Let's Eat Baby Food!

I would definitely identify myself as a foodie that is ever in training. I love food, I want to publish cookbooks, I want to be Martha's Rival- we all know these things. I love following the trends in the food world just as much as following the pages of W or Vogue. But right now there is a strange fad going on that I am kind of failing to comprehend. Now I've tried it a few times and it's OKAY, but merely OKAY. It's definitely not anything that I would devote entire sections of magazines or cooking shows to because really, anyone can do it, but why would you really want to?

It's the trend of puree's. Fruit and vegetable purees. Not added into dishes or sauces, but rather served as actual dishes. Otherwise basically known as the baby food phenomena. To me anyways, this is a bit beyond comprehension. I know anymore, what with the economy and political strife and what not, comfort food is big. I do also enjoy and understand eating "outside the box" and that purees are majorily outside the box, but really? Baby food basically.

People are trying to chic it up with exotic vegetables, herbs, etc, but really that's what I would do to introduce my 6 month old to new flavors, not something I as an adult needs to do to enjoy vegetables. What's wrong with sauteeing or steaming your veggies? Or really, since we're American, go ahead and batter 'em and fry 'em up, good. Are we really so lazy now that we need our vegetables to be at the consistency of applesauce so that we basically lap it up and don't have to do things like chew? To achieve a dreamy consistency, one pretty much has to boil veggies till theres no nutritive value left, so really, by then especially whats the point?

Perhaps my prejudice comes from having a small child and from having worked with the elderly and disabled at places like SESDAC- where many of the people you care for need their foods pureed. Puree becomes a hell of a lot less appetizing when you have to puree everything from ice cream to meat loaf to veggies to bread. You see what you have to do to thin things out and achieve correct consistencies, and you'll lose your appetite for anything pureed real fast. Watching pureed anything dribble down peoples chins to comingle with spit and other foods makes puree even less appealing.

Really, no one has given a decent explanation as to why this has hit the foodie world with such fervor. I've tried a few purees and they taste . . . okay. Not spectacular, nothing to induce me to want to recreate it every night at home for my family. I'm pretty sure if I gave Nolan a plate with a glop of puree on it to be enjoyed on its own or what not, he probably would just sort of stare at me and sigh. As adults, aren't we supposed to be past that juvenile point where we need our veggies disguised in order to enjoy them? Aren't we supposed to eat salads with every meal and enjoy veggies in all different ways- crunchy, steamed, whatever?

Not to mention all the extra effort that goes into making purees. Granted I made a lot of Evas baby food, but that was usually from necessity and wanting her to try new things. but to deliberately prep veggies, boil them down to mush, and process them till they are "smooth like buttah" takes quite a bit of time. I plan on making baby food again for this baby, but that doesn't mean I want to eat it. As an adult, I do crave texture. Children are the ones who need textureless eating for awhile.

Really, I'm way picky about texture of most anything. As a younger person it was the number one reason why my mom couldn't get me to eat some things. I spent my childhood in the kitchen and I enjoy my daughter learning to do the same and hope to make a mini foodie out of her, but texture is something that makes or breaks a meal for me. If my asparagus is boiled and stringy instead of crisp and springy (Oh a rhyme!), I can't eat it. If my meat is cooked beyond recognition of anything other than carcinogenic leather, no thank you. Well cooked is almost more important to me than well seasoned. In my book theres not a lot you can do to season purees that will make me want to eat them.

I really wonder if this is just part of a whole "leave no stone unturned" philosophy that foodies are into. It's a philosophy I definitely get. But that doesn't mean I'm going to be cooking up leaches and dog poo anytime soon. I believe in adventurous eating and cooking but somehow this doesn't even seem adventurous, it just seems. . . . well gross. Forgive my ignorance but really? Do you ever crave a ja of baby food? I think not.

Peace out yo-

Chatterbox Sara