Just Some "Food For Thought"

I am by no means a professional chef. I can hardly call myself a great chef- or even a good one. But I love to cook, and for me, that’s what counts. I’ve learned many things the hard way: Sifting flour makes a difference, burnt garlic tastes terrible, and you can’t just omit baking soda because you can’t find any. And despite my conclusion that recipes do matter, some of the best things I’ve made haven’t been the result of any exact science. Scrambled pancakes? Delicious. Banana/peanut butter/granola panini? So good.

I’ve always wanted to have a cooking show, in part because TV chefs make cooking seem so accessible and easy. Granted, video-editing software has a lot to do with that, but characters like Paula Deen and Bobby Flay none-the-less inspire to me to fool around more with cooking.

I never thought it would be so easy to have my own show at Bowdoin, and even though “Food for Thought” has only had one episode so far, putting the show together has already been a blast. I found the perfect co-host, Tucker Colvin, who is full of great ideas (and is a way better cook than I am). When we got together to plan the show, we agreed that we wanted our “Food for Thought” to be a combination of actual cooking and miscellaneous escapades with food. We both know that our show won’t have the same merit as something on the Food Network, and that’s not our goal, either. We just want to show Bowdoin students who don’t usually cook how fun and easy it can be! No one is going to cook a four-course dinner for themselves every night of the week (or even one night, for that matter), but grilling some chicken or making some deliciously simple pasta every once-and-a-while can be a nice change from the dining hall.

And speaking of the dining hall, Tucker and I are going to dedicate a few episodes to cooking, or rather, assembling, high quality meals at Thorne or Moulton. With a little know-how, anyone can turn a sloppy ham sandwich into something worth eating. Despite Bowdoin’s great food, I think we all get a little sick of Honolulu tofu and clam chowder. My hope is that “Food for Thought” will provide some escape from the humdrum of everyday eating; we might even venture into the world of farmer’s markets once it gets a little bit warmer.

I’m so excited to keep improving and expanding the show. I’ve also found that it’s a great activity because there’s never any set time schedule- we can film, edit, re-film, and re-edit whenever we want. Tucker and I get to be totally creative and try all of our ideas, no matter how outlandish they seem. And who knows? Maybe eventually "Food for Thought" could move beyond the scope of Bowdoin. Even if it doesn’t, I look forward to keeping the show going throughout the next four years- and I can’t wait to look back on our first episode to see just how far we’ve come!

Tucker and I are always open to suggestions or ideas for the show, so please email me (eheuck) if you have any good ones!