On the Quality of Things

I was brought up, at least in my youth, in a lower-middle class environment. Perhaps my parents weren't as poor as they made out to be, that's hard for a kid to know, but they certainly fought over money a good bit and it always seemed like my mother was scrimping and cutting corners. For better or for worse, and it is probably a bit of both, I learned very quickly the value of things, the 'could haves' and 'couldn't haves,' how to make do, and so on. I carry that with me to this day and it does affect my cooking.

Over the years I have indeed gotten a bit more persnickity about certain things and of course I would much prefer to use high quality products and ingredients, but there is always that side of me that is looking for a bargain. So I 'shop around' alot, and sometimes 'I make do,' just because I can. I probably keep spices and other ingredients too long in the cupboard (although very few could beat my mother at that)and I definitely keep herbs longer than I should, though I do plant a herb garden every year and often dry my own for the winter.

I do, however, have one perspective on cooking that would probably knock the socks off some gourmets and chefs, but I feel pretty strongly about it: I firmly believe that one of the marks of a good cook is the ability to transform even poor to mediocre ingredients into something that is not only palatable, but often quite tasty. AND, the opposite is also true -- that is, a not so good cook can easily destroy, even dessicate, a fine quality ingredient. Unfortunately I have experienced this too many times, even at quality restaurants.

One of the things that I have been asked many times, and I always find these types of questions pleasurable challenges, is 'what can I do with this, this, and this?' This is the type of situation that sparks my creativity and I enjoy the challenge of melding a diverse, and sometimes seemingly strange combination of things into a quality meal.

This also shows in my own creations when I do have everything I desire at hand. I like to try new things, new ways of combining things, and thinking through with everyone's tastebuds in mind, how something will turn out if I do X, Y, or Z. Hence, as illustrated previously, I dream up menus like "Thai-American Fusion."

Quality, truly, is about the outcome; what we taste when the plate is served. None of us are perfect and we can't always hit everyone's tastebuds exactly right, nor can all of us afford the best meats, olive oils, etc., etc., all the time. Create with what you have and enjoy. That is joie-de-vivre!

Enjoy.

Joe Koob