Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

[Diana Duncan <dianaduncan AT contentdb.net>]

On Feb 9, 2005, at 12:22 PM, thomas wrote:

> In a conversation with an overseas friend recently, he observed that in
> his circle of programmer friends many are also serious cooking 
> fanatics.
>  He was wondering at the correlation.
>
> Got me to wondering if that runs true, so I thought I'd hit my handy
> dandy hacker survey pool.  I know of a few hacker foodies, and our own
> Greg Cox is the food critic for the N&O.  But I don't really know how
> deep this runs.  Should we have the next Gathering at A Southern 
> Season?
>
> So:  Who among us here really loves to cook?  Tell your stories.

Oh, I love to cook.  Love it, love it, love it.  I find it very 
relaxing.  I especially love developing new recipes based on whatever I 
happen to have on-hand.  Frequently, I'll daydream of something new in 
the car on the way home from picking Caelan up from daycare.  We'll 
stop in at Whole Foods to grab a few things to make my vision reality, 
and then throw it together when we get home.  (He "helps" by playing 
with tupperware or hanging out and watching from the backpack).  
Unfortunately, I haven't gotten into the habit yet to record 
measurements or anything.  I keep on thinking I'd like to write a 
cookbook, but I really need to be more disciplined about writing the 
riffs down!  Maybe what I need is a small tape recorder.

I used to be a big practitioner of Slow Food, where you make from 
scratch all of the components of your meal -- think baking the bread 
you will use for stuffing, making the crackers for an appetizer, etc.  
Of course, I would NEVER try to make fillo dough.  :)  With a small 
child, though, I find I have to make some shortcuts.  Some things won't 
change -- I will always make my biscuits and pancakes from scratch.  I 
really don't understand how Bisquick makes anything easier.  What can 
be easier than biscuits?

Ingredients I love - this is making me hungry:
Lemons (for zest and juice)
Garlic
Sage
Goat cheese or sheep's milk cheese
Mushrooms
Mint
Vanilla beans
Cornish hens
Lamb shoulder steaks
Trout
Dried fruit
Tofu
Arugula
Turnips
Potatoes
Fennel
Duck
Spinach
Italian parsley
Creme fraiche
Wine, sherry, brandy
Vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Prosciutto
Soy sauce
Oregano
Asparagus
Summer squash
Chickpeas
Lentils
Melons
Shallots
Pasta
Scallops

Sorry.  I'll stop now.

> As for me, my cooking passion of late is greens, particularly collards
> and creasy greens.  Amazing healthy food, especially when seasoned with
> pork and onion and red pepper.  Yum!