PrintQuestion of the Day: What do you cook that your parents wouldn't approve of?
When Serious Eats overlord Ed Levine mentioned in our PBJ Special Report that Alaina's mom would have killed her for using more than a thin coating of peanut butter on her PBJ sandwiches, it started us thinking...
What or how do you cook today that your mother or father (or whoever taught you to cook) wouldn't approve of?
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10 Comments:
Rare meat. Shellfish. Anything with Parmesan added ("smells like baby puke"). Fresh fruit. Fresh vegetables. Cheese. Herbs. I grew up on Tang, tuna salad, and Downyflake waffles!
BaHa at 9:37AM on 04/04/07
My mother-in-law scoffed at me once while I was preparing some fish for her.....I had the audacity to put orange zest on her food! She said..."I don't think you are supposed to eat that part of the orange"! I laughed and told her she has eaten plenty of zest at my house without even knowing it.
ThatGirl153 at 10:09AM on 04/04/07
I'm happy to say that my parents -- ages 79 and 81 -- are both very adventuresome when it comes to food, so I don't think there's anything they wouldn't approve of. My mom used to prepare a lot of things with hamburger, and "Beanie Bake" -- canned baked beans with hot dogs topped with French's fried onions -- would be a staple. But now they have the funds and the time to prepare gourmet meals (she's a cooking fiend!). Of course, being from Maine, they may be concerned if I cooked my lobster any other way than steaming in salt water.
Ovens2Betsy at 10:27AM on 04/04/07
A few weeks ago I made some squid ink pasta and thought I'd give my parents a thrill by taking a picture of it and emailing it to them. In the message I teasted that we had a plate of worms for dinner. I got a call within the hour checking to make sure I wasn't sick or in need of a stomach pump.
pezbabypez at 10:41AM on 04/04/07
my mom hates that, when im in a pinch, i use an already cooked chicken in my chicken soup and don't make the broth myself. i know i know it tastes better with a chicken cooked in the broth, but sometimes i just don't have time!
Stacy at 11:10AM on 04/04/07
The majority of the food I like to cook scares my parents.. They open there emails to photos of skinned bunnies, pig and sheep heads, whole ducks, and every other animal I can get my hands on.. At first I would send it to them because I wanted them to share my interest.. Now I am just trying to upset them..
They are also very healthy in their eating.. Not too much red meat or fried foods.. Sending them tartare, bacon wrapped things, foie gras, things poached in butter or olive oil, and deep fried gets them pissed.. So after sending them the venison tartare with french fries photos, I did not get a happy email..
I might say the majority of my cooking is inspired by things my parents would hate..
NYBITECLUB at 12:59PM on 04/04/07
They've been gone for a while now, but their mantra still resonates: "Cook it 'til it's dead!" Products of the first half of the century and the Midwest, they were skeptical of "exotic" spices [i.e., anything besides Morton's salt and ground-to-powder black pepper], spurned fresh fish ["Worms!"; I have no idea where that one came from] and heartily embraced the convenience foods of the mid-century [ever had a celery-flavored Jello salad studded with Spam nuggets? No? You haven't lived!] But I digress... they simply wouldn't enjoy one of my favorite spring meals: rare Yukon River salmon with sea beans, pea tendrils with a kazu/curry glaze.
sallyforth at 6:07PM on 04/04/07
NYBITECLUB, why do you go out of your way to upset your parents, even to the extent of eating unhealthy foods to shock them? Just sayin'.
I inherited my wide-ranging tastes in food from Dad, and he's no snob, so I don't think there's anything I make that he would scoff at. My mother thinks I spend too much money on things like good cheese, pasta, and condiments, though I don't buy any meat at all - and she buys kosher - so I think it's a wash. And of course my kosher standards are not up to hers.
emily20008 at 11:54PM on 04/04/07
Zucchini or courgette!
My parents hate them! ;-D
Sara - Piperita at 1:14AM on 04/05/07
I learned to cook becase I became keenly aware that my father couldn't, one day when my mother was sick. That helplessness in the kitchen freaked me out so I started watching and learning. The only problems were that my mother hardly ever used anything more daring than salt, pepper or oregano, veggies came two ways – frozen and canned – and her idea of fish was a box of sticks from Mrs. Pauls. It took me years to get over that bland, non-daring upbringing and I'm sure my mother would blanch at everything from my Peruvian Chicken (with a spicy, fragrant paste) or any of the number of tilapia dishes that we've become addicted to.
Hungover Gourmet at 7:21AM on 04/05/07