Fishing - What I learned today.

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What I learned today.

On Fri, 14 Dec 2007 06:37:14 -0600, Conan The Librarian
wrote:

wrote:

On Fri, 14 Dec 2007 02:32:39 GMT, "Tom Littleton"
wrote:

[snip]

Others don't wish to
go through that process, and wish more explicit instructions through the
process and get to the actual dining part more readily.

Then my advice would be to not try it at home. If one isn't interested
in the process, the result isn't likely to be satisfying to anyone
involved.

Isn't that just a tad arrogant and condescending, Richard?

It's not intended to be. It's intended to be simply advice to those who
really "don't wish to go through that process." Frankly, I find it
arrogant and condescending that you seem to support some "you must do
this, this way, and with this amount when the native cooks don't cook
that way. Why do you think it is "arrogant and condescending" to advise
those who don't wish to _truly_ do something, um, not to do it?

Ooops, sorry ... almost forgot who I was responding to.

Chuck Vance (who thankfully isn't above using instructions when
trying something new)

I never said or even suggested that folks who are interested in learning
about Creole or Cajun cooking shouldn't follow some basic instruction(s)
or other form of general guide. Heck, I even provided some. I simply
said that they shouldn't follow _recipes_ because there really aren't
any. I'd offer that my suggestion is much less limiting to those who
are interested in going through that process than attempting to follow
_recipes_ that are, to native cooks of all skill levels, fictions.

TC,
R

What I learned today.

"Tim J." wrote in message
...

One of the things I like to do is look through a recipe (especially the
ones with the photos - reading is for sissies) and then reconstruct it
first in my mind and then in the kitchen. Usually, after reading (blech!)
the ingredients and quantities, I have a pretty good idea where the
flavors will be coming from. Then I tweak the ingredients for my tastes or
the tastes of the people I'll be serving, tasting as I go. I would
imagine the others here with at least a basic familiarity with the kitchen
(you know who you are) do the same.

An excellent brief exposition of a method which is exceptional in the broad
field of human endeavor in that it is both eminently sensible and widely
practised.

. . . of course, I would also imagine that the two opposing teams in this
debate are saying exactly the same thing, but are in different rooms. ;-)

Debate? :)

One of the sides in this exercise has a very good idea of what of what both
sides are saying. The other is entirely clueless with regard to either.

Wolfgang

What I learned today.

On Fri, 14 Dec 2007 06:32:12 -0600, Conan The Librarian
wrote:

Tom Littleton wrote:

a few questions, Chuck.
1. Do you consider yourself well trained in a variety of
cooking skills?

"Trained" might not be exactly accurate, but yeah ... I have a lot
of experience cooking many different styles of cuisine.

2. Is you palate sensitive enough to discern most spices
in dishes you consume?

Yes. In fact, it's a bit of a running joke with Carol that when I
try a new dish I "deconstruct" the spices and herbs that went into it.

3. Can you generally tell by which method a cooked
dish was cooked(ie: grilled, roasted, fried, sauteed,etc).

Sure.

if a fairly strong "yes" to all the above, and if self-confident enough, you
should be able to play around at duplicating much of what you might
encounter in restaurants or at the homes of friends, on your own.

And I've been known to do exactly that. However, one of the ways I
got the self-confidence to do that is by reading and trying out various
recipes, however "un-authentic" they might be considered.

I think
RDean is merely stating that he is fond of doing just that sort of playing
around, and the challenges it presents. I think he also has the skill set to
pull it off adequately. Others don't wish to
go through that process, and wish more explicit instructions through the
process and get to the actual dining part more readily. This is where the
differences lie and the problems in understanding one another in this
thread. Oh, and Wolfie being puckish or whatever can muck the understanding
process up considerably, too, but that's the charm of ROFF.

I've got no problem with Wolfgang Puck ... er, I mean ... I think
Wolfgang is merely giving Richard a hard time because ... well ...
because Richard sometimes begs for it.

Oh, Wolfgang's responses have no effect on mine because I don't read 95%
of them anyway, and rarely read any of the onesy-twosy-reply subthreads
he tends to create. I think he is, at best, sadly mean-spirited and as
such, I really have no interest in his opinions or comments on anything
and don't care about what he might say about me, so there is little
point in my reading his replies.

Bill says he's thinking about looking into recipes for Cajun food,
so Richard comes along and say he can't do that because there are no
recipes for "true" Cajun food.

Er, not at all. What I suggested is that he ignore any such _recipes_
because he really doesn't need them and do what the native cooks do:
take the basic ingredients of the dish and modify them to suit his
tastes as well as what's available locally. For example, he's not
likely to find tasso or andouille in Wales, so if he's following some
_recipe_, he's done before he is started. But a Creole or Cajun would
simply sub whatever comes closest and roll with it. Hell, that's how
much of the cuisine, in general, came about.

We all know that's just Richard being Richard, but really ... how
helpful a response is that?

A response intended to provide some actual information rather than
simply insist that _recipes_ are the way to go. And since I'd offer
that I have much more experience with Creole and Cajun cuisine then do
you, I'm a bit better placed to offer guidance. But obviously, anyone
is free to load up on Creole cookbooks and go bananas Foster...

TC,
R

Chuck Vance

What I learned today.

On Fri, 14 Dec 2007 07:41:45 -0600, Conan The Librarian
wrote:

wrote:

Think of it much like fly "recipes" - there are certainly "ingredient
lists," but I've never seen a _recipe_ that says something like "use x
grains of dubbing on a thread of x thousandths coated with x amount of
wax..." or "use a hackle of precisely x inches/mm" and so, your "art" is
different from a Dette which is different from a Flick, etc., but all
are generally a whatever tie.

I know I should probably just shut up, but I got to thinking about
this analogy, and I think it's a bit off.

The way I see your comments in this thread, it's more like this:
Bill says he's going to check some recipes for tying an Adams. You say,
the real Adams doesn't have a recipe; the folks who tied it just threw
together some hooks, thread, dubbing and feathers.

Bill should not expect to learn by reading about it; he should just
get out on the water and hope he sees the real thing. Furthermore, the
folks who tie "real" Adams do it so differently that the various
incarnations are barely recognizable as Adams.

You see it wrong.

And that's about it,
R

Chuck Vance

What I learned today.

wrote in message
...

Oh, Wolfgang's responses have no effect on mine because I don't read 95%
of them anyway, and rarely read any of the onesy-twosy-reply subthreads
he tends to create. I think he is, at best, sadly mean-spirited and as
such, I really have no interest in his opinions or comments on anything
and don't care about what he might say about me, so there is little
point in my reading his replies.

:)

Wolfgang

What I learned today.

Mike wrote:
On 14 Dec, 03:32, "Tom Littleton" wrote:

"Conan The Librarian" wrote in ...

wrote:
Sadly, then I just have to struggle by making up something from a cookbook.

a few questions, Chuck.
1. Do you consider yourself well trained in a variety of
cooking skills?
2. Is you palate sensitive enough to discern most spices
in dishes you consume?
3. Can you generally tell by which method a cooked
dish was cooked(ie: grilled, roasted, fried, sauteed,etc).

if a fairly strong "yes" to all the above, and if self-confident enough, you
should be able to play around at duplicating much of what you might
encounter in restaurants or at the homes of friends, on your own. I think
RDean is merely stating that he is fond of doing just that sort of playing
around, and the challenges it presents. I think he also has the skill set to
pull it off adequately. Others don't wish to
go through that process, and wish more explicit instructions through the
process and get to the actual dining part more readily. This is where the
differences lie and the problems in understanding one another in this
thread. Oh, and Wolfie being puckish or whatever can muck the understanding
process up considerably, too, but that's the charm of ROFF.
Tom

English cooking is a lot simpler. If it´s brown it´s done, if it´s
black, it is either blood pudding or burned.

"In England, there are sixty different religions and only one sauce."
Attributed to Voltaire

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

What I learned today.

rw wrote:

English cooking is a lot simpler. If itï¿½s brown itï¿½s done, if itï¿½s
black, it is either blood pudding or burned.

"In England, there are sixty different religions and only one sauce."
Attributed to Voltaire

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

Indeed, and religion is declining rapidly!

TL
MC