Monday, February 1, 2010

A Kick in the Pants

That's what it takes sometimes to get me to try something that I had previously thought was outside my realm of possibilities. What's funny about this is the new things are often pretty easy/trivial.
For instance, a few years ago I was visiting a cousin when her then 17-year old daughter made us a delicious meal of vegetarian sushi. I was pretty impressed because I'd always considered sushi something that was only doable by someone with vast culinary experience. After the awe wore away it was replaced by a wee bit of indignation. I couldn't understand how someone who hadn't even graduated from high school could make sushi. I felt like the gauntlet had been thrown down and that was enough to push me out of my comfort zone. If she could make sushi, dammit, so could I. Of course, I quickly discovered that the reason a 17-year old was capable of rolling sushi had less to do with her abilities and more to do with the fact that it's actually pretty easy. Well, no matter, I now know how to make sushi and do so pretty regularly.
My second experience with awe morphing into something akin to a dare happened when I assisted in a teen cooking class. Every week this group of 10 or so teenagers got together and under the tutelage of the teacher, not me, made various desserts which everyone, student, teacher, and adult helpers got to sample at the end of the class. Yum!
At first I felt my kitchen skills were decidedly superior to the kids. I could peel an apple so that the entirety of the peel came off as one piece. I could roll out pie dough without having it stick to the counter. I knew what a double boiler was. Then one day we made crepes and I was crushed. Crepes definitely fell into the category of "things I don't make" and here I was in a teen class watching some 14-year old boy flip picture perfect crepes. "That's great," I said to him in praise, but inside I wasn't so positive. I came home that night and, following the instructions the teacher had given the kids, made a batch of crepes. They were not my best, but I've made them regularly since then and, like sushi, they have become a regular part of my cooking repertoire.
Then, the other day I saw this. I didn't get quite as indignant because Erin is not a teenager. Based on past experience that obviously plays a role in how competitive I get, but I did feel that pang. Bagels were on that unwritten list I keep of things I don't think a mere mortal such as myself can make. Don't ask me why. Don't ask me what the criteria is for deciding what is or is not within the capabilities of the average person. I just know it when I see it and bagels were definitely it.
Until yesterday that is.



I.Baked.Bagels.



Then I got so jacked up by my accomplishment that I baked a batch of blueberry muffins which never were or will be on the list of items too difficult for proletariat such as myself to conquer.

10 comments:

Cheryl Arkison said...

I always had bagels on the list of "I could probably make them, but would I ever?" Kudos for you for taking on the challenge. Will you do it again?

Kristen said...

yay for you!!! I made bagels in the early days of my marriage .. we were living in Poland and I had a hankering for bagels... pulled out my cooking bible back then - The Joy Of Cooking and made myself a batch of bagels... not as bad as I thought it would be - glad you gave it a go!

house on hill road said...

so easy, right?
(and i love your competitive cooking side!)

Patricia said...

Listen--let me give you my "mother" lecture---anyone as talented as you (you dye your own fabric, make absolutely wonderful/creative quilts, etc.--shouldn't be afraid to try anything!!!! Actually, most quilters are creative to our core and the only reason there are things we "can't" make, is because we haven't tried them!!! That's my story and I am sticking to it
:-) Have a wonderful day!!

Alena Jo said...

You've inspired me. I have been sitting on a bagel recipe and bagel ingredients for about a year. I think I'll make them this week...

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

This post is so darn funny! Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ilovebabyquilts said...

Great job! I have also accepted the bagel gauntlet and conquered them. Only once, but that still counts! Read my post that's similar to yours here:
http://ilovebabyquilts.blogspot.com/2010/01/little-known-fact-about-me.html

It also has links to all the recipes that scared me.

Lasso the Moon said...

Yum! They look delish! --Anna

Quilt or Dye said...

I so let things I haven't tried before intimidate me! I want to try a new dyeing or quilting technique but end up cleaning the house, staring mindless at the boob tube, sleeping, or anything that I know HOW to do rather than to try the NEW thing where I might fail. I will pussy foot around the project for weeks before I build up my courage.

And then it is fun! It is successful! I show it off to others and tell them how easy it is! I teach others how to do it!

I try and console myself that I eventually can build up my courage rather than berate myself for how long it took.