What’s Cooking? April 8th

Remember that old saying, “Honesty is the best policy?” Well, I think as an adult with way too much life experience, this statement isn’t exaaaactly true in every single case. Sometimes it’s so much better to be gentle with your truth and use a softer side of feedback than to give a potentially harmful reply. However, we know most kids are unfiltered with their little voices, especially when it comes to food.

Actually some adults are quite outspoken about their opinions as well. And some choose to express them quite loudly, too. Even famous folks can be notorious for their big words and loud, over the top criticisms. Take Chef Gordo for instance…

And hey, I can appreciate criticisms about cuisine, too. Finding something to eat for every meal for the rest of our lives is quite tiresome. Is it me, or do the choices seem so played out? I live in NYC where there are thousands of options and I still seem to tire of the same salads with grilled protein. Even smash burgers have overreached lately. I feel like a bratty kid when I can’t decide. And then I found this menu which sort of captures where I’m at today…

I do dine in restaurants every week for work purposes. But I’m still eating the majority of my meals at home. And for those I obviously need to grocery shop and cook. When I’m preparing a meal for people I love, I take pride when I chop, slice, and dice, sauté and brûlée. I use fabulously authentic recipes but I also enjoy going rogue and making something new with a dash of this and a sprinkle of that.

But when I’m cooking just for me, I find it painful to pick up a paring knife to even slice celery. I completely loathe those very same tasks that I actually enjoy when I’m cooking for others. I can’t really comprehend the rationale but I know that it’s true. I just don’t have the motivation to impress myself, but for a hungry audience, I’m happy to drizzle the good olive oil and freshly grate the aged Parm.

So I’ve been following a few private chefs online that film their days cooking for families. So it should come as absolutely no surprise to you that my dream of dreams is to have my own personal chef! Can you imagine never seeing this sign ever again???

They would do the menus, the shopping, all the prep, obviously the cooking and the tedious clean up. What a chunk of time I’d get back into my life and what stress I’d leave behind! I know. I know. This isn’t a reality nor is it going to be. I couldn’t possibly afford such a luxury but I love the thought of it.