NotAmerican’s Profile
Recent Comments
'Food Parcel' by Alastair Levy
A few years ago, we were given beet-root by our neighbours. None of us can stand the stuff, but my wife's parents inexplicably like it. So I posted it off to them, in a plain plastic envelope. I hadn't told them I was sending it, so my mother-in-law thought it must be an explosive device and almost rang the police. She left it outside the front door just in case.
Hot Dog of the Week: Danish Hot Dog
The Danes have perfected street food. Every night, people come to walk on a pedestrianised street overlooking the harbor, and graze on small bits of food from the countless food carts. A small roll with herring and pickles here, a ripe peach there, a small bowl of soup with dumplings. It's the way to live.
Alton Brown Says No to Stuffing the Turkey
We don't eat much turkey, but on the rare occasions we do, I baste the bird with melted butter, and use the pan drippings to put in the pan of dressing. And the dressing will have sausage in it, which also helps keep it moist.
See more comments by NotAmerican »
Recent Posts
Recipe Request: West Indian Recipes for My Son and Me
Posted by NotAmerican, January 17, 2009 at 12:18 PM
See more posts by NotAmerican »
Recent Favorites
Martha Stewart's Macaroni and Cheese
Posted by Adam Kuban, December 17, 2007 at 2:00 PM
Sunday Brunch: The Best Silver Dollar Pancakes Ever
Posted by Ed Levine, March 8, 2009 at 8:00 AM
See more favorites by NotAmerican »
Recent Polls
NotAmerican hasn't answered any polls yet.
Recent Quizzes
NotAmerican hasn't taken any quizzes yet.
Recent Comments | Response to Comments
Thanksgiving Letter from a Control Freak
We're in the UK, so we don't really do Thanksgiving, but we do the family Christmas meal every year. I don't care what people bring, but if they do, I'm grateful. It is my job as a host to make sure there is enough food and drink for everyone, including unexpected guests. If you bring something, I will serve it. Last year, my in-laws showed up with half a side of smoked salmon and some fresh bread. I had made a mozzarella and tomato salad, but quickly stuck that back in the fridge. I used it to make frittata for breakfast on Boxing Day. There was so much salmon, I made everyone salmon and soft cheese sandwiches to take away for the drive home.
My point is that being a host means putting yourself, to some extent, under the obligation of the guest. Allergic to something? No problem, I'll make sure there's another option. Don't care for a particular dish? Then don't eat it. I guarantee there will be plenty of other things to eat, and if all else fails, I'll order you a pizza.
'Food Parcel' by Alastair Levy
A few years ago, we were given beet-root by our neighbours. None of us can stand the stuff, but my wife's parents inexplicably like it. So I posted it off to them, in a plain plastic envelope. I hadn't told them I was sending it, so my mother-in-law thought it must be an explosive device and almost rang the police. She left it outside the front door just in case.
Hot Dog of the Week: Danish Hot Dog
The Danes have perfected street food. Every night, people come to walk on a pedestrianised street overlooking the harbor, and graze on small bits of food from the countless food carts. A small roll with herring and pickles here, a ripe peach there, a small bowl of soup with dumplings. It's the way to live.
Alton Brown Says No to Stuffing the Turkey
We don't eat much turkey, but on the rare occasions we do, I baste the bird with melted butter, and use the pan drippings to put in the pan of dressing. And the dressing will have sausage in it, which also helps keep it moist.
Street Food Profiles: Don Chow Tacos in Los Angeles, California
If there is one thing that can bring us together as a world, it is barbecue. We all love meats lovingly prepared on a grill. I used to go to a place that did Korean/Southern US fusion. Sloppy Joes made with Korean barbecue sauce and Kimchi-laced coleslaw. Smoked pulled pork in a spicy broth, eaten with chopsticks.
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
They might show it in the States. Watch for a BBC show called Freaky Eaters, where people confront their food phobias. One man lived on cheese pizza and crisps for over a decade. It's entertaining television, and if you watch it together might make him more adventurous.
My wife was very picky when we met. She grew up on a game farm, and as a child only ate pheasant and dry bread. I introduced her to her first mushroom, her first crab cake, her first bite of lobster. She loves them all now. It takes time and encouragement, but pressure will just make someone stubborn. My nephew is famously picky, and when the family was over for dinner I made smoked haddock and salmon risotto with seared scallops on top. He made someone else take the scallops off. Never even thought of trying one ('It's the mildest thing on the planet' I said to no avail).
I feel sorry for those who won't try new things, but then again, it is a continuum. I try and be game, but when presented with a horsemeat carpaccio in Japan, I had to decline. Nor will I eat anything still living. We all have our limits.
Fish and Chips
Mushy peas are the staff of life! Cook them well, with lots of salt, pepper and mint, then mash them into a paste. Looks awful, tastes great.
Introducing the Serious Eats New York Chocolate Chip Cookie Championships
Ooooh, a cookie throw-down.
One thing I learned from Cooks Illustrated is that melted butter gives you a crispy cookie, while whipped softened butter gives you a chewy cookie. I find a mixture of both is best...crisp edges with a chewy centre. I use all the other tricks as well...adding grated chocolate to the batter, a dash of chocolate liqueur, buying the best vanilla and flour, not rolling too much.
A good cookie is one excellent reason to live another day.
What The Yankees Ate Before The World Series Win
I wonder what the White Sox (the team for all right-thinking people) eat before a game. My guess is a Polish with mustard and kraut, an IB (cheesy dipped combo, please), a couple of hot dogs, and a large well of tater tots with a queso dipping sauce, all washed down with an Old Style or two. Because you see, the White Sox live in food heaven. I guarantee they don't regularly eat lobster paella. No paella can match a Comiskey dog on a sunny day.
The pizza they save for after the game. A large from Malnati's, with sausage (flat, please).
My favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal...
I emigrated from the US ten years ago, so it's been a while since I celebrated Thanksgiving. Also, we don't eat poultry (we keep chickens as pets). But a good bread, sausage and onion stuffing with an ale gravy is hard to beat. And of course mashed potatoes...I put them up there with the omelette and scrambled eggs as something every good cook should be able to do well.
Sweet potato pie, topped with pecans, brown sugar and butter, and caramelised. An apple pie with a lattice top. Broccoli baked with a sharp cheese sauce.
Thanksgiving Day Appetizer Suggestions
Agree about the pastry. Try ground cooked sausage mixed with spicy tomato sauce and cheese baked in pastry rounds.
I also do mini-quiches a lot. Salmon, broccoli and stilton, in a small pastry pan, with the egg spooned over the filling. Top with a little cheese before baking (and keep an eye on them...the pastry will turn on you if you don't watch it.)
Kebabs are also good...maybe thick chunks of lamb with haloumi, plum tomatoes, mushrooms and onions. Cook in a hot pan with olive oil and garlic, maybe a few sprigs of rosemary. Keep the lamb pink.
I also really like seared strips of beef, served on a roasted tomato filled with horseradish cream. And batter-fried nuggets of shrimp and sliced fish fillet, with a selection of sauces (I'd go with aioli, cocktail sauce, and a lime mayo).
To end on a '70s classic, a whole wheel of Camembert with the yop rind sliced off, covered in sliced almonds, brown sugar and butter, chucked in a hot oven until melty and caramely, and served with fresh crusty bread.
Living on the Edge: Gas Station Junk Food
Nacho cheese Combos, or a big bag of pretzels. Original Doritos will do as well. And Dr Pepper. I also have a secret love for the hot dogs quietly rotating in the glass case.
Weekend Cook and Tell: Vintage Recipe Redux
Every Christmas, my mother would make Swedish meatballs with potato sausage. Half beef, half pork meatballs and sliced bits of sausage, browned first then baked in Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup mixed with sour cream and covered with lots of dill. Durkee fried onions were added on top once (over) cooked. Serve over buttered egg noodles. I still love them.
Fried potato question
One trick is to toss the peeled and boiled and sliced potatoes in a metal colander before frying. The colander roughens up the exterior, making it crispier when fried. More nooks for the oil to reach. Make sure they're very dry, or that the oil is very, VERY hot.
Serious Heat: How Did You Become a Chilehead?
I grew up in Chicago. Spice for us was the little shaker of red pepper flakes at the local pizza joint. I fell in love with Thai and Tex/Mex food, and built up a love of spice.
Then I moved to the UK. And I have very little spice tolerance at all anymore. I can manage a Madras curry, but not a Vindaloo. And, when working at a reastaurant run by a Salvadorian chef, I made the mistake of asking for something 'extra hot'. I had hiccoughs for a week. Apparently, he regarded it as a personal challenge. And he won.
I love chiles, but I don't want them to mask the flavours underneath. You need to know just how much to add to a dish; to give it added flavour and kick, but not burn the tongue. I'm sure you all know this, but the current leading theory on why we like spicy food is that the pain triggers endorphins, which make us feel better. That's right; chiles really are a drug.
Cook the Book: Mashed Potatoes, Finally Revealed
If you can find a net bag as used for herbs, put the peels in it and steam with the potatoes. Gives it more flavour.
Favorite Bagel Fillings/Toppings?
I like them with lashings of good butter right out of the toaster.
I also like flaked smoked haddock, finely chopped roasted red pepper and onion, all mixed with creme fraische and spread on to a toasted bagel. Or smoked salmon, sauteed spinach, thick-cut bacon and a poached egg.
I also like to play the savoury/sweet game...mature cheddar melted onto a cinnamon and raisin bagel, or raspberry jam on sourdough.
They're also great for proper crab cakes (by which I mean crab, an egg, breadcrumbs, a bit of pepper and nothing else). But not a sandwich, just on a toasted and buttered half. You get the crusty, yeasty taste of the bagel with the sweet-yet-savoury taste of the crab. It makes for a great starter.
Complimentary Korean Hotel Breakfast of Deliciousness
I remember hotel breakfasts in Japan...moulded triangles of sticky cold rice, vegetable soup, spongy baguette, unidentifiable flakes of seasoning to put on top of the rice (I later found out it was dried seafood with seasoning). Very red orange juice, random yoghurt. I loved it all. Your choice of green tea, coffee or strong coffee (which wasn't that strong). But I would go back in a minute just for that rice.
At one hotel in Tokyo, they showed me a picture-menu of the four different breakfasts. One was a whole crab, one was a huge fillet of salmon, one was sushi, and one was eggs and bacon. I must admit, I went for the eggs and b, as Bertie Wooster would say.
That said, there is never a bad time for kimchi. I could eat oceans of kimchi, with enough Kirin to wash it down.
AHT Poll: What's Your Favorite Side Dish to Go with a Burger?
@ronder; YES! We were in Belgium and stopped for moules and frites. Salty, crispy heaven.
There's another type of frite Belgians specialize in, where you keep the moisture in during par-cooking and then plunge it into super-heated oil. The cut potato literally explodes, giving you a large and very crispy chip, perfect for aioli.
Eating quirks
My wife (who is, for the record, the loveliest and most charming woman in history) has to have a bit of everything with every bite. So if we're having salmon with boiled potatoes and salad, there will be salmon, potato and salad on her fork for each bite.
I am a separator. I want to eat each thing individually. I'm not neurotic about it; if things are meant to be mixed, I promptly mix them. But I really like individual flavours, rather than everything mixed together.
Other things...I do not like fruit in savoury dishes (prunes in my sauce on a filet mignon? Why not just punch me in the crotch?) And hot dogs are meant to be had on plain rolls with mustard and nothing else (maybe sauerkraut....I say maybe). Also, they are best consumed at Comiskey during a Sunday day game, with copious amounts of beer). Burgers should be had with cheese, mustard, mayo and pickles on soft, buttered potato rolls, and cooked medium-rare.
Food ideas for fall gathering
Individual meat pies? If you can score some small aluminium tins. Braised beef or pork or lamb (or hell, all three) with your favourite veg (I'm a peas and carrot man, but you can be creative). Use ale to braise, with onions and garlic, before adding to the pastry and top with creamy, cheesy mashed potatoes and yet more cheese on top. Store-bought pie crusts work just as well as the home-made thing, in my experience. And you can do them up to a day ahead of time.
If you need a veggie option, I love broccoli and stilton mini-quiches. They also make a nice starter, and you can add haddock or salmon (or whatever you want) for the omnivores.
At our wedding, we had whole roast tomatoes, de-seeded and filled with horseradish cream, with strips of grilled sirloin over it. Easy to eat with a fork.
Sunday Brunch: Savory Bread Pudding
I've posted this before, but try it with whole slices of bread, decrusted and buttered, layered with fresh crab, sauteed chopped scallions, and gruyere. Add lots of black pepper and whatever seasonings you like. I like to use full cream, to give it a custardy texture. Cover with your favourite cheese and a few grates of parmesan. I've done it with lobster, salmon, flaked tuna steaks, seared prawns, langoustines...this is one of those dishes that always comes out. You can add de-stemmed sauteed leaves or onions if you like, or pine nuts. You could even try a mild creamy cheese like gorgonzola (but not too much...you want to taste the seafood).
If you want bacon in it, I like thick-cut bacon roughly chopped and seared with onions and garlic, mixed in with the seafood.
You can even prepare it a day in advance and keep it chilled, then just bang it in a hot oven the next day. A little salad on the side, and you've got a meal.
What's your food therapy?
I agree with lots of the comments here. Anything that requires me to pay full attention to the food, and not worry about whatever else is going on.
I made a lamb stew last week...just sliced lamb, potato, leeks, celery, garlic and spices in a cream sauce, based roughly on the classic Bigos stew from Poland (because ours was lamb-based, we jokingly called it 'builders' stew' in a nod to our Irish and Polish friends.
The lamb was from the farm down the road, was free-range, and very tasty. We don't eat much meat, so when we do, we get the best. I sauteed it in butter, dill, garlic and sage, sliced it, then added it to the potatoes, onions and other veg boiling away in a large pot full of stock. I added a pot of cream near the end. It was nice. A loaf of bread and some butter helps. You can add some kielbasa or any other spicy sausage if you like. Basically, you can do anything with it. Just...keep...stirring...
The Almighty Chicken Wing - nothing without the sauce
Slow marination, par-baking, a hot cast iron pan, and as much peppery sauce as possible. If you want serious heat, you can puree whole peppers, including the seeds, for a base. Don't add any salt to your sauce, as if they've been marinated properly, they'll be salty enough as it is. Keep saucing them when in the pan; a blackened wing is a good wing. I keep a bottle of olive oil with hot peppers and garlic in it...it's great for barbecue. Oh, and wash your hands well before you use the toilet. Well, after too...but trust me on the first one. Just trust me.
Kiss the Cook!! What's for dinner Thursday Oct. 29th?
It was my birthday yesterday, so I made pizza. Four-cheese pizza, with mozz, dolce-latte, parmesan and smoked gruyere with sauteed chestnut mushrooms and roughly-chopped tomatoes, garlic, onions and peppers, on a thick whole-grain crust.
Washed down with lots of beer. Lots. The wife got to put the kids to bed last night (usually my job...I am generally considered better at story reading). I was busy watching action films and eating chocolate. Priorities, people. Although the card my son made for me must have contained some sort of allergen, as my eyes started to mist up...
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
it sounds as if the problem is as much how his pickiness presents itself Vs the actual fact of the pickiness.
you need to negotiate how he goes about tasting and reacting. instead of filling his plate hiding the uneaten, he should take a bite only, then only take more of what he will actually eat. He also must accept that if he rejects what's for dinner, he makes his own substitute.
You, OTOH, have to deal with adjusting your daily cooking to reflect some of his opinions. Cooking can be fun, but the day in day out feeding of your partner & family isn't so much about the fun for you as about the fact that people need to eat. Plus, if he rejects your food in favor or cornflakes or PBJ for days on end, you can't be hurt.
if you someday are having kids, he needs to have learned to reject in a low-key fashion so as not to 'teach' his pickiness to them. I won't go so far as to expect him to sometimes noticeable eat something he is known to dislike, to model polite behaviour. But it would be handy.
PS I was in a relationship in which we had very different food cultures. our inability to appreciate each others standards was but one of many problems. But 3 times a day one or both of of us being annoyed or mad or disappointed sure didn't help. If you cant fine some way to enjoy meals together, some compromises, then hang it up now.
Thanksgiving Letter from a Control Freak
I would probably tone it down a little. But, you dont know her family or the mishaps they have already had. At my nana's if you were told to bring rolls, they had to be Publix water rolls and if you were making mac and cheese it had be a certain recipe and God help you if you deviated. So I guess, I just think you guys are being harsh.
Thanksgiving Letter from a Control Freak
Ok, do you guys have big families? I mean big families. This stuff makes sense if you have foil lids you can't stack in the refrigerator. The no serving spoons is obnoxious and hard to deal with when you got 20 kids bumrushing the fruit salad. And if you've got two turkeys and a ham in the oven there is no way Aunt Julie gets to put her uncooked casserole in oven. My mom is the oldest of seven with spouses, I have 12 cousins, so we had friends, SO's, inlaws relatives, and great relations.
When I was little it was insane . There wasn't enough room for the people let alone the food. You got assignments, specific assignments about was to be brought and how. They always wanted to make sure everybody could have some of everything. They made a special bowl of potato salad cause an uncle was "alergic".
So I'm pretty sure they got phone calls that went a lot like that letter. So I wouldn't bash her. I may print out the letter so I can use it for the next family gatering and use it like a blueprint.
Thanksgiving Letter from a Control Freak
LOLOLOLOLOOOOOOOLLL--I just read through the old TALK comment thread and the "Boo-KAAAY residence" cracked. me. UP. Yeah, I love me some smart-assed peeps.
Thanksgiving Letter from a Control Freak
"Now, while I do have quite a sense of humor and joke around all the time..."
Something tells me she doesn't.
"dinner" vs "supper"
I think it depends on what's served. We have "chicken dinner," "lasagna dinner," "steak dinner," "breakfast for dinner," "chili supper," spaghetti supper," "soup and salad supper." "Lasagna supper" just doesn't sound right.
Thanksgiving Letter from a Control Freak
The writer would have a field day at my house. I've been known to run out of serving spoons, so chances are on Thanksgiving and Christmas, you'll find a rubber scraper in the sweet potatoes and a wooden spatula in the mashed potatoes.
You and your food are more than welcome in my house, even if you make cookies with margarine, top desserts with Cool Whip and your lidless casseroles are covered in foil. I'm not Martha.
"dinner" vs "supper"
I have lived in Missouri (St. Louis) all my life. We always called the second meal of the day "Lunch", and the last meal of the day, "Supper". Although Dinner and Supper could be used interchangeably My husband's family did the same thing.. I notice my older siblings are now calling it "dinner" when they invite us over. I have always used the word Supper unless we are going out to a formal meal, then I will call it Dinner.
We have always used the word soda. My uncle used to call it sodie.
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
We all have our food preferences. I don't like fruit mixed with foods that are supposed to be savory, savory stuff with raisins, or chocolate mixed with fruit (though separately, I love them both). Other than that, I'll eat anything at least once, maybe twice (I believe it second chances for everyone and everything). I think the thing that bothers you the most is that he doesn't share your passion for food and he doesn't want to even try. The point is: can you live with this? or will it be a thorn in your side that digs deeper with time? If you can't make peace with yourself on this, then walk away. If you can deal with it and have it not affect your dignity and self-worth, then I don't see that it's a real problem.
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
My first wife hated eggs, bananas, mustard, my watermelon fruit salad, my top secret recipe 6 grain pancakes, didn't like breakfast in general. Of course, I'm more of a breakfast cook, but her idea of cooking is heating up canned soup (mac and cheese was a highlight of her cooking skills). In fact, when we first got together, the only thing she ate was McDonald's cheeseburgers and fries. (I did get her to eat fresh cut up strawberries.) So when we split, I vowed that I would avoid dating picky eaters.
So of course, my last (I'm planning it that way, anyhow) wife is a great cook - an amateur chef IMHO, but she's vegan (and I'm allergic to the entire legume family). We have great fun trying to create dishes that we can both eat (the entree is always veggies, the protein ends up a side dish for each of us), and she has decided that fried rice with eggs is ok (she is having trouble getting enough protein in her diet). And as a bonus, she loves my pancakes (which I modify by substituting coconut or almond milk for sour milk and/or yogurt), and never complains about my potatoes.
So, as to your problem, drag the bum into the kitchen now and again and make cooking a shared activity - fun-shared, not chore-shared. If he is a good kitchen companion (maybe not entirely his cup-o-tea, but as a special activity), then it will lessen the anti-everything you seem to interpret from him right now, and some of his ideas might end up being useful in figuring out how to feed him when you are cooking without him. If you two can't get along in the kitchen, I'd have to vote for a quick exit strategy.
My favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal...
@julea
I'm with you - all my friends know that I'll be bringing the "shape of the can" - it has become a minor competition to see who can dump the cranberry sauce out in perfect "can" shape. However, my favorite part is the other thing no one else I know likes but me - mincemeat pie.
Thanksgiving Letter from a Control Freak
I'm honestly grateful for any item a guest would bring. If they ask what to bring, I always answer "whatever kind of booze you want to bring". My vegetarian guests sometimes offer to bring a veggie main course, and that's just fine with me. Enjoy your guests people, that's all that matters!
Thanksgiving Letter from a Control Freak
I have to wonder if this person started out this way, or if decades of family Thanksgivings have driven her to this.
Thanksgiving Letter from a Control Freak
LOL! I love it! Definitely have family that can relate, lol
Thanksgiving Letter from a Control Freak
I think the thing that was most disturbing about the letter, if you follow the link from AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com back to the letter contributor, is that the letter is supposedly real. The author of this letter is walking around somewhere. And she's planning this year's Thanksgiving. Right. Now.
Thanksgiving Letter from a Control Freak
I remember this gem. Thanks for reposting. As much OCD as I've got, this lady is waaay over-the-top controlling. She needs to pour herself a Manhattan and chill the hell out.
Thanksgiving Letter from a Control Freak
LOL!
Ok, I do potluck some holiday meals, since I'm poor, but the furthest I go is to make it clear what I'm contributing, and request that people give others some idea of what they're planning on bringing so we won't get everyone bringing the same thing. I don't give people assignments, bringing stuff is optional, and I try to make enough stuff so that in the unlikely event that nobody brings anything, we'll still have a decent meal.
Geez! "Bring four pounds of green beans. Not three, four. Five you shall not bring, nor shalt thou bring two, but four pounds of green beans shalt thou bring..." And besides the excessively detailed instructions, there's the snide remarks thrown in there for good measure. I mean really, Lisa, you're a grown up now, can you at least handle a veggie platter? And June, your blue serving dish is ugly, use "regulation size" casserole dishes for your 15 lbs of mashed potatoes!
Thanksgiving Letter from a Control Freak
Too funny! I can relate to both sides, not quite to that extreme but I get it. Those of us with this "disorder" are really just wanting it all to be "perfect" and the reality is it's not going to be. It's not meant to be vicious. However when you put it in writing and read it , it could be percieved as demanding and neurotic! still quite amusing!
Thanksgiving Letter from a Control Freak
If the invitation sets the tone for the event... can you imagine???
OMG! No frickin' way.
Life is too short. I'd just politely bow out. You know, so as not to ruin the day for the host. ;)
Cook the Book: Mashed Potatoes, Finally Revealed
This is exactly what I was looking for! I, too, am a fan of both lumpy and creamy potatoes, depending on the meal. For this T-day, I was hoping to find a fool-proof (because, alas, I can be such a fool in the kitchen) method for creamy mashers. I can't wait to try it out.
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
Every person you meet and get along with very well isn't necessarily your mate. Food is something you will be sharing with this person for life, 3 times a day plus snacks. Not to mention favorite holiday treats... that adds up to a lot of things you won't be sharing, possibly even arguing about. You love to cook, and may see food as love. His constant rejection of your offerings and likes may over time wear like water dripping on stone and erode love and respect. A very long list of verboten foods is a whole different thing than not caring for a few things. Stay friends if possible but think long and hard about developing more intimacy.
BUT- utimately it's your life, your choice.
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
I think if you were really crazy about this person, his food habits wouldn't bother you as much.
It would eventually chip away at her patience, no matter how much she cares for him. You can only overlook something for so long before it ends up being part of an argument that goes, "Yeah, and another thing..."
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
I think if you were really crazy about this person, his food habits wouldn't bother you as much. And, vice-versa, he would make an attempt to be more adventurous.
My husband was a picky eater when we first started dating. Over time, he's broadened his horizons food-wise, and I save the things he really won't eat to savor when I'm having a meal without him. A good compromise, I think.
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
I married a picky eater-- not quite as picky as yours, but some of my faves are the things he hates. Over the last 4 years, it's been easy to "cook around him": to use ingredients he likes, or just make sure the stuff he hates is in large chunks so he can pick it out and give it to me. I kind of like have double the mushrooms in my coq au vin! The thing is, for me, there was no consideration of not getting married to him because of his pickiness-- because it was SO obvious that we were meant to be together in every other way. So now I have artichokes when I go out, not at home, and I make a side of kale for just myself, and it's no big deal.
I have another friend who passionately loves her hubbie of 20 years, but they eat separate meals-- hers are gourmet feasts, and his are pizza, hot dogs, and pancakes (he has a severe food issues).
So it can be done! But it sounds like there are many other things that make you unsure... trust your instinct on this!
My favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal...
Stuffing(!), cranberry sauce-- don't hate me, I love the canned stuff--, pumpkin pie, pearl onions, and of course, a little turkey is mandatory.
Everything else is meh.
What I REALLY love is the leftover turkey/cranberry sauce sandwiches.
Godly.
Recent Posts
Recipe Request: West Indian Recipes for My Son and Me
Posted by NotAmerican, January 17, 2009 at 12:18 PM
Recent Favorites
Martha Stewart's Macaroni and Cheese
Posted by Adam Kuban, December 17, 2007 at 2:00 PM
Sunday Brunch: The Best Silver Dollar Pancakes Ever
Posted by Ed Levine, March 8, 2009 at 8:00 AM
Polls
NotAmerican hasn't answered any polls yet.
Quizzes
NotAmerican hasn't taken any quizzes yet.
About NotAmerican
Location: Cambridge
About: Blissfully married father of two, lecturer at university and author of the most boring books on earth.
Favorite foods: Pasta with proper cream sauce, a delicious burger done on a griddle, anything from Thailand or Vietnam, most things from Japan, good bread with properly-made hummus or tuna salad.
Last bite on earth: A small bit of perfect cheese, on a Carr's biscuit.
We're in the UK, so we don't really do Thanksgiving, but we do the family Christmas meal every year. I don't care what people bring, but if they do, I'm grateful. It is my job as a host to make sure there is enough food and drink for everyone, including unexpected guests. If you bring something, I will serve it. Last year, my in-laws showed up with half a side of smoked salmon and some fresh bread. I had made a mozzarella and tomato salad, but quickly stuck that back in the fridge. I used it to make frittata for breakfast on Boxing Day. There was so much salmon, I made everyone salmon and soft cheese sandwiches to take away for the drive home.
My point is that being a host means putting yourself, to some extent, under the obligation of the guest. Allergic to something? No problem, I'll make sure there's another option. Don't care for a particular dish? Then don't eat it. I guarantee there will be plenty of other things to eat, and if all else fails, I'll order you a pizza.