I over heard some people talking in a restaurant recently about steak. The point one of the diners was trying to make was that in tough economic times people turn from “better” cuts of meat to the “cheaper” cuts of meat.

His point made sense to me. I suppose people do exactly that.

But then his next statement floored me. He said, “So when I cook a steak at home I force myself to buy something like a flank or skirt steak. But when eating in a nice restaurant I always order the filet, no matter what the price”.

I almost choked on my hanger steak!

I would advise just the opposite. While true that a good filet has a lovely soft tender texture. It cuts like "buttah" and we have been programmed to believe that means it tastes better. However, all filets, good, bad, or indifferent; cooked at home or at a Michelin starred restaurant are relatively flavorless. Why do you think people wrap them in bacon?

Do you read SpinachTiger? If not you should. Her blog is sophisticated, witty and honest.

These are great reasons to read her blog 364 days a year. But there is a 365^th day and on that day there is an even more compelling reason to make the time to go there.

Tuesday December 1 is World AIDS Day. Angela at SpinachTiger is asking us to Cook Red To Remember.

Now, I am going to say something that may seem controversial. I am a gay man, old enough to remember the shell-shocked days of the early epidemic. I don’t need a special day to remember the death, the sadness or the fear.

So when I hear about these special days set aside for remembrance there is a part of me that bristles up and thinks, “what about every other day in the year?” It sometimes almost offends me that one day a year needs to be set aside so we can “remember” that 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS and there is still no cure.

Let’s talk about steak.

I over heard some people talking in a restaurant recently about steak. The point one of the diners was trying to make was that in tough economic times people turn from “better” cuts of meat to the “cheaper” cuts of meat.

His point made sense to me. I suppose people do exactly that.

But then his next statement floored me. He said, “So when I cook a steak at home I force myself to buy something like a flank or skirt steak. But when eating in a nice restaurant I always order the filet, no matter what the price”.

I almost choked on my hanger steak!

I would advise just the opposite. While true that a good filet has a lovely soft tender texture. It cuts like "buttah" and we have been programmed to believe that means it tastes better. However, all filets, good, bad, or indifferent; cooked at home or at a Michelin starred restaurant are relatively flavorless. Why do you think people wrap them in bacon?