“The society which has abolished every kind of adventure makes its own abolition the only possible adventure.” Paris, May 1968


Saturday 26 November 2011

We are what we eat.

There are some things that even I won't admit to doing. Take watching celebrity chef cooking programs for example. Hugh Fearnley-Poshboy, Jamie, that one with the hair-gel, they are all the same to me. Blokes who are making a big fuss about something quite simple i.e. cooking the bleedin' dinner! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy cooking and have always had the greatest respect for ships cooks who are able to dish up excellent grub, sometimes in appalling conditions, when just being able to stand upright is an achievement. I learnt to cook as a teenager on the barges. It was usual to have to learn to cook before you were taught how to steer and this proved quite an incentive. For a long time my repertoire was limited to baked pork chops and savoury mince and these two dishes remain favourites of mine to this day. You can't beat good basic grub I reckon.
The truth is however that the other day, in a moment of weakness, I watched about ten minutes of Celebrity Master Chef. Do you remember that clown who booted his telly in so outraged was he at the Sex Pistols? That was almost me with the celebrity cooks. What a load of rubbish! Minuscule bits of daintily served meat, portions of vegetables so small that any self respecting hamster would have a moan , swirls of sauce, six chips in a lattice - and square plates. Don't get me fucking started about square plates!

1 comment:

Gitane said...

Ah the classic question; food or feed? Even in this small provincial town in the West Country the difference in quality of fish and chips is much discussed. Sit down or take away, quality chips or brilliant fish?
Like you I used to take the unpretentious approach to food until I went to travel ad eventually live in France and realised the difference between what was offered up and, given the same ingredients, what was possible.
I've always looked upon the extra skill, experience and care that can go into something like cabbage as a gift to the eater, how simply wonderful to turn feed into food. Cabbage with a black butter and vinegar sauce changes the whole relationship between diner and chef.
Even my old gran would make sure we had mint sauce for breast of lamb, and bread sauce for chicken; bread pudding, apple crumble.....cmon Ray all that is good about feeding is food, otherwise, like the totter's horse, we would all be walking about with nose bags.
Dunno what square plates are about though can't help you there I'm afraid so you may have to go and buy a new telly.