My first thoughts as I begin this mandatory six-week journey is, why did I choose cooking? I've just unleashed a furry like no other, my free time is going to be taken away by boring instructional books telling me the amount of foods to put in each meal, how to properly set food on fire, and being scolded by my parents for making terrible food. I have little experience with cooking aside from making scrambled eggs (I can only make scrambled eggs because I break the yolk every time I crack an egg). But I am darn good at making scrambled eggs, so I figured why not try cooking?
(Not actually my eggs, just googled scrambled eggs)
I thought this opportunity would allow me to learn a life skill, learn about a different world that I have seen every day, but never ventured near. I see cooks every day, at restaurants, fast-food places, and at home because my parents cook about six days a week. Maybe this project will help me understand their struggles, or maybe I don't want to know the horrors that they face. Some checkpoints I will set up are different meals I will be able to prepare. I will start with breakfast, then lunch, then dinner, and if I am feeling a little extra in the fifth or sixth week, perhaps a dessert may come into school. I'll most likely be tracking my progress through the amount of tears shed because of my cooking, probably in a small graduated cylinder. Each week a new cylinder will be used to collect the tears, and over time the amount of tears should go down. Hopefully. Or I can measure my progress by tracking the number of meals that I can cook successfully (meaning I can eat the food without wanting to regurgitate it). This numeric value will help quantify this qualitative journey into Hell's Kitchen, where Gordon will surely kick me off in the first week.
Hey Bobby, cool first blog post. I can't wait for you to bring in great food during the ted talk! I think this is a great topic for you because it definitely seems like you have not done much cooking in your life (me neither). This is an area where you can improve a lot, as well as learn many ideas about cooking. This will serve you well in life, because at some point you are going to need to know how to make yourself something nice to eat. Can't wait to see the progress you have made this week!
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You don't know how many times I've been home alone and just made myself cereal for lunch. This could really help you later on when you've got to make food for yourself in college. I'm no good at cooking so I don't really know what advice to give you, but don't stick on eggs too long. (you might get sick of them) When do you think that you'll advance to something besides eggs, and what will it be?
Delete(I moved my comment from the About Me page)
Thanks dude!
DeleteAnd Evan, I completely agree, I've also just sat at home eating cereal, and let's be honest that's not always the healthiest choice.
DeleteI think that you could probably incorporate your proficiency in scrambled egg-making into all areas of your project. Some of the best dishes I've ever made involved scrambled eggs. As I understand, you'll be tracking your progress by the amount of meals you can make that are adequate enough to eat. However, I think you gotta ask yourself, do you want just food or great food. There is definitely enough room here to be able to make great food and I'm sure you could do that as well. Two years of working with you have demonstrated clearly that you can handle challenges, even those that you may doubt yourself about. You got this bro.
ReplyDeleteBobby, I'm expecting a 7-course meal, no less, by the time of the TED talk. I can't wait to see the results! Cooking is such an essential skill, and this is a great way to get started. Are you thinking of setting specific dishes as goals, or learning techniques? From my extensive experience watching Food Network, I've heard it is a good idea to learn basic concepts like sautéing, searing, or cutting skills first, then combining techniques in dishes. That may be a good avenue for you to pursue. Good luck with your cooking, and don't get discouraged if one result isn't perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, and I'm sure you will be able to fix them and make great food!
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