Why do I even bother? I like to cook. I get drawn in. And if you know me, you know I am an idea guy. Big ideas. I get overextended on my ideas. Somewhere between idea and talent I sometimes get really frustrated.
As a cook, and I say this lightly as will be explained, I get carried away. I shoot higher than my ability. I am not a real follower but more of a instinctive cook. Hence my problems.
I see things in restaurants. I see pictures in recipe books and I get an inspiration. I go to the store and availability can also influence this inspiration. Then I get going in the kitchen and reality bites me in the ass.
Last night was a prime example. A couple of years ago in DC we ate at an Italian restaurant and I had this rabbit dish. The dish had flattened rabbit wrapped around asparagus and it was quite tasty. I am kind of drawn to these fancy wrapped food.
So I was inspired to recreate the dish. I substituted chicken thighs for the rabbit added bacon (just because) and did my best.
Well it started out all horseshit. It is pretty damn complicated to get the chicken into the right shape. And I need some sort of commercial stapler that is safe for cooking. The big ass toothpick things I was using made it difficult to create that cool look.
I was ready to throw the whole thing away about midway through. Quick end of the story, they came out very tasty, but looked horrible.
Of course I drank my beer while cooking and kept tabs on the Mariners during the process. They were playing San Diego, in San Diego. I saw Felix Hernandez bat, and then it hit me. As a cook I am like an American League pitcher playing in a National League park. I have no real business cooking. Sure I can run into a ball by accident. I can bunt, but who am I fooling. The other hitters are real and I am just flailing away. I better stick to bunting and trying to not strike out in the kitchen.
Of course I will still continue to try to run into a ball every now and then. But this new attitude should help me not get so frustrated.
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1 comment:
After reading this, I wish I had taken a photo before scarfing them down. But they were so good. They didn't look that bad. It was dark though. The beauty of candlelight...
Really, they looked like tiny fried birds on a stick. And the asparagus spears inside, along with the garlic, were tasty.
Don't beat yourself up. Way better than the taco salad you pretend to have invented.
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