Well, this is still a great metaphor. But even if I lived above a bistro and spoke French, would I crave fish stew every night of the week? I've been known to go to great lengths to enjoy really good menus (see below). But anyone who ever dined at my house knows that some people are much better than others at faithfully recreating the taste from recipes they've never tasted before (not me).

I think the really interesting question is how does that happen? What skills make the difference in reading between the lines of written recipe for those who can't apprentice to the master chef?

http://reflexions.typepad.com/reflexions/2008/01/a-sojourn-for-t.html

The Bouillabaisse analogy/metaphor is a beauty. And in the inbox clogging debate nobody has come back with a decent counter yet. Recipes are not in themselves evil - they can be useful in offering a start point, a common reference, transferring SOME of the ideas in the dish - but the recipe is just a snippet of info and if you think you can replicate the end product with a recipe, you are dreaming. We see this a lot in the wine industry, where producers copy the steps in the production of a famous wine label and then wonder why they do not sell as well.

The debate on ActKM is being driven by a couple of idealists who, as you say, miss the point.

Brilliant David - I think essentially true across all domains of "expertise". Surely "information" is one thing and expertise is another.

What worries me a great deal in so called professions today is the confusion. So We have Nurses with a Masters running a floor who have had next to no patient care. Teachers with a degree who could not teach to save their lives.

At least some professions such as pilots still count hours as important.

Also we think that everyone can get the skills. But I see very few great actors, singers and even KM guys!

Here is another angle on the same metaphor:
a 10 year old who is just learning to cook, a 20 year old who knows some cooking basics, an amature chef, and a head chef at a top restaurant each want to make the best buillabaisse they are capable of.

What is the best set of instructions for each one?