It’s been a long time since I hit Foodie category on the old blog. But I figured I’d revisit it with this little beauty. No. I’m by no means a chef. But my SO is, so I’ve learned a lot from her by osmosis.
May 162010
Jan 022010
Ahh, a trip down memory lane. Once again Mountain Dew Throw Back is on the shelves again. So I immediately grabbed a 12 pack. So what makes this different? Well, first the taste. It’s better. And while I’m by no means a health food junkie, i do like some real ingredients. In this case, no High Fructose Corn Syrup, just good old fashioned cane sugar. I’m not one of those food inquisitors that thinks we should police what people eat and I don’t care about HFCS like trans-fats much of the public fervor is just misplaced. But this stuff, just tastes better and that’s what important.
Like so many things enjoy in moderation.
There is nothing that bacon can’t do!
Foodie
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Nov 262008
Yeah, the title says it all. Bacon is truly a worker of miracles. Happy Thanksgiving!
Vegans are Food Atheists
Foodie
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Sep 152008
Now, before the hate mail start pouring in, I have friends who vegans; I have friends who are atheists. So before you start screaming just hear me out. This is about food not choices or faith. It’s not about being kind to cute little tasty animals. It’s about the food. A good meal isn’t about nutrition.
First, food is sensual. A good meal touches all of your senses. There’s, of course, the taste and the smell. But also the appearance and also the sound. Yes, there are sounds. If not the sizzling of a rib eye then the clatter of pans and the hiss a sharp chef’s knife tearing through the meripoix. It’s all part of the dining experience.
Second, a good meal is a social experience. You meet with friends and loved ones and talk of days gone by and dreams of the future. You remember those who aren’t there. Or just laugh and make jokes at each other’s expense. Food brings us together.
Third, a good meal is history and culture. We really take it for granted today with our global communications and one world view. But each meal says so much of the culture that created. Food has history. Food evolves because the events of history. Even the soulless disposable fast food so popular in American culture says so much about us.
Fourth, a good meal can hold great spiritual and personal significance. Many feasts hold special religious or cultural significance whether it be a Japanese Tea Ceremony, the annual family 4th of July BBQ or Passover. Something as simple as a bowl of macaroni and cheese can bring fond childhood memories of simpler and more innocent times. A good food nurtures the spirit.
Like I said at the beginning, good food isn’t about nutrition, it’s so much more than a bunch of complex chemical compounds we stuff in our mouths.
It’s been a long time since I hit the Foodie category just waiting for the perfect story and I stumbled upon it last night.
Have you seen the commercial about the new pasta selections at Pizza Hut? They “fool” a group of gourmet diners into think that their meal was from a chef. They are all aghast when it’s revealed to them that it was Pizza Hut and not from the kitchen of the chef.
I’m not saying it was bad. I had the Chicken Alfredo. But there was nothing that screamed gourmet or even remotely well prepared. It was pretty much prefab food. Normal dried pasta, unspectacular chicken and chemically stabilized sauce. You can buy the same thing in the freezer section of your local Megamart. The annoying part is that in an 8 x 11 pan there was only about a 1/2 inch thick layer of pasta. That’s it for $12.
Back to our shocked diners. I’m no chef but if I were Pizza Hut couldn’t pay me enough money to tell people that the stuff out of that pan was my creation.
Jan 162008
A dear friend of mine is a chef and by the power of osmosis I became a bit of a foodie. One of my personal culinary heroes is Anthony Bourdain. I relished A Cook’s Tour and No Reservations and tolerated the ill fated sitcom version of Kitchen Confidential. I finally reached the level of my “to read” stack that housed the actual book Kitchen Confidential. I’m only about half way through the book and the same question kept creeping into my mind. Is he writing about the culinary world or the writing world?
As I read through the pages I saw more and more of the writer’s life in that of a chef. Just as a chef will toil for hours or days perfecting a new recipe, so will a writer spend days, weeks, months or even years on their latest creation. Just as a professional chef puts his own blood, sweat and tears into each dish, so does a writer with each word, each scene and each character. They present their creations for public display. Sometimes they are praised and sometimes they are ridiculed. But they keep going on to the next project.
They get burned and cut. They suffer from block and face rejection on regular basis. They get criticized and ridiculed. And the next day, they are right back at the grind, doing it all over again. They will neglect social obligations to friends and loved ones. These proud professionals will toil away for long hours. While most people are enjoying weekends and holidays, the writer and the chef are dutifully at their chosen workstations.
They have their favorite tools whether it be a pen or a knife. Heaven forbid someone should misplace that favored writing utensil or throw the chef’s favorite knife in the dishwasher. They are quirky outcasts and proud rebels. They see life differently than those outside of their fields. They respect their peers. They each came up in business that takes a thick skin. Each has their own rites of passage. Any experience chef has been the poor line cook or sous chef getting dressed down for over cooking the expensive side of Kobe beef. Every published writer has been rejected by editors and dismissed by agents. Both have felt the sharp sting of the critics review.
Just as a chef strives for the acceptance of his patrons and peers, so does the writer. They have to please their respective master (restaurant owners and editors) before their creations ever see the light of day. Until then only your friends and family get exposed to breakthroughs and disasters. It doesn’t matter if a chef is preparing a meal in a five star gourmet restaurant or the local Soul Food joint. It doesn’t matter if the writer views himself as teacher, entertainer or philosopher. They are united by their common experiences and sacrifices.
Why would any sane person put themselves through all this? Writers and chefs are a temperamental and eccentric lot. They know that it’s not for the money or glory. It’s all about the passion of creation and that is what drives them.
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