Its been quite a long while since the last post. We have been busy setting up our home kitchen in a new location- having moved from London to Oxford. Its an inherited kitchen from the previous occupier in a galley style. Its functioning OK but there are bits and bobs we would love to change slowly but surely. And in the meantime, we've started making bread and thats when it feels like home :)
Moving also means finding new suppliers/grocers/supermarkets in our new local area. These have a big influence on the kind of fare we make! As we are still in the midst of exploring, I shall leave this to a different post!
Meanwhile, we've had some wonderful news leading to a growing bump and shopping for new bottoms as my waistline expands. I am happy to announce that my belly is now bigger than his paunch! And if all goes well, out pops a momokin this the summer!
So much for catch up!
The real motivation behind this sudden great urge to post is actually from having just watched the new TV culinary series called "The TASTE". A UK based programme where contestants are chosen and mentored based on their submission of a spoonful of food to 3 judges, namely Nigella Lawson, Anthony Bourdain and Ludo Lefebvre. The first 2 names probably need no introduction, while Ludo is a french chef and tv personality based in LA. I've just watched the first episode and am slightly intrigued, as it proclaims its "all about the palette" giving scant attention to presentation and techniques. However in this first episode, what featured heavily was the Judge's personalities and theatrics of competition and very little about the actual food itself, aside from closeup shots of overladen spoons out to impress. It is more a meal squeezed onto a spoon than an amuse bousch. One of the emerging themes in the programme seems to be 'the Home cook vs the Professional Cook'. Are we really all equal when it comes to the palette? Thinking about it also got me wondering about my affair with tv cooking shows of late, as I became a rather religious follower of UK Master Chef in the past 2 years.
Some random ruminations about this new hobby of mine! Why do I watch cooking programmes/competitions?
- I love eating, cooking and browsing cook books! TV is a natural extension of the repertoire no?
- Get inspired and learn about new ingredients, methods, combinations from watching others !
- Enjoy the format of the programme, which while keeping the competition keen, the UK version of MASTER CHEF does not distract from the food itself, and does not play up the dramatics of competition as much as the US version.
- Availability and affordability of ingredients/ spices from all over the world in our globalised times, have really helped expand the range of home cooking! And with these tv programmes, it inspires everyday meals !
- It gives normal folk like me a glimpse of the professional kitchen, and the pains and pleasure of creating dishes!
- I also note the obsession we have with food which has entered popular culture in a BIG way, and yet at the same time, there are people going hungry and worrying about the next meal with scant regard as to how it would taste. No, I'm not referring to Africa, but here in the UK.
till the next post….
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