SC - Spices and sensitive palates

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Mike C. Baker wrote:
> 
> > In either case, folk may grouse that they don't
> > like ginger, but there's a difference between knowing
> > that you don't like a particular dish that was
> > fixed correctly, and thinking that the dish was
> > ruined because the cook erred.
> 
> Perfectly agreed.

On a slightly tangential note, I frequently serve roast pork loins at
events, and refuse to cook them to the bone-dry plywood stage almost
invariably called for in most cookbooks. The standard reason people give
for pork being well-done is to eliminate the danger of trichinosis, a
disease that has had, as far as I know, few or no cases in the US in the
last 20 years or so. Trichinosis parasites and their eggs are killed at
137 degrees F. internal temperature, at which point the meat is still
pretty rare. I generally cook it to an internal temperature of 150
degrees, technically medium. Some people do become alarmed in spite of
this, and have been known to complain that the meat wasn't sufficiently
dead to their taste. It has juice. It has flavor. Bad cook!

I have taken to leaving the pancake griddle turned on in the kitchen (we
have one particular site that we use twice a year, and I often am the
cook for those events), so people can bring sliced portions of roast
back to cook to their taste, if necessary. So far I've had one taker,
and very few leftovers.

However, this is always my Golden Opportunity to have a herald announce
the admonition from Le Menagier de Paris, modified from carp to pork:
(Pardon the paraphrase!) It is a known fact that Germans like their meat
overcooked, as opposed to the French, who prefer their meat properly
cooked. One must not be surprised if a German wishes to send his meat
back to the kitchen to be cooked again, for it is the custom of their
country. (The herald then asks if there are any Germans out in the hall,
who wish their meat recooked...)

Adamantius 
______________________________________
Phil & Susan Troy
troy at asan.com


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