How to Enjoy Food in All of Its Glory (From a Foodie!)
By Gabby Ceconi ('22)
With our last edition on the table, I thought it would be fitting that I wrote on the topic I was most known for in all of my time at The Rambling Raider: food. Now, to start with, I am a huge foodie. To say that I enjoy food is a bit of an understatement. I mean, who wouldn't want to watch a cheese expert taste test and explain a dozen different varieties of cheese in a forty-five minute video?
One of the biggest questions I received when both reviewing food and in hearing feedback was "How do you make it sound so good?" Food is definitely a hard item to capture, as there are all different kinds, and it takes a very vivid imagination to try and describe it adequately. When I first joined the newspaper in my sophomore year, I really didn't know what to write about, but I knew I liked both writing and food, so, why not combine the two? And thus, I began writing restaurant reviews for the newspaper. Part of writing about food is enjoying it, and the same principle applies to anything you write about or speak about. But, how exactly do you enjoy food?
Eating food and enjoying it are two very different things. When you eat food, you mechanically chew it, and there is really no thought process to what you are tasting or looking at. When you enjoy food, you savor it and take in every note and story, even if you don't end up enjoying it in the end. Part of the reason I love food so much is that every plate has a story to tell; the chef had some form of creative vision when plating your food. The best part about cooking is that you are embracing on all five of your senses in order to achieve a luxurious end goal. You can experience it fully and either have the best bite of your life or the one that makes the garbage can your best friend. Nonetheless, here is how you can enhance your eating experience.
Jake from Adventure Time uses his creativity to make bacon pancakes!
Photo courtesy of ComicBook.com.
When your plate comes to your table, take a second to examine what's on your plate. How did the chef position the main course? The sides? Is there any form of artistic expression you may notice through a sauce, or even a small carrot? Even if you are at the most run-down diner in town, did they bother to make your Sahara Special Deluxe Burger have a smiley face in ketchup? The way food looks triggers our interest. Based on how the food is presented, along with its perfection on cook time, we can assess how hungry we really are. If your grilled cheese looks like it got left on the coals of the grill instead of on the grates, chances are that you'll immediately turn it away. We judge based on what is wrong first, so try to look for what looks right. That is the first step into making your eating experience a pleasant one.
The best part of reviewing food is always tasting it, hands down, no shame. However, tasting food is much different than just eating it. When you are set to review food, or even just savor it, try to chew your food slower. Eating more slowly allows your mind to assess the flavors at hand. When you can sit for a second and differentiate the ingredients in your meal, you can enjoy it more, as it is almost like figuring out a tough math problem. When you taste your sticky-table diner burger, can you taste the salt and pepper on the meat? Are there fats and flavorful oils running down your chin and all over your plate? Even simpler, is the lettuce crunchy? Take a moment to savor and evaluate the flavors and textures mingling on your tongue. Picture where the ingredients came from, more preferably the ones that do not include meat as to not gross yourself out. If you're eating a Neopolitan pizza, picture where the basil came from, or the tomatoes in the sauce. When you can imagine while you eat, you can get creative. Sometimes, playing with your food is a good thing.
Try to recreate this scene from Ratatouille!
Photo courtesy of Michel Gagne on YouTube.
When you apply these pointers, your food can transform into something beautiful. I have found that it has made my eating experiences a lot more pleasant, and I have learned to appreciate the art and effort that goes into cooking. Hopefully, these tactics work for you as well, and I hope that you can have pleasant experiences with food like the ones I was fortunate to have (and review) in my past three years. Thank you to The Rambling Raider, Mr. Ludwig, and my parents for encouraging my love of food and restaurant reviews! Cheers!
Cover photo courtesy of The Los Angeles Times.