[Sca-cooks] A little diversion

[Laura C. Minnick]

> [Sca-cooks] A little diversion
> Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 15:>Are you a food geek?
> Take the following test and determine your personal level of culinary
> geekdom.
> Do you, or Have you ever:
>
> 1. Lectured complete strangers on the uses of unfamiliar foodstuffs?

Yup. More than once.

> 2. Know what "rocket" is?

Yup. It's a little bitter, but ok mixed with other greens.

> 3. Sneered at the lazy yuppie scum who buy premade polenta at the
> supermarket?

I'll only eat fresh, and the tube polenta looks too much like squeeze
cheeze... so yup.

> 4. Grown your own herbs?

When I had my own garden, yes. And I walk out into Regina's yard to cut
fresh pretty often, so I'm saying yes.

> 5. Grown your own vegetables?

Used to. Still remember the heaven I was in the year I had 16 Roma
plants. Of course, canning in an upstair apt whent he weather is over 95
degrees....

> 6. Grown your own wheat?

Nope. But when I was a little girl we used to grind up grass seed and
pretend it was wheat. And  go to teh natural foods store to get wheat
for frumenty...

> 7. Foregone buying ice cream because the soup bones have taken over your
> freezer?

No- though Regina's freezer is full of meant and bones and UFOs
(Unidentified Food Objects). I have however been forced to eat an entire
pint of Ben and Jerry's because there was too much
frozen-fresh-from-the-garden whatever. And then there's Thanksgiving...

> 8. Made your own demi-glace?

Don't give me ideas...

> 9. Own five mortars and pestles, but can't find your pepper mill?

Two M&P, and the pepper mill is in the tourney spice basket.

> 10. Consider your mother a heretic for buying premade pie crusts?

My mom isn't much of a cook. Her new husband does all the cooking. I
have occasionally used them- if I am baking a pie in camp it is a lot
easier than rolling dough in a camp kitchen.

> 11. Subscribe to seven cooking magazines but mooch newspapers from your

REgina has the subscriptions. I read the newspape, with Food Day
supplement, online...

> 12. Stayed up late reading Escoffier, Brillat-Savarin, or Julia Child?

Now, but I read cookbooks in bed (there's one in my bed right now. James
isn't there to holler) and then at 4 am I have these cravings... wait-
one of my favorite bed-time cookbooks is a Julia Child, come to think of
it...

> 13. Say to yourself, "I can cook better than this" at a trendy restaurant?

Yup. Not that I go those places often, but...

> 14. Know the difference between a china cap and a chinoise?

Uh... no- I have a feeling I"m about to be embarrassed...

> 15. Fantasize about meeting Charles Ranhofer, James Beard, or Martino da
No..

Beard yes, and Child (she getting really old...) and everyone of this
list!

> 16. Brag about your 10-inch Dick?

Would if I had one. James swears by Henckels.

> 17. Know what the last question was about, you vulgar little creature,
you?

Yup.

> 18. Have a special carrying case for your knives, sharpening steel,

Nope. But James does!

> 19. Spend hours in the "Used Equipment" section of the restaurant supply
> store?

The one in Eugene is never open when I go by! But I could spend hours in
Sur le Table or Kitchen Kaboodle or Williams Sonoma...

> 20. Kept a sourdough starter alive for more than two months?

Oh my... not recently, but during a 'Herman' craze about 12-15 years
ago, I had one for about a year. I baked and baked and baked... and
gained weight... and had to stop... wait- it was 14 years, because Lydia
was a baby, and she just turned 14...

I gave myself some 1/2 points- and came up with 14 1/2. Not bad!

We all need to get a life!

'Lainie