Classification essay

Bon Appetit

Some people eat to live while others live to eat. It’s a scientific fact of life, we must eat food to survive, period. So, it’s fair to say some people just go through the motions and ingest food out of necessity. This group I would classify as those who eat to live. Others consume food because they enjoy the texture, smell and taste of food. This group I would classify as those who live to eat. These people not only experiment consuming different types of foods, they experiment with different methods of cooking their food such as baking, sautéing or poaching.

For some, an item wrapped in plastic filled with preservatives that has been sitting on a shelf in a box at a local grocery store for who knows how long is considered food. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve purchased this type of food before, as I’m sure many of us have. But take a freshly baked batch of cookies, brownies or bars out of your oven and wrap these up for a future snack…….First off, you know what’s in the ingredients, second, it’s way more cost efficient to bake your own, and third you have the “free” delicious aroma of fresh baked goods penetrating your home.

We’ve all heard or read about eating fried food is bad for your health. I wholeheartedly agree that eating fried food at every meal would be bad for anyone’s health, however, olive oil is apparently the “good “ oil to consume. The extra virgin variety contains no refined oil which makes it easier for the body to digest, it’s high in antioxidants and it’s ideal for trying to lower bad cholesterol. With this being said, how yummy would a boneless chicken breast or a filet of fish taste sautéed in oil olive verses the deep fried version of the same from a fast food restaurant. In all seriousness, if you plan ahead, the time to make these things at home is not as time consuming as you’d think, plus you are benefiting from eating more healthy by sautéing your food.

I know for some of you Mainers, poaching means to hunt illegally, but the poaching I’m referring to is the process of simmering food in liquid. Contrary to belief, eggs aren’t the only food to poach. You can poach practically any food, the trick is doing it right. This means maintaining the temperature below the boiling point, do not move your food around in the pan and most importantly do not over cook it. Your result when it’s done right, is a quick, healthy, and flavorful prepared dish.

You don’t need to be a French chef to know how to cook. You need a bit of patience, a few pieces of cookware and a good sharp knife. Once you get started, the end result is well worth the trouble; there is nothing like a good home cooked meal fresh out of the oven or off your stove top. If you like to eat good food, learn how to cook. Like Julia Child once quoted to the NYT “we should enjoy food and have fun, it’s one of the simplest and nicest pleasures in life. Bon Appetit!