Nosh Blog Rules


This is not the hardest challenge ever entered into and will in no way make me ill.

Back to Noshblog Home Site




The Challenge is as follows

For one year (starting on my birthday 21/10/2004) I am not allowed to eat the same dinner twice. Therefore, if I have a roast chicken dinner one day, for the rest of the year I cannot have a roast chicken dinner again. Note that I have carefully worded the above phrase. The golden rule is: Each meal must be significantly different from every other one eaten (with a few exceptions - see below). Thus, for instance, if I cook a pizza one day - that's it for pizza. Likewise for chicken tikka (this will be my greatest problem) And curries: I can have loads of curries but each must be significantly different from all the others.





Exceptions

Eating out: If I go out for dinner and have something particularly tasty I will allow myself one attempt to recreate the dish at home. Also: if I go around someone else's house for dinner the same applies.

Note that if I come around your house for dinner I will write a review of what I've eaten, so you better make it good. And if it doesn't look good and thus my one chance to eat something I like might be ruined (i.e. you cook a really bad looking roast beef) I might refuse to eat it. I intend to be very strict.

A diary will be kept including recipes, notes etc... which can be read online.

I will try to update these on a regular basis.




Amendments

Certain amendments to the constitution, suggested by people I know, have been passed since its initial conception (making it more of a challenge, not less).

  • The first amendment: Friday night is curry night.
  • The second amendment: One full week will be devoted to vegetarian cooking.
  • The third amendment: Each day I must eat a cake, each cake being different from every other cake - though by cake, anything sweet/dessert like is acceptable.
  • The pork chop week amendment: One full week will consist of a pork chop dinner every day.

    The Dr. Welshegg amendments: (Suggested by a friend of mine, Dr. Phil Welshegg of Atlanta, Georgia)
  • 1970's week: A whole week living on home cooked 1970's cuisine (scotch eggs, prawn cocktail, spam fritters and rissoles for instance).
  • Hell week: To really ruin my happiness and test my skills a no; onions, tomatoes, bacon, cheese or chilli week (except on curry night). This I am definitely not looking forwards too.
  • British week: A dish from a different city/region of Britain every day for a week.

    And in apology to my American friends for previously being quite rude, I shall spend a week cooking nothing but traditional American food.

    Of course in all of the above I must still ensure that each meal is significantly different from all others.

    Note: These amendments were made after the beginning of the Nosh-Blog began, so for the first few weeks, the curry night and cake challenge will not have been in force.


    A few notes on my cooking and the website

    I don't go in so much for nouvelle cuisine. If I go out for dinner I don't mind, but when I cook, my style is definitely more rustic than polished. I'm not the worlds greatest chef. I am (in the words of Robert A Heinlen) but an egg. I do however try and can generally rustle up a fairly good dinner.

    My normal style is very much something big, wholesome and highly flavoured. I don't much cook cakes (I have done and used to be very much into bread), I don't eat too much fish (I try for once a week) and can't abide dry, plain food. We want meat, we want sauce and we want them flavoured.

    I should also point out that I am neither rich, trained in cooking in any way or living in fine accommodation with staff buzzing around (I'm currently sharing with three others, we have one cooker and two small fridges, no freezer and no microwave or telly.) I do have a full time(ish) job and manage to cook a proper dinner for myself (and often several others) as well. It can be done and you rarely need to resort to anything from the frozen meal counter.

    Also: This is not meant to be a recipe site. I don't include how much of things should be included, weights etc... Cooking is not chemistry, we're not making soap here. Every meal you prepare should be different, creative. I've included lists of ingredients and cooking methods to indicate a concept, not a strict plan of action. Anyone who knows a bit about cooking should have a good idea of what quantities work well with what. If I make something and it's quantity critial I'll give some indication as to proportions.

    One final comment: If you are of any religious persuasion that prevents the eating of anything, then you may find some of my food not quite to your liking. I however, take my inspiration from the knowledge that the Buddha died from food poisoning, after eating a pork stew. This can be read many ways, but think of it more as a strict warning on food hygiene, rather than a reason for not eating meat.

    I welcome comments from anyone about anything contained herein and suggestions for meals will be happily read.



    JCBorresen@GMail.com