
Adventures in Eating
Sunday, August 21, 2016
(SNN) Some food combinations reside in the collective unconscious – and then there are those that shouldn’t exist at all.
That special is a lottery. Visible from my apartment is a restaurant that has been struggling since it opened. Night after night there are very few cars in the parking lot. My boyfriend, Rob, can’t help noticing and commenting on this. As much as we’d like to see the restaurant do well, after checking out the menu quite some time passes before we decide to go there. What was the grab? Appearing on the sign that week is: “6-49 Burger – 6 meats/4 cheeses/$9.” Rob and I were excited to try something new. What we got was a miniscule burger with the addition of cold cuts. Barely evident was the cheese. Just like our 6-49 tickets, the 6-49 burger was not a winner.
Too much sauerkraut goes over like a pregnant high-jumper. A year goes by and the restaurant is now closing Mondays, with the chef taking a second job in a trendy downtown café. The initial concept is failing. A Rueben sandwich featuring “LOTS of sauerkraut” is trumpeted. I’m not tempted by it, just as I wouldn’t be tempted by a BLT featuring LOTS of lettuce. It’s all about balance.
It’s not all about the chef. I’m enchanted by the close-up shots of a glorious Cuban sandwich in the movie, “Chef”. The uniqueness of this sandwich, combined with a social media marketing coup, transforms the main character from frustrated and then fired restaurant chef, to highly successful food truck owner, and ultimately to partner in a trendy new restaurant. The plotline demonstrates that it’s not all about the chef and the food, it’s also about the personality of the restaurant’s owner, wait staff, the mercurial food critic – and oh, let’s not forget the customer.
Lowered expectations equal success. While I adore outdoor music events, I’m not one whose mouth waters at the mere sight of a food truck. Late one night, though, I decide to get in line for deep-fried mac and cheese. My friend and I are so impressed she and I decide to go for the deep-fried brownies. Not as unique as the triangles of lightly breaded mac and cheese, but… chocolate, whipped cream, and more chocolate?… both of these were sooo good in that moment and place.
I’m glad you asked. I repeat the deep-fried mac and cheese experience with Rob at the same event the next year. Taking a break, the owner joins me at the picnic table. Having discovered that a sincere and direct question can open people up about their passion, I blurt out: “Why does your truck do more business than the others?” She tells me they use a special oil – expensive but worth it because it can be heated to a high temperature, which greatly reduces absorption. Also, the oil stays clean longer, she says. It’s true that absent from her truck is the dirty oil smell coming from the purveyor of that classic at outdoor events – mini-donuts.
The oil is not the secret. So what is the secret? It’s giving people something they will want again and again, that they didn’t know they would love, because they’ve never had anything like it before. It’s making your son his first grilled cheese sandwich and having him say, completely awed by it, “Mom, you are a good cooker.”
PHOTO: Some Rights Reserved. Image from Gloria Cabada-Leman flckr photostream. Original image can be found here.
More Opinion News
-
Cork and the Geez Talk Oscars
Monday, February 27, 2017
The Old Coot & the Geezer analyze what went wrong and what went right at the Academy Awards this year, review the show, and recommend who should host next year. The duo are America's most respected fuddy-duddy film ...
-
Cork and the Geez Dish on the Golden Globes
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
(SNN) The Old Coot and the Geezer, affected no doubt by the rainy weather in Southern California turn grumpy as they analyze the Golden Globes and show what they mean--mostly good food for the media. Will Hollywood ...
-
Revisiting "Two-a-Days" with One Small Difference
Thursday, October 06, 2016
(SNN) For four years of high school and one in college, I would spend a couple of weeks during the dog days of August involved in what was known as "Two-a-days." Those, as any current or former football player ...
-
Coping with the Wobblies
Sunday, September 18, 2016
(SNN) Belonging to an elite group is only fun if it was one you aspired to, like giving a hundred speeches and becoming a Distinguished Toastmaster. During that time I would get the “wobblies” almost weekly. “What’s ...
-
Experimental Turkeys & Murphy's Law
Friday, September 16, 2016
(SNN) It is a paradox of science that before any breakthrough there is often a f’ed-up earlier stage. Out of this f’ed-stage have come some turkeys – turkeys that crossed the road to find something of value on the ...
-
No More Miscarriage Taboo
Friday, June 24, 2016
(SNN) I got a tattoo recently to honor the life and death of my daughter. The potential of her. The possibility of her. The scarred grief of her that tore up my heart. The fact that she was not born alive did not ...
-
Since the Pulse Stopped
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Since 'the Pulse stopped,' I've been thinking a few things. (SNN) The other day 49 human beings were murdered, and 53 more were injured in an attempt to murder them, simply for being in a "Gay" nightclub called ...
-
Fall Down, Go Boom
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
(SNN) My doctor has asked me to not fall down. I’ve attempted to honor his request, but it's easier said than done. Staying upright cannot be taken for granted if, like me, you own a fused ankle, Silly Putty knee ...
-
Character Actors: Not Just In It to Win It
Friday, January 29, 2016
(SNN) The death this week of actor Abe Vigoda at 94 reminds us that there are degrees of success of Hollywood, that fame can come after thirty years of toiling in obscurity, and that a great actor is a great actor ...
-
Shocking Late Nite Rumor Thingy
Saturday, November 07, 2015
(SNN) I’ve decided to start a show business rumor. Just me. All by myself, no sources, no late night phone calls from the participants. No leaked information from insiders. If it happens to come true, remember, ...