Did the Balducci Christmas Dinner, not bad, why would anybody do it from Scratch

[Anonymous]

These threads are always fascinating to me.

When this topic comes up among women I know, there seems to be a divide among people with strong food traditions and people with weak food traditions. Of the women I know, most women who are non-white or white women with a pronounced ethnic (Italian, Greek, French) heritage see cooking as a part of heritage and tradition, how you bond, how you show love.

Balducci's is great for a lot of things, but once you learn how to cook, what they do isn't particularly special. Finely whipped and dusted with chives, mashed potatoes are still mashed potatoes. You can fire roast a pepper over a gas stove. And if you cook, you generally like to customize things to your own taste. For example, everyone makes sweet hams - but I like spicy. So over the years, I experimented enough to come up with a hot ham with a touch of sweetness (coke, paprika, cayenne, mustard).

If you love Balducci's by all means support them - but remember, people have memories associated with food, no matter what you do. For me, I was in a serious relationship a decade or so ago and there was a death in the immediate family around the holidays. No one wanted to cook so each meal was at a restaurant or catered.

Now, if I eat catered food around the holidays, it always tastes like grief.

8 hours in the kitchen is a long time for a holiday feast, but I'll happily take that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Balduccii's is good for vulgar people with lots of money.

I can assure you my cooking is preferable to store-bought.

You sound awfully vulgar yourself.

Even people who like to cook aren't always in a position to do that, but still like to entertain at their homes. Places like Balducci's that offer take-out Christmas meals provide a useful alternative.

I'd also bet your cooking is not nearly as good as you like to think.

Why would you bet her cooking was not as good as pp thinks? What is your basis for this position?

[Anonymous]

It's expensive, OP!

I do like Honeybaked Ham, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BTW , my mom was an amazing cook and did everything but never left the kitchen so I have idea who she is.

This is my mother - she hides in the kitchen and leaves us to entertain her family who we did not like. I wasn't there this year but my sister was ready to blow a gasket over it.

[Anonymous]

Hours in the kitchen and cleaning up? Sounds terrible. Why bother even taking the holidays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These threads are always fascinating to me.

When this topic comes up among women I know, there seems to be a divide among people with strong food traditions and people with weak food traditions. Of the women I know, most women who are non-white or white women with a pronounced ethnic (Italian, Greek, French) heritage see cooking as a part of heritage and tradition, how you bond, how you show love.
Balducci's is great for a lot of things, but once you learn how to cook, what they do isn't particularly special. Finely whipped and dusted with chives, mashed potatoes are still mashed potatoes. You can fire roast a pepper over a gas stove. And if you cook, you generally like to customize things to your own taste. For example, everyone makes sweet hams - but I like spicy. So over the years, I experimented enough to come up with a hot ham with a touch of sweetness (coke, paprika, cayenne, mustard).

If you love Balducci's by all means support them - but remember, people have memories associated with food, no matter what you do. For me, I was in a serious relationship a decade or so ago and there was a death in the immediate family around the holidays. No one wanted to cook so each meal was at a restaurant or catered.

Now, if I eat catered food around the holidays, it always tastes like grief.

8 hours in the kitchen is a long time for a holiday feast, but I'll happily take that.

I'm late to the discussion, but thought this was a lovely post that captured the feeling of rightness that comes from being able to cook a big holiday feast and serve it to family and friends. Mind you, I will happily eat a meal from Balducci's, Boston Market, etc. so long as there is good company and wine, but I'm always really touched when someone goes to the effort to cook for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These threads are always fascinating to me.

When this topic comes up among women I know, there seems to be a divide among people with strong food traditions and people with weak food traditions. Of the women I know, most women who are non-white or white women with a pronounced ethnic (Italian, Greek, French) heritage see cooking as a part of heritage and tradition, how you bond, how you show love.
Balducci's is great for a lot of things, but once you learn how to cook, what they do isn't particularly special. Finely whipped and dusted with chives, mashed potatoes are still mashed potatoes. You can fire roast a pepper over a gas stove. And if you cook, you generally like to customize things to your own taste. For example, everyone makes sweet hams - but I like spicy. So over the years, I experimented enough to come up with a hot ham with a touch of sweetness (coke, paprika, cayenne, mustard).

If you love Balducci's by all means support them - but remember, people have memories associated with food, no matter what you do. For me, I was in a serious relationship a decade or so ago and there was a death in the immediate family around the holidays. No one wanted to cook so each meal was at a restaurant or catered.

Now, if I eat catered food around the holidays, it always tastes like grief.

8 hours in the kitchen is a long time for a holiday feast, but I'll happily take that.

I'm late to the discussion, but thought this was a lovely post that captured the feeling of rightness that comes from being able to cook a big holiday feast and serve it to family and friends. Mind you, I will happily eat a meal from Balducci's, Boston Market, etc. so long as there is good company and wine, but I'm always really touched when someone goes to the effort to cook for me.

What is the food sucks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a number of recipes that are tradition in our family. It would be kind of awful to try and Balducci that away. Not everything is about convenience and money. Food is sentimental for a lot of families. The making of it, the kids helping and setting the table, the smell of it in the house while it is cooking, everyone having a favorite dish on the table that reappears year after year mainly for them etc etc.

Money being more accessible has helped us stress less about sales or price checking, hire someone to help us clean the house, bought us better ingredients and wine, and given us more days off for family the week of the holidays - but I don't think I will ever just buy a store bought holiday meal so I don't have to bother with it. Seems weird and detached to do that but that is just my take on it and I am sentimental about things like this. Maybe to some people food is just food?

Sounds old fashioned. I was a child about 30 years a go and thought it was annoying that we had to do all that instead of spend time with each other. I also hated having to eat things that were only semi good but since someone made them we had to pretend. There was a few good dessert items but everything else was good but not restaurant good. Also the prep work, cleaning, etc... It is a vacation not a time to do manual labor.

Just call me old-fashioned, too! I agree with the PP!

[Anonymous]

The best way to do holiday dinners at home is if you have a cook and staff. Otherwise it sucks ass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a number of recipes that are tradition in our family. It would be kind of awful to try and Balducci that away. Not everything is about convenience and money. Food is sentimental for a lot of families. The making of it, the kids helping and setting the table, the smell of it in the house while it is cooking, everyone having a favorite dish on the table that reappears year after year mainly for them etc etc.

Money being more accessible has helped us stress less about sales or price checking, hire someone to help us clean the house, bought us better ingredients and wine, and given us more days off for family the week of the holidays - but I don't think I will ever just buy a store bought holiday meal so I don't have to bother with it. Seems weird and detached to do that but that is just my take on it and I am sentimental about things like this. Maybe to some people food is just food?

Sounds old fashioned. I was a child about 30 years a go and thought it was annoying that we had to do all that instead of spend time with each other. I also hated having to eat things that were only semi good but since someone made them we had to pretend. There was a few good dessert items but everything else was good but not restaurant good. Also the prep work, cleaning, etc... It is a vacation not a time to do manual labor.

I am the PP you are responding to. I remember a brief period (tweenhood maybe) where even putting ornaments on the tree annoyed me and I thought it was a chore. Luckily I grew out of that phase. I am 40 if that info is interesting to anyone. Have three kids who now do various traditions with me around the holidays - the 16 yr old shows a bit of annoyance but he is also about to make his favorite cookie with me in about ten minutes. He saw the ingredients and the look on his face was awesome. I doubt it would mean anything to him if I went out and bought them - just an example....we will consider this "spending time together" lol

[Anonymous]

I love when the DCUM rage appears on the food board!

I just like to cook a big meal. I generally like "projects" - things I can create from start to finish. I even like the challenge of a gluten free guest and vegetarian in the crowd - keeps things interesting. It makes me feel good to put in the effort and watch everyone enjoy it.

Why would an artist paint something when he could just buy a poster on amazon, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Balduccii's is good for vulgar people with lots of money.

I can assure you my cooking is preferable to store-bought.

I can assure you -Balducci's is waaaaay better than your cooking. You're just jealous you can't afford it.

[Anonymous]

Hate to break it to you. Loads of folks out here who are genuinely fantastic cooks. Who could afford it. But choose to cook.

If you prefer it knock yourself out.

[Anonymous]

I usually cook either for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but not this year.

No, my in laws hosted us at their favorite restaurant. So, there was the whole family jammed in a dining room with other families being forced to eat a prix fixed menu that no one seemed to enjoy. We not only couldn't relax, we couldn't enjoy the food.

Next up, Christmas. Held at my father's family vacation cabin. It was potluck. Let's just say that my mother asked me why I was stuffing myself when we got back to their house.

I am a very good cook. I enjoy cooking. I study it. Think about it. It is important to me. I love great food.
Balducci's is never an option for me if I'm cooking and my guests wouldn't want it.

However, I would have gladly chosen a Balducci thanksgiving and Christmas over both the meals that I had this year.

[Anonymous]

To me it's simple - cooking and baking are a couple of the ways I show my family and friends how much I love them. Anyone can buy a meal. There is nothing special about having strangers cook for you. Maybe it's a southern thing, but when I prepare a meal, I am doing more than combing ingredients.

Also, cooking in our house has never been a mom in the kitchen by herself, isolating activity. My kitchen is usually full of people helping, eating, drinking wine, and hanging out with me.

It saddens me a little to think that in this over-complicated world, yet another responsibility is being outsourced.