What's Perfect?

Hope you don't mind me thinking out loud here. We don't have much time left in the program, which ends December 11. I'm already kind of sad, and have to avoid thinking about it. One student said a while back, she was cooking on the weekend and realized she was alone in the kitchen. She missed cooking with the rest of us.

Isn't that a switch? Everyone talks about eating together... but cooking together!

We started with 11 of us; now we're only ten. (We miss you, Dish!) But we have cultivated a groove between us. It's not like cooking at home on Thanksgiving, because we don't get on each other's nerves as much and the kitchen is much bigger.

Anyway, toward the end of the program, one of our final assignments is to plan and prepare "the perfect meal." On the first day of class we were told to start thinking of ideas. Each of us will create our own menu, shop, cook, plate, and even decorate the table.

I'm having a hard time with this assignment. I mean, what's a perfect meal?

I can't say any one particular food is perfect. To me, there are things such as a perfectly cooked dish... or a meal could be perfect because each item was cooked exactly as it should be, everything is served at the right temperature, the wines or other beverages match, the menu is balanced and the flavors complement each other, and the dessert tops everything off perfectly, lingers in your mouth, and makes you feel satisfied without feeling stuffed.

I think you could further perfect a meal with good company, and even that's a wide category. I think I could have a perfect meal with my parents, with a nice-looking man who smiles at me, with a group of friends and co-workers, or with my nephew. I used to love picking him up from his half-day kindergarten -- we'd go to my place and he always wanted mac and cheese, which I'd make from scratch. He loved it every time. Isn't that perfect, too? Simple but perfect? Everyone, cook and diner, leaves happy! When I was little, my idea of a perfect breakfast was eating Froot Loops in "order" - red first, orange second, and yellow last. (Back then those were all the colors we got; and yes, my younger sisters are still traumatized.)

As far as setting, I think I could have as perfect a meal on the beach as I could in the dining room of my dream home or the swankiest four-star in the city.

I think two things are certain about the perfect meal: one, you've got to have plenty of time to enjoy it; and two, it's got to be well thought out.

Guess I'd better start thinking!

... Any ideas?

Comments

[Elkit]

I agree with you, there's no such thing as THE perfect meal. There are things that make it perfect - good, healthful, well-balanced ingredients, loving preparation, good company, and time and the mood to enjoy it. And you want it to linger just right - you don't want to be overstuffed, and you don't want to still be hungry for more.
How you put that together - a five-course French meal, sandwiches and a bottle of beer on the beach, Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings including family, or just a bowl of hot soup on a cold night - is almost secondary.

Not an easy task.

I remember when my then employer was into Total Quality Management, and we all took classes on quality. One of our first tasks was to identify what made a quality product. Our example was a clothes hanger, I think. We came quickly to the conclusion that what you consider quality depends very much on what matters to you, it's never an absolute.