Cooking vs Restaurants

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

 The main abuse *this* waitstaff suffered last night was the sore-knees slog up the staircase to advise my daughter that dinner was ready.  We really should get an intercom between the first and third floors.

Should've just texted her.

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Here’s a rough version of a conversation I’ve had more than once: 

‘I don’t care for guacamole.’

‘What? Are you insane?!’

‘Possibly, but that’s not the reason.’

‘Why would you not like guacamole?’

‘Because I don’t like the taste of avocado.’

‘But I make killer guac!’

‘Do you make it with avocado?’

‘Of course.’

‘Conversation over.’

Boru

At a veganish market where I worked in the deli, everyone wanted avocado on their sandwiches.

People - vegan or normal - are allowed to have avocado on their sandwiches, and I wish them nothing but happiness with it. I also wish they’d belt up with telling me I don’t know what I’m missing.

Boru

[Astreja]

Dining at fine restaurants exposes us to dishes we can then learn to make at home. Otherwise when we dine out it is for special dishes that cannot be easily replicated at home.

Yup.  I've "stolen" tons of recipes.  (Our latest coup was figuring how to make bánh mì  at home.    )

[Brian37]

Should've just texted her.

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At a veganish market where I worked in the deli, everyone wanted avocado on their sandwiches.

People - vegan or normal - are allowed to have avocado on their sandwiches, and I wish them nothing but happiness with it. I also wish they’d belt up with telling me I don’t know what I’m missing.

Boru

Food is not a dictatorship. The bottom line is that you either like something or you don't. I really hate people who act like you have to like or don't like what they do. If you are not eating it, why should you care?

I hate watching food shows where a restaurant owner  says, "We don't do this" for example, "We don't put ketchup on our hotdogs". Fine, then you don't get my money. 

I hate anchovies, but if I owned a pizza joint and a customer asked for them on their pizza, I damned sure am going to give them what they want.

I also hate mushrooms. But how successful would I be owning a pizza joint if I didn't offer that up as a topping?

[Spongebob]

People - vegan or normal - are allowed to have avocado on their sandwiches, and I wish them nothing but happiness with it. I also wish they’d belt up with telling me I don’t know what I’m missing.

Boru

Yes, I can understand how frustrating this can be, but it can be coming from a place where someone really wants and hopes you will enjoy something as much as they do.  A good way to respond is to mention something you like very much but you know they don't to demonstrate that people just have different tastes.  Vegemite, maybe?

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Dining at fine restaurants exposes us to dishes we can then learn to make at home. Otherwise when we dine out it is for special dishes that cannot be easily replicated at home.

Yup.  I've "stolen" tons of recipes.  (Our latest coup was figuring how to make bánh mì  at home.    )

That is certainly one advantage to eating out.  I have also recreated a lot of dishes at home.  Sometimes I've had to look up a recipe but it's oh, so satisfying to be able to recreate it as good or even better than it was at the restaurant.

[Brian37]

People - vegan or normal - are allowed to have avocado on their sandwiches, and I wish them nothing but happiness with it. I also wish they’d belt up with telling me I don’t know what I’m missing.

Boru

Yes, I can understand how frustrating this can be, but it can be coming from a place where someone really wants and hopes you will enjoy something as much as they do.  A good way to respond is to mention something you like very much but you know they don't to demonstrate that people just have different tastes.  Vegemite, maybe?

Funny you should mention Vegemite. On my first trip to Australia, I tried it, didn't like it. On my second trip I took my redneck friend from Oklahoma, he tried it, and liked it.

[Angrboda]

I wanted to learn how to boil water, so I went to a five-star restaurant to copy their methods, but the chef wouldn't divulge them to me.

[arewethereyet]

I'm not an imaginative cook so seeing a little twist on something has been helpful a couple times. A conference that took me to California some years ago meant staying in a pretty fancy hotel with several restaurant choices and really good room service. The twist for me was French toast made from banana bread and served with kiwi and strawberries. I would not have thought to make that on my own but did several times after that visit. Pretty yummy.

All I ever learned, foodwise, working in restaurants was how to make relish trays and salads.

[Spongebob]

I wanted to learn how to boil water, so I went to a five-star restaurant to copy their methods, but the chef wouldn't divulge them to me.  

You are cracking me up! 

[arewethereyet]

I can see that food diversity can be a challenge for some of you.  I understand, no judgement from me, but I am also a huge advocate of trying new foods.

@arewethereyet Regarding grits.  Now that's one of my favorite southern foods.  I've known a lot of northerners who just can't or won't develop a taste for them.  What a lot of those folks aren't aware of is that grits are quite diverse, as in not just for breakfast.  There are a number of ways to prepare grits and they fit in nicely in other meals.  And don't forget that grits are not just a southern food, its also served as polenta in many countries.  I've seen some recipes where you allow the grits to cool and solidify, then slice it into patties and fry them.

And if you haven't tried an arepa, then you certainly should.  It's a sort of muffin made from ground corn meal but it doesn't have the consistency of a cornbread muffin; it's a little more dense and moist.  Stuff it with cheese and pulled pork.  Delicious.  I've had these at specialty restaurants but never tried to make them at home.

I don't think I have encountered another food that will solidify quite like grits.

It's funny to watch our big parrot scraping grits off her beak after being given a special treat of eggs, biscuit, bacon, and a side of grits.

[Spongebob]

I don't think I have encountered another food that will solidify quite like grits.  

It's funny to watch our big parrot scraping grits off her beak after being given a special treat of eggs, biscuit, bacon, and a side of grits.

Yep, you can build a house with them.  Let them dry on a dish and it's like stucco.