I really enjoy cooking for myself. Less so for other people. For myself, there's no pressure! I can cook shit food badly, and as long as I enjoy it, that's fine. I'm one of the best pancake (English pancake) cooks I know, and that comes from lots of practice.
Cooking just isn't a skill I'm good at, nor am I willing to practice on other people.
Sounds like somebody needs to learn how to say, "Fuck it; if it sucks, we'll order pizza."
My girlfriend and I go out to eat almost every evening. Sometimes, when she is staying over at my place (which is about 6/7 nights at the moment) we make our own food, but it is a joint effort. When I stay at her place she usually cooks. When single I cook more for myself.
I really enjoy cooking for myself. Less so for other people. For myself, there's no pressure! I can cook shit food badly, and as long as I enjoy it, that's fine. I'm one of the best pancake (English pancake) cooks I know, and that comes from lots of practice.
I had this idea that most people who were very good public performers sort of thrived on pressure of that sort - the higher the stakes, the better effort you put forth, and all that.
Do you hate pressure when you're juggling too?
If I'm juggling on stage, I'm doing a job I know I can do very well. There is no pressure. For me it is a very low stress job! It looks like there is a lot of pressure, but this is due to me acting.
This is one reason I didn't like doing standup comedy when I tried it earlier this year. There was too much pressure. With juggling I can elicit many kinds of reaction and emotion: amazement, surprise, suspense, laughter, silence, groans, disappointment, etc, etc. With my music there is a similar range of reactions too, especially if I'm performing more comedic songs. As long as I elicit some kind of reaction, the audience finds it valid.
But if, as a stand up comedian, you aren't making people laugh, you are a failure. It doesn't matter what other reaction you get, the lack of laughter means failure. No other kind of performance art or theater has this same requirement! Only stand up comedy. For me? Too much pressure.
That why last night I did a 15 minute set of musical comedy. I got a great reaction! (I'll post some videos when I get round to editing them.) People didn't laugh until near the end of the first song. Was that bad? Nope! They were listening to the stories and ideas in the lyrics, and tapping their feet to the music. They could just find it interesting, rather than funny. By the end I had people laughing and clapping at the song. If that was a stand up comedy set, and I didn't get a laugh for 4 minutes, I'd be booed off stage.
Cooking is the same thing for me. There is only one valid reaction from my audience, or else I have failed. It doesn't matter if the audience is surprised, or merely nourished, or impressed with the style or looks of my food. If it doesn't taste good, I fail.
The difference is usually lost on American pancake fans, but for me it isn't so subtle.
Crepes are made with thin batter on a very lightly oiled hot plate, spread about with a round wooden tool (don't know the name of the utensil), resulting in a very uniform thickness and colour, with very few bubbles.
English Pancakes are cooked in a frying pan with a layer of hot oil usually butter, or oil (olive oil, sunflower or vegetable oil). The (slightly thicker) batter is dropped in from a ladle or cup, and immediately bubbles in the hot oil. It is spread around the pan, not with any utensil, but by lifting the pan and tilting it, letting the batter flow around the bottom of the pan using gravity. The bubbling and tilting makes the final pancake varying thicknesses, and instead of a uniform colour it is deeply mottled. Instead of using a long thin spatula to lift and flip the pancake (as with a crepe), the way it is cooked both sides is to lift the pan and flip it.
So no, I don't mean crepes. I've never cooked a crepe in my life. I mean English pancakes.
Danish pancakes on my end, but the only significant difference I think from the English ones is the addition of cardamom and beer. Also generally eaten with jam/jelly and sugar not syrup as in the picture. Don't recall much in eggs but whatever. Also if I make crepes it's on a crepe pan thing. which is a odd frying pan thats a half dome that you oil a bit then dip in a thin batter which thin drips along the sides to fill out the crepe.
A couple more practical tips on wedding planning: 1) Start early (or in other words don't be in a hurry). My wife and I started planning two years out with the result that there was practically no stress just once or twice a month we'd spend an evening thinking about venues, checking out catering, etc. 2) Send out the invites at least 4 months in advance, especially if you want the people you invite to attend (reading through this thread it is apparent that this may not be the case for everybody). 3) It is OK to do a second round of invites, you don't have to be obvious about it (people will know though).
Maybe I should have said it, but the point of good and early planning is not to avoid stress during the event about everything being perfect, it is about avoiding stress during planning.
Also the bulk of planning should not deal with the program or structure of the event itself but with all the externalities; mainly logistics of people and materials but also the maximization of the potential for fun to be had by all.
One more advice: I've been to a couple dozen weddings in my time and there has never been one where everything went off without a hitch. Prepare mentally for at least one thing to go horribly wrong and remember that as long as there's food and drink, no-one will notice or remember.
One more advice: I've been to a couple dozen weddings in my time and there has never been one where everything went off without a hitch. Prepare mentally for at least one thing to go horribly wrong and remember that as long as there's food and drink, no-one will notice or remember.
One more advice: I've been to a couple dozen weddings in my time and there has never been one where everything went off without a hitch. Prepare mentally for at least one thing to go horribly wrong and remember that as long as there's food and drink, no-one will notice or remember.
all I have to say is: Scott, Rym, good luck finding a girl that will go with your suggestions.
In other news I am ordained through Open Ministry, so I can do weddings. $50 gets me for half an hour and drinks afterward (and there better be drinks).
A little late to the discussion, but I'm going to fully agree with Rym and say that I hate cooking for just myself. I make every excuse to not really make anything and end up going out more often than not. But cooking with my girlfriend is fun and something I look forward to doing.
I make every excuse to not really make anything and end up going out more often than not.
I cooked, but I tended to make extremely utilitarian dishes. Hamsteak, green beans, toast. Ground beef pasta. Fried rice. Big salad. I'd never make a side more complicated than heating something up.
all I have to say is: Scott, Rym, good luck finding a girl that will go with your suggestions.
I think the point is that if you feel so strongly thay you have figured out a better way to do things, it's not worth getting married if you're going to compromise your entire self. Some things are worth waiting for. Someone you see eye to eye with, however rare that may be, is one of them. Never having to give in and say you were wrong, when you were actually 100% correct, is a priceless luxury of wedded life. Achieve it.
Comments
English pancakes:
This is one reason I didn't like doing standup comedy when I tried it earlier this year. There was too much pressure. With juggling I can elicit many kinds of reaction and emotion: amazement, surprise, suspense, laughter, silence, groans, disappointment, etc, etc. With my music there is a similar range of reactions too, especially if I'm performing more comedic songs. As long as I elicit some kind of reaction, the audience finds it valid.
But if, as a stand up comedian, you aren't making people laugh, you are a failure. It doesn't matter what other reaction you get, the lack of laughter means failure. No other kind of performance art or theater has this same requirement! Only stand up comedy. For me? Too much pressure.
That why last night I did a 15 minute set of musical comedy. I got a great reaction! (I'll post some videos when I get round to editing them.) People didn't laugh until near the end of the first song. Was that bad? Nope! They were listening to the stories and ideas in the lyrics, and tapping their feet to the music. They could just find it interesting, rather than funny. By the end I had people laughing and clapping at the song. If that was a stand up comedy set, and I didn't get a laugh for 4 minutes, I'd be booed off stage.
Cooking is the same thing for me. There is only one valid reaction from my audience, or else I have failed. It doesn't matter if the audience is surprised, or merely nourished, or impressed with the style or looks of my food. If it doesn't taste good, I fail.
Crepes are made with thin batter on a very lightly oiled hot plate, spread about with a round wooden tool (don't know the name of the utensil), resulting in a very uniform thickness and colour, with very few bubbles.
English Pancakes are cooked in a frying pan with a layer of hot oil usually butter, or oil (olive oil, sunflower or vegetable oil). The (slightly thicker) batter is dropped in from a ladle or cup, and immediately bubbles in the hot oil. It is spread around the pan, not with any utensil, but by lifting the pan and tilting it, letting the batter flow around the bottom of the pan using gravity. The bubbling and tilting makes the final pancake varying thicknesses, and instead of a uniform colour it is deeply mottled. Instead of using a long thin spatula to lift and flip the pancake (as with a crepe), the way it is cooked both sides is to lift the pan and flip it.
So no, I don't mean crepes. I've never cooked a crepe in my life. I mean English pancakes.
Also if I make crepes it's on a crepe pan thing. which is a odd frying pan thats a half dome that you oil a bit then dip in a thin batter which thin drips along the sides to fill out the crepe.
A couple more practical tips on wedding planning:
1) Start early (or in other words don't be in a hurry). My wife and I started planning two years out with the result that there was practically no stress just once or twice a month we'd spend an evening thinking about venues, checking out catering, etc.
2) Send out the invites at least 4 months in advance, especially if you want the people you invite to attend (reading through this thread it is apparent that this may not be the case for everybody).
3) It is OK to do a second round of invites, you don't have to be obvious about it (people will know though).
Also the bulk of planning should not deal with the program or structure of the event itself but with all the externalities; mainly logistics of people and materials but also the maximization of the potential for fun to be had by all.
One more advice: I've been to a couple dozen weddings in my time and there has never been one where everything went off without a hitch. Prepare mentally for at least one thing to go horribly wrong and remember that as long as there's food and drink, no-one will notice or remember.
In other news I am ordained through Open Ministry, so I can do weddings. $50 gets me for half an hour and drinks afterward (and there better be drinks).