Open your mind - food

For some reason, we humans can be rather closed minded in many ways. Of course there are also other human traits (such as determination) that can be mistaken for close-mindedness. However, I am refering to the simpler things such as food.

I like to eat and enjoy the food. And in my mind, each dish can be done in many different ways. And the variety that I am happy for the varieties I can get from a single dish. I am Asian Chinese, living in Asia, where I enjoy a huge variety of totally different styles of cooking. So a plate of fried noodles can be so different from one location to another, and even from one stall to another.

That being the case, some of my more food-oriented friends, have found for themselves the "best" of many dishes. And this is good. At least until they start to measure every other dish by the same name against the "ruler" based on the "best".

What puzzles me is this: if we acknowledge that each serving of fried rice from a different stall or restuarant is different (different ingredients, frying method, etc), how do we can we then judge other similar but not-the-same fried rice based on the previous "best"?

So when they eat at a new place, the dish they eat is then compared to the current "best" and naturally, found lacking. Not because the current dish is bland, but because the "best" was measured using a different ruler. But what if there is no "best", then how wil this dish fair? Is it nice?

Some fried rice include big prawns, some have extra roasted meats, others have very little ingredients but taste and smell absolutely delicious. Some are served with freshly cut chilli, others are served with sambal, and yet others with all kinds of condiments. The friend rice can be yellowish, light brown and even dark brown. With all the varieties, how then should we judge?

To me, each of the variation is a dish by itself and not to be compared to another offering although they share the same name. (Of course they could use different names but then it would be totally confusing for the consumer - imagine having to know 20 different names for fried rice alone.) And if each is unique, how then should we judge what is good or not good?

Before we go into the criteria for judging, I'll like to point out some other oddities of my friends. There is those who would highly recommend a particular dish at a particular stall, and when asked to elaborate on the exact reason (especially after we have tried the dish at that stall and found it unimpressive), the answers will be along the lines that the chilli-sauce is fantastic. Others would have great bias for big size or large quantities of ingredients such as prawns, crab meat, etc.

I think that we should have a slightly more definitive way to judge and recommend food. While each of the "measures" may be subjective, the structure of the measurements should not be. And for food, I think, the measurements should cover taste, colour, fragrance, texture, and ingredients (and some will include presentation, which I intentionally left out so that we will remain unbias against the hawker stalls).

If we open our minds, we may find many more acceptable varieties. This in turn will allow us to enjoy more of the varieties available and also learn to appreciate the differences of each. The challenge is whether you can open your mind and experience the new. I believe that this may prove more rewarding by far than seeking only the "best".

1. Do we people have to judge everything according to a single measurement such as the "best"? Think of cases that you use the "best" as your ruler or weighing machine. Are we guilty of measuring everything with a ruler because our minds are closed to other forms of measurements, such as weight or volume?

2. Can we open our mind and explore each taste as its own and not try to compare it with others (even though they share the same name)?

3. Can we appreciate each for its own goodness? in it's similarities as well as differences?

4. Do we treat the people around us like the way we treat food? That we dislike someone because he isnt like someoneelse or because he is like someone we already dont like?

5. Do we stereotype people around us without even learning whether they fit into our stereotype? Do we think "he is xxx and all xxx are yyyy, so he is yyyy"?

6. Do we wish to be judged using the single measurement of the "best"? No? because we are complex? Do we judge other people this way?