[Sca-cooks] Meat and potatoes

[Susan Lin]

I was raised by depression era parents - nothing was thrown away and you
ate what was on your plate no matter how long it took.  I recall sitting
there for more than 4 hours with a plate of liver in front of me until I
could cut it up small enough to eat without chewing - not a texture I ever
want to have to taste again.

People in the U.S. can be particularly picky and fussy - I know people who
have never and will never eat a leftover.  There are people who go "ick"
over broccoli, asparagus, brussel sprouts, or most any other vegetable.
 They then teach their children to be equally picky.  In our house our son
(3 1/2 years old) will eat everything from smoked oysters to tofu - he
loves fish and there isn't a fruit or vegetable he won't eat.  We haven't
denied him anything so he's just as likely to ask for a tomato (to eat
whole) as a piece of candy.  Maybe it's because that's how my husband and I
were raised but we serve our son what we eat and he likes it.

As for a guest throwing away a platter of fish - I don't know of anyone who
would be so rude - it does not even compute with me.  How could she dare
throw out a platter of food.  I hope she felt bad about what she had done -
she should.

The eggs on the buffet - as someone said - if they sit too long they
continue to cook, get tight, rubbery - leaching out the water and they
start to turn green.  I can understand someone not being excited to eat
that but if the eggs are kept fresh and not too many cooked and left
sitting I think it's fine - it's an easy way to serve them to a large
group.  If they don't like them - they don't have to eat them.

I loved the breakfast buffet in Japan - there was always sushi!  What
better way to start the day.  But chocolate kuchen sounds like a fine idea
as well.

I say offer them the food you want to - if they choose not to eat it it is
their choice but you do not have to cater to them unless you are running a
restaurant or you know in advance they have an allergy (not just an "I
don't like").  If I am served a plate of something I don't like I have been
known to do my best to eat it no matter how much I don't like it because I
do not want to be rude to my host but if they give me a choice - I'll
choose something else.

I'm sorry you have had some bad experiences with people from here.  I'd
like to say they are the exception but sadly I don't think so - but look on
the bright side - there are those of us who enjoy going to other countries
for the exciting new foods we'll eat as much as the wonderful
art/architecture/scenery.

Shoshanah


On Wed, Mar 5, 2014 at 2:00 PM, Susan Lord Williams <lordhunt at gmail.com>wrote:

> People claim they are "open minded" but when I serve something that is not
> "meat and potatoes" they have an excuse for not eating it.
>
> Here in South America, the other night a guest from USA took a platter of
> fish (a 15th century recipe, which was excellent) to the kitchen and threw
> it out. When I discovered this I explained to her that although it was not
> to her liking my poor cleaning lady would loved it.
>
> A golf pro from the states arrived this week. He related that his
> colleagues will not eat the scrambled eggs offered at the buffet breakfast
> in his hotel. I have no clue what could be wrong with scrambled eggs.
> Perhaps you can enlighten me.
>
> Recently American guests critized breakfast buffets in hotels in this
> country because soft boiled eggs were not offered but chocolate kuchen was.
>
> The golf pro had one more incident to relate. An American colleague of his
> asked one of the caddies how cold it gets here at Christmas time. - Jajaja
> - there was no way anyone could make him understand that here the world is
> upside down as it is summer here.
>
> The golf pro summed it up: such people believe the world revolves around
> them.
>
> I find all this most difficult - almost impossible when trying to get my
> friends to try something beside meat and potatoes but I feel your surveys
> related to this most interesting because like you I toil over dishes and
> want to know how they come off but at times I feel I should not insist as
> my potential eater only wants meat and potatoes and the world to revolve
> around him..
>
>
>
>
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