Does anyone else find this?

[Andy M.]

It bothers me when someone says that. I see it as an indication that they think I consider my own cooking as the only good food around.

I also hear comments along the lines of my being a food snob or a "real gourmet cook"(whatever that is) suggesting I wouldn't care for home cooking.

The truth is, I spend more time creating recipes for hearty soups, pot roasts, meatloaf and such than any other category of food.

I felt really good about my sister's asking for my meatloaf recipe. It was a breakthrough.

 

[Entertain4Fun]

I get alot of the "oh look what Martha has done now". And "we can't have you over for dinner, you've set the bar too high".

I am really starting to dislike it when people do this. I'm not sure they understand that I do these things because I ENJOY it. I wouldn't throw all of the dinner parties I do if I didn't want to. I don't cook for people just to impress them??? Please.

I'm not sure what you should say though when people say this??? I just get embarassed. Any ideas?

 

[Claire]

One thing that is fun is that some friends have started asking me to "co-host" their parties. They are freinds who don't have a lot of confidence in either their social or their cooking abilities. I love it, because the one thing I hate about entertaining is cleaning the house before hand. I'm no slob, don't get me wrong. But right now I have a 150 year old house that grows cobwebs and dust bunnies in front of your eyes. I also have my mom's standards living in my brain, and the minute someone walks into my home I see every little bit of dust I missed. So entertaining in someone else's house is a pleasure (and their homes are well over 100 years old, and I don't much care about their dust bunnies and cobwebs, don't even see them!!). AND they learn that ... hey, use all the shortcuts available to you. Your friends will always love to be there, and won't much care if you used a short cut or did stuff from scratch. And there's "Mr. In-Between". You can take a can or package, go to your spice cabinet or veg bin, and make it your own. Stove top stuffing becomes your own with a little more sage and tyme, and some onions and celery sauteed in a dab of real butter or good olive oil. Canned "cream of ..." soups are a great help. I wouldn't live without a selection of Liptons' soups to boost a gravy or sauce. And heaven forbid anyone take away my selection of assists for failed beef stocks and gravies (they are very expensive to make, when you skim the fat you often take what little flavor you get, etc. . . I think they're the hardest and most expensive stuff to make well.)

 

[CharlieD]

In our community (the synagogue), it is the norm; first week after baby is born the community cooks for the couple every day. I always like to participate and usually people like what I make. We were lucky enough to have the community cook 3 times for us and, oh boy was I a nasty sob about it. I criticized everything. This was not that and was not this, oooph. Okay there were some fantastic mills there too. I was grateful, but I do not like food if it doesn’t taste good. I’m not talking about food that I do not like; I can admit that food is good if in fact it is. When I do not like particular things, I still know if it is good or not. But when people go and spent time and money and make something that is barely edible… For me it is double waste because then I have to go to kitchen and make something instead of seating down and just relaxing with wife and new baby. I think it is wonderful that people do that, but if one doesn’t know how to cook, I think it’s better not to do it at all.

 

[luvs]

One thing that is fun is that some friends have started asking me to "co-host" their parties. They are freinds who don't have a lot of confidence in either their social or their cooking abilities. I love it, because the one thing I hate about entertaining is cleaning the house before hand. I'm no slob, don't get me wrong. But right now I have a 150 year old house that grows cobwebs and dust bunnies in front of your eyes. I also have my mom's standards living in my brain, and the minute someone walks into my home I see every little bit of dust I missed. So entertaining in someone else's house is a pleasure (and their homes are well over 100 years old, and I don't much care about their dust bunnies and cobwebs, don't even see them!!). AND they learn that ... hey, use all the shortcuts available to you. Your friends will always love to be there, and won't much care if you used a short cut or did stuff from scratch. And there's "Mr. In-Between". You can take a can or package, go to your spice cabinet or veg bin, and make it your own. Stove top stuffing becomes your own with a little more sage and tyme, and some onions and celery sauteed in a dab of real butter or good olive oil. Canned "cream of ..." soups are a great help. I wouldn't live without a selection of Liptons' soups to boost a gravy or sauce. And heaven forbid anyone take away my selection of assists for failed beef stocks and gravies (they are very expensive to make, when you skim the fat you often take what little flavor you get, etc. . . I think they're the hardest and most expensive stuff to make well.)

claire, i think that would be really neat to co-host. i'd be honored if someone asked me to help them host.
also, what you said about making a can or package your own, i do this sometimes. even if it's something as simple as stirring cream into Stouffer's macaroni and cheese and sprinkling it with parsley or adding pan drippings to powdered gravy. sometimes it's just easier than making the real deal.

 

[Barbara L]

Sometimes it is a cultural thing. In some cultures, it is expected that when you give someone something, you insult it. And some people are just a little insecure in their own talents, so they feel they need to put it down before someone else does.

Barbara