Cooking snobbery

[Dave Hutchins]

I have had the same responce to you are a chef and I do not want to cook for you
many times.. and by and large I have not been invited to any of there partys. As for food snobbery I am like some one else's post I have fed food snobs plain simple food and they have come back for more. out side of the midwest I would not be considered a chef
but that is where I made my bucks and was quite happy to do it

[buckytom]

cooking snobs never last very long here. i can think of 3 or 4 right off the bat that define the expression "some people bring joy when they arrive; others when they leave".

i'm waiting for the oenophiles to get started with this one, though. oenophilology is often misunderstood and abused by snobs.

i remember that i used to think that people who went through the pomp and circumstance of examining the bottle and tasting a wine before it was served at their table were probably snobs. but on a trip to california a few years ago, a waiter explained that there are bottles that have gone bad, so tasting the wine is more about quality assurance than it is about snobbery, in many cases.

the worst wine snob that i've ever met in my life, unfortunately, is a co-worker and my arch nemesis. (holy grapes, batman!)

since i cater our annual holiday party and an occasional retirement party when requested, i often ask the guys what they want to drink when i've made up the menu. for years, this doofus only had one request (not that i asked him): that there's at least two 1.5 litre bottles of gallo white zinfandel, no matter what food was being served.
now, i have no problem with white zin or gallo wines. they're cheap and they go down like water, so they have their place in the world. they're perfect for a day out skiing or winter hiking. beer freezes and doesn't do well in a goat skin, and it's a little rough to be drinking vodka at 10am after the first coupla runs...

skip ahead a few years, and several divorces later for this quasimodo, and he begins to date a woman who happens to own a high end wine shop. no gallo to be found.

so last christmas, when i was checking if anyone had any special requests, he chimed in with "you can't afford the wine i drink."



i told him where to insert his expensive wines.

sideways.

[LPBeier]

Good for you, BuckyT!!

[Nancy Jane]

I don't care about food snobs. I just cook and no one complains. Dat's good enough for me. Da proof is in da puddin'.

[Michael in FtW]

LOL - anyone watch the movie, Ratatouille?

I find that most of the "snobs" couldn't cook a package of instant "cream of wheat" - they just eat and complain ... they have no talent, no skills, no incentive to mess up their pretty uber-bucks kitchen.

[seans_potato_business]

Does no-one care when a recipe asks for a cucumber to be peeled and have its seeds removed? Since most people don't get their fibre requirement, I'd advise against peeling anything that isn't necessary. To be honest, I'd even go so far as to say that sifting flour in this day and age is pretentious and a waste of time. I challenge anyone to tell the difference between two cakes, made exactly the same in every way, except for sifting of flour which should make no difference if it's been properly stored.

[Michael in FtW]

Originally Posted by seans_potato_business

Does no-one care when a recipe asks for a cucumber to be peeled and have its seeds removed? Since most people don't get their fibre requirement, I'd advise against peeling anything that isn't necessary. To be honest, I'd even go so far as to say that sifting flour in this day and age is pretentious and a waste of time. I challenge anyone to tell the difference between two cakes, made exactly the same in every way, except for sifting of flour which should make no difference if it's been properly stored.

Yep - peeling and seeding has it's place. If you don't want to - nobody is going to hold a gun to your head and make you. Well, maybe the "Food Police" might rap you on the knuckles with a big stick ...

Sifting flour does have it's purposes - even in these modern times - flour still compacts when put in a bag. But, this is not the forum to once again try to explain the compaction and aeration of flour and how it impacts baked goods. Unfortunately - how a bag of flour is stored has nothing to do with anything when it comes to making a cake - THAT is why you sift the flour.

[luvs]

i'm agitated by snobbery. i eat food from foie gras & caviar to wings & meatloaf. i love food for its versatility. people, after learning i've gone to culinary school, try to impress. sigh.

[Andy M.]

Originally Posted by seans_potato_business

Does no-one care when a recipe asks for a cucumber to be peeled and have its seeds removed? Since most people don't get their fiber requirement, I'd advise against peeling anything that isn't necessary. To be honest, I'd even go so far as to say that sifting flour in this day and age is pretentious and a waste of time. I challenge anyone to tell the difference between two cakes, made exactly the same in every way, except for sifting of flour which should make no difference if it's been properly stored.

These are not examples of food snobbery. There are reasons for these instructions.

Cucumber peels have a bitter flavor component that can impact the taste of a dish. Seeding the cuke eliminates a significant amount of moisture from the recipe.

Sifting flour can make a significant impact on a recipe. When you sift flour, you aerate it or 'fluff' it up, separating the grains. As a result, a cup of just sifted flour will contain significantly less flour than a cup of unsifted flour.

[Nancy Jane]

Well, maybe we are all truly Chefs. Anybody think of that? If in one moment we bring culinary pleasure and beauty to another (food joy), doesn't that truly define our status? I believe it does. I've experienced this and it is very satisfying.