Foodie: To Beat or Blend?
What exactly does the term foodie
mean? Does it mean you savor all food and the experience it offers: the taste,
the aromas, the visual presentation? Does it mean you have favorite chefs that
you follow, cooking styles and methods that are written down or does it mean
you like to experiment on your own? Do you eat to live or do you live
for the
sense of eating?
Now, I’m no Hunter-Forager. My
idea of hunting is going to the Butcher and pointing to the cut of meat I want;
or stepping into my garden and snipping an herb here and plucking a vegetable
there. In our home, dinner is a chance to tickle the taste buds; a bit of a
hobby. Side by side, meals are put together that are delicious, comforting, and
healthy all rolled into one. We don’t mind complicated recipes and aren’t
afraid to substitute one ingredient for another. We love to try different
combinations from all ethnic groups and seldom eat the same thing twice in a
month’s time. Gastronomes that we are, you can imagine then that dinner demands
a slow, relaxing, relishing time to eat it.
We have a dinner pact: I pick the
menu, make sure we have most of the ingredients and have a basic recipe in
mind. Then, at dinnertime, we cook together. We mince, chop and sauté often
whipping up incredible sauces as an afterthought to compliment the meal. I’m a
true believer in the concept that if you can read you can cook (the fact that I
didn’t even know how to boil an egg when I got married is proof of this).
Anyone who says they can’t cook just isn’t being fair to themselves. Start
simple. Then start simple again. Once you get comfortable, try changing just
one ingredient. Then two. Before you know it your creative juices will have you
simmering, julienning and flambéing with the best.
What? Did I hear you say your
kitchen is too small? Too old? Unequipped? I don’t believe it. Of course, we
would all love to have a dream gourmet kitchen with all the bells and whistles:
marble countertops, every smart gadget known, double near-silent dishwashers,
spice drawers and huge refrigerators that house every condiment needed at a
moment’s notice; all complemented by an immaculate garden right outside the
kitchen window. [Sigh] It all sounds so Martha Stewartian. But alas! Instead,
builders grade is what most of us have to conjure up delicious dinners and
store our wares. It’s Magnificence verses Functional. Perhaps the Great
American kitchen is a myth. Because truthfully, who has the additional room for
the latest fad gadgets? Instant Pots, Air Fryers, Standup Waffle Machines. Google
“Deluxe Breakfast Machines” or “Breakfast Sandwich Makers”; I think you’ll
agree.
The whole secret to creating a
dinner that will get those sensory cells hungering (Sweet! Salty! Sour! Even
Bitter!) is to look at and familiarize yourself with your menu ideas for the
week, shop for your ingredients, decide in the morning BEFORE you go to work or play what you’ll have and Voila’,
50% of the work is done; now all you have to do is put it together with love. It’s
really that simple if you get yourself into the routine of doing this. With
good ingredients, a few sharp knives, a sturdy cutting board and a couple of
pots and pans, most meals don’t take more than 20 minutes to prep.
Don’t let
anyone food shame you…..anyone can do it.
So, pat yourself on the back,
uncork the wine, grab a linen napkin and savor your next dinner!
Carpe Diem! Or perhaps in this case, Carpe Noctem!
