Three Ways to Enjoy Bad Food

Father’s Day was a few days ago. The afternoon meal with family was to be simple and impossible to mess-up; I was to grill hamburgers and hot dogs. My gas grill is attached to a natural gas line plumbed to my back deck. At the moment my deck was undergoing repairs, my gas grill sat useless in the garage. Enter the portable. I set up my Coleman portable grill and proceeded without caution.

The art of cooking meat over fire can be tricky. Performed correctly, there exists no flavor more scrumptious. Today however, I misjudged the temperature of my seldom used portable and briefly turned my back on a few hotdogs. In what seemed like moments, the once tasty morsels were transformed into cylinders of charred meat. In spite of my dehydrated hotdog sticks, our family enjoyed a wonderful Sunday afternoon dinner. Though, as I’ve mentioned, the success this day was not due to my cooking prowess. The next time you proffer subpar sustenance. there are a few tips which may help you to enjoy “bad food” as my family did.

1. Enjoy the company

Anytime a meal is shared with company, be it one’s partner, or a group, the opportunity is to enjoy the companionship of others. Allowing your attention to focus solely on displeasure with the food can discolor the entire meal; and a meal is about much more than the food. Make the food secondary. Engage the room in conversation. Ask questions. Enjoy the opportunity to dine with others.

2. Learn from the mistakes

A large part of learning to cook is the process. Every great chef at some point began by needing to ask the correct way to boil an egg. As one begins cooking more frequently, there will inevitably be subpar meals. If you happen to be the one who has prepared such lackluster fare, simply own it. Apologize for the mistakes. Make mental notes for the next time this meal is served, and move on.

3. Be Thankful

A spirit of thankfulness is not reserved for one or two holidays a year. The next time you’re sitting in front of a substandard meal, look for the blessings in your life. The fact a meal is before you at all – good or not – is a blessing in itself. Remain thankful for the opportunity to dine with friends or family, learn from mistakes, and enjoy the sustenance – fantastic or not.