(no subject)

[which_chick]

One of the slightly annoying downsides of being me is that I get told (in a nice, request-y sort of way) what to bring to covered-dish functions. I thought the general point of covered dish functions was to spread out the cooking by giving them as cooks an opportunity to show off their M4D L33T cooking skillz.



Thing is, there's not much showing off going on if I bring the same damn things over and over because everybody already KNOWS that I can make that stuff. It's not like I have a limited skill set. I have quite a few good recipes and I can make more-than-one-thing in more-than-one-genre-of-food. I'm not chef quality, obviously, but I do a nice job with everyday fare.

And yet they want to tell ask me what to bring. Please bring *blah* again. But I can make other stuff! Well, yes, certainly, of course you can. However, we're quite fond of *blah* and we wish you'd bring that. But you haven't even TRIED this other stuff that I can make. Maybe you'd like that better than *blah*. Nope. We're dead sure we like your *blah* better than anything else you could possibly make. We really want *blah* again so bring that. Please. *sigh* Fine. I'll bring *blah*. Just... all ya'll that ask me to bring *blah*, know full well that you're missing out on all the other great stuff I can make because you keep asking me to bring *blah*. I know that you think *blah* is very good and I agree with you. It is very good. But there's OTHER very good stuff in the skill set, stuff you haven't even tasted yet. If you keep asking for *blah*, you're never going to get to taste any of the other stuff I can make.

Comments

Covered dish ruts

[ardvaark99999.livejournal.com]

You face the same problem that popular musicians face. Take Sheryl Crow if you will. Everyone wants to hear "All I wanna do" at her concerts. She's sick of the song. It's not fun to play anymore, but everyone expects to hear it, and will cheer wildly. She is more interested in her newer stuff. So, she plays both.

Therefore, a simple solution to your dilemma is to do the following:

Take two dishes.

Take the one everyone wants. Then, make something you really want, even if it gets left over. Then you get to take it home and eat it if it bombs in the eye of your adoring covered-dish public. If it wins, you get to do your Tarzan yell. Also, I suspect that you will enjoy making two dishes more than making one, even if making two isn't quite twice as fun as making just one.

In my covered dish world, I am invariably called upon to make deviled eggs for my community band. This is ok. The band is definitely a deviled egg crowd, and even though my eggs are neither spectacular nor pretty, I know that since they are deviled eggs, they will be eaten. I can also take something a little out of the ordinary (i.e. not baked mac and cheese, jello fruit salad, baked beans, pie, brownies, etc.) and know that I can experiment on them. It's sort of a sociological/anthropological thing.

Will they eat Cuban Black Bean Salad? I mean, these are people who, mostly, have eaten Hog Maw since they were old enough to chew solid food. How about our curried rice/chicken/avocado dish? What about our pineapple custard? Maybe even a Charlotte Russe...

I know that they'd eat the cajun pork roast, since it's mostly pork, and pork and York go together like, well...pork and York. Pico de gallo isn't strange enough anymore, since everyone makes it now. I thought about taking enchiladas this year, but maybe I'll do it next year. I even considered making some sushi (cooked only, no raw) this year to really push the limits. I may even go so far as to make it not look like sushi, but rather look like rice something or other. If it's not a roll, they may not recognize it as such.

In any case, I think that having 2 dishes will work. You will satisfy the people who want the crowd pleasers and you can satisfy your artistic desires at the same time. If nobody bites on the second dish, you get leftovers at home. That is a win-win, as far as I am concerned.

On a somewhat unrelated topic, I think that big family holiday dinners might work well on a modified covered dish basis. Bring anything you want and bring an assigned item. If you bring the assigned item, but no "extra" dish, then fine, but at least bring the assigned one.

It would farm out the making of a large dinner, and it would ensure that all "traditional favorites" are covered at the meal. In addition, you may see new/exciting stuff along the way. I think it would be sort of nice.

[gwangi.livejournal.com]

The other alternative is to just not bring what they ask. If you feel guilty about doing that, just make up some BS excuse about why you made the new dish instead of the requested one. You know, something along the lines of, "Oh, I really wanted to bring the *blah*, but the store was entirely out of filé powder, and I just couldn't make it without that!"

[electroweak.livejournal.com]

A third alternative is to tell the offenders that there's a problem. Perhaps you could put it on a LiveJournal that Sara and friends people read. That might work.

[which-chick.livejournal.com]

It's not a huge problem. It's a slightly annoying thing. It's very flattering to have people actually request *blah*. (Ask for it by name!) But... I can make other things, new and different things, delightful things, that are JUST AS TASTY as *blah*. They, too, might be dishes people would ask for by name if I could ever get people to try 'em in the first place.

All I'm asking for is a little faith. I can tell good food from bad. I will not take bad food out in public to feed to my friends. Friends deserve the best I can do and that, barring massive kitchen accidents, is what they get.

[staceman.livejournal.com]

Must be some damn fine *blah*.