Best Precooked Meals

[kurtisk]

Hi Laura,

As someone who's had many Pan-o-Pan wares over the years, and adding a disclosure of them being personal/professional pals, here's my take:

~ Like you said, it's tough to remember to think to thaw something out hours before it's meant to be eaten, particularly when you're not well. I don't think their food is meant to sustain a sole person for days on end. It's more of a place to go when you're entertaining or responsible for providing a certain element of food at a social event. In that manner, I don't think it's a stretch to start thinking of things a few hours before, hence becoming a non-issue.

~ You seem quite concerned of the bright pink colour of the beet and goat cheese cream. Um, you know how purple and inky the colour and residue of beets can be, yeah? Is it not a simple equation to realize that the addition of white (goat cheese) would result in a bright pink colour? I'm mildly baffled at your perplexity of it.

~ No, there's not a "lot of vegetables in the store". That's simply not what they do. It's easy enough to go a door or two down (or anywhere) and pick up some greens, etc., probably for a lot cheaper than what they would have to charge. They have a specific focus in their business, and being a General Store isn't one of them.

Maybe my back's up because I feel they're hard workers who do a good job. Maybe it's because I consider them friends. Either way, I just felt it necessary to clarify the target of some of your perceptions.

And since you know I love you, I'm sure you understand,

k.

[lauraf]

Hey Kurtisk:

OMG, not trying to pillory this company at all, just reporting on my experience - and having been asked by many of the other contributors to this thread to report back on my experience after all of their suggestions, I made the point to do so. Now, given that I really can't do anything at all in the kitchen because of my neck problems, and I had asked specifically about meals that require no work, the fact that I am commenting on any extra labour involved seems appropriate. The way I was reviewing (??? who am I to pretend at reviewing?) these meals was totally within the parameters of a homebound foodie with limited means to feed myself, and Pan-O-Pan was a recommendation from a fellow eguletter. So, I am commenting on the Pan-O-Pan food I have sampled and the preparation required.

Yes, as you point out, it is not a place to get your greens etc - I didn't expect it to be, and tried to explain in my post that for a 'full meal deal' one needs to get their fresh greens from another stop - and that there was no problem in my mind with that at all. It was simply a comment about the utility of this one store, when it seemed to have been referred to me as a one-stop meal-solution place. Maybe they were thinking I could have other foodstuffs delivered to me, or that some salad or grilled veggies might have been available that day at Pan-O-Pan. Or that I didn't need any veggies as all!

It is not a criticism of Pan-O-Pan that I can't think about thawing the meal for the several hours needed. Again, it is a comment on being basically crippled and what would work for me. So remembering to thaw the dish at 11am for dinner is a mental chore - and my brain is unhappy so I don't think about dinner until 5pm and then I look in the freezer and realize I need to run some hot water!

Finally, I am completely aware of what beets and goat cheese look like when blended . However, it is still a rather bright shade of pink that results from this mixture and looks like, um, something with aspartame in it. Perhaps we need more beet dishes in our diet to remind us that pink doesn't mean Double Bubble!

Yes, I am not particularly drawn to this mixture because of its colour, and a tortilla cup filled with this cream isn't ideal, and think it is a mistake to market it as its own hors d'oeurves dish as opposed to a gorgeous garnish for veggies or a tuna tartare or something.

I'm serious - this bright pink cream stuff is off-putting optically, while very tasty when served. It would do way better as a garnish, especially the way its squeezed out of the icing cone it is sold in.

And Kurtisk, dahling, I love you too so not to worry.

Hope you forgive me, for, whatever.

Laura

Hi Laura,

As someone who's had many Pan-o-Pan wares over the years, and adding a disclosure of them being personal/professional pals, here's my take:

~ Like you said, it's tough to remember to think to thaw something out hours before it's meant to be eaten, particularly when you're not well.  I don't think their food is meant to sustain a sole person for days on end.  It's more of a place to go when you're entertaining or responsible for providing a certain element of food at a social event.  In that manner, I don't think it's a stretch to start thinking of things a few hours before, hence becoming a non-issue.

~ You seem quite concerned of the bright pink colour of the beet and goat cheese cream.  Um, you know how purple and inky the colour and residue of beets can be, yeah?  Is it not a simple equation to realize that the addition of white (goat cheese) would result in a bright pink colour?  I'm mildly baffled at your perplexity of it.

~ No, there's not a "lot of vegetables in the store".  That's simply not what they do.  It's easy enough to go a door or two down (or anywhere) and pick up some greens, etc., probably for a lot cheaper than what they would have to charge.  They have a specific focus in their business, and being a General Store isn't one of them.

Maybe my back's up because I feel they're hard workers who do a good job.  Maybe it's because I consider them friends.  Either way, I just felt it necessary to clarify the target of some of your perceptions.

And since you know I love you, I'm sure you understand,

k.

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[~cayenne~]

What about Dinnerworks on 3rd @ Pine just east of Quince-is it open?

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Dean Mallel of Stella's Tap and Tapas Bar was on City Cooks with Simi Sara today, and mentioned at the end that they are going to start an operation that sounds very much like Dinnerworks. Apparently his team has been researching extensively in the U.S. where there are many similiar operations, IIRC he said there were locations in Bellingham, Seattle, L.A., Washington, D.C., etc. for about a thousand total. I think the name he mentioned started with S.S. I found it interesting, because I had read this thread, but I wasn't absolutely sure if it there was any connection. Couldn't find any references to it via him or Stella's though. Sure seems like an expanding business opportunity of the future, reminds me of ads we used to see on t.v. a couple of years ago, Boston Garden premade meals I believe, available at grocery stores, perhaps started in Washington State?

[kurtisk]

Hey Kurtisk:

OMG, not trying to pillory this company at all, ... , whatever.

Laura

Thanks!

That's an awesome response and here's hopin' you get well soon!

(Stellar's Jay helps...)

<3,

k