To cook or not to cook

Photo by Donna Ruhlman

Before I begin I wanted to shameless plug my new favorite food - egg on a pizza. I made this Tuesday night for the first time with the leftover pizza dough. Jordan wasn't around so I was able to try something a bit daring. He is adventurous but I think this might have been crossing the line. Anyway, I first heard of eggs on a pizza when I was about 18 on vacation with the family in France. They put some strange things on pizza in France. At this point I was completely utterly disgusted. Flash forward to this year when I discovered oven cooked eggs in tomato sauce. Left with the options of eating by myself for two nights in a row, I jumped at having the previously mentioned egg dish. But the weather was 90 degrees and this egg dish takes at least 20 minutes in a 375 degree oven and then is piping hot to eat. Perfect for wintertime but not so much in hot, humid New York. Grant it, the pizza still cooks in the oven but for some reason that did not bother me. Anyway, my pizza was simply cheese with two eggs cracked on top. It was delicious and easy. Its a new favorite. Now on to the post...

Apparently I missed something big. A few weeks ago in Portland, OR there was a convention of some cookbook people (i.e. foodies). I don't know all of the details and I don't have time to find out, so I am going to leave it at that. To find out more you can read how I found out about it from this blog: EAT.WRITE.NOW

Besides all of the controversy, what caught my eye was that it was Michael Ruhlman. Not only do I occasionally read his blog Michael Ruhlman but I have read most of his non-fiction books about his experiences at the CIA. Having contemplated going into the culinary arts myself, I love reading about it.

At this convention he called on America to cook more. Or more bluntly that Americans were lazy when they confessed to be too busy to cook. Basically he stated that everything is a choice. If you have a job that makes you be in an office 80 hours a week or a two hour commute it is your choice. Just like you choose to get take out instead of make your own supper.

I completely agree. I also am known for eating out at least once a week. My dining out is two fold sometimes I eat out because it is fast and easy for what is going on at that point in my life. Other times I eat out because it is a cool new restaurant I heard of or it has some yummy dish I like.

Jordan recently bought a one month pass for a driving range allowing him to hit as many buckets of balls for 30 days at one low price. And hit he has. Determined to get the most bang for his buck everyday after work he drops me off at the gym and goes to hit his balls. Now, I am really lucky because up until this month the norm was for me to go to the gym after work and Jordan to go to the apartment. By the time I get back from my work out dinner is cooked and on the table. Normally we are dining by 6:45ish. Pretty sweet deal huh?

The golf has gotten in the way of my sweet deal. Now Jordan picks me up from the gym (its on the way to and from the golf place) at 6:45. We get to the apartment by 7 and start dinner together. We eat at 7:30pm, if I pre-cut and prepped the meal in the morning. By the time dishes are done and I am all cleaned up for the night it is after 8pm and I am exhausted. This is probably more of the natural course for most couples nowadays and by that I mean eating late. For me, though 8pm means night and winding down. I am a morning person through and through. The point of all of this though is we have done this for two weeks now and although not the preference it is our choice. Things got more hectic and we still cook.

I think some people do have a predisposed taking to cooking. You have the natural knack for it and thus enjoy the whole process that much more. I come from a family of cooks so I am convinced it is in the blood. I see how some people may not enjoy this but I think to blame time as the main reason for not cooking is pretty lame.

Anyway...food for thought!