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rude chef or did I insult him
Whoa. He seems a little too eager, if you ask me. No concept of boundaries. Did he taste the coleslaw in front of you?
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
World Vegetarian by Madhur Jaffrey - she's never failed me
(but if the veg thing puts you off you can get one of her meat friendly books)
Half Banana Holder
Hm. The banana guard, for whole banana, looks like a dildo. Bet it's fun carrying that around in a purse.
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Recent Comments | Response to Comments
The Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Aw, man! I totally need to learn how to deglaze plans! In Poland we're too lazy to butter four sides of bread, so we just make grzanki - an open faced grilled cheese toasted in the oven, then slathered with mayonnaise (ew) and ketchup (double ew). American grilled cheese is WAY better. Especially with Sriracha.
rude chef or did I insult him
Whoa. He seems a little too eager, if you ask me. No concept of boundaries. Did he taste the coleslaw in front of you?
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
World Vegetarian by Madhur Jaffrey - she's never failed me
(but if the veg thing puts you off you can get one of her meat friendly books)
Half Banana Holder
Hm. The banana guard, for whole banana, looks like a dildo. Bet it's fun carrying that around in a purse.
Sugar Rush: Oro Bakery & Bar
Croissant bread pudding? Why has such a thing never entered my mouth!
Photo of the Day: Sesame Rice Balls
@Southern_bella: I really, really hope that that's not what your cervix looks like.
I love tang yuan! I like to scoop out the sesame inside and discard the dough part. And ginger soup is essential.
The Foo Fighters' Tour Rider: Bacon as 'God's Currency'
Hahahahaha. Once, when I was thirteen, I made one of these for fun, and it was two or three typed pages of food items. The only thing I can remember from it - big fat hoagies.
organic/natural butter replacement?
Jeffrey Steingarten would argue that butter IS healthy, like Simon said, but I say, if you want to go without, I echo everyone on Earth Balance. It's rad!! I had an ex who was a freegan, and he said he only ate bread as a vehicle to get Earth Balance into his mouth. (It really is that good.)
Burgertime Video Game Online Again
I'm going to have nightmares of eggs and sausages chasing me and trying to kill me tonight.
Ramp Compound Butter
Haven't you heard? Blake Royer is so. Tired. Of. Hearing. About. Ramps.
:)
Guess What This Is
Not to be a complete grouch, but this really irritates me. Am I the only one who thinks it's a complete waste of resources (as in packaging/plastic/transport/etc.) and that it sells something that is completely unnecessary?
Is It Still Italian If It's Not Made by an Italian?
Definitely agree with the comments posted above. I live in Poland, and there are a host of "Vietnamese" eateries in Warsaw, some run by Poles, many by Vietnamese. But it doesn't matter which you go to - you never get real Vietnamese food (at least not what I'm used to, having grown up in San Francisco). What you do get is this sort of ok kind of Chinese food with Polish influences - for example, there's almost always a side of cabbage salad. It would never pass if I were still living in San Francisco, but here I miss tofu and anything Asian so much that it's great. In any case, no matter who's making it, it's not what I would call "authentic" Vietnamese. Vietnamese-Polish, maybe.
The Tastiest Streets in the U.S.
Valencia St., San Francisco - seriously, how is San Francisco on no one's list? What is that?!
Grocery Ninja: Thousand-Year-Old Eggs and the Horse Urine Myth
Century eggs most definitely do not taste like cheese. But I love them anyway; I used to eat them all the time in pork congee.
Are Chefs More High Maintenance than Other People?
That's funny, I was just thinking the same about you.
Cook the Book: 'My Last Supper'
I would go to town at the farmer's market and a good grocery store (something like Rainbow, in San Francisco) and spend an entire day (or few) cooking up a mad storm, invite all of my best friends and then go at it. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, lots of pasta and rice, for sure.
In Videos: David Sedaris Delivers a Pizza
Holy cats, is that David Sedaris? It doesn't look like him at all!
Vegetarian without Soy?
For sure - bulk up on quinoa and other whole grains if you're worried about protein.
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Trail of Crumbs'
Any noodle, pasta, or rice related.
Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Secret Ingredients, the New Yorker Book of Food and Drink'
MFK Fisher changed my life. Ok, not really, but she's amazing.
San Francisco sushi restaurant?
My favorite place is Okazu Ya on Taraval, btw. 27th & 28th. Marco Polo, this great ice cream parlor with predominantly Asian flavors (taro, black sesame, lychee) is down the street, and it's a short L-car ride or 20-25 minute walk down to Ocean Beach.
Can You Handle the Stink?
Cowgirl's Red Hawk was too strong for me, but I love their Mt. Tam - the three cream. I'd sort of written off stinky cheese as not for me, but reading your post makes me curious...maybe someday I will be ready!
And aharste, I thought durian wasn't allowed in Singapore at all! I'm glad you kept it though, I love it!
Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: A Year of Chocolate
dark. milk chocolate makes my teeth hurt.
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
Hands down, my favorite cookbook of all time is Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan. It is brilliant, completely useful in everyday life and with one single exeption (the pear cake thing) every thing I've made from it has come out great. And I've made almost everything in it over the years. It is what I give new brides. It is what I give the young people I know who are starting out on their own.
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
If you're conserving "real estate" in your home, here are a few suggestions...
Martha Stewart's Cooking School
I'd also get books of your favorite ethnicities. They round out a cookbook collection nicely.
Bottom line - get books you'll USE. I love baking bread and have several books on the subject but if you're not interested in baking bread, skip it. I like Italian baking as well and have books by Nick Malgeri on the subject. (Baking w/Julia is an "all around" baking book it has a little bit of everything from some of the brilliant minds in baking.)
You might visit a library and/or bookstore and thumb through some to get an idea if you'll like them. Don't forget to visit USED book sites. Some things strike readers as "out of my league" so they bail and sell the book with nary a splat of olive oil on it. I beefed up my cookbook collection via used book sites.
Happy shopping!
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
Kenny Shopsin's Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin, hands down. Really changed how I think about cooking.
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
I would have to say Professional Cooking...the massive amount of info in it is amazing! lots of step by step pictires and detail instructions. Although you have to know some professional terminology to use it. Measurements both in metric and u.s.
The Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich
add one more peice of cheese and some crispy bacon and youre set to go.
Grocery Ninja: Thousand-Year-Old Eggs and the Horse Urine Myth
The first time I spotted these on Wikipedia, I swore I'd never try them, and that's saying something because I love trying new weird foods from other cultures. But you really have a talent with words concerning food, because now I really want to try a "diluted" version sometime just to see what it tastes like! I'll have to hunt down a restaurant in Chinatown that makes a dish with this in it!
And as a side note, I've been reading your column non stop between calls at work since I found it yesterday and I love it! I'm like you in that I love to go to ethnic grocery stores and try new things. It makes me want to go out and buy some new stuff soon. Thank you!
The Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich
My husband says I make the best grilled cheese sandwiches. You know my secret?? Parmesan cheese sprinkled on the buttered slices before they go into the pan. Just sprinkle then pat down with a knife. Creates a lovely cheese texture on the tops and bottoms of the sandwiches. Try it!
The Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich
My boyfriend makes his grill cheese w/italian bread. After grilling it he sprinkles powdered sugar on it. He recently made it for me and i loved it!
The Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Use Jarlsberg. It's heaven. Especially with a Roma tomato and red onion.
rude chef or did I insult him
@ Karen - LOL.
Why else would he want to keep you there for so long? ;)
All that aside, your experience sounds pretty bizarre. It's good that the chef was eager to correct his flop, though if he accosts everyone that way I'm not sure he should come to the front of the house...you can't please everyone.
rude chef or did I insult him
He then made the waitress return the money for the salad and told me he would show me the ins of all his restaurants ( probably because I told him I wanted to go to culinary school ) he then promise that by the next time I went back he would improve the coleslaw.
Alternately, aside from the whole thing being preposterous, maybe he just had a crush on you.
rude chef or did I insult him
I can see this happening in a place where the chef thinks he's got a really big toque, wookie (not excusable but understandable for when believes one has a big toque one wants to be sure everyone else thinks so too) - but for a serving of coleslaw?
Preposterous. Was my first thought.
The whole thing reminds of J. Alfred Prufrock, measuring his life out with coffeespoons.
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
@BlueIris - You're right about thrift stores as a great source for cookbooks.
Try used book stores too, and check out the spiral-bound Junior League-type collections. They can have great regional recipes and a real sense of place. Charleston Receipts is one of my favorites. And I still use the "Silver Palate" cookbooks. I know, very 80's, but they make everything sound like fun.
rude chef or did I insult him
First of all, having a bunch of restaurants does not make someone a chef. Second, taking criticism comes with the territory. Third, I hate being lectured to when I am paying to dine in an establishment. Sounds like the chef is essentially telling you that there is nothing wrong with the coleslaw. Your experience reminds me of the time I ate at the restaurant of a chef who was named one of Food & Wine Magazine's best new chefs. The potato soup needed salt. I asked for salt. I was denied salt and instead received a lecture on the philosophy of the chef, the restaurant, and the service. Then I saw an ant crawling on the lettuce leaf of my sister's sandwich. We pointed it out to the server, who then told the chef who said "We don't have an infestation problem." Needless to say, I've never been back and I've told everyone about the experience.
rude chef or did I insult him
The coleslaw sounds terrible, the chef sounds drunk, the experience sounds ludicrous.
Some people can't cook, some can't spell or form a sentence that flows pleasantly. The difference is whether one has to pay for it or not, I guess.
Life is so very strange, most of all when coleslaw is around.
I would have asked the chef to pay me for having had to eat it.
rude chef or did I insult him
First of all, it was not exactly Chateaubriand you didn't eat. The guy should have been asking you a) What you didn't like about the slaw and b) How he could improve it. I know egos run big amongst those who cook and/or run kitchens ("chefs") but he picked a fight when he should have been looking for constructive criticism. He could have processed your feedback and decided to a) Change the current coleslaw (which I wouldn't recommend); or b) Offer more than one type. (Bingo.)
PS - Cole Slaw is one of those things for which there are zillions of recipes and techniques. Chopped? Shredded? Mayo? Vinaigrette? Carrots? No carrots? Taking it personal didn't do him any good - nor you.
He clearly doesn't cotton to the old adage: "You can't please everyone."
rude chef or did I insult him
Whether your opinion is "right" or not, he needs to chill. I place chefs in the same box as artists. If he can't take criticism, he needs to get out of the kitchen.
rude chef or did I insult him
This happened to me when I got a watery and warm creme brulee that the kitchen help had torched so that it was melted. Also there was not a speck of any vanilla in it. It was egg custard milk. I told the waitress after one bite to take it away and who shows up the chef. I showed him the creme brulee and he proceeded to tell me he had lots of successful restaurants and I being me said you are only as good as the smallest plate you make and that was not up to my standards and I am not a chef.
After watching Top Chef and Kitchen Nightmares, I now realize chef's often make mistakes, they have what we all have competiting objectives. Get the food out hot, tasting good and correct. This cannot be easy when people are as diverse as grains of sand. Now you know why chef's love tasting menus. They make what they want the way they want it and your supposed to love it and pay $$$ for it.
If a chef cannot manage to get some coleslaw out correct then that is all I would have to know. That would be all they would get out of me. Everyone gets one chance with me. I take into account lots of things. Arguing over cole slaw would be a deal breaker. You were not rude. You spoke your mind. Just because his game is off doesn't reflect you at all. He is there to prepare your food. You are not there to massage his ego. I do not know why people pander and cater to people who are chefs. They have a job to do same as anyone else. If they put out junk then someone needs to call them on it before they lose their shirt. That was a wake up call for him. Let us hope he takes it seriously.
rude chef or did I insult him
Actually, it sounds like he took your comments seriously and was also fairly nice in response to your telling him you're interested in culinary school.
This must have been a fairly long conversation to get into your desires for education. I gather there's a lot you've left out of this brief description.
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
As a collector of cookbooks for many years, my dislikes are anything artha Stewart or Bobby Flay. My all time favorites chefs are Julia Child and James Beard tho my really best favorites are "Two in the Kitchen" by Joe & Jeanne Anderson published in 1974; "With a Jug of Wine" by Morrison Wood published 1949. I agree with @cibercita that Laura Colwin's two books are wonderful and so sad she died so young. So many good recipes and so little time to cook.
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
@ Stephie: new cookbooks are expensive. You may want to start with the library if you can find any cookbooks that aren't checked out.
Also, thrift stores often have good old reliable cookbooks for very little. Every once in a while I take some in as donations and buy a few more. Kind of rotate my stock. ;-)
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
moosewood! mollie katzen is a fave of mine. also anything by Ina Garten
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
I'm going to go along with all the Barefoot Contessa fans. I own all of them, and they are indispensible to me. I use them for grilling, baking and cooking. Her style is simple, good ingredients done to satisfy the beginner and the expert cook. I own about 150 cookbooks, but these are the ones with food stains on all the pages!!
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
@Angie_Earthy: I'm with you. My fave is Better Homes and Gardens from the 70's. So great! My mom made the mistake of letting me "borrow" it, 9 years ago. Never giving it back. She has since stopped asking for it back. I also bought the newer edition that's pink. I wanted to buy it because it supported Breast Cancer Research and to see if there were any new recipes. It's a good one as well.
Looks like I am going to invest in Joy of Cooking for myself-my mom has a copy at her house. Oddly enough, she won't let me "borrow" this one :)
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
The go-to's are Baking by Dorie Greenspan, The Way to Cook, because nobody does it better than Julia and The Frog Commissary Cookbook because it's just a great cookbook.
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Aw, man! I totally need to learn how to deglaze plans! In Poland we're too lazy to butter four sides of bread, so we just make grzanki - an open faced grilled cheese toasted in the oven, then slathered with mayonnaise (ew) and ketchup (double ew). American grilled cheese is WAY better. Especially with Sriracha.