June 2009


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Do You Cook for You or Your Girl?

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Ever since Maids asked the women of ES whether they’d rather eat like hungry girls or skinny bitches, I’ve wanted to pose a similar question to the XY side of the food blogosphere.

As a pretty passionate food fan, it’s always bugged me when guys subscribe to the Super Bowl commercial school of thought when it comes to cooking — i.e., we’d hardly be able to order a pizza without the help of a wife or girlfriend. Why do so many guys insist they are literally incapable of cooking? (Except of course, for grilling, which is caveman-like enough to get a pass.) Is it really possible that we males have ruled the world for millennia, but can’t operate a broiler on our own accord?

So I’m not sure whether to love or hate the new trend of food blogs I’ve been seeing — sites like the short-lived Cook for Your Girl and the newish Cook to Bang, which embrace the idea of men getting into the kitchen, but only as a means to get laid. Apparently, being a gourmet chef is now an acceptably manly thing for guys to do, but only if you’re thinking about getting in her pants while making your fancy-pants food.

Sure, they’re funny. Obviously I can appreciate the idea behind Bust-a-nut squash soup. Not to mention Get your chick under a brick chicken. And I’m not above a little chocolate seduction myself every now and then. But are we dudes really so ashamed of enjoying cooking that we have to hide behind this I’m-only-doing-it-for-the-poontang facade?  Is there something so gay about a couple of bros bonding over a bacon explosion? Or a pine nut crusted tomato tart, for that matter?

So I’m wondering: how many of you guys only cook for its leg-spreading potential? Or do you enjoy cooking on its own merits? Let’s here from the fellas…

[poll id=”37″]

*Oh and before I get yelled at, I apologize in advance for the heterocentric nature of this post, but I felt the topic demanded it. ES would be more than happy to post a third in the series if anyone feels left out.

(Photo: Superstock)

in Personal / Rants & Raves / Trends 14 comments
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Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: When in Rome

roman

When I was asked for my last meal on earth, I immediately went Italian. I have a bit of Italian blood in me, but I’m not the typical New Jersey goombah.  No, I’ve never worn a track suit and gold chain and you wouldn’t mistake me for an extra from The Sopranos.  But it’s certainly the cuisine with which I most closely identify.  I’m actually more Irish than Italian, but you’ve got to be kidding me if you think I’m spending my last moments with potatoes, cabbage and corned beef.

Looking at the list of my fellow ESers, I was struck by how many of them went for simple dishes that undoubtedly remind them of home, family, heritage and the positive memories of life around the dinner table.  Nobody picked the twelve course tasting menu at The French Laundry.  I briefly toyed with the idea of a star-studded mega-meal, but it just didn’t feel right. If you have one last shot, I think it’s best to go with something that reminds you of all the good stuff in your life.

Another wise choice for a last meal?  How about a smörgåsbord?

– Well, if you were going to go high-end for your last dinner, you might want to go Jean-Georges.  If he’s good enough to cook for the past four presidents, he’s good enough for you.

– James Beard winner, Philly food rock star and my personal foodie man-crush Jose Garces makes fish tacos on the Today Show.  He’s pretty good on camera (hint, hint, Food Network folks!)

After the jump:  a politico makes a bold statement on communicable diseases, a food festival as envisioned by William Golding, and the perfect gift for the Giada-stalker in your life.

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in Celebs / Politics / TV 1 comments
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Paul and Yoko Break the Ice — Over Food

Yoko Ono and huzband

Press people the world over are in quite a lather about the historic reconciliation of Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono.  The two frenemies were brought to the bargaining table around (what else?) food.

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Yoko and PaulMac reunited just to plug the Meat Free Mondays global campaign. Okay fine, they probably reconciled eons ago; I don’t really follow the Yoko v. Beatles feud, I just know I’m on her side. I personally have always loved the eccentric, feisty, ethereal Yoko more than John Lennon’s band members.  If she can stomach PaulMac to join him in promoting the idea of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by reducing our consumption of domesticated critters, then more power to her.

Paul and Yoko’s idea is to slowly pull the meat-eaters of the world into the land of vegetarianism by urging people to go meat-free one day a week.  The Meat Free Mondays site is chock full of recipes I need to try (as if I can follow a recipe…), food porn, and (oh yeah) information about the effect of excessive meat-eating on the environment. Like PETA, MFM also tries to lure us into vegetarianism with a list of celebs who don’t dig on flesh (Judi Dench, who knew?)

What do you think, ESers? Are you carnivores willing to give up one day of meat to save the planet from extinction? And what about you hard-line veggies? Are Paul and Yoko sell-outs for telling eaters they can just give up meat once a week instead of going the full monty? And yea or nay on Yoko’s hat?

(Pics: Frank Barratt/Getty Images via Black is the New Black and Sydney Morning Herald)

in Celebs / Trends / Veggie 5 comments
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Top Chef Masters Interview: Episode 2

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Left to right: Wylie Dufresne, Suzanne Tracht, Graham Elliot Bowles, Elizabeth Falkner

Well Top Chef fans, the moment has finally arrived and the long awaited Masters edition is upon us. It may be lacking in on-air hook-ups, phallic cooking references and involuntary head shavings, but goddammit, the food porn is back! And quite frankly, I’m not ruling out the headlock/head shave just yet.

ES sat down with this week’s masters as they discussed getting a taste of their own medicine.

For anyone who hasn’t seen the show yet, the format has changed: instead of a bunch of aspiring chefs in a house for six long weeks arguing and crying (while the audience takes bets on who’s getting the boot), Masters features a four-person competition of seemingly well adjusted, professional chefs battling it out for their respective charities.

For someone like myself, this is a wonderful shift from the predicable sound cues and “suspenseful”  final product.  For others, this show losses the edgy addiction of watching who’s going to win, have a mental breakdown or make Padma spit out her food. But come on, if you want over-hyped reality television, I’m pretty sure Bravo has something to meet that need.

Maybe in the weeks to come, we’ll see these top caliber chefs succumb to their baser, reality show instincts, but tonight’s episode seems like a bunch of friends coming back from a camp retreat still high from group hugs and ‘smores. So we decided to provide our own interpretation by reading in between the lines of the interview.. Ali G like liberties were taken.

Our full interview as well as some smack talk commentary after the jump.

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in TV 3 comments
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Pennsylvania’s Finest: Give Me 40 Flavors or Don’t Bother

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The deep fried chicken wing. One of those American creations we all hate to love. Sure, some of you might think you’re “too sophisticated” with your foie gras and fancy sweaters, but please, don’t deny it. We all love deep fried wings.

Chicken wings somehow turned into football food (wtf, they’re so messy?), but in my college years, they were every night cheap food. From 10pm-2am the local bar (yes,there was only one restaurant/bar combination) would give you a dozen for $3.50, which we all thought was a good price after a night of drinking.

And then there was the wing buffet…

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in Fowl / Rants & Raves / TV 12 comments
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Blogger Boggle: Favorite After School Snack

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Editors’ Note: Blogger Boggle is the new ES interview series. You know, it’s hard thinking of snarky commentary every day, so we’ve opened up the labor pool to our fellow food bloggers.

This week we’re reminiscing about our favorite after school snacks.

Banana with peanut butter & chocolate chips. Hot damn that was a great combo. Runner up: Ants on a log (celery with peanut butter & raisins)  Apparently I liked snacks that were “playful.” No “Doritos” or something generic for me— it’s all about Moms who take the time to prepare the fun stuff.

—Jon Eick, So Good

Back in High School I used to make this sandwich that I just called “The Egg Sandwich.”  There was only one egg on it, but it also had like 4 or 5 slices of cheap American cheese, and I buttered both sides of the bread.  Delicious.  Then I would go play soccer for two hours. These days I’ve substituted the sandwich with beer and the soccer with watching my cat chase a laser pointer.

—Nick, Macheesmo

I grew up in Macon, Ga. so you have to excuse me and since I’m fucking old, I date myself with a really cold bottle of Coke (glass with the name of the bottling company on the bottom) with M&M’s added til they would make the coke fizz over the top … and then drink it fast and eat the candy …

—Michael Birchenall, FOODSERVICE MONTHLY’S Sauce on the Side

Back in the day, a simple sandwich would do me fine… as I got older, it got more complicated.  I think now when I get home from school, I just rummage in the fridge and at most, fry an egg to slap on top of rice and/or leftover veggies and I’m good… wait, that’s not a snack is it?  (ummm, this is probably the part where someone jumps in and yells “This is why you’re fat!” right?)

—Yvo Sin, Feisty Foodie

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in Personal 38 comments
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Food Fight!

orange-festival

I’m  sure most of you have heard of La Tomatina, that fantastic/wasteful/tasty 50,000-tomato fight that takes over southern Spain every August.

But did you know Italians prefer to pelt their friends with oranges (ouch!), and Greeks get their kicks by dousing each other with several tons of flour?

If you like playing with your food as much as eating it (and who doesn’t?), check out my recent story from mental_floss‘ 10 issue: The World’s 10 Messiest Food Festivals.

in Food Travel / Lists 0 comments
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