Homage to Daisy
Homage to Daisy
William and I enjoy cooking – It is one of the sincerest forms of love and caring for those that we are cooking for. It is an immediate show of skill with a dash of showmanship. And so, we decided to cook Thanksgiving dinner together for our family members living in the San Francisco area. Wednesday was the fun day. We shopped for the necessary ingredients and talk menu as well as procedure. Wednesday was butternut squash soup day as resting a soup for a day always makes the resultant next day serving just a little better. He and I have made this soup many times and have explored slight spice variations. It is always a crowd pleaser. Therefore, a good way to start a meal. Picked up the 20 lbs. turkey, a truly big bird and squandered a few more dollars on superfluous items to make the table more festive. We came home and made our soup and then off to cocktails and dinner. Thursday was an all-day affair but with a hard afternoon stop as guest were arriving at 4:30. French cut green beans; perfect mashed potatoes pealed, food mill, butter, heavy cream (not whole milk god forbid); herb butter for the turkey, yams, more peeling and slicing, baked stuffing and on and on the day went. Our lovely assistant (Kat) was setting tables, doing flowers and basically running around assisting us. Afterall we were the cooks and all cooks need assistants. Game time in 15 minutes and now we had to prepare ourselves for dinner – shower, shave etc., etc., Then the pressure really amps up as we have to finish all the dishes and serve. We received the appropriate accolades for our efforts. But wait!!!! Who is cleaning up this mess? The party’s over but we are still on our feet. Afterall who wants to come down the next morning to this mess.
Friday Morning
We are hammered!!! I don’t mean drinking hammered I mean physically exhausted from preparing one meal for 14 people. HAMMERED!
Homage to Daisy
Daisy why can’t you come out and play? Have lunch? Play tennis? What do you mean you are tired? You walk into her Michelin Star restaurant, Bell’s, and Greg greets you, it all looks like fun and games. I mean why can’t you come out and play the next day. Because her job in the kitchen standing over a hot stove preparing dish after perfect dish is fucking hard work. You can’t be a full-time amazing chief without keeping yourself in shape. You are on your feet 24/7, creating multiple perfect dishes for multiple imperfect people looking for something to complain about. Then, guess what, you have to do it all over again for the next five nights. It’s not like a Broadway play where you are allowed to say the same thing night after night. No no you have to be creative every night. I know I was aware of all this, but for some reason as I crawled out of bed the day after Thanksgiving, I had a whole new appreciation for what it must be like to do this night after night.
In acknowledgement and recognition to you, Daisy, for your incredible stamina and resolve to show up in your amazingly creative way every night for those of us fortunate enough to enjoy your creations. Just a little shout out of appreciation for the work you do and the physical strength it takes to do your creative best for us your humble guests.
“Excuse me but can you make this gluten free?”
PS: Don’t be sad Greg I know you work your fingers to the bone but Daisy does all of that while looking great!! Like Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire (before your time —- mine too)