Technique / Good Riddance

**Writers Note:  Since publishing this article it has gained an enormous amount of views and, given that some people have altered the way they are presenting themselves, they have read it as well.  I will say that in everyday life, people make mistakes without thinking.  The problem that enters the equation is when people make mistakes AFTER thinking.  However, forgiveness is a quality that lies within all of us and I prefer to forgive people for actions they knowingly engaged in as opposed to holding grudges.  Having said that, everyone that does make these decisions, even after having thought them over first, must live with their own choices.  I said I can forgive.  I will not forget...nor offer aid and comfort to those that clearly know they missed the boat.  RAD** 

I just spent ten minutes holding a salmon filet on its edge to make sure that the crust was perfect.  When it was done, the salmon was crusty on the outsides and still running with juices on the inside.  Do you know why?  Because that's what it took to make sure the food was fucking perfect, that's why.  It's called Passion.

I haven't written in a while and I understand the point of a Blog is to have followers.  I get that.  But I have been working my ass off to try to help someone else's business in the hopes that I could finally create a situation where I was working in or close to the food industry, which is the goal, it's what I love, and it's where I would love to be.  Needless to say, because the title of this post pretty much says "Fuck Off", it didn't quite work out.  But that's fine.  I really don't want to come back to my readers with foul language and a nasty, pissed off attitude, but I have a point to make and I will, By God, make my fucking point.

It's fine because the people that come to my house ask me how in the name of God I came up with the things I have.  At my table, I hear things like "Holy Shit" and "Oh, My God" and so on and there is no other reason for it than the fact that I love what I do in my kitchen and I want people leaving thinking they're heading to the electric chair because the meal was that good.  That's me, it's what I do, it's why I'm here.  If you live to work on cars, that's cool.  It's not my bag but I can seriously respect your motivation because I have my own.

Now, why am I so pissed?  It comes back to that point of motivation and why we do what we do.  I suggested numerous ideas.  They were rejected out of hand.  I suggested numerous changes and those that were rejected again were immediately enacted, with a case of the Screaming Thigh Sweats no less, when someone else suggested them.  Fine. That's cool and I can live with that. I mean, after all, what the Hell do I know about food?  I only have an online spice company, I only do four of five cooking demos a year, I only get called on to come up with unique and creative foods every fucking week during Farmers Market Season. The winner, in this case, came up with a tired-ass egg recipe which, in the end, was shameless self promotion to the point of pandering.

In this case I am the loser and I, unlike Mr. Originality, sat down and thought about what to do with the things in my fridge and came up with deep frying green beans wrapped in Smoked Speck (a prosciutto style cured pork).  Seriously, who does that?  I got a duck on sale when a supermarket nearby went out of business.  Did I roast it?  No.  As a matter of fact, I de-boned it, trimmed and cut it up, rendered the fat from it and used that to make a brick roux (very dark brown roux), with which I made gumbo...and it rocked.  Since making brick roux is a long, drawn out, pain in the ass of a process, I took the opportunity to make a LOT of it and now I have enough duck fat brick roux to last me for some time.  That's called giving a damn about what and how you cook, I wouldn't have it any other way and I don't give a rat's furry ass what people think of it.  I have a crowd that loves what I do and they are what matters.

Angry?  Maybe.  Passionate about what I do and how I do it?  You bet your ass I am and the people that eat my food, watch me cook, and talk to me about what I do, bloody well know it.  Being passionate about what I do makes sure that everything that leaves my kitchen in a close to perfect as I can get it.  I may fall short of that goal, and sometimes I do, but at least I know that I gave it my all, I wasn't kissing anyone's ass or blowing sunshine up someones skirt, or even worse, just pandering to people who couldn't recognize it dripping from the ceiling.

I cook.  It's what I do.

That's my rant.  I'm back to writing about food and having a few cocktails while we're at it.

Party Well, Eat Better.
Rob