Philosophy of Food
For my sauces class, I had to write an essay on my philosophy of food. I got a bit cheeky.
Basic fact of life: Everyone needs food to survive. And, somewhere between cave man and modern day, humans decided that food should taste good. I’m guessing it was shortly after Grog pulled a hunk of mastodon meat out of the smoker and grunted that this was a mite better than the raw version Fek provided yesterday.
Personally, I think we’ve come a long way from Grog’s homemade smoker. Yes, food at its very core should taste good. But it should also be comforting and relaxing. My philosophy of food is pretty simple. Whether dining out at a five star restaurant with friends or home alone watching your favorite movie with a tub of Edy’s Dulce de Leche ice cream in your lap, people should enjoy eating.
As with any good belief construct, my philosophy of food has certain tenets that should be followed by all adherents:
- No one should ever eat a full meal in a moving vehicle. Food should be consumed in a stationary location so that one can actually enjoy it. If part of the business model of the restaurant includes putting a driveway next to a window in said establishment, you should not frequent such an enterprise.
- Life is too short to count the number of calories in every dish you eat. Yes, there is a time and a place for salad (usually after the main course). I whole-heartedly believe that everyone should eat vegetables. And, if those same people want to cook those vegetables in copious amounts of butter and then slather them in cheese, I’m not going to stop them. Decadent is the way to go when it comes to food.
- Thus bringing me to tenet number three: The evening meal should always include dessert. It could be as simple as a cookie or a bowl of fruit in cream, but you need something sweet and happy to finish the day.
- Drinks should be considered a part of the meal, not a crazy after thought. From the aperitif to the digestif, alcohol can be a fabulous flavor enhancer for any food on the table. If my philosophy of food could have a theme song, it would start with the words “Wine, glorious wine.” Followed shortly thereafter by a flourish from the horn section.
- You should try everything edible at least once. This is especially true when traveling overseas. If the locals eat it and call it delish, you should at least try it. Bugs aren’t really that bad if they’re deep-fried and slathered in mayonnaise. Of course, having the option to eat it when it’s in it’s dead state rather than it’s living state is always preferable (no matter what those loco locals say).
- And, finally, you should not talk about food. You should eat it. I feel the same way I do about food as I do about literature—talking about it, ruins it. For the person eating a meal, the dish should be like magic. Amazing to look at, spectacular to taste, and memorable until the next dish comes out. The diner should leave the table wholly satisfied and perhaps a bit curious as to how long it took to put together.
And, that about does it for my philosophy of food—it should just taste good.
