his band in the studio, jam together, and create their own music. Who knows? Maybe they could create some magic.
Finding his own path
Our son could probably learn a few things from Terry’s Selection’s Juan Carlos de Terry. You see, the Spanish de Terry has been creating magic for such a long time with the food he serves in his very famous restaurant.
De Terry was a teenager finding his own path in Spain back in the 1960s. He described that decade as good for teenage life even if Spain was under a dictatorship.
He said the education in Spain back then was very good. It was a match to the care he got from his parents and godparents.
Part of the family business
According to de Terry, he had good foundations to learn from, and that he grew up in a good moral surrounding.
De Terry saw how his father, then in the business of producing brandy, cared for his employees and their families. He also saw his mother rose to become one of Spain’s prominent chefs.
At 4 years old, de Terry already knew how to play the piano and was learning how to cook by himself.
So, when he went to college, it was no surprise that he entered the conservatory of music. De Terry could play the music of Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. He was good at the piano.
However, he also took up chemistry and oenology in college because he wanted to be part of their family business.
Gaining knowledge, understanding
De Terry told me that he was not a student who wanted to excel academically back in college. He said he was never obsessed with grades. He was in college to gain knowledge and understanding.
I know there is now a slow shift in the way colleges and universities in the country are providing education to their students. I also believe that K to 12 is the correct step to take. But students must not be confined largely to the four walls of the classroom and their books. For the jobs-skills mismatch to be addressed, there should be equal time spent between the classroom and in industries.
De Terry described it this way: college and post-college life are two different worlds.
He said he just grew up within the industry. It also was a big advantage that he got himself familiarized with the products his father received from his clients. His father used to describe a company as “a family with suppliers that ends with the buyers.”
Respect for teachers
Outside of industry learning, De Terry said teachers must again be given respect by students and parents.
He said the lack of respect is one of the many wrongs in the educational institutions today. Teachers have now lost the authority to teach because they are not being respected. He said that back then they had very high respect for their teachers.
Importance of moral values
De Terry told me that beyond teachers, moral values seem to be eroding these days. He remembers how they went to church dressed well, how they were taught correct manners at the dining table, and when love was never mistaken for sex.
He said that, today, nobody goes to church a virgin and that sex is now a sport.
I told him that one of the things that I would have loved to experience was to live in the 1960s.
I may be romanticizing it a bit, but for me, it was the age of innocence.
The value of loyalty
Anyway, finally out of college and working, de Terry said the first thing he wanted to know was how workers felt when working and how they wanted to be treated. He said that it was very important for him to have the pulse of the people around him.
De Terry started his restaurant in the country back in 1997 and, not to my surprise, a lot of his employees have been with him for at least 12 years. He always wanted his employees to grow with him.
Another important principle for him is loyalty to the consumer and passion for quality. Profit is only secondary to him. His restaurant’s menu is also all about creating concepts and not Filipinizing Spanish food.
Before I left, I asked de Terry what he would tell his 18-year-old self if he met him today. His answer was to always have his eyes, ears, mind, and, most important his heart open. He also would tell him to never give up.
I cannot wait for our son to meet him soon and hear for himself the experiences the man they call the maestro has gone through in his life.
For comments, suggestions, and reactions, I can be reached at raalzona@yahoo.com.