Dear Test Kitchen

I need to tell you why I am irked at you. Why we are upset at your condescension, your smugness at somehow...but not really...having the "corner market" regarding the good food of Kansas City.

We signed up, one of us new to Kansas and the Midwest, thinking a Test Kitchen would be exclusive, but not pretentious. We believed we'd be able to meet people who cared about cuisine. We instead learned that the Test Kitchen is available to whoever signs up; that the current email list is over 400 people. If you have Internet access, readily available cash, and believe that the Food Network is special, you too could be a part of a status symbol.

There is nothing Underground about this Supper Club. The Tastebud magazine let us know that.

We believed, somehow, that those in the trenches were involved, not those who seek to make a buck being trendy and available and...here it is again: exclusive.
At the outset, we knew the "selected" for each (on average) monthly event is 20 people. We did not know our chances would be less than 5%. This would've been good to know. A disclosure at the outset, shall we say.

When rejected, we did not wish to get the following rhyme:

"Although today was not your day,
and we had to give your seat away,
rest assured in just 30 days,
you'll have a new chance to come and play."

Right. Another .5% chance. For a menu that may or may not be disclosed. To those who may or may not give a damn.

The sad thing is, I will probably put my name in the lottery again. I'm curious about others who take the time and pay the money to spend time with a chef who produces great food. It is sad that such an event must be a gamble.

Things My Parents Told Me About Food that Weren't True

Went to the Farmer's Market in Lawrence today and got to thinking about what my parents (actually my Mom now that i think about it) told me about food that was not true.

1. Red and yellow and orange peppers taste like green.

2. Spam is delicious.
>>Dad made me a Spam sandwich and one bite told me this was not true

3. English muffins travel well in lunch boxes.
>>I recently found out that English muffins are part of a category called "hide bread." Items in this group do not taste cooked unless they are toasted. I thought it was just me being picky, but it turns out that a lot of people don't like it either.

4. Allspice is a blend of cinnamon, allspice and clove.
>>it is actually a berry that is its own spice. You can make an approximation of allspice using these ingredients but its not the same thing.

5. You can freeze everything and it will be ok to eat once it is reheated.
>>I will let you use your imagination here. =)

Happy Anniversary to my Finnish friend!

So Rhia is celebrating her first anniversary of blogging over at http://www.evildressmaker.blogspot.com
Check her out! She translates to English. =)