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View Full Version : Fantasizing about being an omni cook



Yogini
Nov 13th, 2006, 12:04 AM
Not because I want to eat that junk, but because I need the ego stroking. I'm a great cook and that's usually enough. But once in a while, I'd really like to hear "MMMM yum oh my god" instead of "it's pretty good...FOR VEGAN FOOD."

Does anybody else ever feel this way?

Wildflower
Nov 13th, 2006, 12:29 AM
I like to watch those cooking competition shows on tv, and i would love to cook like that. It doesn't seem like there are a lot of vegan or even vegetarian chefs out there of high rank. i could be wrong, but it just doesn't seem that way.

i would love to master the art of vegan pastry making.

i would never want to be a chef in a kitchen like that (too many crazy hours and cooking under stress), but i do fantasize about making fabulous meals at home and hosting dinner parties and such.

Seaside
Nov 13th, 2006, 02:27 AM
"it's pretty good...FOR VEGAN FOOD."
Nobody's ever said that to me. I've only ever cooked for omnis, and they have said stuff like "that's the best _____ I've ever had", or "is there any more?" or "can I have the recipe?", and there's never any leftovers, so I guess that's a good thing. None of them have ever turned vegan, but they never complain about what I make. :o

Yogini
Nov 15th, 2006, 06:48 AM
i would never want to be a chef in a kitchen like that (too many crazy hours and cooking under stress), but i do fantasize about making fabulous meals at home and hosting dinner parties and such.

Yeah, I wouldn't want to cook professionally, either. For the reasons you mention and also because many pros are real divas (apparently; I don't think I've ever actually met one.)

Korn
Nov 15th, 2006, 07:11 AM
Not because I want to eat that junk, but because I need the ego stroking. I'm a great cook and that's usually enough. But once in a while, I'd really like to hear "MMMM yum oh my god" instead of "it's pretty good...FOR VEGAN FOOD."

Does anybody else ever feel this way?

I've heard a lot of...

"MMMM yum oh my god"
... from omnis - said about vegan food - so, no - I don't feel the way you do about it. If you're looking for ego stroking, wouldn't impressing non-vegans who may think that vegan food is less tasty than non-vegan food be a brilliant idea? ;)

Look here:
Taking the Vegan Challenge
Renowned chef was up to the task of making dinner for First Lady (http://www.seasonbyseason.com/about/press_04.html)

A little excerpt:


For Michael Chiarello, chef-owner of the glorious Napa Valley restaurant Tra Vigne, there are meals that challenge, and then there are meals that go way beyond that. That was the case recently when Chiarello had the task of creating what he called a dinner of a lifetime: Hosted by Steve Jobs, head honcho of Apple Computer Inc., and his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs, at their Woodside home. Honoring first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. And featuring an all-vegan menu. No eggs, no butter, no meat products whatsoever. And on top of that, any vegetables had to be left as uncooked as possible. Let's just say Chiarello, a descendant of a long line of southern Italian ranchers and butchers, felt a bit hampered. "It's like trying to make love with your clothes on," he says. "You have to get creative."

"The key, he says, was to play up texture and freshness at the lavish March 29 fundraising dinner so the gusto of meat and the richness of cream and butter wouldn't be missed. The dishes had to pay homage to Clinton. They had to be healthful, in deference to dinner co-host Dr. Dean Ornish, the Sausalito low-fat-diet guru. And they had to be vegetarian; the Jobses are long-time vegans.


....and:

Just how much did the non-vegan Clinton enjoy it all? When the evening ended, the first lady, who had a slew of Secret Service agents at her beckoning, walked to her car, clutching tightly in her own arms the menus, a bottle of olive oil and Chiarello's cookbook.

Mr Flibble
Nov 15th, 2006, 09:56 AM
Does anybody else ever feel this way?

I feel the complete opposite

First of all, vegan cooks have only a few less ingredients to work with than omni ones, second vegan cooks have the motivation required to actually create new things rather than just rehash knowledge that was acquired by others and has been performed by millions since.

I have zero respect for omni chefs who fall into the category of dismissing vegan food as bland because they're too incompetant to actually cook with non-animal products properly. To me that's like a child claiming they can't do their homework because they don't have their favourite pen.

I think the best chefs/cooks in the world are those who really concentrate on a cuisine or area (e.g. bread from a particular country) and learn all there is to know both from others and through their own experiments. Learning everything about all cooking isn't achievable; having a focus is a good thing in my view. Thus being able to throw out all animal products and concentrate on other ingredients is to me magnitudes more exciting than being able to cook a steak like a guy on tv.

absentmindedfan
Nov 15th, 2006, 02:05 PM
I totally agree Flib

Tigerlily
Nov 15th, 2006, 05:22 PM
I feel the same as Yogini. Actually, I don't even get the comment "it's pretty good...FOR VEGAN FOOD." since no one even wants to try anything I make. :(

fiamma
Nov 15th, 2006, 05:58 PM
That sounds like an invitation, Tigerlily :)
Maybe the title of this thread should be changed to "Seeking appreciation for my vegan cookery".

Cherry
Nov 15th, 2006, 06:08 PM
Not because I want to eat that junk, but because I need the ego stroking. I'm a great cook and that's usually enough. But once in a while, I'd really like to hear "MMMM yum oh my god" instead of "it's pretty good...FOR VEGAN FOOD."

Does anybody else ever feel this way?

No, not at all. I would feel like a failure if I felt that people would only enjoy what I made if it wasn't vegan, especially as I believe that eating meat, eggs and dairy is wrong and also unhealthy for them.

I know what you mean about people being sceptical. It drives me mad. Mostly I just don't mention it's vegan and only do so AFTER the "MMMM yum oh my god" ;) or I am satisfied that if they know it's vegan and say "it's pretty good...FOR VEGAN FOOD." that somewhere in their subconscious they are affected. Perhaps it's because it's hard to admit that they can enjoy something without meat/eggs/dairy because that's how they've justified it to themselves? For the times that I know people are only eating the vegan food I've given them out of politeness and think it would be ok if only it had meat in it, or cheese all over it, I just think that at least that's one less meal for them that has those things in. I pity them, as they are missing out on enjoying lovely fresh things that aren't all clogged up with cream and butter, and also for not having an open mind.

Maybe you need to try cooking for some different people to boost your ego, rather than change what you're doing?

fiamma
Nov 15th, 2006, 06:19 PM
Maybe they don't know they're doing it? I'd make a crack and say "Oh I'll take that as a compliment then", or "Definitely won't be inviting you back again" with a wicked little glint in your eye. :D Might work....

Cherry
Nov 15th, 2006, 06:28 PM
Good idea Fiamma :D I think that some people just get overly fixated on the fact that there's 'stuff missing' :eek: and forget to enjoy what they're eating.