I think perhaps the hardest thing for me as I strive to cook better is that there's not an easy bar to compare myself against. If I were to study writing, there are many great authors to read and learn from, with libraries full of their works. Want to study the great directors of our times? Even a place like Blockbuster will open the doors for you. The same is true for music or art. Cooking, on the other hand, can not be easily accessed. If I want to know how Thomas Keller's meals taste, I really have no choice but to go to the Napa Valley (or maybe Las Vegas) and find out. I can't have it shipped from Amazon and reading a book about it doesn't really give me the information I really need – how it tastes!
The same is true for ingredients: I can read about what makes a really good peach, but until someone hands you one and tells you that this peach is the perfect sort, you're never quite sure what it should be. I think this is what I really want from a cooking class, and seems to be exactly what chefs gain when they serve in different kitchens throughout their careers.
As a novice cook, what choices do we have? Certainly visiting the best restaurants we can and taking note of the food. I'm lucky that my wife loves food like I do, so we can happily pass a whole meal breaking down each taste and texture we're experiencing, musing on what other flavors might go well with it, or what we would do differently. The other end of the equation would seem to be talking with purveyors about their foods and making them commit to sharing with you what makes their food good and how you'll know it when you smell it, when you hold it.
I wish I had the same access to chefs.
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