Curry
Every once in a while, there are times when relatives, friends, acquaintances, and children gather at my house for dinner.
The menu for such occasions is usually decided.
I make curry.
It can be made in large quantities in a short amount of time,
it can handle an increase in the number of people,
and I had never
seen anyone who said they disliked curry.
However, while making
curry for gatherings several times,
a certain fact came to light.
There were, in fact, a small number of relatives, friends, acquaintances,
and children who disliked curry.
I suppose that's true. Yeah.
"Everyone must love curry!"
was just my own assumption.
Amidst that, it turned out that my curry
was actually well-received even by those who disliked curry.
This is not about bragging, or some skill-based talent for cooking,
or some secret ingredient, or anything like that.
There is a trick to making curry.
My favorite phrase.
"Add nothing, subtract nothing."
It is the catchphrase for Suntory's Pure Malt Whisky Yamazaki,
which is simple yet profound and soothing to the heart.
catchphrase.
This time, taking the words at their literal face value,
I simply follow the instructions on the back of the curry box,
making it honestly with the exact measurements.
This is a way of making it that increases the probability
that even people who dislike curry will eat it.
It's not everyone, but the people who said they disliked it
gave me feedback after eating my curry,
"I can eat this,"
"It's normally delicious,"
and they finished it all up.
Thinking it might be helpful for the future if I could learn the details of why they disliked it,
I asked a few people who said it was delicious
why they had disliked it.
・The taste changes every time.
・Things other than the basic curry vegetables are
included, so it doesn't taste like curry.
・It's too elaborate and becomes a different dish
The real pleasure of home cooking is that the cook's intuitive
seasoning and creativity are also part of the charm.
When you're tired, it might turn out a bit sweeter,
or if you want a kick, it might turn out spicier.
That is the taste of home.
Personally, if someone is willing to feed me,
I find everything truly delicious, and even creative dishes
are impressive.
For those who don't like curry,
it seems this aspect was the bottleneck
for them.
When I am the one cooking,
I dislike the hassle of adjusting the flavor,
so I always follow the cooking instructions
exactly as written.
Measuring cups and measuring spoons are
essential items in my cooking.
They are tools that get the flavor right on the first try.
When my mother-in-law saw me cooking that way,
she laughed and said,
"You can just eyeball that, right?"
"Isn't it a pain to do that every single time?"
I just hope she turns a blind eye when I'm the one cooking...
Although my mother-in-law, a veteran of home cooking,
laughed at my measuring process,
without doing anything special,
I received the title of a good cook
from those who used to dislike curry.
And the ones who are truly excellent are the
product research and development staff and
teams at food companies.
The palates that create flavors for everyone
are no joke.
Craftsmanship is indeed attractive.
My mother-in-law, a master of home cooking, is the same.
It just goes to show that everyone has different tastes.
A side note
At first, my mother-in-law laughed at my measuring,
but now, when relatives gather,
she leaves the flavor adjustments to me.
It was a cold day today, too.
Thank you for your hard work.
Please get some good rest.