Skip to main content

2000 Mistakes

 Remember those wonderful Bob Ross shows we used to watch on PBS? When Bob decided that the scene needed some "happy little trees" in the background, he seemingly waved the brush over the canvas with a scribble motion and the trees came to life. It was always a joy to watch. 

I never aspired to paint,  sparing myself from wondering if I could reach such a pinnacle. But there were things in my life that I did wish to achieve such proficiency.  Playing guitar was one of those things, but the time commitment that takes is significant. The last time I had that kind of time was in 1986. I am ok with this. In fact, I feel I am not done with that side of my creativity.


In 1999, in Junction City, Kansas I experienced my first most amazing meal ever. As I sat there with five of my friends, I never imagined that I could reach any kind of culinary achievement. Three years later, on a completely different planet, I set out to make my first spinach artichoke dip. This Saturday-kitchen-devouring mission was all-consuming. It also had the cleanup effort requirement of an oil tanker spill.

2,000 mistakes and misfires brought about 50,000 wins and knowledge that others have tried to pay for yet never received. I have always been the make-something-out-of-nothing guy, and learning to cook was all that for me.

I've had very good inspiration. Yes, in popular culinary media, there are ways to pick up this or that. My true inspiration came from people who I spent important times in my life with. My Dad always had this incredible drive to not follow any known paths, letting his curiosity, and need for a specific taste right then and there lead the way. Late one Saturday night, when the Family Center had the excellent idea to market cast iron frying pans, with a dozen eggs and a pound of bacon, shrink-wrapped together. It was too tempting. That led to a late-night culinary expedition that started with those ingredients and became so much; the food, the conversation, the creativity, and old stories.

My other inspiration comes from my friend Nick. He was raised in restaurants. It is in his DNA. The unique thing about Nick is, he has the same, make something from nothing mentality. We shared a Gulf War deployment over 30 years ago. With limited resources, obtained through others by questionable means, I watched his limitless creativity in full force. Just like me, just like my father, Nick has let his desire to see what the possibilities can be, fire his culinary drive.

In the 25 years of expanding my culinary ambitions, I have learned something amazing. The more I do this the easier it gets. The 22-year-old spinach artichoke dip now can be made anywhere, anytime, and you could have a conversation with me as I make it and barely notice that I am working on something this significant. I could make it, in my kitchen, I could make it with a chicken, I could make it here or there, I could make it anywhere.

That is nothing compared to what happens when time and complexity demands are placed on me. Just like working out regularly, I am building strength and confidence that I can do more than I ever knew. Complex, choreographed, large-group cooking adventures are now possible and enjoyable.  There is a pleasant side effect to this escalation of complex cooking ability. Making something on those nights when we have no idea what to make or where to start.  Now, there are always possibilities. Out of all of the benefits, it is interesting to me that the most basic benefit is the greatest one of all.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

You've got to get mad

   I need to create classic recipes. It is the avalanche in me that cannot be stopped. I love seafood. I make excellent mussels. Sweet vermouth, PEI mussels, cream, portabello mushrooms, shallots, garlic, cilantro, bacon. Maybe a Thai chili or two if I want to cook on the wild side.  My oh my! But now, I NEEEEEEEED to make a lobster thermidor, a favorite back in1960s-70s entertaining. The food from those old black-tie dinner party meals is rising into view once again. I know there can be wild spins on what we can do with a meal that Julia Child championed us out of our collective trepidation. 60 years later we are tampering with the maverick. But take your rest here for a moment to cook at the station of that wonderful woman who brought the housewives out of the dark ages, showing us all that family dinner had no limits. Even more so, Julia showed us that ambition and creativity were not owned by men alone. She like my grandmother, did so in a world that said otherwise. B...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Universal Antagonist

There is an underrated movie from 1967 called “The Presidents Analyst”. It tells the story of a presidents analyst who cannot talk with anyone about what he knows. This creates more anxiety than he can deal with. It leads to catastrophic paranoia. In the meantime, various government agencies are trying to kill him. The phone company (a unit with the same power as Facebook, google, and other large personal data collecting monsters) wants what he knows to further their cause of power. He ends up being  protected by a suburban “Liberal” family that has more guns the the “right wing wackos” they are protecting themselves from. With many crazy mind bending plot twists  that were  common in the movies of the late 60’s, the kind that Austin Powers liked to spoof, in the end, the main character realizes the “it’s the phone company” behind all of the evil in their lives, behind all the evil in the world. Hollywood was serious about their message in an insane package. This movie wa...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Very Personal Trap

   Someone has filled my freezers. That person is me. They are full enough for me to rearrange the contents to fit something new. Something is amiss. I am not shopping more, not hitting great sales, and have not changed my shopping habits. That can only mean one thing. I must not be cooking enough. So what is going on? Winter depression is all around like an unwanted, persistent weather pattern. I remember a time like this a few years ago. I cannot recall how I broke free from its gravity well. My ambition requires a jumpstart, and my motivation has flown south for the bitter winter season. I feel I am left with nothing, like Henry Bemis in the Twilight Zone episode Time Enough at Last. Socially awkward, Henry could not deal with people in any way whatsoever. His only refuge was found between the pages of a book. It was his special place. A catastrophic event takes the lives of every other person on the planet, yet Henry is spared. As he wanders around a post-apocalyptic city,...
Post a Comment
Read more