50 Things every Foodie Must do

[malcolmjolley]

To celebrate OFM's fiftieth edition, we asked some of our favourite bon viveurs what they considered most essential to do before they died. Nigel Slater assesses the wish-list, from Nigella Lawson dismembering a chicken to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall boiling a freshly-laid egg and Gordon Ramsay sniffng white truffes

There must surely be additions and edits to this list.

[Gifted Gourmet]

It does seem quite comprehensive to me as it stands ... several of the items are more appealing to me than others ... but this does stand out ...

the caviar of the rare albino sturgeon (up to £22,000 a kilo), served preferably on a warm blini with crème fraiche. Presumably to the sound of angels playing trumpets

and while he mentions the Sacher Hotel's torte in Vienna, I was not impressed with it, dryish ... their coffee, on the other hand, was divine!

ahhh, Commanders' Palace in New Orleans: their creole bread pudding souffle ... with whisky sauce poured on at one's table ...

[jsolomon]

I read through it, and, surprisingly, have done a significant two-digit percentage of those things. What struck me was the number of things that involved items prepared simply.

Really, though.

1) Make toast

Not that I disagree, but a foodie who must be reminded to make toast occasionally must either have Alzheimer's, grand cultural divides to cross, or is simply a poser.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I read through it, and, surprisingly, have done a significant two-digit percentage of those things. 

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Me too -- but does #11 count if it wasn't a French vineyard?

[Joe Blowe]

51) Cease referring to one's self as a "foodie."

[SamanthaF]

I'm suprised at how many of these I've already done.

But.....

22) Eat the first asparagus

We are not talking about the bargain-basement Spanish stu. here, and certainly not the thick 'porn-star' Californian spears either, but only the very first British asparagus, poached and served with plain, melted butter. Fay Maschler, the country's most experienced restaurant critic, insists that it should be cooked immediately after picking. As usual, she's right.

Really? Who knew?

[jsolomon]

Me too -- but does #11 count if it wasn't a French vineyard? 

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I think it counts double if it was daytime.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Me too -- but does #11 count if it wasn't a French vineyard?  

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I think it counts double if it was daytime.

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You'll never know...

[malcolmjolley]

51)  Cease referring to one's self as a "foodie."

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While it's true that nearly everyone who fits the description of "foodie" hates the word, there has yet to be introduced a substitute.

[malcolmjolley]

I read through it, and, surprisingly, have done a significant two-digit percentage of those things.  What struck me was the number of things that involved items prepared simply.

Really, though.

1) Make toast

Not that I disagree, but a foodie who must be reminded to make toast occasionally must either have Alzheimer's, grand cultural divides to cross, or is simply a poser.

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That's Nigel Slater shamelessly plugging his eponymous memoir.

[culinary bear]

Fay Maschler, the country's most experienced restaurant critic, insists that it should be cooked immediately after picking. As usual, she's right.

Are you drawing a direct correlation between the ability to critique restaurants and the ability to cook? Down yonder path lies the dark side...

[jackal10]

Brillat Savarin, a hundred and fifty years ago had much the same thought in his "Gastronomical tests":

http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/b/bri...part18.html#102

I'm surprised they haven't included some of his proposed test dishes:

A fowl weighing seven pounds, stuffed with truffles, so that it has become a spheroid

Asparagus, large as possible, served up in osmazome (meat glace)

Following Brillat Savarin there is a perfectly good word for a foodie: a gourmand.

[SamanthaF]

Fay Maschler, the country's most experienced restaurant critic, insists that it should be cooked immediately after picking. As usual, she's right.

Are you drawing a direct correlation between the ability to critique restaurants and the ability to cook? Down yonder path lies the dark side...

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I have no idea of Ms. Maschlers cooking ability - I just don't think she is a particularly good critic, let alone "most experienced".

The point she is making though is very correct - everybody should eat freshly picked asparagus. Best pick to pot I've managed is 15 minutes.

[culinary bear]

Best I've managed is about 20 seconds, which was only achieved with the aid of a primus stove in the garden!

[jsolomon]

Following Brillat Savarin there is a perfectly good word for a foodie: a gourmand.

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No, after sleeping on the concepts for the night, I think there is a significant difference. Sort of like the difference between a wine geek and a cork dork is the difference between a gourmand and a foodie.

A foodie may need reminded to make toast every now and then to enjoy the simple pleasures.

A gourmand needs reminded that lunch is over and to put down the toasted heel of bread with marmalade and go back to work to not get fired!

Comparison of wine geeks vs cork dorks.

[silverbrow]

I thought the one thing missing was to get a stage in a (great) restaurant.

[Shalmanese]

Ugh, the tone of the author of that piece was just obnoxious. It seemed like he knew nothing about good food at all. I would add:

51) Cook "THE meal". The one where you go all out, sparing no expense and ambition to cook a meal at the very limits of your technical ability. Foie, truffles, caviar, good wine, the whole lot. 10, 12, 20 courses, as many as you can handle. And all with a close set of friends who you've known at least 20 years. And at the end of your 10 day marathon of cooking and 6 hours of eating, you feel like you just climbed mount everest and survived to tell the tale.

[Hest88]

Loved that article. Never thought I'd want to do #10, but perhaps with a lot of plastic surgery I'd consider it...

[ruthcooks]

If you want to achieve all 50, you'd better have a lot of money. This list has more to do with travelling than with loving and enjoying food. Show offs. (Not you guys, the original writers.)

[chow guy]

If you want to achieve all 50, you'd better have a lot of money.  This list has more to do with travelling than with loving and enjoying food.  Show offs. (Not you guys, the original writers.)

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I agree, and in fact, it's lists like these that make people think that all "foodies" are rich snobs, which is not the case at all.

[H. du Bois]

Don't forget this was written by a Brit. It isn't that expensive to put a car on a ferry to Spain or France from England and drive to the places mentioned in the article (relatively speaking, of course - travelling to those places from the States would require a pretty penny).

[hungryCAT]

51)  Cease referring to one's self as a "foodie."

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Here we go . . .

[Shalmanese]

Ugh, the tone of the author of that piece was just obnoxious. It seemed like he knew nothing about good food at all. I would add:

51) Cook "THE meal". The one where you go all out, sparing no expense and ambition to cook a meal at the very limits of your technical ability. Foie, truffles, caviar, good wine, the whole lot. 10, 12, 20 courses, as many as you can handle. And all with a close set of friends who you've known at least 20 years. And at the end of your 10 day marathon of cooking and 6 hours of eating, you feel like you just climbed mount everest and survived to tell the tale.

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Oh man, I completely forgot about this. But I still abide by this philosophy and I'm slowing but steadily approaching My Mount Everest. Every time I attempt it, I think I'm there but there's always something bigger and more ambitious around the corner.

Edited August 12, 2006 by Shalmanese (log)

[Rebecca Kneen]

I particularly liked "milk a cow", #48. The part that's missing is "hand-milk" a cow. Not sticking a metal suction cup on each teat and watching, but cuddling your head into her side, massaging her udder with warm water, then squeezing. Streams of warm, scented milk hit the bottom of the pail with a satisfyingly delicious crash, gradually modified into frothing sounds as the level rises. Gusts of warm milk smell alternate with warm cow smell. Listen to her tummy gurgle in one ear, and the barn cats mew for dinner in the other. See and feel your cow relax as you relieve the pressure on her udder. There is no better way to wake up in the morning.

If you are feeling really gluttonous, take your espresso to the barn and milk into it. Nature's foamed milk, with loads of cream.

And the cow really should be a Jersey.

[wawairis]

If you want to achieve all 50, you'd better have a lot of money.  This list has more to do with travelling than with loving and enjoying food.  Show offs. (Not you guys, the original writers.)

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I agree, and in fact, it's lists like these that make people think that all "foodies" are rich snobs, which is not the case at all.

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I'm with you guys too! Can't one appreciate good food and not be a millionaire? Is this another means used to separate and segregate people? Sheesh, we need to ban together in good food, not build walls of food segregation!!