A
few days ago, I started a new thing on my social media pages.
I began asking daily questions.
Nothing
too amazing. Just basic stuff designed to create a bit of conversation.
The initial ones asked about favorite songs involving rain and
the best meal worthy of traveling to enjoy it.
One
day I asked a question that got a tremendous response.
“If
you had to prepare it, what is your favorite meal?”
Thanks
to some fantastic people that regularly visit my site and play
these games, the answers never disappoint. For this one? Here
we go…
“Ben & Jerry’s or Haagen-Dazs.”
Awesome.
Really.
That’s simply awesome. It’s perfect, truth be told.
Years
ago, I wrote some material for my department at work. In an attempt
to add a bit of humor, we included a column that I ghostwrote
under the name of a co-worker that had a well-understood personality
and everyone knew.
One
column featured a few of his favorite recipes. For example, a
bowl of cereal. And yes… open box, pour into bowl, add milk. If
was exactly everything you would expect.
Trick
was, to make it work, it was exactly what all of us that knew
him would expect and nothing more. I like to think that’s why
it worked. We all understood: (1) He would never personally make
anything without alcohol that had more than three ingredients,
and a bowl would be considered an ingredient. (2) Part of “cooking”
for him was FAR more likely to involve car keys and knowing
the directions to where he was going to pick up his takeout order
than it was to include preheating an oven.
I
should point out, he was not the one suggesting ice cream as something
he prepared for himself.
The
beauty of the whole thing though is this… when it comes to cooking,
those fixing a bowl of cereal or slightly warming a pint of ice
cream in the microwave don’t care about your critiques.
They
don’t care about the proper ways to cook an egg. They don’t care
about anyone making jokes about their knowledge of a kitchen.
They don’t care about the best frying pans, clear instructions
in recipes, or anything more complicated than toast.
They’ve
figured out how to find food, have a meal, and are perfectly satisfied
with their own situation. Cheerios and Haagen-Dazs? Perfection.
That
approach to life is something I can appreciate.
There
is absolutely something to be admired and appreciated when it
comes to people that can create incredible culinary offerings.
Amazing breakfast and lunches… awesome treats and snacks… fabulous
entrees and side dishes… beautiful desserts. The talent can be
wonderful to witness, and there is something beautiful in seeing
a person effortlessly move around a kitchen.
There’s
also a lot to be said for a carton of Ben & Jerry’s.
No
matter what questions I may develop in the future, the fun is
that there will always be different opinions and different tastes.
And honestly, as long as you’re enjoying your choices and not
judging mine… cheers to you.
And
now, if someone would please pass the coffee toffee bar crunch,
I’d like to kick back and settle in for the evening.