Do you want to make the perfect meal?
In my discussions with friends I have found foodies want to please others as much as they want to please themselves. There seems to be an significant amount of self-generated pressure on these people to produce the perfect meal and to maintain their reputations as "foodies". They often go to extremes by buying the best ingredients and putting forth great amounts of time and effort to ensure this happens
Do you put lots of pressure on yourself to put together the perfect meal for your family or friends?
interested on your opinion on this one ?
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10 Comments:
Yes, I think I put undue pressure on myself to make a good meal or throw a good party. To the point that I've stopped having parties because I've gotten tired of all the running around and hassle it entails.
Adam Kuban at 10:31AM on 03/15/07
Pressure, but not in that omigod-I'm-gonna-give-myself-an-ulcer sort of way. I like to cook; I like good food. I live alone, so I can't justify cooking top notch stuff all the time just for my little lonesome - dinner parties, dinners, cookouts, whatever are my time to do my thing! When the prep stops being as fun for me as the meal is for my guests, then I'll take a hard look at what I'm doing and why.
Does it take time to shop for the good stuff? Sure. Does it take planning and a bit of work? Of course. A little costly? At times. None of these things are dealbreakers - it's all part of the process. Now, doing it every day would require some second thoughts. Or some sort of financier...
corycm at 11:05AM on 03/15/07
I always feel pressure: I like eating well! Being somewhat young and in college seems to present some problems in making quality meals (also living in a small town in Texas with no greenmarkets or Whole Foods-type groceries), but I do try to take advantage of dirt-cheap Mexican markets for vegetables and lowly cuts of meat, and generally only use the mass-market groceries for frozen vegetables and grains.
I think the trick to ease the pressure is making large batches of things that can be easily adaptable -- pureed soups, sauces, pre-seasoned cuts of meat -- and building the meals from there. I try to keep my fridge well-stocked with ready-to-go items that can be easily amended with fresh vegetables or greens to construct a potentially 'fancy' meal. I also try to be creative with my sources -- I have several friends who keep gardens (a luxury I cannot have right now), and I often cull some fresh herbs if they can allow it. Mainly I work with the freshest, most readily-available ingredients (many of which are from local carnicerias); much of what I do is vaguely (or sometimes more overtly) 'Mexican'. This system, one of conservation and personal and relational sustainability, works particularly well living alone (as I do), but could work for groups of roommates or a family as well.
I am moving to Brooklyn this summer and see this manner of preparation getting considerably easier, with the abundance of markets.
I think there is a rather grossly polarized attitude in the United States about either one-stop shopping or eating out. Creativity is probably the answer to a lot of problems.
Christopher Balla at 2:15PM on 03/15/07
YYEESSSS!!!! How much room do I have to type here...
If I am planning a party, or inviting more than a few people to dinner, I plan and prepare for weeks. I consider every detail and spend way more time than I should constructing a blueprint for the meal.
What motivates me to do this is I want my guests to experience an event, not just a meal. I love the element of surprise. I once invited about six people over for a dinner. It was just a "get together and have dinner" kind of thing--no celebration or holiday. I planned it for weeks. When people arrived at my house, they noticed something was up immediately. I replaced the lights with blue and green bulbs. I brought in tons of potted palms and ferns and uplighted them with more blue and green lights. Tons of candles provided the remaining light. I hacked a couple of 8' palm fronds from trees on the property and jammed them into the corners so that they arched out into the room. I created a mesh of fishing line across the dining room ceiling. Suspended from this mesh grid were about 50 or so stems of orchids which hung down over the heads of the diners. Fern leaves and mosses covered what was left of the visible ceiling. A large prop panther and an alligator were borrowed and crouched in the corners of the room. I created a living runner down the table with live moss, ginger flowers and other tropical blooms. I had one stereo system playing a "sounds of the rain forest" CD. Another stereo played Brazilian music. I prepared spicy skewers of meat and grilled vegetables outside (it's been years and I don't remember the entire menu) . I was prepared to run a garden hose up on the roof and attach a sprinkler which would rain down on the awnings outside of the dining room. I am, however, afraid of heights so that element of the dinner was nixed.
That was an extreme example but I enjoy going all out for dinners and parties. The planning of such events is always fun and totally enjoyable. The pressure to do them is self-imposed and I do it not to uphold any reputation as a "foodie" but rather because I see it as a hobby of sorts. The holiday meal/party/whatever is actually less enjoyable to me than the preparation stage. Once it's over, I can't wait to create the next one!
Acme Instant Food at 3:30PM on 03/15/07
I make beautiful meals. I plan menus and bake in advance. I never let anyone bring anything. If they do I take it quickly and HIDE it.
I have easter's menu already planned and the cakes will be baked this weekend and frozen but not frosted.
I shop for the best ingredients but look local for fresh produce first.
2 easters ago I invited a neighbor (new to the area with no family close by)to easter dinner. What a bad mistake that was. Her husband went on for days about what a good meal he had and that the wife was lazy and she came over and told me off. I smiled and said to her this seems to be an issue between you and him and does not involve me. I then offered to help her learn to cook and got told off a second time. Never ever ever going to do that again.
I love to entertain and love to be prepared for a "kitchen situation" and can make a meal on the fly.
Adam is right cooking and preparing takes a lot of time and effort. I have learned to plan ahead over the years. I leave very little to last minute.
When I do big occasions I run home to momma and make what I do best.
I usually do one cookout a year which is famous for eating till you can eat no more. My sangria is famous. I ran into someone who had had my macaroni and cheese in 1992 last week and she said when you made that it was soooo good. I was honored she remembered.
I take pride in what goes on my table and what comes out of my kitchen like my grandmothers both did.
I would rather make a reservation then serve bad food.
Is there pressure, you bet your rump roast there is. When you are good at something you have to be consistant.
JerzeeTomato at 4:47PM on 03/15/07
Yes, lots of pressure! Not only for all the reasons others have said but I get so very mad if I spend alot of time prepping and shopping, then spend a lot of money and time fretting, just to have the meal turn out so-so. Nothing worst to me than "ruining" good food. Very frustrating!
ThatGirl153 at 9:46AM on 03/16/07
I really don't feel that kind of pressure. I do feel pressure to serve people lots of delicious things when we have a dinner party, but they are just as likely to be sourced as cooked.
Ed Levine at 12:04PM on 03/16/07
I don't think I feel pressured. Let me ask my husband if I act pressured... Ok, he said, "Sometimes, yeah." Apparantly the most when I cook for him. Ok, so maybe a little pressure.
jenki at 10:32PM on 03/16/07
Oh yea! Much Much pressure! But I am a thrive under pressure kind of girl. I love to cook and love to serve and most of all love to hear my friends rave about my food. First my goal was to impress them , then it was living up to my reputation and now its coming up with something new and unsual. I keep raising the bar. I can handle it but it can be tough on the wallet. When I get too stressed I try to remind myself that the high standards I have set myself and my friends are not nearly as hard to please as I am.
Sindy at 11:19PM on 03/16/07
I used to, but I got over it.
Years ago I worked as the solitary chef at a very small, exclusive private club. I could make anything I wanted and had no budgetary limits. I never had to cook for more than 24 and, essentially, catered three dinner parties each week. It was a great job, no doubt. I did theme nights sometimes and served various ethnic foods, a crab feed each year, lobster nights, handmade pasta nights, and big prime rib dinners were always a favorite.
Being creative, using the best and freshest ingredients available and pleasing all the members from vastly differing backgrounds was no easy task. The wife of one of the members was raised in the midwest (a looooong time ago) and couldn't stand anything even the slightest bit spicy. I had one guy who wouldn't eat anything green and another who wouldn't eat anything white.
One member was a bona fide billionaire and came once a year with his own personal chef. On those nights I was a glorified prep cook and pastry chef. I didn't mind, at all. I took each of his visits as an opportunity to learn something new. One time we had a caviar tasting and another time a meal built around foie gras.
After the stress of those dinners, not to mention restaurant line cooking, I really don't stress out over dinners for family and friends anymore. If they don't like what I cook they can go in the kitchen and make themselves something else. I couldn't care less. I cook to please myself. Sometimes I make a big deal out of it and put on a whole production, but usually it's just a casual thing with good food and good company.
Calichef at 5:45PM on 03/18/07