Pushing The Fresh Envelope, cook your food.

Today is Labor Day. Heading over to the Hong Kong Market in a few, then over to the seafood store to grab some of the best seafood in the world, and I mean that. The shrimp that we get here in New Orleans are absolutely amazing. On the Atlantic side of the South, The Low Country, shrimp are just as abundant as they are here with the exception that the shrimp are deheaded on the boat. In order to get shrimp, from say the waters off South Carolina you have to call ahead and ask the shrimper man to not take the heads, but leave all their delicious goodness for the cook to explore and expand upon. THe subtley of change from making a meal good to great is in the depth of the flavor. It is a symphony on the palate, where all the notes are harmonized to form a flavor. Each flavor adding its own character to the final product, similar to a guitar solo gone bad, too much of one component can ruin the enjoyment for some and elevate for others, autonomy of art. So to the point. It is not hard to seek out and find fresh ingredients, as opposed to relying on the ease of scientist in a lab to cook the food for you. I am not on a soap box preaching, as I have been known to enjoy some pretty amazing microwave burritos from time to time. But for the majority of the food I ingest, I cook it or see it being cooked by someone else. The amount of vitamins and nutrients in fresh food allows one to add extra butter since we are not adding chemicals to our bodies, but a variation of cream from an animal. All in all, just take the extra step and effort to make sure you know what you are eating. Seek out food not for its convenience but its quality. Not only will you be giving to the community in which you live, but you will meet more people and enjoy better food. Cook Your Food.