Are you a gourmet snob?

[Joy Fellows]

Hello all!

Loved the article and love this thread.

Having read through most of the replies I think my own views are closest to those of Alchemist.

Lets not get too precious about this stuff that we eat. As Nigel Slater writes at the beginning of one of his wonderful books-

"There is too much talk of cooking being an art or a science - we are only making ourselves something to eat"

Now before you object to this quote, it needs to be taken in context - he is writing this merely about the keen home cook.

It is all about balance.

One thing I must say though is I care passionately about the provenance of the food that I eat. I try and eat seasonally and locally as far as possible.

I abhor the abuse of animals that takes place in the name of Commercial Farming, always buying from a trusted source, namely my local butcher. He seems to be something of a rarity nowadays in that his small slaughterhouse is in a building directly behind the shop and the farms where the animals are raised are within a 5 mile radius of that. They advertise 'home killed meat' - it is so good and ethical.

With regard to the comments made by Jeff - have you thought of keeping some chickens yourself Jeff? They are relatively inexpensive and easy to keep and you haven't lived until you have eaten an egg that is cooked whilst still warm from laying! They are also great fun and nowhere near as stupid as I once thought! My husband claims his stress just melts away when he has spent some time with them after his return from the office!

jodda.x

[marlena spieler]

May I ask if the same people who are concerned with how chickens are treated are equally as upset about the origins of fois gras?  I understand the argument that banning fois gras is one more sign of eroding personal liberties in this country, (another conversation entirely!) but it strikes me as a bit hypocrital to insist on buying only free range organic meat and eggs while enjoying fois gras. I don't see any outrage by 'foodies' where the treatment of ducks and geese is concerned in the threads I've read.  Just curious.

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have you ever been to a foie gras farm?

[jsmeeker]

With regard to the comments made by Jeff - have you thought of keeping some chickens yourself Jeff?  They are relatively inexpensive and easy to keep and you haven't lived until you have eaten an egg that is cooked whilst still warm from laying!  They are also great fun and nowhere near as stupid as I once thought!  My husband claims his stress just melts away when he has spent some time with them after his return from the office!

jodda.x

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ummm... No, I haven't. It's not something I've ever though about. Even if I did, I just can't. I live in a small apartment. There are probably some city ordinances about it as well. Even if I lived in a house with some land, I really wouldn't do it. I'm just not interested in raising chickens. Feeding them, taking care of them, etc. I travel a lot for work, so I'm not always around.

[Kent D]

About the chicken pet idea--get a hen, not a rooster.  Roosters can be cranky, and they crow, which may not make your neighbors happy.

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I had a pet chicken for a few months -- she showed up perched in a cedar tree on our property line. I went out every morning with a Frisbee full of bird food, put fresh water out for her, named her Daisy, although I don't really think she picked up on her name. When winter came, I worried about her, and tried to build her some rudimentary shelter, which she never bothered to use -- she just sheltered in the trees. Some days I would pull into the driveway to see her perched on the fence, waiting for my return. (Okay...maybe she was just sitting there...)

One day, she was gone -- either someone got themselves a well-fed free-range chicken, or she wandered down the alley to a house that had chickens and roosters. I never saw her again...

And to stay on-topic -- I like food, but I don't even PRETEND to know enough about it to put on airs. I suspect that given some opinions on what IS gourmet cuisine in this thread, I'd likely not be welcome at your tables. Sometimes you have to be a gourmet on a tight budget.

[Joisey]

Reminds me of the old 80's SNL skit with the oriental couple who can't part with their birds..."YOU NO WANT CHICKEN, CHICKEN NO MAKE GOOD HOUSEPET!!!!"

[gini]

Yep, Mr. Hayward nailed it on the term "resto," which causes me to retcho.  I thought of about ten people immediately who this piece describes.

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I'm compiling a list of Frog restos as we speak. Please PM me if you need a copy.

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Can I just say that I call a restaurant resto cause when I grew up in France, that's what we called them? It's a familiar term - in case you were wondering. I have always wondered why people who don't speak French called them that, though.

ETA: ""Frying off", sounds gratifyingly professional, which, of course, it is, in the right circumstances. "I'll just pour two pints of industrial-grade grease into this metre-square brat pan, fry off 800 battery chicken breasts, slap them under the heat lamps and hope no one dies on my shift." That's professional. "I'll fry off this Marks & Spencer salmon fishcake," on the other hand, is just absurd."

That's freaking hysterical.

Edited August 8, 2006 by gini (log)

[Hest88]

maggiethecat, you hate woks in Western kitchens?  Why?

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Because a cast iron frying pan on a conventional gas stovetop works better. Woks need btus unknown to home kitchens.

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Perhaps, but all my relatives, both in the U.S. and in Hong Kong/China, use woks regardless of what kind of stove they have. I understand that for non-Chinese people a wok is like any other piece of non-standard equipment that "food snobs" use, but for my family it's a basic. I use my wok for everything short of boiling pasta.

[MarketStEl]

A friend of mine chided me gently for preparing a dish in a wok that had a thick sauce, which meant that it would simmer rather than stir-fry.

Didn't bother me one bit. The dish tasted just fine when it was done.

As did the one I made that used fresh tomatoes, which meant the mixture made its own sauce.

[Hest88]

A friend of mine chided me gently for preparing a dish in a wok that had a thick sauce, which meant that it would simmer rather than stir-fry.

Didn't bother me one bit.  The dish tasted just fine when it was done.

As did the one I made that used fresh tomatoes, which meant the mixture made its own sauce.

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As a semi-food snob, this reminds of something I really associate with annoying food snobs---the so-called "proper" way to do things. As if our ancestors weren't making incredible dishes while improvising with utensils, equipment, and imprecise measurements.

[jsolomon]

Cheeze and rice, folks! If having your chicken and your eggs just so is that important, they grow on their own if you give them some space.

Grow your own, dammit!

As for the gourmet snob, the last time I ordered off the menu, I ended up getting kicked out of Dick's Last Resort in San Antonio, Texas. Everything else? I simply dont' have the opportunity, or time.

[Heidi the Pilgrim]

have you ever been to a foie gras farm?

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No I haven't, and if this is any indication of how it's done I don't want to. Fois gras farm

The main producer of foie gras in California is Sonoma Foie Gras. In July 2002, the Animal Protection and Rescue League (APRL), after weeks of research, found the location of the farm—hidden behind the Wilfie Egg Farm in Farmington, CA. Said one APRL investigator: “We could tell when we were getting close to the farm because of the smell. It smelled like a mixture of feces, vomit and death.” Upon reaching the farm, the investigators discovered rows of ducks covered with vomit and blood. Some of the ducks were so weak and overweight that they were helpless against rats who bit at their wounds. The APRL called the ABC-7 San Francisco I-Team in to cover the story, and further brought it to the attention of the national media. Currently, the APRL is suing Sonoma Foie Gras for violating California’s anti-cruelty statute. The actions of APRL show that a small group of dedicated activists can make a difference—helping bring attention to and possibly stopping foie gras production [6].

[Joisey]

--As for the gourmet snob, the last time I ordered off the menu, I ended up getting kicked out of Dick's Last Resort in San Antonio, Texas.--

Great resto. I don't know which I liked better, the penis-shaped balloon that our waiter made my grandmother or the ketchup packets that got thrown at the passing tourists in the little boats. I'm serious, I never laughed so hard in my life as I did at that place.

[Andrew Fenton]

I am completely on board with anybody who wants to ban fois gras. Production of fois gras is cruel and causes needless suffering. It's just plain wrong to inflict such an atrocity on the innocent French language.

Foie gras, on the other hand, is just plain delicious.

[Heidi the Pilgrim]

I am completely on board with anybody who wants to ban fois gras.  Production of fois gras is cruel and causes needless suffering.  It's just plain wrong to inflict such an atrocity on the innocent French language.

Foie gras, on the other hand, is just plain delicious.

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URGH.......quelle horreur! Many pardons for my lack of attention to detail, and it was, like, right there in front of me. I detest liver in any form, foie, fois, faux, French or chicken - all bad.

[Andrew Fenton]

De rien. I suppose I ought to add "French snob" to the list-- or is that a tautology?

[Heidi the Pilgrim]

De rien.  I suppose I ought to add "French snob" to the list-- or is that a tautology?

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I think that depends on where you're from!

[scordelia]

I confess to collecting solid fats (but I have just regular olive oil--no single estate, vintage nonsense). I do have goose drippings from last Christmas and duck fat preserved in my fridge. I have shown them to other people, and as a special treat, I'll fry my morning eggs in them.

[jgm]

Cheeze and rice, folks!  If having your chicken and your eggs just so is that important, they grow on their own if you give them some space.

Grow your own, dammit!

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It would seriously piss off the neighbors, who can't seem to keep their dogs in their own yards, despite a leash law; and the dogs would just get the chickens. Which would piss me off. I've already donated way too many tomatoes and peppers to the ******* squirrels. Seems I'm the one growing the food in our neighborhood, and everybody else is doing the eating.

Besides, if I grew my own chickens, I'm not sure I could kill them and eat them. Uh-oh. My duplicity is showing...