Julia Altshuler wrote:
> I've known people who consider pouring breakfast cereal into a bowl
> and putting milk on top of it to be home cooking. They don't even do
> that, prefering to let a diner staff take care of it for them.
>
>
> In one of the saddest cases I've known, the guy had financial troubles
> but still ate every meal in a restaurant. When I suggested that it
> would at least be cheaper to get a coffee maker and make coffee at
> home,
> he nodded like he agreed but didn't quite understand the concept. He
> continued to walk to the Denny's around the block each morning for
> cereal and coffee.
>
>
> In another sad case, the man was divorced and had split custody of his
> daughter. He was also overweight. He hired me to make nutritional
> meals in his home and to give weight loss advice, plus cooking
> lessons. I interpreted my job as one of getting him started so he
> eventually
> could take over and start cooking for himself. Nice guy, I thought,
> just doesn't like to cook. No big deal, after all, I'm not big on car
> repair so I hire someone to do that for me. What's the diff? So I
> thought.
>
>
> It turned out that, nice guy that he was, he had huge issues with food
> and cooking. I'm not psychologist enough to put a name on it, but it
> was as though he COULDN'T cook at home. He was completely competent
> in every other way, but he COULDN'T cook. I tried to understand, but
> none
> of my analogies worked. I'm terrible at car repair, but a friend
> patiently showed me how to change the oil on my car, and I can do
> that. If stayed with it, I was willing to learn more simple car
> maintenance
> even if I never became good at it. I hoped I could teach my client to
> make one simple recipe at home, then another, rather like my car
> repair efforts, but this guy found excuses for everything in the
> kitchen.
>
>
> In one case, I suggested that I'd make a big salad so he'd have the
> greens and cut vegetables whenever he wanted for a snack. Per
> directions, bought basic cookware, some plates, pots and pans, knives,
> etc. He reimbursed me. I made the salad and dressing, put it in the
> bowl, gave simple directions on having the salad at home. When I came
> back 3 days later with the idea that I'd throw away the wilted
> leftovers and replenish the salad, I couldn't even find the bowl.
> After some
> looking around, it turned out his daughter had needed a container for
> a school science project and used it.
>
>
> That's the way they looked at everything having to do with cooking.
> It
> was as though food prep didn't exist on their radar so a bowl of salad
> greens in the refrigerator didn't look like lunch to them; it looked
> like chemistry props.
>
>
> No matter how basic I made the lessons, it just wasn't going to work.
> Unless I was over there putting the food on a spoon and putting the
> spoon into his mouth, it wasn't going to happen. I wonder what
> happened
> to that client. I wish him well.
>
>
> --Lia

(purposely not snipped)

I think that's one of the saddest stories I have ever heard.

kili