I didn't come to food easily.
As a child, I sat at the table for hours and refused to eat. I turned my nose up at homemade candy, chocolate desserts, even fried chicken. I just didn't like the actual act of eating. And, I resented dinner.
But as an adult, I've realized that food is a gateway to faraway places. It opens the mind to adventure. I can't afford to go to China, France, Lebanon or Thailand. But I can eat dishes created there, in this case Lebanese Stuffed Eggplant, and read about the reasons behind the food to get a glimpse of the culture.
There's a very good reason that Hendrix's foreign language house, a dorm that rotates yearly between students in French, Spanish and German classes, mandates students cook together. Food bonds people together just as it transports them to that country.
My other foodie friends — the ones who take photographs of food more often than of people — knew they loved food early on. But many tend not to explore foods anymore. I will still try anything at least once. Snails, oysters, beef stomach, check.
Anyway, this blog and video is my first food adventure. It's not meant to be a professional video. I'm not Bobby Flay. Or that gorgeous Italian woman, Giada. I don't have the proper training, cookware, money or even a kitchen that doesn't slope. So, this is a cooking show for those of us who want to explore new dishes on the cheap.
I plan to show my mistakes and my successes. This means you could see video of me fleeing from the kitchen because of exploding apples. Or of me carving a duck by the light of a headlight strapped to my forehead. (Both of these actually happened to me. Alas, no one took video…Until now.)
So, are you ready for a food adventure?
Comments (9)
Add commentOnline resources
I forgot to add some online resources that might interest people.
Here's one of the recipes I altered: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/10/lebanese-style-stuffed-eggplant/
And a little about the eggplant:
http://www.indepthinfo.com/eggplants/history.htm
Loved the video - I am a
Loved the video - I am a picky eater but LOVE to cook and try new recipes :) Good luck!
may I suggest
The Cooking Show with No Name?
It works for 103.7 the Buzz.
No name?
There's a bar in Florida named "No Name." Or maybe it just doesn't have a name and that's what the locals called it. Hmmm.
We Need to Talk
About the proper way to hold and knife and a vegetable to be chopped.
I could see you easily wacking a finger the way you were holding that tomato.
Hint: Fingers pointing down on item to be cut, knife parallel to fingers that way it makes it much harder to get your finger between the knife and the cutting board which is bad!
Thank you Buzz
I also think a sharp knife would be helpful.
That is Part
Of veggy chopping 102 the advanced class. But I did notice the knife looked like it was a little dull
Carrots the most dangerous vegetable known to man get ahold of a bunch of rubbery roots(pun intended) with a dull knife and watch thoes fingers or they will get sliced.
Yeah baby!
Yeah baby!
Chopped fingers?
But won't it be fun to watch cooking gone awry? Then we can shoot ER video too. ;)
I don't understand your chopping tip, Mr. Buzz. I try to chop pretty much like I see people on those shows do it. (Or, all those kids in that cooking class at Conway High School. Thanks, cool cooking kids. :)
Oh Scarlet...
If you want some help with your knife skills, I'm available only because I believe in proactive interference.
On another note, where in heavens name did you get that beautiful ground lamb? Locally? Certainly not at Walmart or Kroger. I have to drive to Fresh Market in Little Rock for fresh ground lamb (not encased in plastic at the processing source). Please share.
And, by the way, the dish sounds wonderful and I'm going to try it in the not so distant future. Good job.