Since 1927, the same ritual has been repeated in the United States: in December, the magazine “Time” chooses the “Person of the Year”, a distinction that this time an Asturian opts, the chef and activist born in Mieres, José Andrés.
The chef is the only Spaniard on an illustrious list of candidates for a recognition that Greta Thunberg took in 2019 and that have also been deserved by Pope Francis, Donald Trump or Angela Merkel. If he wins, he will also be the first Spaniard to do so.
This time the award, which will be announced this Thursday, aims to highlight the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The objective is linked to the frantic solidarity activity displayed by José Andrés, who settled in America in the 1990s and succeeded with his restaurant Jaleo, in Washington DC, the first step in his current gastronomic emporium. José Andrés, an American citizen for years, was on the cover of the magazine in March, on the occasion of the World Central Kitchen project, an organization that feeds thousands of people with quality food in times of crisis. The chef has spent years helping in emergency situations such as hurricanes, earthquakes or floods, now also during the pandemic.
This year voters can choose from a vast list made up of politicians, athletes or artists, including Xi Jinping, Putin, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Lewis Hamilton, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, or the creators of TikTok, without forgetting members of the royalty like Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, social movements like the Black Lives Matter of the USA or the essential workers. In 2012, “Time” included José Andrés among the 100 most influential people in the world and placed him on the list again six years later.
The tradition of selecting a person of the year began in 1927 to highlight current news stories. The idea was also an attempt to remedy the mistake of not putting Charles Lindbergh on the cover earlier that year, when he made his transatlantic air trip. Since then, a person or group of people and in two special cases, an invention (the computer) and the planet Earth, have been chosen.
José Andrés, who ranks well among readers, has a tough competitor in his friend Biden, although the fact that he has not yet taken office as president of the United States may be an advantage.
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