Who says food should look good as well as taste good? What do you look for in a meal? As I grow older, what I eat matters more to me, but despite being someone who has taken loads of pics of my meals, both home-cooked and restaurant fare, I realize I don't really care what it looks like.
I love healthy and tasty vegan food. (Who doesn't?)
Vegan salmon dish from Candle Cafe (made with chickpea protein and seaweed extract (for the fishy taste)
But I recently learned that the restaurant business is not just about cooking and plating really good food.
The chef/owner of my favorite vegan restaurant in Manhattan recently posted an Instagram video. Did he share photos of his gorgeous food?
This is a buffet plate from my favorite Chinese restaurant in Greenwood, SC
No, he said he may have to close the restaurant because he's losing money. He says the main issue is that "influencers" are now asking to be paid for promoting businesses. He can't compete, even though his food is so great, so original, so healthy, and so delicious!
Salad from my kitchen at home. If it doesn't have at least 7 raw ingredients and 3 colors, it's not worth eating...
I love desserts, but do they have to be so sweet?
I put on 5 pounds recently just from having a little dessert with my lunch and dinner - at a conference where the food was great, but...
Tiramisu dessert tray at a work gathering in Chicago last month.
No buts, everything was awesome, but dessert is sweet, and I can't have too much sugar because I am pre-diabetic.
But seriously, why does it have to be so sweet? Why can't they offer a low-sugar option (that doesn't taste like cardboard) in the same way that people in the food business are now offering vegetarian and gluten-free options?
Carrot cake is a specialty at Candle Cafe. The cake itself is not very sweet, but the topping is sweet. And features jam (sigh).
I know it can be done. Food science has advanced so much in the past 50 years. But even 'beyond meat' - when I finally tasted it - is so ultra-processed! Why do we still have to sacrifice that home-cooked taste (and nutritional value) every time we go out to eat?
This is my homemade bread pudding, using half the sugar from the recipe...
Gratuitous pic of exotic fruit-flavored jams. I had not seen mango jam in a long, long time.
Oven-roasted breadfruit. If you don't know what breadfruit is, arrange a trip to visit me one Spring. It is like nothing else.
Another dish from Candle Cafe. They do such great things with cauliflower! This dish has chickpeas, which are another favorite of mine that's easy to cook and very versatile in flavor.
This is a juicy, tasty, Jamaican Easter bun. It may not look great, but it tastes perfect (except still too sweet).
Why does food have to look better than it tastes? Do we trust our eyes more than our stomachs? We should know by now that the food industry works overtime to make food look tasty even when it is not, or when it is stale.
Fried roasted breadfruit. (I use the healthiest oil I can find)
Why not put some effort into making the food actually good for us? (Fine example I am, frying breadfruit! Food is complicated.)
I do care what food tastes like, of course, but here's a secret: what things taste like to you isn't necessarily a personal choice! To some extent, our taste buds are groomed by the food we eat growing up.
True story: I was able to gradually reduce my sugar intake over time by gradually decreasing the amount of added sugar in my diet. This actually changed my taste preference. I can no longer abide by sweet drinks (like fruit juices), and very sweet desserts don't interest me. Still love ice cream, though!
Panera Bread half soup, half salad.
Mac and Cheese! I rarely make this, but it is a fun dish to prepare and eat. I love cheddar cheese.
Who is looking out for YOUR nutritional health?
Credits:
photos and text by Niki Casserly