Peter and I used to be dedicated dining room eaters - at the table, candles lit, cloth napkins, music on - the whole thing. We've lately fallen into a routine of eating at the coffee table and watching a show, and while I know I'm probably supposed to feel bad about this shift, it's pretty fun. When I was a kid, I loved when my sister and I got permission to eat dinner in the family room, usually sitting the floor watching something awesome. Being able to do this whenever I want still feels like a great grown-up perk.
Earlier this week, I made the rice noodle dish above. I cooked the chicken using this recipe. It filled up the kitchen with smoke, but it was truly amazing. The skin was so crispy and, true to Bon Appetit's claim, it was almost bacon-like! So temporarily remove your smoke detector battery and have at it :) The rest of the dish is just peanut sauce, stir fried broccoli, and scallions.
While we were ohhing and ahhing over chicken thighs, we watched Jiro Dreams of Sushi (streaming on Netflix!). It is a great look at what it means to be truly passionate about something and hold yourself to incredibly high standards. I am often teasing Peter about his deep perfectionist tendencies, and Jiro made this quality look endearing (though I'm not sure his apprentices would agree). Deeply inspiring, and I highly recommend it.
My boyfriend and I get a kick out of eating in front of the TV, too. And I SO agree with your praise of Jiro. I saw it in the theater and can't wait to watch it again at home. One of the best food movies ever!
ReplyDeleteI am always struggling with this: eating at the dining room table feels grown-up and civilized but eating at the coffee table is so fun. Coffees table usually (always) wins.
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