Hi there question is tastings

Counting carbs/calories is a drag. Obsessive scale stepping is a recipe for despair. If you want to count something, "days on habit" is a much better metric. Checking off days on a calendar would do just fine, but if you do it here you get accountability and support. Here's how. Start a new topic in this forum called (say) "Your Name Daily Check In." Then every N day post a "reply" to that topic as to whether you stayed on habit. A simple "<font color="green">SUCCESS</font>" or "<font color="red">FAILURE</font>" (or your preferred euphemism if that's too harsh) is sufficient, but obviously you're welcome to write more if you want. On S-days just register that you're taking an S-day. You don't have to do this forever, just until you're confident you've built the habit. Feel free to check in weekly or monthly or sporadically instead of daily. Feel free also to track other habits besides No-s (I'm keeping this forum under No-s because that's what the vast majority are using it for). See also my <a href="/habitcal/">HabitCal</a> tool for another more formal (and perhaps complementary) way to track habits.

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chops
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2008 12:51 am
Location: Florida

Hi there question is tastings

Post by chops » Mon Apr 14, 2008 1:20 am

I'm a chef and need to know about tasting----
meaning.. when I am cooking for the public is tasting gonna be a no no..
sometimes ya just have to make sure the food i'm putting out is just right.
well monday april 14th is my first no s day sooo i guess i'll have to do my best... but would sure apperciate any advise to my question
a big thanks chops

franxious
Posts: 136
Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2007 8:00 pm
Location: New Jersey

Post by franxious » Mon Apr 14, 2008 4:04 pm

I personally don't count a taste as cheating under the following circumstances:

1. The amount tasted is absolutely no more than is needed to tell how the food tastes

2. It is truly necessary to taste the food (sometimes I have to taste food I'm serving to my kids, to know whether they are justified in not eating it)

I would also try to limit tasting to as few occasions as possible.

stevecooper
Posts: 124
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2006 2:56 pm

Re: Hi there question is tastings

Post by stevecooper » Mon Apr 14, 2008 4:38 pm

chops wrote:I'm a chef and need to know about tasting
Well, you can't do your job without tasting, so it's got to be in there. I'd suggest that there is a difference between tasting as a professional, and snacking as a glutton.

In an old thread, I put it like this;
stevecooper wrote: I'm quite a keen cook, and I happily watch cookery programs. What interests me is that chefs often seem to have a great passion for food, but are not gluttons. Thier passion manifests in relatively constructive behaviour, like sourcing the best ingredients or finding perfect recipes. These are people who have a passion for food, channelled in a way that does not lead to overeating but actually produces something valuable to the wider community.

So there's something interesting here, to me; the chef is neither indifferent to food nor overwhelmed by it, but is actually a creator; aesthetic rather than ascetic.

So, if you aren't indifferent to food, there are really three paths. First, you can give in and become a glutton. Not so good. Second, you can try to become indifferent. Third, you can sublimate the desire into a more productive channel.

There's an extra benefit to learning to cook well, which is that you should be able to find more and more ways to make things taste good without resorting to adding more sugar and fat.
See the original in this thread; http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=2306

In summary, look on being a chef as a way to hone your sense of control over food.

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