Whoever said "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" Never Cooked

Pictured here are some cajun shrimp, intended eventually to top off some Anson MIll grits, or in Tel Aviv, a decent quality polenta. It is another in a series of photos by the remarkable Noam Preisman, as part of a shoot he and chef/writer Dor Vanger did this past weekend for the Garleria Magazine in Ha’Aretz. I really cannot say enough about them. But that is not what this story is about.

I have known folks who have literally screamed at me for leaving the tails on shrimp when prepping them. Not only do I prefer them this way, with the tail on, because it gives you something to hold onto as you eat them. It also keeps the shrimp moister, in my opinion. And frankly, I have no problem actually eating that bit of shell. Hasn’t killed me so far. But that’s only one example from kitchen crazy. I’ve got a whole Decameron collection — which by the way seems appropriate during this pandemic. Other stories? Packaging the basmati rice separately from the sous vide mustard/dill chicken. Or wanting a bit more presence of cheese in the flash toasted Brussels Sprouts (the dish has no cheese, by the way). This is just the tip of the iceberg, of course, stuff I can actually print without possibly offending people. We southerners try hard not to offend — at least directly.

The goofy thing is: I have my own ridiculously long list of obsessions in the kitchen as well. So I am in no position to judge. Just saying: It goes with the territory. But please don’t scream at my shrimp tails.