Cooking
There are two things about me that I wish I could change (actually if I thought about it for more than two seconds, I'm sure I'd come up with a much longer list):
• my shoe size (it's very hard to find ladies shoes in size 10 1/2
• my squeamishness about various foods
I can’t do anything about the first, but I suppose I could at least work on the second. Despite the fact that I love cooking, I have a horrifyingly long list of “don’t likes”:
• seafood (canned tuna excepted)
• mushrooms
• organ meats
• Brie
• blue cheeses
• goat cheese
• artichokes
• avocado
• eggplant
• olives
• tofu
• butter brickle ice cream
As you can see, I have X’ed out huge swathes of the food world, in some cases without having so much as a taste. How can I say I don’t like seafood? What is “seafood”? All these animals (actually the idea of eating seaweed doesn’t appeal to me much either…) have in common is that they live in water. There must be hundreds of varieties of fish, mollusks, cephalopods, and crustaceans eaten by man and yet I can say that I don’t like any of them?
I recently had an opportunity to try a number of foods that I generally steer clear of. I was in a very nice restaurant with my brother and his partner to celebrate my brother’s birthday. A tasting menu was offered, but if one person wanted it, everyone at the table had to order it – including me. It helped that I was kept well lubricated throughout the evening – each course was paired with a specially selected wine. I have to say, while I didn’t relish many of the foods I tried, none was quite as scary as I anticipated, and it turned out to be a memorable and even enjoyable meal.
So the moral of my story is I’ve got to give new and different foods a fair chance before I pass judgment. I will try ever so slowly to do that. I’ll seek out recipes for foods that are foreign to me and at least give them a shot. I will not, however, ever eat butter brickle ice cream again.
- Picky Eaters (and The People Who Love Them)
I try to be a tolerant person. Really I do. But I tell you, picky eaters make me a bit crazy. I know they don't choose to be picky, but it can be so irritating to be around people who are fussy about what they eat and rule out eating certain foods...
- Happy New Year, Black Eyed Peas!
Do black eyed peas have any symbolic significance to you? They symbolize different things in different cultures but are often associated with New Years. In the American South, a dish of black eyed peas and ham called Hopping John is eaten to bring good...
- A Funny Thing Happened…
I was trying to find Gulf shrimp yesterday and had to visit several grocery stores before I was successful. In the morning, before I had begun my quest, I stopped in at my regular grocery store to get a couple of things. It was apparent after I entered...
- Raw Foods
We live in in stressful world these days. People are getting more and more health conscience with every day. Many people who wish to live healthy life swear on raw food menu or raw food diet if you wish. This is not such a bad idea if you really think...
- Chez Spencer
Chez Spencer Originally uploaded by melissa nicole. Melissa and I eagerly arrived at Chez Spencer for a "date" a couple of weeks ago. The unabashedly French restaurant gets the nod from Patricia Unterman and the Chronicle, and the enclosed front...
Cooking
Eating
There are two things about me that I wish I could change (actually if I thought about it for more than two seconds, I'm sure I'd come up with a much longer list):
• my shoe size (it's very hard to find ladies shoes in size 10 1/2
• my squeamishness about various foods
I can’t do anything about the first, but I suppose I could at least work on the second. Despite the fact that I love cooking, I have a horrifyingly long list of “don’t likes”:
• seafood (canned tuna excepted)
• mushrooms
• organ meats
• Brie
• blue cheeses
• goat cheese
• artichokes
• avocado
• eggplant
• olives
• tofu
• butter brickle ice cream
As you can see, I have X’ed out huge swathes of the food world, in some cases without having so much as a taste. How can I say I don’t like seafood? What is “seafood”? All these animals (actually the idea of eating seaweed doesn’t appeal to me much either…) have in common is that they live in water. There must be hundreds of varieties of fish, mollusks, cephalopods, and crustaceans eaten by man and yet I can say that I don’t like any of them?
I recently had an opportunity to try a number of foods that I generally steer clear of. I was in a very nice restaurant with my brother and his partner to celebrate my brother’s birthday. A tasting menu was offered, but if one person wanted it, everyone at the table had to order it – including me. It helped that I was kept well lubricated throughout the evening – each course was paired with a specially selected wine. I have to say, while I didn’t relish many of the foods I tried, none was quite as scary as I anticipated, and it turned out to be a memorable and even enjoyable meal.
So the moral of my story is I’ve got to give new and different foods a fair chance before I pass judgment. I will try ever so slowly to do that. I’ll seek out recipes for foods that are foreign to me and at least give them a shot. I will not, however, ever eat butter brickle ice cream again.
- Picky Eaters (and The People Who Love Them)
I try to be a tolerant person. Really I do. But I tell you, picky eaters make me a bit crazy. I know they don't choose to be picky, but it can be so irritating to be around people who are fussy about what they eat and rule out eating certain foods...
- Happy New Year, Black Eyed Peas!
Do black eyed peas have any symbolic significance to you? They symbolize different things in different cultures but are often associated with New Years. In the American South, a dish of black eyed peas and ham called Hopping John is eaten to bring good...
- A Funny Thing Happened…
I was trying to find Gulf shrimp yesterday and had to visit several grocery stores before I was successful. In the morning, before I had begun my quest, I stopped in at my regular grocery store to get a couple of things. It was apparent after I entered...
- Raw Foods
We live in in stressful world these days. People are getting more and more health conscience with every day. Many people who wish to live healthy life swear on raw food menu or raw food diet if you wish. This is not such a bad idea if you really think...
- Chez Spencer
Chez Spencer Originally uploaded by melissa nicole. Melissa and I eagerly arrived at Chez Spencer for a "date" a couple of weeks ago. The unabashedly French restaurant gets the nod from Patricia Unterman and the Chronicle, and the enclosed front...