A Little Perspective....

I think, sometimes, we expect too much of our food, and of those who prepare it, including ourselves. Of course, we should do the best we can with what we have. Yet with the rise in popularity of cooking shows of all stripes on television, there also seems to have been a rise in our anxiety about our abilities to cook. To be specific, I refer to the competition style cooking shows, such as Hell's Kitchen, Top Chef, Master Chef, and The Next Food Network Star, to name a few and who are among, in my opinion, the worst offenders. Contestants are prodded, poked, goaded, at times berated, urged to "take it to the next level" and "think outside the box", given impossible tasks to be performed in ludicrous conditions only to be shot down by judges who are disappointed they were unable to make apple tarts using only rock salt and Spanish onions.



"Good" it seems just is not good enough.


True, there are occasions when culinary epiphany is revealed unto your tongue. The experience does border on the sacred and can bring as many tears of joy as it does moans of pleasure. But that sensation of Umami, that harmonic convergence of flavor, aroma and mouth feel that sets off fireworks in your mind and strikes that deep and sustained resonant chord in your soul is rare. And should remain so. Otherwise, how far outside the box would we then have to think in order to take food to the next level?


In between, there is good.


And merely good can be great.


For example, I don't consume a lot of soft drinks anyway, but during one of the recent periods when Pepsi Cola made with real sugar was available again, I purchased a cold bottle and a bag of Lay's potato chips (regular salted Walker's crisps to you folks in the UK). At first bite, swig and swallow, I was transported back to carefree Summer days of my boyhood. I did not swoon, no angels danced on my palate. I just thought, "Man, this is good."


I guess my point is that few of you reading are professional cooks, much less chefs. Some of us really don't cook all that much but simply love food. So, let's not overly concern ourselves with the form of the food we cook. We are serving our families or just ourselves, not sending out plates to paying customers, or styling our food for lighting and camera. Certainly, take a little care in presentation, but cook your food with love and not for show. Just make it taste good.


You, your family, and your friends will know the difference.