[thechat] Presentation of food

[aardvark]

> From: "David Wagner" <dave at worlddomination.net>
[...]
> > steak should be eaten rare to medium rare... anything above that is
> > a dishonor to the memory of the cow...
>
> That's ridiculous macho bullshit, if you don't mind my saying so. :)

no, if i said i took a bite out of the cow while it was grazing,
*that* would be ridiculous macho bullshit...

> People have always tried to tell me that a cut of beef "tastes better"
> or "feels better" when it's bleeding -- but I know from experience,
> and I'm definitely not alone, that you can cook a lot more flavor
> *into* a steak than you can cook out of it.

i agree... a good cook can make even a medium to medium-well steak
palatable, but at that point, the true flavor is gone, and replaced
with the seasoning/marinade/whatever that you've put on the steak...
well-done is just unacceptable... that i stand by...

i've tried steak every which way -- believe me... i prefer medium
rare, personally, and go for rare when i'm having a craving... i'd
probably stick with rare, except too many restaurant cooks don't know
how to do it unless you go to an expensive chop house (which doesn't
always imply good), or better yet, make it yourself...

> My folks are from the Midwest, and were raised on the concept that
> your dinner should still be mooing when it's on your plate. Luckily, I
> was given the option of choosing for myself, and having tried both a
> plate full of gushy, bloody flesh and a nicely juicy, warm, and firm
> steak, the choice has always seemed pretty obvious.

a nicely juicy, warm, and firm steak describes medium rare quite
well... above that and you're just charring it... everything tastes
the same when it's charred... i don't like to eat carbon bricks,
personally... i'll just wait for my christmas coal if i want that...

it's like those people who like foods hot and spicy -- it all tastes
the same because the flavor of the "hot" overpowers it... at that
point, the food underneath simply adds variations to their hot sauce,
as opposed to the other way 'round...

--
my latest book project:
  Web Graphics for Non-Designers
  http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1904151159/evoltorg02-20
  ISBN: 1904151159