ardchoille
Senior Cook
I'm a bit of an extremist when it comes to food and some folks simply aren't comfortable with that. I'll put more effort into toning my posts down a bit. We all need to get along and I feel that I can change for the better.
Maybe the reason for all the blow-back is because you stumbled upon a forum of Renaissance and Impressionist painters, and here you come in all Joan Miró or Salvador Dali (although his Lobster Telephone would be pretty apropos). Your approach to food is a bit at odds to most of ours. The Art of Cooking is what many of us pursue. The goal is to take raw ingredients, season and prepare them lovingly, enhance their best qualities, draw out their best flavors, and present them in a visually appealing way. Your desire is...nutrition. Kind of jars the senses when they are used to something different.I hold membership in around 50 different forums and DC is the only place I have a problem with this...
Maybe the reason for all the blow-back is because you stumbled upon a forum of Renaissance and Impressionist painters, and here you come in all Joan Miró or Salvador Dali (although his Lobster Telephone would be pretty apropos). Your approach to food is a bit at odds to most of ours. The Art of Cooking is what many of us pursue. The goal is to take raw ingredients, season and prepare them lovingly, enhance their best qualities, draw out their best flavors, and present them in a visually appealing way. Your desire is...nutrition. Kind of jars the senses when they are used to something different.
I'm going to venture a guess that the theme of the other around-49 forums is nutrition, or fitness, or health, or any variation of like-themed topics. Not cooking. And therein lies the reason for *this* (flutters hands in air)...
Just my perspective. YMMV.
Maybe the reason for all the blow-back is because you stumbled upon a forum of Renaissance and Impressionist painters, and here you come in all Joan Miró or Salvador Dali (although his Lobster Telephone would be pretty apropos). Your approach to food is a bit at odds to most of ours. The Art of Cooking is what many of us pursue. The goal is to take raw ingredients, season and prepare them lovingly, enhance their best qualities, draw out their best flavors, and present them in a visually appealing way. Your desire is...nutrition. Kind of jars the senses when they are used to something different.
I'm going to venture a guess that the theme of the other around-49 forums is nutrition, or fitness, or health, or any variation of like-themed topics. Not cooking. And therein lies the reason for *this* (flutters hands in air)...
Just my perspective. YMMV.
Somehow this comes to mind ...
Yep one slip up and it'sThat would certainly work if one wanted to drink their food. However, as I mentioned earlier, the product I created was hardly drinkable. I'm at fault here, I shouldn't have used the word "spread".
Yep one slip up and it's
Oh fer Pete's sake, guys, grow up.
You're asking for an awful lot around these parts Dawgluver.
If Ardchoille is happy with his recipe, so be it. We all have the right to respectfully agree or disagree. Here, we Discuss Cooking!
You're missing the point of the objections, Kenny. Most of us try to be civil here when we have disagreements. Tone and attitude matter.
Thanks for the feedback G.G. and I do get it. I was just trying to steer the subject back to something productive and throw out some things to think about.
Wasn't trying to insert myself in to the direct issues you were having.
Wow, so it’s not just me! I got a wonderful PM from a member here telling me just that, after my very first posts in a thread drew an individual who for some reason took issue with my “style”…or something…who knows.
I’m a big boy. Grew up a red-head being called all things including “red on the head like a (insert word that means male sexual organ here) on a dog”. Life has a lot of jerks in it…it’s just how we determine for ourselves who the jerks are…right? That jerk is likely someone’s friend elsewhere…ya neva know…
BACK on topic,
Ardchoille is clearly a health conscious person. Clinical in nature and see’s food as simply “body fuel”. Have you seen the tubs of powdered stuff health nuts and body builders consume? That’s what they do, they see life and food very differently than most. Dr. OZ comes to mind.
He is very correct that the love of food consumption and flavor and texture often leads to obesity and health problems. That sign in some places that says “never trust a skinny cook” nails this.
Ardchoille, is an ordained minister in Seattle…from Central Virginia that looks like an oxymoron! Doesn’t compute, but I’m glad he is there spreading the word.
So his tasty creation was a pulse or chop of baked chicken breast, spinach, pickle slice, tomato slice, pepperoncini rings, hummus, diced red onion, and green pepper ring. I think the two ingredients that makes people kneejerk are the chicken and hummus but is this really all that weird? Think about it.
I’m sitting here right now sipping a thick gazpacho from a mug. A food processor version because the tomato harvest had been so big this year I am worn out from processing by hand. This gazpacho was made from cherry tomatoes…yep, you read that…I skin every single one, it’s not as hard as it sounds. But I usually de-seed by hand and hand chop everything. Tired of it for the season, so I pulsed all the Gazpacho ingredients and mixed together, then mixed the rest of the liquids and spices.
A lot of folks can’t wrap their head around a cold soup like this, especially with the tomato seeds in there, but I love busting them up while chewing what is already a semi liquid soup.
I’ve known people who will not eat refried beans because it looks like a loose stool, will not eat guacamole or avocado because of the texture and color (they say they don’t like the taste, but seriously?) and would never consider eating a cold Borscht.
I absolutely love really good boudin. The steamed kind that Louisianans don’t think twice about walking, sitting or driving around squishing and sucking out of the natural casing…that’s how you eat boudin…you don’t fry it, grill it or smoke it, at least in the bayou. It’s sold in gas stations for a quick lunch down there. I have gotten my Boudin recipe really close to some of the best I’ve had and if you’ve had the good stuff…you crave it. However, I have had grown macho men gross out and say they “aint eatin’ nothin’ that looks like it’s coming out of a condom!”. These same macho types are terrified of sushi. Squirrel is OK, but sushi is disgusting!
I know someone who shudders at the thought of mayonnaise…I’m not even going to delve in to what trauma may have caused that.
So my point it is, we all have that one, two or three…or more foods, textures, smells, whatever that we do not like and will not consume.
Ardchoille has made something not unlike some tapenade concoctions I have seen. Heck, traditional tapenade has anchovies in it, something many people shudder at the thought of. Pesto’s…same thing, meat would be weird but then again…now I’m thinking anchovies in an arugula pesto! Thanks Ardchoille…you got my wheels turning, I love weird!
I can’t imagine living life seeing food as fuel rather than a love and special event at almost every meal…even snack. That’s why I seldom eat “bars” of stuff. I’ll wait until I can have something better if I can, but will eat a “bar” of something or drink a protein or nutrition drink if I’m starving and need to just keep working. My Gazpacho in my cup next to me is the biggest prep cheat I usually do, I hate shoveling something in my face just to make the hunger pangs stop.
Rock on with your bad self Ardchoille…good news is I won’t be over for dinner!
I am one of the people who likes to play with flavor profiles and ingredients, but I would rather play with food than eat it. A bite here and there is enough for me. The only person on DC who has met me is TL. She can attest to the fact that I am not overweight. I am suitable weight for my height. I definitely am more fond of savory than I am of sweet. Protein is my go-to but the protein portion is about 4 oz. and the veggies covers 2/3rds of my plate. I am not a bread or pasta person. I eat pasta dishes maybe 4x/year. I love playing with food and definitely do not see food as only a source of fuel. I like to eat for enjoyment, I just don't eat huge portions. FWIW, I test recipes for local chefs and restaurants. I develop recipes for catering companies and cook for a food photographer. I have a lot of fun playing with food. And, I think that if food doesn't look good, smell good, and taste good, it ain't worth eating. Just my 2 cents worth.
The only thing that I can't resist when it comes to sweet is homemade ice cream.