They say ignorance is bliss. And truly it really is.
Every time I go out for a meal, I truly wish I was ignorant to the basics of cooking and understanding how a dish would be made. Everyone else is oooing and ahhing about meals, commenting about how good something sounds and cannot wait to order. Me, there are different things going through my head ...
'Oh, that looks nice ... although I could have just stayed home and made it ...''Hmmm that sounds nice ... why did I come out only to eat something I could of at home?'
'Mhmm what about this one ... are you kidding me, that is the price? What are you importing ingredients in from the other side of the world?!'
I end up picking one thing, then changing my mind two or three times before the waiter comes. Even after I finally order and my food comes I have food envy, eyeing off other people's food and how delicious they look and wishing I stuck with my first decision. I'm so bad that Mr Steph now asks me what I feel like and then orders for me so that I can't change my mind. I'm not kidding, I'm terrible. And this is why I wish that I was ignorant to how things are made, because then I could be blissfully unaware and just enjoy things.
Now I'm not saying that there is no longer any mystery in food or that I don't enjoy food anymore, but it's so hard to turn off the cook side of my brain when I go out. Sometimes I do it easily and I just order what I feel like, but other times I end up crossing off half the menu in my brain because I could have just stayed home and made it myself.I'm not like this in all places, just with places with more simple menus. I also think that coming from a hospitality background and making a lot of the café style meals I know just how easy they can be. I just seem to see dishes in an almost deconstructed way instead of seeing it simply as something delicious. A carbonara pasta - you might see as creamy and delicious ... I see it as: An egg yolk, cream, parsley or basil, garlic, bacon; simmer down and serve. I used to absolutely love eating it out! But then I learnt how to make it at home.
In saying this, I do enjoy good food. And I love eating out. I guess cooking hasn't really ruined restaurants entirely for me, it's just given me more appreciation for dishes that I know take a little bit more love.
Is anyone else like this or am I just strange? If you know what I mean, comment below!
Steph xo
I am like this sometimes. I tend to only order things from restaurants that are truly special and I know I can't make at home. But I think it's great that more people are cooking and learning all of this knowledge to make them critical of restaurant and mass-produced food instead of just passively consuming it. You should read Michaal Pollans new book "Cooked." Really interesting.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I think people starting to be food educated is a good thing. It makes them also more aware of what they are putting into their bodies. It's like when I explained how croissants were made to Mr Steph. He was so shocked and went from grabbing one with his morning coffee every weekday to barely at all.
DeleteI'll try and track down the book you recommended also :-)