Megan Blocker

Those pictures are excellent, Susan! I particularly like the one of the pad thai and the wine - the way you brought an element of each into the frame is great. Radishes and butter on toast is one of my faves - so, as far as I'm concerned, you've hit this one out of the park. And, Wendy - those olives are beautiful!

Priceless, Lesfen. Good point, Ling - and well said.

Mark Bittman, because he's so practical and translates chefs so well. MFK Fisher, because she's just amazing. Everything she wrote was a recipe - if not for food, then for life. Cheezy enough?

My idea of the perfect breakfast - that is beautiful, Wendy!

I do work, and do cook - though I don't have children or a husband. However, I do have many friends who cook, but who didn't have the kind of hands-on experience I sought from my teachers (mother, father, nanny, grandmother). Therefore, I am frequently inviting people over to teach them how to make pie crust, or roast a chicken, and so on. It takes a lot of time, but it's fun, and I love doing it. I can't imagine doing it with children hanging off of each arm, though. And I really can't imagine doing it on a weeknight. It's strictly a weekend afternoon kind of activity for me. I can picture cooking for a family on weeknights (simpler meals rather than more complicated ones), but wonder when I would have the time to really impart the knowledge I received. Maybe it's an osmosis/observation thing? I honestly can't remember learning to salt water for pasta, or how to blanch green beans - I just know that I did.

Bryan, I apologize if my comment seemed underhanded or personal. I definitely thought it was snarky (hence my disclaimer), but I was really just highlighting the fact that I agreed with your assessment of Lauren's comments as rational, even though they are not what I myself have experienced. To sum up, I meant to illustrate that I can accept that Lauren's experience - and therefore her opinion - in this matter differs (just like yours and mine), and that, perhaps, this is ultimately an issue unresolvable based on personal anecdote or experience, and is all the more interesting for it.

And don't forget the opaque containers!!!

Because she agrees with you? I, too, find Lauren's post to be well-considered and thought out, but so are many of the posts here that are going the other way...like mine. Sorry, couldn't resist. Continue with the much higher level of discourse...

Klary, all of this is amazing - I am really enjoying this thread. Especially the pea soup - it looks so comforting. I think I'm going to have to try that one very soon.

Purty, purty, purty! I was out for dinner with the fam - at the Hah-vahd Club. The food is ok - the popovers are GREAT. And the cocktails are huge.

Amen to that... ...and that.

No, definitely not. I think the most romantic thing in the world (if the ground is dry and relatively level) is a picnic. Nothing says lovin' like wine, bread, cheese and chocolate in a basket. If one decided to go the restaurant route, as I said upthread, candles are essential, as is soft overhead lighting. There's nothing romantic or sensual about the low buzz of fluorescent bulbs. Also nice is a table big enough for the food and glasses, but small enough to talk quietly over. I prefer face-to-face seating (I think sitting next to one another actually makes conversing over the food much harder), but there's nothing worse than shouting across the table. Personally, I love anything that feels luxurious. Soft linens, silverware with a bit of a heft to it, and so on. It doesn't have to be fancy - it just has to feel nice. I prefer a restaurant without tablecloths, to be honest - but with good napkins. Tables should be far enough apart to encourage sweet nothings, but not so distant that you feel like you're not in a restaurant - if you want to be completely alone, stay home. Music should be subtle, as in quiet, and subtle as in not opera (which, it should be noted, is my favorite music to cook to, but not to eat to). Standards work well, I find. And, yes, it's all about what makes you comfortable! If you enjoy being with the person you're with in a certain environment, then that's romantic. The above is just what I enjoy when I want to devote my full attention to one other person, and therefore find romantic...

Dont feel sorry for his wife, they still have a great relationship because he was spared having to see her give birth to their children, so he is still attracted to her.. So although she cant use his car or his kitchen, she still is allowed to sleep with him.. ← Well, at least she's good at something.

Wow. So much for the "it's all PR" argument.

I think that's fair. I realize, reading back over my post, that it looks like I was equating money with exposure - I wasn't. I was equating it with improved opportunity for exposure to foods not normally cooked within your own home.

Exactly.

The more and more I think about this, the less of a big deal I am finding it to be. Why is it so unusual that college-age young adults don't cook? If their parents did most of the cooking at home (mine did until the end of my college career, when my (single) mom was traveling a lot, so I stepped in), and they went to a college where they had a meal plan and crappy little dorm kitchens (at my school they were called "tea pantries"), why would they be able to cook? Toast bread, yes. Simple meals, possibly. But really, truly cook - without a recipe, be able to improvise, etc.? It's not so unusual, or unexpected. Pickiness is a whole other issue. Even though I wasn't making, say, sushi or foie gras terrines, I still ate them at restaurants or when someone made them for me in another setting. I was not picky. The two (being able to cook and not being picky) are not necessarily directly related. Is a cook more likely to have an appreciation for fine food? Possibly. But not neccesarily (nor is the reverse necessarily true). Bryan, you and I both seem to have been extremely fortunate growing up - we come from the NYC region, where good restaurants (cheap and expensive) are plentiful. We were able to eat at restaurants like JG and be exposed to all kinds of food, by virtue of having the funds to engage in such activities. Most people do not have that kind of geographical or economic opportunity, especially at a young age. I think it's REALLY important to keep that in mind while touting the powers of Jean-Georges to convert someone to foodie-dom.

They might - or a good deli. I can't tell you how much shmaltz we get rid of around here. We make large batches of chicken soup .. and can't use much ourselves. We give some away to customers, but unfortunately, there's more supply than demand. ← Thanks! Come to think of it, there's a kosher butcher in my block as well, so I will check that out, too. Mmmmmm, potatoes cooked in shmaltz are definitely on the menu this weekend. And maybe it's time for me to embrace my heritage and tackle kugel!

Oooooh, sounds like something I have to try! My Jewish grandmother wasn't much of a cook, so I've never had schmaltz in my life! Do you think a German specialty foods store would carry it? I live in Yorkville, so there's one literally a block from my apartment (very convenient when one needs a hare or a stein).

That is a HUGE cat! Great blog so far!

Oh my God, Daniel. That is beautiful. I think I kind of want to make this now...very dangerous...

A culinary version of bra-burning? I agree, in some ways. Since I don't see cooking as a form of female oppression (maybe because both of my parents cooked or because so many of my male friends do), it's not offensive to me to engage in or enjoy it. If you do see it as a a symbol of sexism, then, by all means, reject it on principle. It's your call. I'm not the one who'll be stuck with the Hungry Man dinners.

CANDLES! I'll get back to you with more...

Who are these people? I really know no one in my circle (male or female) who just CAN'T cook. Plenty who don't, but none who can't. There's a big difference. Not sure which is worse, actually... And why is it sadder if a woman can't cook than if a man can't? The simple fact that we're all waiting longer to get married these days means that, male or female, it's going to mean a lot more Lean Cuisines and take-out if we sit around and wait to get together with someone who cooks better than we do. Sad for all genders, at least those who have to eat. The conversation you had would be just as sad had it been with a man, yes? And, in my experience, just as likely.