Ever feel like a snob...

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GEEZ - I'll do better next time! :-p...
Oops! I didn't think you would look in here! :LOL::angel:

If I ever get the chance to cook for you, I am sure I will be apologizing all over the place! I know you've heard this a lot, but you are a great cook!

:)Barbara
 
...People just don't realize how easy it is to cook from scratch...
This is so true. In fact, someone gave me a box of Hamburger Helper one time, and the number of steps it required were ridiculous. I thought, it is easier to cook from scratch (for the most part) and a whole lot healthier and tastier! And some of the best tasting things are the easiest. It doesn't come much easier than a home made pecan pie, but people assume it is hard.

:)Barbara
 
hmmm, i think i might be a snob, considering how amazed i am at all the processed packaged stuff overflowing some people's pantries. my pantry is pretty compact, but my fridge/freezer is overflowing with fruit, veggies, garlic, meats... but then again, my friends who *don't* like to cook never have people over at their houses. they tend to suggest meeting up at a restaurant instead. my friends that DO like to cook though, are all spectacular at it, so there's a constantly moving feast from one house to the other on the weekends.

with this group of people, themed potlucks are ALWAYS a super idea, but with novices, it can be intimidating (i.e., "oh, no, my enchiladas are side by side with his tostones!!"). why not a group cooking party? have everyone bring the raw ingredients and help prep together, or at least chat over cocktails in the kitchen while you're doing it all. sort of like teaching/inspiring without the lecture part.
 
I'm going over to a friend's place for a BBQ next Sunday. I'll see how snobby I am then!! Last time I went to a BBQ, it was charcoal. Haven't even worked out what meat I am taking. I have been dancing between preparing something (which would make me look snobby!) and just rocking up with some sausages. I'm going to take a snobby salad - baby bocconcini, grape tomatoes, red onion, Kalatata olives with a balsamic vinegar dressing. Doesn't sound snobby here but it will be to my friends who are really not foodies by any stretch of the imagination.
 
I just go for the fellowship. It ccan't be that bad, and who hasn't opened up a jar of spaghetti sauce on occasion? I love my friends and appreciate any hospitality that they offer.
 
It is a latest fashion India that educated women always like to show that they can't cook (or they really can't).

I really feel snob becuase I can prepare many traditional dishes, that are following the path to extinction
 
Growing up in an ethnically Italian food was alway important and always homemade. This type of home cooking was taken for granted.

In college exploring the vast types of ethnic foods with friends and cooking for eachother expanded my horizons of food beyond my traditional family background to asian latino and southern tastes.

I am not a great cook but I enjoy cooking and experimenting with new foods. I also enjoy sharing food. It is important to me.

But it is not imortant to everyone. Cooking should be about joy not obligation. If a friend or family member who hates cooking invites me over I would rather they order out or open a jar than spend time doing something they hate.

My favorite Aunt is a horrible cook. She just hates doing it. When I visit (they live on the beach so it is often) I either just enjoy the company and tolerate the food or man the grill and share my enjoyment of cooking with them.
 
It's snobbery if you look down your nose at someone who can't do something you can do. But if you are an accomplished cook, and your freinds aren't, and they invite you to dinner to "dine" on a Kraft Spaghetti kit supper, and you eat it, enjoying the company and hospitality, then you are not a snob. Knowing you can cook better than another isn't by itself snobbery. It's a fact of life. But throwing it in someone's face that their food skills are less than yours, then you cross the line into snobbery.

Should I try to make my food as good as I can, every time i prepare it, yes. That's the standard I set for myself. Should I try to make it the best I can for others when I go to a pot luck or to a relatives home for a holiday meal, again, the answer is a resounding yes, as long as I'm doing it to give my best to them, not to show off. And they will know the difference, usually.

The problem with being a very good cook is that others tend to try to impress you with their own skills, whether they have them or not. No one wants to feel that they are less than someone else, and often times let their own pride get in the way of something that could have simply been a good meal shared by everyone. If that is the case, then you are not being a snob. It is the other person's insecurity that is causing them to feel you are a snob.

I have been called a music snob, and a food snob by people. I can't help the music I like, and I don't force it on others. It's what I play in my home or car for my enjoyment. I give the same freedom to others. So am I really a music snob? I don't think so. And it's the same with food. I make far better turkeys than does my older sister. So for thanksgiving, I cook the turkey and let her make the stuffing, telling her that she makes better stuffing than I do (not true, but it makes her feel good). She also makes lime/pineapple/cream cheese salad that is wonderful. I give her full marks for that. Again, it allows her to shine a bit.

So, there are ways to help those who aren't so great around the kitchen shine. For instance, go over to your freinds house exclaiming that you just learned a new recipe for, say, a fruit smoothie, or some other thing that you almost can't mess up. Teach them how to make it. Adn when the next meal comes along, request it from them. Do this with several dishes and suddenly, the "I can't cook" crowd becomes the "I make the best smoothies in the neighborhood" crowd.

Cooking is something that is learned over time, and usually with the help of others. Be the mentor/freind and help your freinds who want to learn. For those that don't want to learn, well, order take-out from your local chinese restaurant.

Knowing how to do something well doesn't make you a snob. Tooting your own horn does.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
 
As Goodweed stated go and enjoy company and not judge the food. Everyone has their own standards and I also have high standards when I prepare the food at my place. I don't judge others however and go with the flow or eat little bites and politely turn down things I don't like.

The thing that does drive me crazy are people who invite but don't put in any effort. There are many people like that who just invite to return a favor (perhaps they came to your place several times). They put together some ill perpared thing and feed you. I still try to be polite and next time I go there I learn from my previous experience and feed my kids and family before we go.
 
:) I dont think I'm a food snob especially if they are really trying. If they want advice I'm happy to give it to them. What I really dislike is someone who really can't cook or grill and yet think they are the greatests cooks in the world so hard to watch and keep my mouth shut as they don't think you might know a better way.
Just last weekend a friend flew in from California to spend 3 days learning Northern New Mexican ( and to visit with DH) he was totally into it. I don't use recipes so I taught him how each dish tasted from beginning to end and how how to flavor as we go to get it just right. He learned how to make Carne Adovada, Posole, Red and Green Chili, Beans, Tostadas, Burritos, Enchiladas and Sopaipillas. I also explained all the variations you can make with each dish. He wants to come back this summer to learn more. Made me feel really good someone really wanted to learn and actually soaked it all in.
 
:) I dont think I'm a food snob especially if they are really trying. If they want advice I'm happy to give it to them. What I really dislike is someone who really can't cook or grill and yet think they are the greatests cooks in the world so hard to watch and keep my mouth shut as they don't think you might know a better way.
Just last weekend a friend flew in from California to spend 3 days learning Northern New Mexican ( and to visit with DH) he was totally into it. I don't use recipes so I taught him how each dish tasted from beginning to end and how how to flavor as we go to get it just right. He learned how to make Carne Adovada, Posole, Red and Green Chili, Beans, Tostadas, Burritos, Enchiladas and Sopaipillas. I also explained all the variations you can make with each dish. He wants to come back this summer to learn more. Made me feel really good someone really wanted to learn and actually soaked it all in.

I make a pretty good carne Asada, and good chili, both green and red. Beans, Tostadas, Burritos, and Enchiladas are also things I make. But I have never had teh opportunity to try Sopaipillas, Posole, or Carne Advovada. Care to share? And even with the things I can make, I'm eager to learn new recipes for the same. Maybe we can do a recipe swap. I can make almost anything I set my mind to. from pastries, pies, cakes, and deserts of all kinds, to tempura chicken balls, to Phillipino Lumpia. Let me know what you want to learn.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
 
Most of my friends can cook great, and know I'm not the greatest cook, so when I invite them for dinner I usually give them a choice of the stuff I can cook and if they say whatever is fine, I always tell them they don't know what they are getting into when they say that. I always make the joke first so people never expect a gourmet meal.
 
I am a very good cook, but I still rely on jarred or boxed things sometimes to make life easier for me. It used to be because I was busy, and now it's because I'm crippled up.
Anyway, One night, when I had a "friend" and her daughter over for dinner, I pulled out a box of au gratin potatoes, and she laughed and ridiculed me until I finally told her that if she didn't like it, she could just go home.
 
Most of the time no one would know the difference unless they saw you open the boxes or jars. I add stuff to everything so it never tastes like it's boxed.
 
...Anyway, One night, when I had a "friend" and her daughter over for dinner, I pulled out a box of au gratin potatoes, and she laughed and ridiculed me until I finally told her that if she didn't like it, she could just go home.
Good for you!!! She should have been ashamed of herself.

:)Barbara
 
For 30 years Buck and I lived in and around Washington, D.C. There was no end of good restaurants and we were surrounded by neighbors and friends who were wonderful cooks.

One of our long-time next door neighbors was one of the most accomplished cooks I have ever met. She was like having a culinary school right in my lap. I learned volumes from her and still have stacks and stacks of recipes she gave me. She inspired me to be adventuresome in my cooking and, as a result, there's very little I won't attempt in the kitchen. I have had my share of flubs, which can be directly traced to my "thinking" I knew what I was doing when I was preparing the dish. Fewer boo-boos now with experience. I've been cooking for over 40 years. I'd better have learned something after that much time.

We left D.C. 14 years ago and moved to a very rural part of western Kentucky. There are a lot of really good cooks here, too. However, they are simply "basic" country cooks who stick mainly to tried-and-true recipes. Very little adventure in their cooking and they seldom stray from what they've always cooked.

I've met ladies here who wouldn't think of adding ripe olives to a dish and think authentic Tex-Mex food comes from Taco Bell. The offspring of these ladies more often than not don't cook anything. More likely it's something boxed out of the freezer section of the market, take-out or going to mom's to see what she's having.

Don't misunderstand, I truly enjoy the food that is served here, but I can only take deep-fried "X" so many times or something slathered with cream gravy. These are all delicious, but in small doses for Buck and me and we're certainly not going to breate these cooks for their style. It is what they know and are comfortable with.

We live in the land of the potluck, which could also be called "here's my best dish" meal. These functions are always filled with THE best dishes of all the presenters. I love them and when I am asked to bring a dish, I try to introduce something a little different and have always been well-received. One of the reasons I do this is that I'm not a country cook and couldn't in my wildest dreams compete with any of those here.

I love to cook and share recipes and any help/knowledge with anyone who asks, but I won't push or force anything on anyone.

There is, we've discovered, a group of folks who will "play" in the kitchen like Buck and I do and we have a blast when we get together to cook together. We have a lot of fun trying/tasting new things and learning what is "icky" and what is yummy.

Well, I've gone on but I want to add/endorse something others have stated. Regardless of what is served, when invited to a friend's home for a meal, I primarily go for the fellowship. The food is secondary, be it tasty or mediocre.

Food comes and goes. There's nothing like a good, lasting dose of friendship!
 
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company for dinner

i have found that while people are eager to come to my house for a meal. by and large they don't invite me for dinner. i do have a granddaughter that tries to have people over. while she is cooking she asks me many questions,. mostly just basics that i take for granted. she wants to learn.

my son only does the bbq bit. he keeps it very simple. he cooks meat but all side dishes are store bought. it works for him. my daughter is a fair everyday cook. but never uses seasoning.

they really don't want to learn anymore than they already know. oh well guess i am a snob sometimes but try not to say anything mean.


babe:LOL::rolleyes::dry:
 
I am always thrilled to be invited over for dinner, does not happen to much in my life, so I always value the opportunity. If they can cook or not is just icing on the cake to me. If they can cook, great for me, great company, great food. If they can't cook, no biggie, great company, and I get to go home and eat that chocolate cake that I have been saving!!!!
 
I debated whether to respond to this or not...but, it is a discussion board, and we are discussing...so..

Let me preface with saying I'm not judging how you feel.. You feel how you feel, plain and simple. What I find hard to swallow is that you sound displeased that your friends, who simply want to entertain you, are serving you out of a box or the microwave. Regardless of what is being served or offered, how can you have such disdain for friends? How can you be anything less than gracious and complimentary towards their generosity? Kitchen skill and disposable income vary from person to person, and couple to couple. Most people give from the heart in good faith. The post, in general, disturbs me because you seem to feel you should be better entertained.

You always have the option of not accepting their invitations.

I don't know that being a snob is a good way to describe your behaviour. Certainly, no, to answer your question, have I ever done that.
 
I see nothing wrong with acknowledging you can cook better than a friend or family member. That's not being a snob, just an observation. I didn't catch anyone letting their friends know how they felt. They are just venting here.

We all still accept invitations and have a great time with these folks, we just don't enjoy the food. That's not to say we don't enjoy their company and appreciate the invitation.
 
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