Gourmet guilt
Published by Becky S November 7th, 2005 in food
Do any of the following sound familiar?
- A row of cookbooks, spines uncracked, lining a kitchen shelf
- A box full of untested recipes clipped from newspapers and magazines
- A link to scallion wild rice crepes with mushroom filling and red pepper sauce, bookmarked circa 2002?
Everyone wants to be that person—the one who stops for fresh produce on the afternoon commute, arrives home at a reasonable hour to a clean and organized kitchen with sharp knives and eggs that have not yet expired, and is ready to whip up a gourmet meal in no time flat. But seriously, if you’re not this person by now, it probably won’t happen. Face the truth: you are never going to make scallion wild rice crepes with mushroom filling and red pepper sauce.
Luckily, there is a way to keep up the gourmet pretense without having to do any of the work. Simply do your online foodie reading on sites written in a foreign language. For example, Le Hamburger et Le Croissant is a wonderful food weblog written by Estelle, a French expatriate living in the Philly ‘burbs. Even though the content is French, you can tell that her site is quality—the pictures are gorgeous, and the directions appear to be detailed. However, unless your French is a lot better than mine, you won’t be able to make the recipes. The language barrier is your out! It is your excuse to do nothing but look at the pretty pictures.
But what about website translators? Luckily, neither Babelfish nor Google will provide a translation accurate enough for cooking or baking. For example, check out the post where Estelle makes her own raviolis a la courge butternut.
Gaze longingly at the scrumptious pictures, knowing that you—through no fault of your own—will never be able to “manufacture all alone” these “raviolis with the marrow butternut.” I, for one, would be making these raviolis right now if it weren’t for the poor state of Internet translation technology.
cooking food french weblog
So, what did you end up doing with your Trader Joe’s pre-cut butternut squash?
Uh, I wrapped it up in aluminum foil and put it in the fridge. Last night, I really meant to roast it per your instructions, but I was too full from soup! Tonight for sure…
You could always join a cooking club and help feed Ryan.
(I realize that this post makes little to no sense, but you know, I have to maintain that “super-secret coworker” mystique.)
We should befriend that frenchie. In the meantime, you could have the opposite problem, where your 40 plus cookbooks have all been used, and you have 2 huge binders of loose recipes (finally organized). Now it’s time to make again that sweet potato, onion, shrimp, prosciutto tian simmered in white wine that you made 2 years ago that was fantastic. Hmm, if only you knew which of the 40 cookbooks the recipe came from. BTW–most of my perfecting of my gourmet sensibilities came from trying to bring some respite to being in a humanties Ph.D. program for far too long.
Heck, I’m not feeling guilt so much for neglecting my Julia Child as for my inability to make time for something as simple as this.
Super-secret Dan…yeah, I think that Ryan will need fed once he runs out of the Hawaiian Macademia nuts.
Sassy, are you just trying to rub salt in the wound? Incidentally, I have had the pleasure of meeting Estelle–she is a friend of Freedom Date, who is now married to Special K. Make sense?
Sherri, that is hilarious. I have that same slow cooker book and hardly ever use it. Now that the cold weather is approaching, I guess it would be a good time to renew my efforts.
Would that be sea salt? kosher salt? Becky–I am not rubbing anything–I am telling you if you really want time to cook spend way too many years in a Ph.D. program.
Would that be sea salt? kosher salt? Becky–I am not rubbing anything–I am telling you if you really want time to cook spend way too many years in a Ph.D. program.
Echo, echo.
In Sassy’s defense, TypePad (hoster of this fine site) has been having some performance and commenting issues that make it easy to double post. Grrrrr.
Estelle writes: “I keep enjoying all the good things this country has to offer, such as, the King of Prussia mall”….Did anyone else find that amusing besides me?
Oh! Recipe links! Thanks Becky! I guess some of us are lucky by having the grocery store on our way home; a short commute and no significant other to have to ask “what would you like for dinner”? (hence willing to try any recipe even though it sounds weird)
I do get to open my cookbooks, but not as much as I want…I’ll make the birthday cake tonight. Don’t have any vanilla sugar; but regular sugar should be acceptable.
Two U. administrators with the same neglected cookbook? Too funny…. I’ve made my own vow to do more cooking for the winter, and I’m hoping some efficient crockpot usage will help that along.
Luna, actually making the recipes defeats the whole purpose! You’re just supposed to look at the pictures, or else you ruin my plan! Uh, let me know how that vanilla cake turns out, though, because it looks divine.
Sherri, wait, I’m not an administrator! Am I? I work in IT.
Your university may have more categories at play, but in my world, Becky, you’re an administrator. The “little college on the hill” has three types of folks on payroll: faculty, admins, and support staff (who used to be called “secretaries”). By that classification, IT counts as a subset of administration.
Welcome to the club!
Becky, i just can’t help it! the craving-force is too strong within me! /dramatizing
Well, I do “just look” at my Bon Appetit mag; with one exception: May 2000 issue, that one is falling apart from the use.
Will definitely tell you how it turns out. Those pictures keep on making me salivate.
Sherri: I do genetic research
hmmm…Sherri, what about research? does that make me an administrator of data and tissue samples?
Tom, I had not noticed the KOP remark–that’s pretty funny. One of the things I love about Estelle’s blog–in addition to the recipes and pictures–is her perspective as a French foodie living in the US. I loved her post about black bottom cupcakes, in which she acknowledges that American really can make good desserts. At least, I think that’s what it says.
Sherri, an admin? Say it ain’t so.
Luna - May 2000? What do you keep making? The sauteed calf’s liver with red wine vinegar or the chicken liver crostini?
SSC-Dan The schiacciata, the panna cotta, the pollo alla diavola and random recipes here and there (since those three I already know by memory). I tend to stay away from liver…but after last night’s Good Eats I might give a try to the chicken liver crostini
Wow! My blog is blushing Becky! Thanks for devoting an entire post to my little site, we are both very flattered
Most of my recipes are actually translations from Americaon ones. The butternut squah ravioli is from the september issue of Chow magazine (a fairly new food magazine) and the vanilla cake comes straight from “Cooking for Mr. Latte” by Amanda Hesser (a great, great read with excellent recipes). I really learned to cook in the US and I discovered many yummy foods thanks to Jonathan. Through my blog, I try to share my discoveries with the French, hoping to make them curious about “real” pancakes and “real” muffins. I think it works!
One tip: if you click on the various links on each post, you might find an English version of the recipe. Hope you will try some soon!
[I really like the KoP mall, I even gave a tour to Freedom date a few months ago]