tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869045441796511759.post6809825256298024078..comments2024-03-12T06:39:44.864-04:00Comments on Vegan Soul Power!: Improvisation, European StyleThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01789340756441897159noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869045441796511759.post-63895290238106151972010-12-02T02:51:18.037-05:002010-12-02T02:51:18.037-05:00Those mashed potatoes look great!!Those mashed potatoes look great!!Gauri Radha गौरी राधाnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869045441796511759.post-9297008119485598352010-11-09T08:32:16.476-05:002010-11-09T08:32:16.476-05:00Sadly, that same reliance on pre-packaged food has...Sadly, that same reliance on pre-packaged food has spread to Australia, but thankfully it's not quite to the same extent as in the USA. I was really lucky that my mother made food from scratch, especially cakes - if I wasn't always hanging out in the kitchen trying to be the first child to get spoon-rights (and I still lick batter from the spoon when I make cakes!) then I doubt that I'd be the avid cook that I am today.<br />A word on German cookbooks, though: they're undoubtedly more complicated than in many other Western nations, but that's because their recipes aren't simplified. It's as though these cookbooks want the cook to do absolutely everything the long way. My housemate has a book where in one recipe, vegetables get cooked separately and then combined at the end in the sauce, whereas I'd just add them to the pot at different times according to how long they need to cook. It's the sort of recipe that would be followed to the letter by said housemate, because the only thing he can cook without instruction is frozen pizza... :/Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12321826330776671961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869045441796511759.post-32931994641700775862010-11-06T08:34:07.454-04:002010-11-06T08:34:07.454-04:00I like cookbooks for finding new ideas, but really...I like cookbooks for finding new ideas, but really don't rely on them. I think that if you grew up seeing people cook from scratch, you learn that as the way to go. My parents both cook and both do it by taste. My mom cannot even begin to tell me how to bake her sweet potato pie that I love so much. The same goes for all of my other relatives. My brother, sister, and I all cook this way.Ebonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05086972956521208177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869045441796511759.post-13210750898781303662010-11-04T16:06:40.059-04:002010-11-04T16:06:40.059-04:00You've clearly not read a French cookbook - ex...You've clearly not read a French cookbook - explinations on which ingredients you should use last a page, another page on how to chose your pan, etc... They are not novels, they are War & Peace!<br />Seriously, I agree with the being spontaneous thing - I look in fridge, see what we have, through it together. I can't blog those things, unfortunately, because people want to reproduce what they see, and that's not how it works! I wing, I know it's ready when it tastes ready. But that takes practice, and learning from watching other people. Not something that happens in every country. Sigh.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869045441796511759.post-69295125531971692572010-11-04T12:05:44.369-04:002010-11-04T12:05:44.369-04:00Lovely post. I have to say I often feel the opposi...Lovely post. I have to say I often feel the opposite. I totally do not rely on cookbooks. I wing almost every meal and try for it to be simple as possible. I actually love it. It is how I grew up at home and funnier still when my mother asks me what I would like for her to make I have no clue/ Every dish she makes is improv and delicious! :D<br /><br />Hey by the way, I am coming to Berlin in June 2011, maybe we can meet up!singerinkitchenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17579815484543487415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869045441796511759.post-60473001973541449912010-11-04T11:43:05.100-04:002010-11-04T11:43:05.100-04:00ha ha, I am *totally* with you on cookbook relianc...ha ha, I am *totally* with you on cookbook reliance. Your theory actually sounds pretty good. I know that I feel quite unsure without a recipe to follow, but totally confident with a recipe. Every once in a while I"ll challenge myself to cook up something or innovate a little, and I always feel so proud of myself!Ameyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869045441796511759.post-13659437409704006652010-11-04T11:40:08.856-04:002010-11-04T11:40:08.856-04:00that's a good theory. i think it's especia...that's a good theory. i think it's especially our parents' generation that relied on processed foods. my mom rarely cooked from scratch. my grandma often cooked from scratch without recipes. i'm trying to be more like her, but it's hard! your improvised meals look great, especially the mashed taters with brussel sprouts!sarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02259977525667468906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869045441796511759.post-49318399084724303562010-11-04T09:05:23.874-04:002010-11-04T09:05:23.874-04:00Really interesting post! Especially your thoughts ...Really interesting post! Especially your thoughts about cookbook expanations. I realized how sparse they were in German cookbooks when I started to read US cookbooks.Mihlhttp://www.seitanismymotor.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869045441796511759.post-66580325609145119422010-11-04T09:01:32.940-04:002010-11-04T09:01:32.940-04:00i can't argue with ya, T. i think we have tota...i can't argue with ya, T. i think we have totally relied too heavily on prepackaged and premeasured foods (soups in cans and such) for our recipes in the past and we've definitely lots some cooking knowledge, or maybe we didn't have all that much to begin with. my mom didn't make many meals from processed food (i do remember her making a bunch of sauces and such from scratch), but she did rely on her cookbooks and recipe cards every time. there was no "winging it". i found myself the same way for years, and i still always follow a recipe with baked goods. i've gotten a little better in finding my way around a few entrees, but i do treasure many of the cookbooks i have and don't feel too bad for always wanting to give 'em a little peak so i don't fub something up. :) such an awesome post - it really has me thinking now. thanks, T!jessyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01239751125232117374noreply@blogger.com