Save me from the Force

[cosmolinguist]

For such a long time I did what my parents expected of me or what someone else wanted of me, that it's left me bewildered and worried just trying to find out what I want, much less actually doing it. Nothing new. So I'm going to start writing things down here, in hopes that I stop forgetting these things and get a little closer to actually doing them.

So, here's an easy one.

I want to be a better cook.

I'm not too stupid and I don't like ready meals but I did have about a week recently where I don't think I ate much other than grilled cheese. I'm not just lazy, I'm also uninspired. Or clueless.

I grew up with hamburger as a main ingredient and cream of mushroom as the Force, which runs through everything and binds it all together and I'm trying to avoid that.

When I got to college I made a lot of friends who could cook. Especially the veg(etari)an ones: I tink once you get rid of the pound-of-hamburger crutch you are more likely to know about the sorts of things that my mom would consider dangerously exotic. I envied them a lot and learned a little but forgot most of it.

I know I can google for recipes as easily as I can ask this, but I'd like to know what actually works for you, and anyway now that I have explained my latest Thing I Wanna Do I figure it won't hurt to ask: what's good for someone who might go so far as to eat poultry on special occasions and doesn't like mushrooms or tofu and doesn't know what she's doing? You can be as vague ("try risotto!") or specific ("look at this website!") as you like.

C'mon, I want my mom to think I'm dangerously exotic!

Comments

[ex-catachre.livejournal.com]

Just for you, I give up more of my secrets: Jack Zall's Secret Szechuan Chicken (http://catachreses.livejournal.com/29761.html?mode=reply)

[cosmolinguist]

Aw! I am impressed. Thanks. And I'm still going to make your risotto one day, but last time I foolishly sent Andrew to the store and now I have to teach him the difference between chicken stock and chicken gravy. But, yes, some day.

You know, the only ways I've discovered so far in which you and Andrew are not completely alike is that you cook and throw parties. Apparently your Amanda had slightly better karma than I from a previous life, or something.

[ex-catachre.livejournal.com]

Well, that and he follows practical interests and I write poetry.

Chicken gravy? Well, it would make for some... memorable risotto.

But you never know; when Amanda met me I couldn't even boil water (in fact, I remember asking her how once when we were in high school). I only learned to cook when i got out into the real world and away from my mother's kitchen and found that there was a whole crazy world of food that actually had flavor out there. (Most kids go to college and experiment with drugs and alcohol; I'd already done that, but I developed a terrible garlic addiction that continues to this day.) So there's always hope.

[cosmolinguist]

Well yes, that's the thing: you asked. Curiosity is a good sign. When Andrew left his mother's kitchen he made himself eight or ten pieces of toast for dinner.

He's gotten better; he will cook big lumps of meat himself (easiest thing ever as he doesn't want them to taste like anything else so you just throw the lamb chops or chicken in the oven, show him how to turn the oven on, and make sure to remind him to go check on them every so often; he still makes me verify that they're done because he's sure he's going to poison himself, but that I can handle) and I used to think he'd never even be that much of a cook. :-)