Subscribe by email:A lot of people recommend cooking new recipes for Artist’s Dates. I decided to give that a try this week. I’m not familiar with Asian cuisine so I chose to cook a few traditional items for Chinese New Year.
Shopping for ingredients was a bit of a journey. I made quite a few mistakes! And why is it so hard to find mirin, the cooking wine? Most importantly, why was I carded when I bought a bottle at the grocery store? I was more bewildered than flattered.
One recipe I was hesitant to make was the jien duy. They are balls made of sweet dough, rolled in sesame seeds and fried until golden brown. I didn’t know how they should look or taste. While I was making the dough I thought that this had better not be a waste of my time.
And then I paused. How many times had I worked on an idea that didn’t sell? How many times had I written a story and decided it wasn’t ready to send out? While these books never made it to the shelves it doesn’t mean that it was a waste of my time to write them. I learn by doing.
The same goes with cooking. I’m always learning how to cook or improve a recipe by doing. I learn from trying new techniques, discovering new cuisines and stumbling on the occasional happy accident. There have been plenty inedible mistakes throughout the years, and there were plenty of complicated recipes that ultimately I didn’t like. Doesn’t matter. Those experiences helped me become a more confident and competent cook.
Oh, and the jien duy? Imperfect but delicious.
Related posts:
- Artist’s Date #1: Coloring
- Artist’s Date #2: Reading outside your comfort zone
- Artist’s Date #4: Assembling a jigsaw puzzle
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That’s too funny! I tried a new recipe this week too. Homemade Mac&Cheese. My challenge was that I’d never made a roux before, and was terrified about burning it (or the roux/milk mixture).
Like your comparisons between cooking and writing! I won’t call myself the worst cook, but I’m possibly the least graceful. I have no sense of how long to cook chicken, what “a cup” of something looks like unless it’s perfectly measured, etc. My first drafts aren’t the prettiest things either. But I’m usually happy when both are done!
Love your idea of the Artist Date, even just little things like cooking something new.