Dinner! 2013 (Part 4)

[sigma]

I feel like the posting of this stuff is some sort of performance art whirring straight over my head.

[tug]

I feel like the posting of this stuff is some sort of performance art whirring straight over my head.

I agree with you! I dont even post my meals anymore. they never warrant praise or comment and pale by comparison.

[Ashen]

Lump charchoal grilled shoulder lamb chop with a tomato feta salad.

Edited September 2, 2013 by Ashen (log)

[Ann_T]

Keith, I'm glad you remembered the camera for some of the meal.
Everything looks delicious. Beautifully plated. And I love the plate that the tuna is on.

I like the idea of mushroom ketchup.
And that creme caramel is the perfect finish to a lovely dinner.

Paul, Wish I was eating at your house. Was the beef just slowed cooked on your grill or was it smoked?

MM, the plated lobster tail is a work of art.

Dcarch, that is one big lobster.

Ashen, Steve, thank you both for your comments on my meals.

Tug, I love the meals that are shared here. And as much as I can appreciate the master pieces that come out of kitchens of MM, Dcarch, and others, it is the meals shared by Ashen, Steve, Bruce, Plantes Vertes, Huiray, Furzzy, Dejah, Keith, Paul, Kim, Anna, and so many others that always has me coming back to eGullet. Those are the meals that I want to eat. So I hope that you will share what you are cooking.

I had some stewing beef that I wanted to do something different with. Found a recipe for Carne Colorada which I adapted slight. Put the beef on to cook before leaving for work yesterday morning. Served with rice and homemade corn tortillas.

[Ann_T]

Ashen, is it wrong to want your lamb and salad at 5:45 AM? Looks beautifully seasoned. I think lamb (Greek Style) will be on the menu here this week. I still have some local lamb in the freezer.

[Plantes Vertes]

I feel like the posting of this stuff is some sort of performance art whirring straight over my head.

I agree with you! I dont even post my meals anymore. they never warrant praise or comment and pale by comparison.

tug, I think that's a shame. I am interested in all kinds of cooking and I would not enjoy eGullet so much if there was no-one doing the same as me; normal home meals. That's what allows me to join in myself, and this is how we can see the cultures and habits of other members, as well as their skills. I know that this is a big part of what fascinates many people about food. I look on those sublime and intimidating creations as a way to learn and maybe improve what I do a little bit, not as a reason to despise the humbler sort of cooking that is nonetheless the most widely appreciated and loved in families around the world. I hope you will decide to start posting again!

[robirdstx]

Some recent dinners:

Grilled Chicken "Cabo" Salad with Avocado, Bacon, Shredded Cheese, Tomato, Hard Cooked Egg and Black Olives on Chopped Romaine. I dressed it with Ranch Dressing.

Duck Tacos

Grilled Chicken Thigh with buttered Green Beans

Chicken Scaloppini with Mushrooms, Artichokes and Bacon on Linguine

Garlic and Black Pepper Shrimp with Celery, Carrot, and Onion

Crawfish Etouffee with Jasmine Rice

[Steve Irby]

Dinner was primarily farmer's market fare. Roasted local oyster and shitake mushrooms with additional cremini and portobello's. Fresh beans and potatoes cooked with rosemary and garlic served with porkchops and wilted mixed greens.

[prasantrin]

I feel like the posting of this stuff is some sort of performance art whirring straight over my head.

I suspect part of the problem is lighting or camera settings. With a little tweak of the colours, the food would look a lot better. As it is, while I appreciate the effort that went into making those dishes, I don't really care to look at the pics because the colours are so off (and the dishes sometimes look like "a plate of poo" or however you put it).

[mm84321]

I feel like the posting of this stuff is some sort of performance art whirring straight over my head.

I suspect part of the problem is lighting or camera settings. With a little tweak of the colours, the food would look a lot better. As it is, while I appreciate the effort that went into making those dishes, I don't really care to look at the pics because the colours are so off (and the dishes sometimes look like "a plate of poo" or however you put it).

It helps no one to criticize photographs, whether poorly lit, colored, or whatever. Nor does it help to contribute snark and snide remarks while contributing nothing of actual worth. I suspect this is born out of both boredom and a bitter disposition. It is the simple act of sharing with others, whether plates of food that are thrown together in a hurry, or ones carefully executed over the course of a day, that matters, and should be encouraged. Everything else is irrelevant.

[rotuts]

Everything here is Soooooooooo delicious (looking )

robirdstx

love all that stuff. Duck tacos and all the rest?

[pastameshugana]

I feel like the posting of this stuff is some sort of performance art whirring straight over my head.

I suspect part of the problem is lighting or camera settings. With a little tweak of the colours, the food would look a lot better. As it is, while I appreciate the effort that went into making those dishes, I don't really care to look at the pics because the colours are so off (and the dishes sometimes look like "a plate of poo" or however you put it).

There is, however, a kernel of truth to this. Please, mind the shameless plug of another thread, but maybe a simple 'how-to' for different levels of food photographers would help out?

You could add to the general pool of knowledge over at The Food Photography Topic here. Maybe a simple tutorial such as 'Making food not look like a plate of Poo' would help some of us out?

[robirdstx]

Everything here is Soooooooooo delicious (looking )

robirdstx

love all that stuff. Duck tacos and all the rest?

Thank you!

[Paul Bacino]

Grilled King Salmon/ Cucumber Sauce in Purple Cherokee Tomato Water

On Previous Post!!

Ann--I just seared the heck out of the Brisket and Braised it in a Fortified Beef Stock. No Smoke on this

RT- I picked this whole Packer Brisket ( same as you get from Costco or Sam's ) mine came from FareWay, came in @ 2.99 #

I cut the whole 15# brisket in pieces-- One half (or So )yielded a nice 6 # Flat ( I vacuum sealed that ) and the rest I trimmed yielding a small flat and the rest of the point ( heavy Marbling )

[Steve Irby]

Dejah, at the expense of sounding British - brilliant.

Paul Bacino, beautiful salmon dinner. The char on the fish looks perfect.

I've de-tuned my artistic talents for tonight's dinner since it has been obvious that my culinary skills coupled with my complete mastery of photography has left some members aghast. Just kidding-we're here for fun. mm84321 you did out me. I tend to slap the food on the plate.

Grilled salmon on sauteed green tomatoes.

[dcarch]

I feel like the posting of this stuff is some sort of performance art whirring straight over my head.

I feel like the posting of this stuff is some sort of performance art whirring straight over my head.

I agree with you! I dont even post my meals anymore. they never warrant praise or comment and pale by comparison.

Actually a very interesting topic, and a very important food topic, for anyone who is interested in food and cooking.

There was a time when there were certain ways you had to follow and practice if you wanted to be considered an artist. But no more.

Art is no long definable, it is in the eye of the beholder, it’s in the heart of the creator.

Just go to a museum, what do you see? From Leonardo da Vinci to Jackson Pollock, from

Sandro Botticelli, to Andy Warhol, from Albrecht Dürer to Josef Albers.

Is Norman Rockwell a better artist than Wassily Kandinsky?

Is Picasso a better artist than Grandma Moses?

If you don’t like Claes Oldenburg, does that mean he is not an artist? Is Keith Haring an artist?

Plating is playing, food for fun, and it is free fun. Go to town with it. Let your kitchen be your art studio, let your seasonings be the oils on the painter's palette to create what you feel are masterpieces, for no one else’s but your own palate. There is no good or bad plating, just like there is no good or bad art style, to each his/her own. The more you try, share, copy, and steal from others, the more you will come to a style of your own that will please you and may be a few others, and if some of them don’t like what you cook, tell them to shove their spatula up their you-know-whats.

dcarch

[prasantrin]

I feel like the posting of this stuff is some sort of performance art whirring straight over my head.

I suspect part of the problem is lighting or camera settings. With a little tweak of the colours, the food would look a lot better. As it is, while I appreciate the effort that went into making those dishes, I don't really care to look at the pics because the colours are so off (and the dishes sometimes look like "a plate of poo" or however you put it).

It helps no one to criticize photographs, whether poorly lit, colored, or whatever. Nor does it help to contribute snark and snide remarks while contributing nothing of actual worth. I suspect this is born out of both boredom and a bitter disposition. It is the simple act of sharing with others, whether plates of food that are thrown together in a hurry, or ones carefully executed over the course of a day, that matters, and should be encouraged. Everything else is irrelevant.

"It helps no one to criticize photographs, whether poorly lit, colored, or whatever."

Really? How does it not help? There's a difference between "snark and snide remarks" and consructive criticism. I remarked on the faulty lighting. Improving the colours of the photos would do wonders in making the food appear more palatable. I also remarked on the effort that went into creating the dish. I suppose you missed that part since it was embedded in all the snark and snide remarks I made??

Regardless, if you think this particular thread is simply one to "share" one's food with others, you are mistaken. People share without any expectation of anything in return. I've read this thread for years, and there are few if any who post in this thread who have absolutely no expectations from others.

[Anna N]

I hate squabbles at the dinner table so I'll jus keep on posting and ecourage everyone to join in.

A while back I asked member Kerry Beal to keep her eyes open for the cut of beef used for Brazilian picanha. This weekend she came through!

Served with a simple baked potato and butter.

[mm84321]

I feel like the posting of this stuff is some sort of performance art whirring straight over my head.

I suspect part of the problem is lighting or camera settings. With a little tweak of the colours, the food would look a lot better. As it is, while I appreciate the effort that went into making those dishes, I don't really care to look at the pics because the colours are so off (and the dishes sometimes look like "a plate of poo" or however you put it).

It helps no one to criticize photographs, whether poorly lit, colored, or whatever. Nor does it help to contribute snark and snide remarks while contributing nothing of actual worth. I suspect this is born out of both boredom and a bitter disposition. It is the simple act of sharing with others, whether plates of food that are thrown together in a hurry, or ones carefully executed over the course of a day, that matters, and should be encouraged. Everything else is irrelevant.

"It helps no one to criticize photographs, whether poorly lit, colored, or whatever."

Really? How does it not help? There's a difference between "snark and snide remarks" and consructive criticism. I remarked on the faulty lighting. Improving the colours of the photos would do wonders in making the food appear more palatable. I also remarked on the effort that went into creating the dish. I suppose you missed that part since it was embedded in all the snark and snide remarks I made??

Regardless, if you think this particular thread is simply one to "share" one's food with others, you are mistaken. People share without any expectation of anything in return. I've read this thread for years, and there are few if any who post in this thread who have absolutely no expectations from others.

The snark was mostly referring to sigma, though nothing you said seemed overtly constructive...

To me, this thread is for photos of food, and to my knowledge, no one here is looking for a lesson in photography. It merely detracts from the enjoyments of reading the thread when people comment on these things, and causes people who would otherwise post their photos not to, out of fear of inadequacy or judgement. That is not a good thing. The more people posting, whether grainy cell phone pictures or professionally lit, the better. And it doesn't matter if the food looks like crap, all that matters is that people have an outlet for sharing what they enjoy doing with others. If you want to help people improve their photography, start a thread, or add to one that already exists, about how to adjust your camera settings, and do it there.

[rotuts]

PB: Delicious looking Salmon. Yum!

thanks for the info on the packer brisket

I do a lot of SV and its all pretty good: but the St.P's day sale point cut brisket I did what the best ever:

deSalt/SV/smoke

will look into this cut.

Edited September 3, 2013 by rotuts (log)

[dcarch]

I posted my photo tips here:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?

dcarch

[dcarch]

I hope I am not beating a dead horse.

Good photos, bad photos, the more you do, the better you get.

I remember when mm first started posting his work here, not that long ago, he was criticized that he had no skills in cutting fish.

dcarch

[Ann_T]

Anna, your beef is perfectly cooked. What cut of beef did you use?

We had a similar meat and potato dinner.

Grilled a small prime rib. Just big enough for two. Moe requested fries.

[Arey]

There is a long running food photography thread on which people could post questions if their photographs don't do justice to their food. In view of the amount of time and effort some posters put into the preparation and plating of their food it's a shame when the photograph doesn't do justice to the food. Of course, there's the other side of the coin - really good photographs of food you wouldn't feed to a feral cat, but that's the sort of comment that I don't feel is appropriate for the thread.

[mm84321]

There is a long running food photography thread on which people could post questions if their photographs don't do justice to their food. In view of the amount of time and effort some posters put into the preparation and plating of their food it's a shame when the photograph doesn't do justice to the food. Of course, there's the other side of the coin - really good photographs of food you wouldn't feed to a feral cat, but that's the sort of comment that I don't feel is appropriate for the thread.

This is the last thing I will say on the topic: There is no "shame" in a bad photograph. The only shame is when someone hesitates to post photos of their dinner out of the fear of judgement or insult. Your feral cat remark is an example of this, and that sort of negativity is best left within the confines of your own mind.