Blogs

My Friends Know Me and Love Me

I just got the BEST Christmas gifts. Although I love food and love TRYING to cook, it is well-known that I have the crappiest tools with which to attempt my beloved dishes. I have crappy pans, a crappy oven, no mixer, and a once-grand Wusthof chef's knife that is not so grand anymore. This is how bad it's gotten...I slice my tomatoes with steak knives. Yes, I know...it's sad. I go home to my parent's house with their cheap chef's knives and I'm freaking out because I can mince garlic in about a third of the time it takes me with the crap that I have with which to work. My defense is is that I have been a poor med student and resident up until recently...and I'm uhh....lazy. My friends just stopped by (visiting from out of town) and graciously handed me a plastic bag containing a Santoku chef knife. How thoughtful! I actually ended up eating a bunch of brie with marmalade and crackers tonight for dinner (I was feeling a bit lazy) so I did not get to utilize the knife. But as I was sitting there on my lazy ass watching a marathon of the first season of "Top Chef," I decided that it would be a good idea to test out the knife Ginsu style and slice a tomato (don't worry, I didn't attempt to slice a can open). Now, being brought up by Asian parents who have lived through a war, I have been trained never to waste food...well, they would be disapponted with what I did. Yup...I sliced the tomato....and it was heavenly. The seeds and juice didn't squirt out like they do with my crappy knives because I have to apply so much pressure with my hand so that the knife can get through the oh-so-strong (note: sarcasm) tomato skin. I sliced and sliced in all different thicknesses and sizes and just went to town on the tomato...and then I threw it away. I know....horrible. But I will say, it was quite satisfying. I'm sorry, I just had to do it. My friend, N, will understand. It doesn't stop there: there was yet another hidden surprise in the plastic bag. I was already way too excited about the knife. My friends got me "The French Laundry Cookbook!" Once again, being a poor med student/resident...I have skimped on great cookbooks. However, I have been slowly building up my small and meager collection because I do have wonderful friends. I've already started reading it and soaking in the amazing photos. Mind you, this is not a cookbook for the meek. It's definitely not 30-minute-meals by Rachael Ray (whom I counter-intuitively love). This book is telling me that I need a tamis for some of the recipes...I don't even know what the hell that is...but I love it. The prose in the book is all about loving and respecting food and great ingredients and the time and care that is spent on making the food in an ultimate effort to make people happy. I love that. Ok, enough about the gifts. To the givers (one a bakespace member and the shy other whom we are trying to entice)...know that I love it! I'm not clever enough and way too self-absorbed and wordy for a haiku (whether stealth or not). Thanks, you two!