chess is a lot like cooking
went to the gym this morning, came home and wanted a healthy breakfast, so i decided to make oatmeal. i don’t use the quaker oats, i use the steel cut oats that take 30 minutes to cook, so they take longer, but are healthier and tastier.
the way i make them is i melt butter in a pot, add 1/4 cup of oats and “fry” the oats in the butter, just until it smells nutty. then i add 1 cup of boiling water, put a lid on the pot, and simmer for about 30 minutes. i wanted to jazz them up with some flavor and healthy goodness, so for the last 10 minutes of cooking, i added a handful of blueberries, some cinnamon, and some crushed almonds. when i opened the pot, it looked like i cooked the brain of grimace,
like i’m some kind of mcdonaldland jeffery dahmer. it was all purple, like that chewing gum girl from willy wonka (the original with gene wilder) actually exploded in my food.
but it was tasty, and i liked it a lot. i thought about how some food looks and smells so tasty, but isn’t and some food looks nasty or weird but is so wonderful. then i thought about how, for dinner, i like to mix up ingredients that don’t normally go together and sometimes i get some really nice flavors, and sometimes i end up having to order out for pizza.
hmmm, now that i think about it, maybe chess is nothing like cooking.
anyway, on page 39 of the february issue of chess life is the picture i took going to reno, and i used it here on my blog. that was kinda cool, maybe if this whole chess thing doesn’t pan out, i can be a freelance photographer…
Liquid Egg Product said,
January 30, 2008 at 10:49 am
You could always audition for a show on the Food Network. They’re always looking for new personalities that can grab the public’s imagination (there’s only so many times Emeril can yell “Bam! Kick it up a notch!” without it getting old). Naming the show “I Eat Grimace” would probably run into some copyright issues, but you could probably think of something.
gorckat said,
January 30, 2008 at 11:29 am
LOL.
Sounds like you cook the way I do. I’m always adding this and that. A few weeks ago I made a tex-mexy pan casserola thing with ground beef, egg noodles, corn, salsa, taco sauce, tomato sauce and spices (cumin, chili powder and stuff). My wife loved it.
A few nights ago I tried to do the same with penne pasta, beef, tomato sauce, taco seasoning and corn…and it sucked
In high school I made my mom eat my Steak Umm and rice dish loaded with A-1 and Seasoned Salt. She said she liked it, but I’m not sure. I did.
Wahrheit said,
January 30, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Damn, this is perfect timing! I bought some of these oats a little while back and didn’t know how to cook them right so they’re still in the cupboard but not for long now!
Thanks!
chessloser said,
January 31, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Liquid Egg Product - i thought about having my own cooking show on youtube…
gorckat - yup, we are on the same cooking wavelength there…
Wahrheit - you are quite welcome, rock on and enjoy the healthy oatmeal….
Blunderprone said,
January 31, 2008 at 7:33 pm
I got my CL in the mail and saw the photo with credit to Chessloser! Awesome. You now have notoriety! I showed my daughter and said ” see, if you study hard, some day you could be a chess loser.” Some how it came out wrong though. I don’t know why she went running to her room sobbing profusely.
chessloser said,
January 31, 2008 at 7:36 pm
blunderprone - yeah, i can’t see why…the chessloser credit was pretty cool though, wasnt’ it?
Derek Slater said,
January 31, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Best Post Ever
gorckat said,
January 31, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Has the new issue hit the east coast yet? My daughter got CL for Kids the other day, but I haven’t got my CL.
n8ux said,
February 1, 2008 at 12:46 am
Great photo, and congrats on getting it published in Chess Life!
Oh, let’s not get started with Food Network. My girlfriend has me hooked on it. Dinner Impossible, Iron Chef, and the Southern lady who cooks all the good stuff who’s name escapes me.
It’s 3am, and I’m ready for some ultimate coffee cake.
Sandra Dean maybe?
I smell a food/chess related post coming for Pawned!
And I smell coffee cake.
Rich
n8ux said,
February 1, 2008 at 12:48 am
And pursue the Youtube cooking show!
Pawned!
chessloser said,
February 1, 2008 at 8:00 am
Derek - wow, thanks, i didn’t think it was that good…
gorckat - the post office gets blunderprone his mail as soon as they can, if they know what’s good for them…
n8ux - mmmmmm, coffee cake…..paula dean is the lady who cooks everything with a pound of butter in it…want salad? put some butter in it…i love the food network…
Chess, Food Network, and Cheesburger in a Can. « Pawned! said,
February 2, 2008 at 4:10 pm
[...] reading Chessloser’s post about chess being a lot like cooking (or maybe not so much), I decided that this might be a food that would inspire me to eat [...]