Carrot Top

Nobody.

Well. . .perhaps they have a different set of foods that are considered "mannerly". Most cultures do, don't they? Then again, the manners might be different and the struggle of man over chicken bone done in public might be seen as something to admire in one. I know I felt I deserved admiration after getting through that meal in public without anyone staring at me (too much, anyway!)

Please remember, while you are doing all this sort of activity, to save the plastic packages from your loaves of white bread. When you have collected a goodly pile of them, you can then make an appropriate and home-crafted piece of art decor for your home, to match the mood. Braid and then sew them into a large rag rug. Hang it on the wall in a place of respect to gaze at while you eat. (Yes, I have seen this. And actually, the thing was beautiful! )

My own personal understanding of foods that are planned to be placed on the tables of the very wealthy, which stems from having been chef then executive chef for the very wealthy, is that the food needs to be very easily eaten. I am not sure if that came from one group or another having better teeth to chow down with in history or not. . .but I am quite sure that it has something to do, both past and present, with shaping the dining experience into a certain form. It is partly about luxury, in the way that it is apparent that everything cost a great deal and that no expense was spared. The words and the way of "Haute Cuisine" is one way of defining that. . .and it usually is true that though at times the exact style can change into "peasant" food, that "peasant" food is then purposely morphed by the chef into things that can be chewed easily. And the more basic sauces that were in the original dish are enriched for deeper taste and softer texture. The point is not just the flavor. The point is to be able to sit at table and eat, or rather dine, in a way that will minimize the effect of any messy realities of the food intruding upon the meal. There should be no bones to stuggle with while cutting a piece of meat, chicken or fish. . .there should be no bits of vegetable to struggle with. . .there should be no sauce that is drippable. . .and it is even further better if nothing has to be cut with knife and fork. The best idea for a meal was to have it be transportable from plate to mouth without muss and fuss. . .with nothing but enjoyment in the act. As akwa said, removing the work from the table. This in turn sets a tone, a tone that has freed the diner from the usual sorts of responsibilities that a person has when eating. It allows them not only the luxury of the finest and most expensive things in the food area that have then been perfected, distilled, intensified for their pleasure, but also the luxury of eating them without attention being paid to them in a certain way. They can be taken for granted, they are there. One might consider this to be a sociological ploy in terms of class definitions. One might also consider this to be psychological ploy in terms of freeing oneself up for what often happens at the tables of the very wealthy. . .business. . .in one form or another. More often than the rest of us, the very wealthy have to attend to business. They do it at lunch, they do it at dinner. They do it in the expensive restaurants of the world that everyone else wants to go to just to "eat". They are there as much because it is a theatre. . . where they gather to do their business and the co-socializing that is neccesary for the business. In the past, I would imagine that the business took the form more of arranging marriages and alliances rather than discussing who was going to buy whose corporation and whether they were going to do it before or after the bankruptcy. But back to the food. The worst thing one can do when trying to win a business deal is to screw up by showing stuggle with cutting up a piece of chicken. It puts one at a disadvantage. Therefore the nursery food and the very attentive care to each and every detail. It is not only to make the food look good. It is to make the people who eat it look good. (And in my own personal philosophy, why not? Isn't the table about generosity? Or if it isn't, it should be.) Admittedly there were times that I joked that it might make everyone happier if I just chewed the food up for them so they wouldn't have to do that, either. There is definitely a lot of work in removing the work from the table. .................................................................................. In opposition to this, the food of the poor is often difficult to eat. Several days ago I was in a Vietnamese noodle shop in Florida. They had pigs feet in a ginger-vinegar sauce. I don't make pigs feet often because I can't find anyone who will eat them with me so I ordered them. . .ahhh. Delicious. But. Let me assure you that the act of trying to eat chopped up portions of pigs feet still dangling from the bone in a soupy broth in public is NOT an easy nor an elegant act. That dish will not make it to the tables of the very wealthy without being drastically tweaked. ..................................................................................... Again, as far as "understanding" akwa goes. . .my impression is that he has something to say that is intensely philosophic. And in this forum of the blog, the audience (if you will), has developed expectations of "how it will be". There is an expectation of photos, of descriptions of food, of "how this was done". This is natural for this is how it usually has been here. akwa is doing it differently. It requires close reading, if you care to. Sometimes close reading is worth it. Sometimes, in close reading, the meaning does not appear as one reads it. The words are struggled through, sometimes, with nothing at all happening really in the brain. Then later, sometimes, something happens. Perhaps akwa's blog is controversial. Good. Most interesting things are.

More for those hungry for these sorts of things: http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3208

Don't want to sound dull and all. . .but bechamel (made thicker than would be usual for a sauce) is good for knitting together a variety of things. As are all its relatives. . .add cheese, or a hint of tomato paste and herbs, etc etc. . .to the basic recipe as the desired final taste would demand . . .

She is no doubt an excellent and beautiful muse. And one that you will love forever. ........................................................ Ooh! And won't she have fun playing with her food!

Yes, I can see how that could be done. And is done sometimes in ways. It raises the question of what audience will understand or appreciate this, though. When I think of the patron with deep pockets and an urge to eat art whether that art be a dish, a painting or an idea. . .it is very clear that it could be done. Your viewpoint on making a rich person "feel better" about themselves can enter into this, too. An addition to the ways of creativity that humans can enjoy, if they are prone to wanting to enjoy. When I think of the Brazilians that are not even on the bus it takes a different shape. But of course from hunger they make their own conceptual art through daily imaginings just to stay sane and not driven mad by need. Those who know of different things, of course. Some may not know of different things so may not feel hunger for more than what it is they have. ............................................................................ There are many stories of people that were held in concentration camps who while starving would animatedly converse about meals past, of dishes consumed, of recipes in their families and ingredient lists. It gave them succor and courage to survive.

Some say that cleanliness is next to godliness. And organization must surely follow after cleanliness in that line of thought. Yet chaos has some part in this thing too, the thing of ideas and certainly in the thing of demonstrating civilization. One wonders whether cleanliness could exist without the opposing chaos. I like the idea of a beautiful cleanliness and a nicely-tied up organization (such as in the study of Logic) that is well informed by the ultimately encompassing reality of chaos. Chaos is the world, really, and things that are created without a hint of its power, a sense of its power underlying the created thing (whether it be a piece de resistance of a pastry for dessert or whether it be a pure idea). . .that thing will have a sense of flatness about it, won't it.

Rememberance of Kitchens Past, indeed. The second kitchen that I cooked in came to mind last night but after thinking about that boat, I got so tired that it was neccesary to escape to a mystery novel and a good sleep! The second kitchen I cooked seriously in was in an Airstream trailer. (Yeah, always the "Moveable Kitchen". ) It was slightly larger than the galley on the boat. We had decided to go to the Florida Keys for the winter. . .so found the Airstream to tow along and live in. It was, like the boat, rather "antique", rather "classic". Um hm. . .rather strange, I know. This kitchen had a small half-refrigerator, a stove/oven, and about 36" of counter space. And it had a table that was "built in" that did not have to be flipped up and down if one wanted to move more than two feet in any direction which was very helpful for food prep! The stove was still propane, but the water supply could actually be hooked up to a hose from outside so that we didn't have to lug heavy containers of water on board. Progress. It was in this kitchen that I decided (without knowing that I had decided it) that cooking was something that would be my profession. There was not a whole lot to do in the Keys besides swim and fish and. . .well. . .swim and fish. And I didn't swim a lot because the place was filled with old people and every time I walked to the beach (which naturally required wearing a bathing suit ) the old guys would do that lust-filled stare thing and their wives would do the I-want-to-kill-that-young-girl stare thing. So I cooked. Cooked the fish and the octopuses I caught. . .and the tropical fruits and veggies which were imported from the "mainland" to the Keys grocery stores. Not much grows there except for mangroves and grass that is so stiff you could break your toe on it. I particularly remember making puff pastry for the first time in that kitchen. Lovely. When we came back from that trip (which I was extremely grateful to do!) I went out and got a job as an assistant pastry chef at a catering place/fine dining restaurant by an extensive interview and by being asked to show my skills. So, yeah. I would agree that nobody "needs" a large kitchen (at home, anyway. . .the professional arena is a different thing) but. . .don't try to take away my larger, "open" kitchen where I live now. . .I'll fight tooth nails and colander for it!

Sometimes we have the same situation on holidays. . .particularly when a large ham is cooked. It seems to last for eternity, the eating of the thing. . .as the week goes on and it gets made into ham sandwiches, ham spread, ham hash, quiches, soups. . .one might think that the act of eating these things would somehow connect them to Eternity in a philosophic sense. It is unfortunate that the whole thing becomes so boring and endless that any philosophic or higher thoughts about it are lost due to the inanity of it! As someone with an interest in faiths or beliefs. . .or religions. . .and how they intersect with food, I am also curious as to whether this holiday and the attendant food rituals is something that is taken in a deeply serious way. . .with the belief in the rituals being deep and true. . .or whether it has become for most (in this day and age) something more like our "Christmas"? (Christmas, for many people does not have a lot to do at all with the beliefs or religion originally attached to it but is more just about having a holiday of some sort. . .)

Are you heading down the untrodden (or very lightly trodden, at any rate) path towards moving the act of pastry making into the realm of pure conceptual art. . .in a form that you have yet to decide upon? Just curious.

One may live to create, but one does need to create to live. The Somersault Theory is what that is. As I apply the Somersault Theory to you. . .I see the tumble round. . .it starts with your imagination filled with ideas. . it tumbles right over into the work as personal chef. . .and where does the somersault end? Why. . .it finishes right up perfectly with Loulou smiling at you as you round back up into a sitting position. Nice somersault. Interesting form, great finish.

That is a lot of food. . .! Beautiful food too. . .and obviously a lot of care and time went into preparing it. Will there be a gathering of family to eat it? What is the protocol for eating it, if there is one? You've taken some lovely photos. . .thank you for sharing with us.

My very first kitchens were all in NYC and were very much like the ones described by Arthur in his article and by alacarte in her post (by the way, very nice new link to her website!). These very first kitchens were never cooked in too much. I was young. . .teenage years. . .and honestly I can not remember too much what I ate except that it was New York and my idea of a great meal was a hot dog and a drink from Papaya King! The smallest and most demanding kitchen, however, was the one on the boat I lived on for two years shortly after that. . .I was about 19 years old at the time. The boat itself was a Sparkman and Stevens 1938 classic 36' wooden sloop. You would walk down the stairs which were like a small steep ladder into the cabin and there was the kitchen. It had an icebox (a real one, the kind that you'd buy iceblocks to put in) to the right that also served as workspace (it opened up from the top so whatever you needed you'd have to take out first), and I remember it being about 28" wide by 24" deep. . .this was the only countertop. . . and a tiny stove/oven to the left. Nestled in behind the stove under the deck, sort of almost behind the stairs, was the tiny sink. The stove ran on propane. . .the tank was up on deck in front of the cabin. It was important to keep an eye on the gauge so that the propane would not run out in the middle of roasting a chicken ! The water had to be carried in, in five gallon containers then poured into the tank that distributed it to the sink(s) and bathroom. Washing dishes with only five gallons of water (that would have to then be replaced by yourself with lugging the stuff all the way from the marina to the boat and pouring it into the holding tank) left me with a habit of caution with my water use for years afterwards! (And also with an appreciation for the idea of hot running water, because in order to wash the dishes in hot water, the water had to be heated in a pot on the stove. . .) The cabin that this "kitchen" was in was probably about ten to twelve feet long, with a bunk on each side. The width of the space was somewhere between eight or nine feet. If it had been designed to be any wider, the boat would have been "beamy" and would not have had the beauty of design that it held. . . There were small windows (portholes) lining the portion of the cabin that lay above deck all along the cabin. Funny. . .I remember making "shades" for these out of white cardboard cut from poster board, folding it accordion shape so they could be pushed together to open and tied flat or pulled out and tied to a (I think it was, anyway) a decorative thumbtack!? that I'd put on the other end. Heh. We had very little money. I remember that we (myself and Husband #1. . do I sound like Charlie Chan. . . ) had $28. for food for the week and also remember that we ate very well. There was a "thrift store" down the street, in City Island where we docked the boat and where he worked building the America's Cup boats. . .that had old copies of Gourmet Magazine. . .which I scarfed up by the bundle. So. . .I cooked from Gourmet and I cooked from ideas that his Italian mother gave me. We had "Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic" (that old standby) and we had Pigs Feet in Spicy Tomato Sauce with Penne and many other good things. At that time, it was rare that I cooked the same recipe twice. . .although I do remember making a pasta sauce with squid more than once due to great demand. . .and my god do I remember the time I dared to make it "differently". Major marital discord occured at that meal! There was a small table that was built into the boat in that main cabin that unfolded somehow. . .strangely enough I can not remember where it unfolded FROM though! And one would sit on either side of it to enjoy the feast. . . That is the first kitchen I took to cooking rather seriously in.

There was a story in the news ( somehow I don't think it was The Washington Post or anything like that. . .but even though I don't remember where I read it I KNOW it wasn't the Enquirer) about a man (some ex-sports guy) who at the age of 38, decided he wanted to be a baby. To be an infant forever. He had all the hair removed from his body and took to drinking bottles of milk as his only sustenance. He lives with his mother and uh. . .girlfriend. This is actually the second woman he has lived with since he decided to make this change, although he says he has been celibate since making this "life change". It has been ten years or so since he has taken to being a baby. His biggest problem has been to be able to. . .do what has to be done. . .in his diapers (which is what he wears all day) without "deciding" to do so. His ultimate goal is to be able to do this "naturally" as a baby would. To this goal, he takes some drugs and is working with a hypnotist. Well. I am not sure how this fits into akwa's food blog! Just more "fodder for ideas", anyway.

The way he's "talking" is actually making more sense to me, and is more understandable too than the op-eds each day in the newspapers on politics and politicians. THAT stuff makes no sense whatsoever no matter how you sort it out. Listen (or rather read) as if you were reading poetry. Don't try to understand it. Just hear the sound. Close your eyes and see what appears in your imagination. Oh. Yeah, have another bourbon too if you want. It's all understandable. The only question I have in my own mind is whether he is winking at us as he says it or whether the aura is solemn.

That "concept" is even better with Velveeta mac and cheese tossed with seasoned cooked ground beef and a generous spoonful of salsa. If I need an excuse. . .the kids were babies and I had the flu. . .

As I look at your own avatar in this moment, prasantrin, I would say that it probably is "just you". But cheese never made a kitty go bad, now. . .did it! Silly humans. . .

I am sitting here stuck in the Orlando airport. Apparently this is a very common thing as it is always thunderstorming here. But to my point: On the drive to the airport, I saw a restaurant out of the corner of my eye. A Vietnamese restaurant. Quite a nice one, it looked. I pulled off the road to get closer to see the name. (This post is about a restaurant, not a food. . .but anyway. . .) It was. . . Pho Hoa Heh heh. Now why on earth did I think of eGullet when I saw that?!

The thing is. . .that indeed it is a sort of privilege. A privilege one pays for, certainly. But at the level of the "Per Se's" of the world, it truly is not supposed to be about expense. It is supposed to be about the best of what is available at the highest of quality levels. And sometimes it is about art. . .in a way. You do not find the Per Se's on every street corner, and these sorts of restaurants have been created by people that hold very high creative talents in a variety of areas. If one's home looked and felt like Per Se. . .and if one could be served the same level of meal, including all ingredients with the same level of technique displayed in the cooking, without doing it oneself. . .and if one could be served with the same pinnacle of unobtrusive service. . .while also enjoying the theatre of people-watching that one would find at Per Se. . .then why go dine at Per Se? The bottle of wine is part of the overall experience. It is in a context of many other things that have been created and tweaked and managed and perfected. . .just to allow the diner a wonderful, care-free enjoyable meal. Yes, it's a privilege. But nobody has to buy that bottle of wine if they don't want to. And nobody has to appreciate the act of pouring a bottle, whether it cost ten dollars or a hundred dollars, either. But really. . .they are missing out on something if they choose not to. They are missing out on something that is being done for them, for their appreciation. Not just for their money. Usually. In the best of places. ................................................................................ What makes me curious about some posts in this thread is that there have been comments made that the idea of having a service charge as opposed to "tips" is somehow being used at Per Se for the purpose of somehow supplementing the kitchen staff's salaries. . .so that their compensation can be raised without it coming from the owner's pocket. I don't think that this can be said with any surety without looking at the overall concept of how their cash flow "runs". . .there are many different ways of setting up things on any given budget that has a number of line items, as Per Se's obviously must. And really, I don't consider that part of my business to know. All I want to know is whether I trust the place or not. That should be enough. Per Se is an expensive place to dine. It is an expensive place to operate, too. But they seem to be doing well. Why must one assume that there is "finagling" going on. . .rather than assuming that this is being done out of the desire to make things work even better? ...................................................................................... The reason that comes to me in answer to this is that somehow it might seem "wrong" to some people that there is the amount of money to be made in this field by some few top runners that there is, to be made. "It's only food", one might say. . .and "It's only service". But there has to be something about it that will make people pay for it, no? The same way they will pay for other luxury items if they have the money? Dining at this level is a luxury item. Generally these things are not open for a lot of negotiation in terms of allowing customers to set their prices or define how to best run their businesses. They don't need to. . .because their judgement has been proved to work quite well for them (as is proved by their successes) and their judgement has provided their customers with a great deal of happiness all along the way, or it just plain would not have "worked". . .the "whatever it is they are doing" at "whatever price tag". And although it may be unfortunate that not everyone has the financial ability to dine at the Per Se's of the world, not everyone can afford many other luxury items in day to day life. This has always been true. If anyone knows a way around this, please let me know. I have a Lamborghini and some fine art pieces on my wish list, and I'd like to take a look at buying Ron Perelman's house he's getting rid of for $70 million dollars. Heh. But in the meantime, I'll be happy with whatever "luxury" I can afford, even if it happens to be a fine cheese from the Farmer's Market. Finally, it does not worry me whether someone doles out an extra hundred dollars or so on a meal at Per Se or if they are worried about how their extra "service charge" dollars are being spent within the context of this fact: If they can walk afford to walk in there in the first place, and they make the choice to do so, then they can afford to pay for it somehow. Hopefully they will do so without the idea of critique in their minds, but instead with the idea of enjoyment. It is the relativity of taking the time to consider places like Somalia (or others) where enormous numbers of human beings on any given day are not getting enough food to eat to stay alive. . . that places this "problem" into a very different category of "problems", in my mind.

What can I say, rich. It's a jungle out there.

If a person lives in Manhattan, they don't need a car, do they?

Slightly off-topic, but it was a trip to Greece that made me finally decide to leave the corporate life. Everyone looked so totally ridiculous when I went back to work. . .rushing around in tight expensive clothes, pushing memos at each other as if the world would end in a split second if "something" was not done about. . .what were really nothings. It felt as if I had entered the Land of the Insane.

That time it sure wasn't, zilla. These are things that managers need to focus in on and sort out, and often enough they just don't. The business of feeding people wonderful things would not survive without the true love of cooks for making wonderful things. The money alone simply does not cut it, often enough.