‘Entropic” captures my attempts in the kitchen. I once took a knife skills class at Sur La Table, but alas, knife skills didn’t help my timing, food prep, and a dozen other skills necessary to craft amazing meals. My wife has the gift in the kitchen, but more often now, we simply venture to our favorite establishments and let the pros do their magic.
Delightful essay that elevates an activity many take for granted. And I've never linked the vitriol of food opinion to the long past of food being deadly - so interesting. You always have such an expansive take. And I can't stop thinking now about how when Jim and I are in the kitchen, he will never give me tips or notes, but I can't shut my damn mouth - I vow to try better to be the dual-cook in the kitchen who acts strictly like the guest.
The most salient philosophical question I ask when confronted with the “Be Here Now” meme is “Who is cooking dinner?” And along those lines, “After the ecstasy the laundry”, is one of my favourite titles.
I am descended from the Irish, German, and a host of smaller groups none of whom are famous for the kind of cooking that my mate, an Italian, loves to make and eat. Our blending as a couple has to a large extent taken place in the kitchen. The conversations include stories about the way he grew up rolling the ricotta gnocchi for his Nonna, the whys and wherefores behind each attempt to make artichokes crisp and crackle the way they do in Rome, and, yes, how long to boil the pasta especially when it is to be added to the broth of linguine and clams or linguine and cauliflower or pasta e fagioli. It is perhaps a measure of the trust and communication that has grown between us over the past couple of decades that he cooks less than I do and I can often surprise him with a twist on a dish he thought he knew.
Thanks for this essay. I am sorry I am so late to reading it!
‘Entropic” captures my attempts in the kitchen. I once took a knife skills class at Sur La Table, but alas, knife skills didn’t help my timing, food prep, and a dozen other skills necessary to craft amazing meals. My wife has the gift in the kitchen, but more often now, we simply venture to our favorite establishments and let the pros do their magic.
Thank you for the comment and adding your thoughts, John.
Loved very bit (and bite) of this!
Thank you, Oleg.
Delightful essay that elevates an activity many take for granted. And I've never linked the vitriol of food opinion to the long past of food being deadly - so interesting. You always have such an expansive take. And I can't stop thinking now about how when Jim and I are in the kitchen, he will never give me tips or notes, but I can't shut my damn mouth - I vow to try better to be the dual-cook in the kitchen who acts strictly like the guest.
Thank you for the comment and for the very thoughtful words.
After hearing a gaggle of older women talking about food and recipes, one asked ‘You must like to cook’.
The answer, “No l like to eat”
The most salient philosophical question I ask when confronted with the “Be Here Now” meme is “Who is cooking dinner?” And along those lines, “After the ecstasy the laundry”, is one of my favourite titles.
That's always a good question—thank you for the comment.
I am descended from the Irish, German, and a host of smaller groups none of whom are famous for the kind of cooking that my mate, an Italian, loves to make and eat. Our blending as a couple has to a large extent taken place in the kitchen. The conversations include stories about the way he grew up rolling the ricotta gnocchi for his Nonna, the whys and wherefores behind each attempt to make artichokes crisp and crackle the way they do in Rome, and, yes, how long to boil the pasta especially when it is to be added to the broth of linguine and clams or linguine and cauliflower or pasta e fagioli. It is perhaps a measure of the trust and communication that has grown between us over the past couple of decades that he cooks less than I do and I can often surprise him with a twist on a dish he thought he knew.
Thanks for this essay. I am sorry I am so late to reading it!
Thank you for adding your thoughts and that story here—I appreciate it. Your use of the word 'blending', I should add, seems just right to me.