Formally Trained?
sarahsocal
3 years ago
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How do you define a good (or great) cook?
Comments (23)Like some of you have said, I don't consider myself a good cook. I am an OK recipe follower and I like to eat good food, so I cook. My aunt is a good cook. She can put together a meal out of nothing. It's really amazing, she goes in the kitchen, putters around and you really have no idea what she is doing in there and it seems like nothing, and then she pulls out an amazing meal. She has a great sense of taste and texture and what to make out of what. She is not a fancy, gourmet cook, her food just tastes good. I have also noted that she creates thing bit by bit, which is why it seems like she pulls meals out of nowhere. She starts a dish in the AM or the day before and does some aspect of cooking it and then just keeps going at odd times. She has a grand scheme of her kitchen and food and pantry in her mind. I'm always amazed by her, because she doesn't have fancy serving ware or antyhing, she can serve up the best dessert on a chipped dime store plate. And nothing fancy either, but she knows what pleases. Like when my dad or her son come to her house for a visit, blintzes will be made . . . On the other hand, practice makes perfect if you have a good palate. I am not too shabby with rice, beans, pasta and soup, because I make them constantly. I now have a tasty repertoire of taste combos and techniques in my mind. So some of it is just good taste, knowing what works for your tried and true favorites. That's my biggest problem actually, my sense of adventure. For every "Wow that was good!" concoction that I try, there are three or four "Meh's" and a sometimes a "Yuk." I dunno, perhaps a great cook never goes there . . . but it is my domain most of the time....See MoreWhat do you want to be? (a long ramble)
Comments (12)I'm 45 and I also don't know what I want to be when I grow up .... Wanted to be an astronaut or vetrinarian when I was a kid. Went to college and switched majors 3 times and ended up with a marketing degree cuz I wanted to garduate and get a job. The only job I found was waitressing, then managing restaurants. Then my mother, who was working in real estate, told me to apply for a position in the mortgage company her real estate company was forming. Worked there for 16 years, am now with a major bank/lender, and have spent the last 10 years trying to find a way OUT of the mortgage business. So I bought a farm... found out a long time ago that I can grow anything, and love gardens. So I now have a daylily farm where I sell plants in the spring/summer while still working my normal job .... can't figure out a way to make enough money from the farm to support the lifestyle/benefits, etc. I want. I also took care of my animal fix, I have 2 dogs, 3 indoor cats, 1 barn cat, and 3 miniature donkeys. SO I work my "normal" job to support the farm I love ... a comprise I guess. Pam...See MoreStages of development in bonsai gardening
Comments (11)Mid-1980s, I was at a business meeting in a Chicago hotel on a Thu evening & was bored. Walking around the hotel, I came upon a bonsai show being set up. I asked if I could watch because I found the trees intriguing. I quickly passed from 'interested' to "I HAVE to know how to do that". I went home to become a master and failed miserably for the same reason 99% of those attracted to bonsai soon leave it behind - I had no idea what I was doing and didn't have mastery of the basic skills required to keep trees alive. I put the trees away and studied hard (this is before the internet was in every home), mostly soil science & physiology, for around 4 years before picking it back up again. At that point I discovered I'd learned enough to get over the hump that stops most others - I could keep my trees healthy. From there forward, it's basically been a decades long learning experience. I try hard not to be a proud person, but I do consider my progress a blessing - partly because it's so personally gratifying, but also because what I've learned about plants has allowed me to share some of what I know with others. This sharing of information re a number of topics has become a natural extension of my own personal growing experience. For that, I'm grateful because it feels good to feel like you're making a difference. Al...See MoreCooks versus Chefs
Comments (13)When I worked in a restaurant in San Francisco, my boss called me a pastry chef, but I'm sure he used the term loosely. I really don't care about titles for myself - I care about results. However, I do find it annoying when watching cooking shows and the host and guest call each other "chef" instead of their names - it comes off as pretentious, and it does not impress me. The worst offender is Ming Tsai, and I used to like him. However, he has a lot of idiosyncrasies in language that rub me the wrong way, and so I haven't watched him for several years. He always says veg or veggies instead of vegetable or vegetables, and just once I would like to hear him say "vegetable." It's not that difficult, and if one is going to use formal titles like "chef," then vegetables should be respected as well - at least occasionally. "Veggies" sounds too much like extremely casual slang. Anyway, there are other TV personalities that I can watch instead who annoy me less. I frequently turn off a TV show if the presenter says "vinegarette." Anyone who uses that word definitely does not qualify as a chef in my book. A lot of times French and Italian words are mispronounced, and I usually just cringe when I hear that. I tend to gravitate towards watching people who are fluent in Italian or French, but then I really like Italian food. I also like Pati Jinich, and she speaks Spanish with a Mexico City accent, which is the way I learned it. Listening to her reminds me of being in Polanco, which is where I usually stayed and is where she grew up. I've also exchanged email and messages with her....See Moresarahsocal
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