Wednesday, September 14, 2016

We are people, too!

I was talking with a super cool, hip dietitian from Wisconsin the other day about what she makes at home for dinner and then she said "I would be afraid to cook for a chef." 

We like to be fed, too! 

Now, I'm only speaking for myself but it's nice for someone to cook for me once in awhile. I'm sure a mechanic would love for someone to change their oil on their car from time to time so they can sit back and relax. Even though I love to cook and it's a great passion of mine, it's nice to not to do it when I get home. 

Many people are afraid of cooking for professional chefs because they are afraid of judgement. They are afraid the chef will judge their food and not like it. And that is probably true. BUT we do not judge because we want to put you down or make you feel like shit. We judge because that's what we are taught to do. We're taught to serve the best product we can serve. And how do we better ourselves? Constructive criticism. Don't get me wrong, if you invite me over for dinner I'm not going to tell you your chicken is dry (because it probably is). There's a difference between food that is offered to me and food that I am paying for. If I'm paying for a meal I do have a higher standard for that meal (depending on the restaurant) but the standard is obviously not as high when I eat over a friend's house. 

For the foodies. Please do me a favor. I know you like food and you like to cook and all that jazz. But if you're going to invite a chef over for dinner please understand what will happen if you ask "So how's the food?" I will give you my most honest opinion and that may or may not hurt your feelings. So if you're sensitive, keep your mouth shut. I have definitely ruined some dinners because of that question but I do not feel bad because it was an honest answer to their question. 

A lot of people always ask me why I have to be so mean. If you know me, I'm all about tough love. I want you to succeed but I'm not going to sugar coat anything. If you make a dish and it tastes like shit I'm going to tell you, not just because it tastes like shit but because it's a reflection of me. If I tell you it tastes good and you make it for someone else and you tell that person, "Chris said it tastes great!" I'm going to look like an asshole. I do not want that to happen. My brother in-law always gets on me because I used to tell my sister her cooking was either shit or OK. But luckily for him she's gotten much better.

I will only voice my opinion on bad food if you ask me but I will ALWAYS tell you if I think the food is good. And if I say the word "delicious" then I am absolutely happy with the meal. I think people should ask for opinions more often. Don't settle for mediocre. Always try to better yourself. Food is a huge representation of you and your drive to be better. So if you ever need some opinions, CALL ME! I'm always hungry!

-bien manger