Thursday, April 21, 2011

Cathy Erway: My Kind Of Chef


Cathy Erway was featured on the FoodSpotting blog a few days ago. No, the FoodSpotting blog is not on my blogroll, not yet, although now I am thinking why not, but I must have pressed the like button enough times that the FoodSpotting Facebook page is often in my Facebook stream. So there was Cathy Erway.

FoodSpotting's Dish As Starting Point
Twitter ---> Instagram ---> FoodSpotting

I remember exchanging a tweet or two with her over a year back. I was amazed to find her. The eating in concept is revolutionary, if you think about it.

I have said at this blog a few times that I harbor secret ambitions to become a great cook and a great dancer. I guess it is not that secret no more, but that's okay.

Let me explain. I have very individual definitions of what a great cook is, what a great dancer is.

For me dancing is about sweating. I am not thinking finesse. I am not thinking ballet. I just want some pumping, workout music. What would make it great is if I am in such great shape that along the way I get to improvise a little, try out some new moves.

And so being a great dancer is about being in good shape. It is about working out. No music. I am talking squats and push ups, and other freehand goodies. If you think you are doing all that for the dance floor, working out is way more fun. It is an elevated experience.

There you go. Did I just play a trick on your mind?

Something similar goes to cooking.

More Sam Walton Than Bill Gates
The First Walmart Store
How Wal-Mart Got Started
Who Hired You?

What would super healthy eating feel like? I think a lot of it would be eating in. To me it is also about keeping the costs down. Sam Walton is one of my heroes, as is Michael Dell, as are the dollar pizza people in the city. And it is about discipline. Can you cut the costs down? And I happen to think much of cooking should not take too much time. The grinder is your friend. You can spill out some pretty healthy stuff pretty quickly out of that simple machine.

And before I came across Cathy Erway I was thinking I am going to have to pioneer the concept. And I am so glad I came across her. Because I really don't hope to shine with food. I am not that gifted. But I do want to indulge. I do want to get involved.

I have a few ideas. I have some thoughts. I have some inklings of some dishes that would be healthy and quick to whip out. A lot of that obviously is to do with fruits and vegetables. Salads are good stuff. Some are to do with mixing things up in the grinder.

I have thought in terms of becoming a pescatarian, dumplings are a big reason I could not go for it. And being a great cook for me would mean getting frozen dumplings from elsewhere and simply steaming them at home. That is still a good 20 minute run. People who sell them sell them for cheaper than it would take for me to buy just the ingredients. Making dumplings is an art form: I think I am going to stick to dancing.

And there is curry. My face gives it away. I am Indian. But lassi comes before curry.

Having Mango Lassi: Do Not Disturb
Having Mango Lassi

Lassi is easier to make too. It is healthier.

Curry is easy to make. And I can make once and eat a little at a time for days. Curry often comes with rice. Rice is even easier to make. You don't make it. It makes itself.

But once you have the healthy stuff in, once you have the easy stuff in, once you have the ethnic stuff in - the dumplings, the curry - then the fun part begins. You actually do the recipe thing. You cook. You go look for ingredients, and you get a little fancy. You try out new things. You branch out, you reach out.

And maybe Cathy Erway can help. I am so glad I will not have to invent the wheel.

Who wants to teach me dancing?





Not Eating Out in New York
cathyerway - Twitter
The Art of Eating In - Author
Cathy Erway: Huffington Post
NYC food blogger Cathy Erway ate in for a year - NYPOST.com When Cathy Erway decided to eat in for 2 years, she saved $7,200, shed 10 pounds — and lost her boyfriend.
Cathy Erway | Facebook
Cathy Erway, Chef, Writer - Gothamist



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