http://tleaves.com/2005/01/03/dinnertime-disasters/ Creativity x Technology Sat, 17 Mar 2012 05:09:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://tleaves.com/2005/01/03/dinnertime-disasters/comment-page-1/#comment-819 Dan Tue, 04 Jan 2005 13:29:21 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=274#comment-819 Check out: Japanese Cooking, A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji. It's beautifully written and I make stuff described there frequently. One thing I love about that book is that it gives suggestions for substitutions for ingredients that are hard to find outside of Japan. Check out: Japanese Cooking, A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji. It’s beautifully written and I make stuff described there frequently. One thing I love about that book is that it gives suggestions for substitutions for ingredients that are hard to find outside of Japan.

]]> http://tleaves.com/2005/01/03/dinnertime-disasters/comment-page-1/#comment-818 a. Tue, 04 Jan 2005 03:34:30 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=274#comment-818 If I try something new for dinner guests, I generally lean towards dishes that don't have unusual or arcane instructions, have been postitively reviewed by many people (e.g., epicurious.com), or can exist as a minor offering that would not be missed. This is not failproof, however. This Thanksgiving I was rather disappointed with the quality of a pumpkin pecan pie that was highly reviewed on epicurious and had a simple method. I do often make many new dishes for parties, but then again, I'm usually making 8 or more recipes in which case it's easy to throw one away unnoticed (case in point: a spicy spanish fried potato dish in which the potatoes positively *refused* to get crispy [a reason to invest in a deep fryer for sure]). Admitting to culinary failure is not especially graceful no matter how it goes, but so long as the cook doesn't take herself too seriously, I should think the guests would be spared feeling embarassed or uncomfortable on her behalf. I usually either avoid mentioning the faux pas at all (in a case where the dish never makes it to the table), or if there are other cooks there, use it as an opportunity to discuss solutions. In the case of the dish that is not exactly inedible but one I'm not proud of either, I try to warn the eater so they're able to make an informed decision, as well as offer an alternative. I think the bottom line is to regard new dishes like children: irresponsible parents (recipe authors) piss off everyone; only the reasonably well-behaved should be seen when trying to appear impressive; it's more fun to show them off once they begin to develop a mind of their own. Then, on a stormy night, they turn rebellious and usurp all power you once had over them... If I try something new for dinner guests, I generally lean towards dishes that don’t have unusual or arcane instructions, have been postitively reviewed by many people (e.g., epicurious.com), or can exist as a minor offering that would not be missed. This is not failproof, however. This Thanksgiving I was rather disappointed with the quality of a pumpkin pecan pie that was highly reviewed on epicurious and had a simple method. I do often make many new dishes for parties, but then again, I’m usually making 8 or more recipes in which case it’s easy to throw one away unnoticed (case in point: a spicy spanish fried potato dish in which the potatoes positively *refused* to get crispy [a reason to invest in a deep fryer for sure]). Admitting to culinary failure is not especially graceful no matter how it goes, but so long as the cook doesn’t take herself too seriously, I should think the guests would be spared feeling embarassed or uncomfortable on her behalf. I usually either avoid mentioning the faux pas at all (in a case where the dish never makes it to the table), or if there are other cooks there, use it as an opportunity to discuss solutions. In the case of the dish that is not exactly inedible but one I’m not proud of either, I try to warn the eater so they’re able to make an informed decision, as well as offer an alternative. I think the bottom line is to regard new dishes like children: irresponsible parents (recipe authors) piss off everyone; only the reasonably well-behaved should be seen when trying to appear impressive; it’s more fun to show them off once they begin to develop a mind of their own. Then, on a stormy night, they turn rebellious and usurp all power you once had over them…

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