I was on my way into the supermarket to buy a newspaper this morning when I was approached by a man handing out printed pieces of paper about a food donation a local organization was conducting.

He asked that if I could give anything it would be appreciated, to which he handed me one of these pieces of paper. I looked over it briefly and said I would see what I could do and proceeded inside the supermarket, neatly folding the paper but not putting it into my pocket.

Once I had found a paper I proceeded to look over the leaflet he had handed me. I was going to buy a couple of cans of corn or something of the like and donate that but when I looked at the paper I was surprised at what was listed.

The Following are a List of Items We are in Desperate Need of:

Chicken (whole or parts)
Breakfast Meats (Bacon and sausage)
Hamburger Meat and Hot Dogs
Cereal
Potatoes (White or Sweet)
Powdered Drink Mix/Juice Boxes
Spaghetti Sauce
Snacks
Eggs
Paper Products (Cups, Plates, Napkins)

Now normally I wouldn’t give this a second thought, but some of this stuff really seemed out of place to me. Eggs, cereal, and Hot dogs make sense to me. Yet, Chicken whole or parts, Hamburger, Paper Products?

I began to put two and two together and realized, hey it’s the weekend before 4th of July maybe they're just getting donations for a BBQ for the homeless or needy.

Something still irked me about the whole thing, so I opted not to buy anything, instead giving a few dollars in the plastic jar one young women was holding on the way out.

It really dug on me on the way home, the things they were asking for. It got me wondering why those items? Normally don’t we see canned goods and powdered milk during Thanksgiving and the winter holiday season? Why so many perishable goods like raw chicken and beef? and why Powdered Drink Mix?

I would assume if your running some kind of outreach program for the needy or poor a nutritious balanced meal would be the first priority on your mind for those people. The needy need food, yes of course, but more importantly they need nutritious food. They need a balanced meal; they need those vitamins and minerals that they lack in the normal meals they can get. What really gets me is the paragraph before the list even says:

"We provide a nutritious meal to approximately 100 youth every Friday night.."

Upon returning home I tried to search numerous sites to find a list of suggested donations of food, but have been unsuccessful in doing so. I know there has got to be one of the larger organizations offering this kind of advice, but haven’t been able to find it.

Ill keep looking, and in the meantime Im going to call this organization and ask a few questions.

Theyre doing a wonderful thing, and maybe Im not seeing the full picture so I might even get over there to help out.

Like a Creeping Shadow...

The weekend has arrived!

Normaly I would welcome such downtime, but from being out of a kitchen for the last six weeks Im really starting to get antsy!

I feel like a herion addict...

"Just one fix, Come on man, I just need to cook one steak.. how bout some chicken? Ill do whatever you want just let me cook some chicken!"

*Shiver*

Ok maybe its not that bad, but still. Being stuck behind a desk for the last six weeks and not having cooked anything is starting to bug me.

..Viva la B B Q!

"Your My Kind of Meat!"

Thanks to Cha Xiu Bao for pointing this little gem out.

What happens when you mix the 80's with Engrish?



Oh my......

"Your a bum! you hear me, A bum!"

Seems the Rocky (at least in my eyes) of Speed Eating might be down for the count!

Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi's jaw suffers jaw injury, forcing him to debate retiring

Say it aint so!
I loved to watch this guy eat, amazing.

Battle of the .. Personality Type?!

A good article in the Menupages Blog (thanks to Bob del Grosso) points out some interesting views on Women vs Men chefs.

Actually it seems more about how the views about Men Vs Women chefs are changing to be Personality Traits.

Id have to agree with the article in alot of its point. There are women I have worked with, gone to school with, and talked to that can be/are just as arrogant, cocky, and self righteous about food as any man.

And it has more to do with then just the attitude. The article does a good job of pointing out two major kitchen personalities, Awe and Comfort.

Underlying every cook who desires to move beyond just cooking there are these traits.
Think of it like a Mother/Father Personality trait. Mothers baby and are concerened with wellbeing, Where Fathers seek to better by hard work and showing domination in a particular act (Both of these of course being old outdated trait structures.)

I think every chef/cook/foodie falls into one of these catagories. Im just trying to figure out which one is more dominant in me...

A Chef, by any other name......

I was out to dinner with my roommate on Saturday, enjoying a meal at a chain restaurant when he started firing off culinary questions at me.

He's semi-new to the "professional cook" game, but no stranger to the industry. He hails from India where his family owns and runs hotels. We were engaged in a lengthy debate and discussion about food and recipes when he stopped and said..

"Man, dude, your gonna be a great chef.."

Now I dont know if its my humility, or the fact that I have a hard time thinking Im anything special, but there was such a mixed reaction from me when he said it.

On one hand my chest swells with pride at such a compliment, but on the other theres a cold chill down my spine.

Ive been thinking about it alot for the last two days and Im left wondering "what makes a great chef great? Knowledge? Skill?"

This question is nothing new to the culinary debate ring, I have heard it debated a million times before.. but in the end Ive come to this conclusion...

I dont care.

It sounds funny I know, but I really dont care what "makes a great chef" because we all know deep down the answer to that question. Passion, Commitment, and Information are all really good answers.. and in a sense all true.

But from where I stand right now, from what I know and what I have seen the only real answer for me is Understanding.

To know what Julia Child knew... to know what MK Fisher knew... to understand that at the heart of it all cooking, nah, food is about the meal. Its about the togetherness, the bond that happens while sitting down to a meal.

Understanding that we all desire, we all love and want, and during that brief time at a meal we each co-inhabit the same moment in time, the same desire for company and comradery.

What is a real chef?

Our grandparents, our fathers, our mothers, our brothers and sisters, our friends...
They are all chefs, if when you sit down to a meal with them they see through your eyes and you through theirs.

Its not about fame, its not about money, its not even about having the best menu or recipes. Cooking isnt a competition, at least it shouldn’t be.

Sitting down to a meal with those you care about and sharing that brief moment where the world ceases and time stands still.

When I think back on it, when I really think about it what I picture in my mind is visiting my grandmother in Philadelphia.

The oven was always on, the stove always full of pots and pans. The aroma of meatballs and tomato sauce hanging heavy in the air. Her, ushering her five grandsons into the small nitch of her apartment that served as the dining room to feed them. The look in her eyes as she stood over us all and smiled as we stuffed our little faces.

A Chef, by any other name....

Shoutout Sundays

As promised heres another installment.

Many of you may already know Susan "Farmgirl" and if you dont, you should get to know her.

She set out some time ago with only a dream of having a farm. What has transpired since that day has been recorded in this excellent blog. The daily ups and downs, comings and goings, suffering and joys of a small farm are all here.

The love of animals, gardening, and food all represented in this fantastic blog. Her pictures can speak a thousand words as well.

Keep it up Susan, and Ill keep singing your praise.