When Did Eating Food Become So Difficult?

        As I've gotten older, there are many things that have gotten hard. Life in general is a good example of that. In all seriousness though, there are things that we all assume will get more challenging as we grow up; School, relationships, money...but eating? I feel like there is so much unneeded pressure surrounding food.  Don't eat this because it has too much fat. Don't eat that because they used food coloring. Make sure you eat this on your date so it doesn't give you smelly breath or, god forbid, bad gas. Eat this because it's good for you, but guess what, it tastes like shit, and no there isn't much you can do to make it taste better. Add sugar? Don't you dare. I simply don't get it. 

      Think about this for a second. If we weren't trying to impress other people with "perfect" bodies or we weren't limited by food allergies or weren't trying to maintain a certain size for a job, would we eat the same types of things? Would we eat at the same frequency? As a person in this day in age, it's hard to escape beauty standards, especially as a young woman. Ultimately it only matters that you feel good about yourself, but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't stress about maintaining my figure. But how do I do that when I love to eat so much? How do I help my friends go through the same type of thing? I've actually had a friend refuse to eat avocados because there was "too much fat in it." Excuse me, but no. Just no. If you're eating at In n' Out every night you're going to get fat, but a freaking avocado isn't going to kill you. In my opinion, if you don't have to be on a diet, then why the hell are you on a diet? Eat real food often, exercise often, treat yourself occasionally. Everything in moderation people.

 

      We all seem to overthink eating. The dieting stuff is obvious, but I feel like there are almost unspoken eating standards. If I had a freaking dollar for the number of times where I've been eating something with garlic and somebody uttered " I hope you're not planning on kissing someone tonight," I wouldn't be rich, but I could probably buy a really nice steak. So. Should I just not eat garlic? I mean I really like garlic. If I kiss my boyfriend after this and he gets upset should I apologize for eating garlic? Would he even be mad? I think he likes garlic. He better freaking like garlic because I'm going to keep eating garlic. Seriously, who cares. Also, the whole "make sure you order a salad on the first date" rule is BS because I ordered a bacon cheeseburger on my first date with my boyfriend and, guess what, he still loves me. 

     When I think of proper eating etiquette I think of someone who eats slowly, pats their face with their napkin, sips their drink, doesn't talk while they eat, etc. I have been in many situations where that type of behavior has been expected, but I have almost always ended up with food on my face or on my clothes. Sometimes I notice shock, but its rare. I mostly notice relief, because now that someone else has screwed up, they don't have to worry about themselves as much. If having food all over my face lets people relax and genuinely enjoy their food, then I've done something right. Why do we worry so much about what other people think? Some of it has merit, but I guarantee that there is at least one other person who wants to grab the last cookie at the snack table. Eat the cookie, or I will.  

    

Growing Up Around Food

      It is no secret that I have grown up around food. My mother made sure of that. But, probably more significant is the fact that I have grown up around chefs. This, I'm sure, has had an impact on how I think about and handle food. For instance, cooking has become this intimate act. An act that I will only preform in the presence of those whom I adore. I like to believe it is the same for chefs, and if the chef is phenomenal, you can taste that adoration in the food presented to you. Growing up around food has not only given me the knowledge to become a better cook, but it has given me an appreciation of the craft itself.

I have this vivid memory of standing on a chair in front of the stove in Barb Fenzels kitchen. I had stayed over for the weekend because my parents were out of town and, as my godmother, she agreed to look after me. She was teaching me how to make scrambled eggs. I was five. She didn't do anything for me, but walked me through it instead. She taught me how to grease a pan, crack an egg, wield a spatula, and how to tell when the eggs were cooked properly. Then she taught me how to be creative with it, by adding cheese, vegetables, and spices. To this day, I make scrambled eggs the way she taught me.

      When I was 6 years old I was at the Universal Backlot in Los Angeles for an event called Meals on Wheels. Who was there? Wolfgang Puck, Vincent and his family, my mother, and me. We were making creme brule and my job was to sprinkle the sugar on top and then pass it to Vincent, so he could torch the top and give it the classic shell surface. Vincent made sure I was perfect. Anything less would be insufficient. However, you bet your ass that once we were done with the event, I finished off the rest of the sugar with one of Vincent's sons. I developed the habit of eating ingredients pretty early on in life... This photo is pre-sugar:

  As I got older I was able to appreciate these type of experiences more and more. I will forever remember the night that Jaques Pepin was over at my house cooking pizzas. He and the other chefs were challenging each other to make the best pizza of the night. I have no clue who "won" but that was some of the best pizza I have ever eaten and one of the coolest nights of my life. The food industry is intense and intimidating, especially to those outside of it. But the chefs I grew up around taught me that if you can't have some fun with it, what's the point?