I’m Going To Break One Of The Rules Of The Trade Here. I’m Going To Tell You Some Of The Secrets Of Improvisation. Just Remember—it’s Always A Good Idea To Follow The Directions Exactly The First Time You Try A Recipe. But From Then On, You’re On Your Own.

-James Beard

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I’m Going To Break

James Beard

Topic

Ideas

Secret

Trying

More From James Beard

I Believe That If Ever I Had To Practice Cannibalism, I Might Manage If There Were Enough Tarragon Around.

Believe

Food

Adversity

I Am So Happy To See More And More People In This Country Are Becoming Addicted To Cheese.

Country

People

Becoming

I Am Still Convinced That A Good, Simple, Homemade Cookie Is Preferable To All The Store-bought Cookies One Can Find.

Food

Simple

Cooking

I Don't Like Gourmet Cooking Or 'this' Cooking Or 'that' Cooking. I Like Good Cooking.

Food

Home Cooking

Gourmet

A Gourmet Who Thinks Of Calories Is Like A Tart Who Looks At Her Watch.

Drinking

Food

Thinking

The Kitchen, Reasonably Enough, Was The Scene Of My First Gastronomic Adventure. I Was On All Fours. I Crawled Into The Vegetable Bin, Settled On A Giant Onion And Ate It, Skin And All. It Must Have Marked Me For Life, For I Have Never Ceased To Love The Hearty Flavor Of Raw Onions.

Food

Heart

Adventure

Good Bread Is The Most Fundamentally Satisfying Of All Foods; And Good Bread With Fresh Butter, The Greatest Of Feasts.

Food

Beard

Bread

Good Bread And Good Butter Go Together. They Are One Of The Perfect Marriages In Gastronomy, And They Never Fail To Cheer Me.

Cheer

Perfect

Together

I've Long Said That If I Were About To Be Executed And Were Given A Choice Of My Last Meal, It Would Be Bacon And Eggs. There Are Few Sights That Appeal To Me More Than The Streaks Of Lean And Fat In A Good Side Of Bacon, Or The Lovely Round Of Pinkish Meat Framed In Delicate White Fat That Is Canadian Bacon. Nothing Is Quite As Intoxicating As The Smell Of Bacon Frying In The Morning, Save Perhaps The Smell Of Coffee Brewing.

Morning

Coffee

Food

If I Had To Narrow My Choice Of Meats Down To One For The Rest Of My Life, I Am Quite Certain That Meat Would Be Pork.

Choices

Meat

Pork

The Only Thing That Will Make A Souffle Fall Is If It Knows You're Afraid Of It.

Fall

Beard

Souffle

No Vegetable Exists Which Is Not Better Slightly Undercooked.

Vegetables

What Comforted Me? That Is Easy. It Was A Strong Cold Chicken Jelly So Very, Very Thick. My Mother's Chinese Cook Would Fix It. He Would Cook It Down, Condense It-this Broth With All Sorts Of Feet In It, Then It Would Gell Into Sheer Bliss. It Kept Me Alive Once For Three Weeks When I Was Ill As A Child. And I've Always Craved It Since.

Mother

Strong

Children

Goodness, How Much There Is To Learn About Food!

Goodness

I'm Really Enamored Of The Potato In All Its Guises.

Potatoes

Guise

Enamored

Grilling, Broiling, Barbecuing - Whatever You Want To Call It - Is An Art, Not Just A Matter Of Building A Pyre And Throwing On A Piece Of Meat As A Sacrifice To The Gods Of The Stomach.

Art

Food

Sacrifice

Good Cheese Needs Good Companions.

Needs

Cheese

Companion

There Is Absolutely No Substitute For The Best. Good Food Cannot Be Made Of Inferior Ingredients Masked With High Flavor. It Is True Thrift To Use The Best Ingredients Available And To Waste Nothing.

Use

Flavor

Waste

It's Foolish To Go Through Life Bemoaning The Fact That You Can't Have This Or That. Twaddle! You Can Omit Certain Foods And Still Enjoy Eating.

Facts

Eating

Foolish

It Is True Thrift To Use The Best Ingredients Available And To Waste Nothing.

Use

Waste

Ingredients

When You Cook, You Never Stop Learning. That's The Fascination Of It All.

Hands Are Our Earliest Tools. Cooking Starts With The Hands Which Are So Sensitive That When They Touch Something They Transmit Messages To Your Brain About Texture And Temperature.

Hands

Cooking

Brain

In A House Without A Genuine Kitchen, One Of The Delights Of Growing Up Is Lost.

Growing Up

House

Kitchen

Too Few People Understand A Really Good Sandwich.

People

Sandwiches

Like The Theater, Offering Food And Hospitality To People Is A Matter Of Showmanship, And No Matter How Simple The Performance, Unless You Do It Well, With Love And Originality, You Have A Flop On Your Hands.

Simple

Offering

Hands

When I Walk Into A Market I May See A Different Cut Of Meat Or An Unusual Vegetable And Think, ‘i Wonder How It Would Be If I Took The Recipe For That Sauce I Had In Provence And Put The Two Together?’ So I Go Home And Try It Out. Sometimes My Idea Is A Success And Sometimes It Is A Flop, But That Is How Recipes Are Born. There Really Are Not Recipes, Only Millions Of Variations Sparked By Someone’s Imagination And Desire To Be A Little Creative And Different. American Cooking Is Built, After All, On Variations Of Old Recipes From Around The World.

Home

Cutting

Thinking

Nothing Is Quite As Intoxicating As The Smell Of Bacon Frying In The Morning, Save Perhaps The Smell Of Coffee Brewing.

Morning

Coffee

Smell

Too Many Simple Green Salads Suffer From A Lack Of Imagination.

Simple

Imagination

Suffering

I’ve Long Said That If I Were About To Be Executed And Were Given A Choice Of My Last Meal, It Would Be Bacon And Eggs.

Eggs

Long

Choices

If You Have Never Tasted A Braised Vegetable, You'll Find It Is A Revelation.

Vegetables

Revelations

Ifs

The Secret Of Good Cooking Is, First, Having A Love Of It… If You’re Convinced That Cooking Is Drudgery, You’re Never Going To Be Good At It, And You Might As Well Warm Up Something Frozen.

Food

Cooking

Secret

I Have Had, In My Time, Memorable Meals Of Scrambled Eggs With Fresh Truffles, Scrambled Eggs With Caviar And Other Glamorous Things, But To Me, There Are Few Things As Magnificent As Scrambled Eggs, Pure And Simple, Perfectly Cooked And Perfectly Seasoned.

Memorable

Simple

Eggs

Be Simple. Be Honest. Don't Overcook And Don't Undercook, But It's Better To Undercook Than Overcook.

Simple

Honest

Being Honest

The Secret Of Good Cooking Is, First, Having A Love Of It.

Cooking

Secret

Firsts

The Roe Of The Russian Sturgeon Has Probably Been Present At More Important International Affairs Than Have All The Russian Dignitaries Of History Combined. This Seemingly Simple Article Of Diet Has Taken Its Place In The World Along With Pearls, Sables, Old Silver, And Cellini Cups.

Food

Taken

Simple

Understanding Quotes: Their Essence and Application

Quotes, or quotations, are powerful tools in communication, encapsulating ideas, emotions, and wisdom in concise expressions. They serve various purposes across different contexts, from academic writing to everyday conversation.

1. Defining Quotes

A quote is a repetition of someone else's statement or thoughts. It can be a direct replication of words spoken or written by another individual, often used to support arguments, provide evidence, or convey profound insights.

2. The Importance of Quotes

2.1. Enhancing Credibility

Incorporating quotes from authoritative sources can bolster the credibility of your work. By referencing experts or primary sources, you demonstrate thorough research and a solid foundation for your arguments.

2.2. Providing Evidence

Quotes serve as concrete evidence to support claims. In academic and professional writing, they validate points made, offering readers a basis to trust the information presented.

2.3. Conveying Emotions and Perspectives

Quotes can encapsulate emotions and perspectives succinctly. They allow writers to express complex feelings or viewpoints through the words of others, often more eloquently than paraphrasing.

3. Types of Quotes

3.1. Direct Quotes

Direct quotes involve copying the exact words from a source, enclosed in quotation marks. They are used when the original wording is significant or particularly well-expressed.

3.2. Indirect Quotes (Paraphrasing)

Indirect quotes restate the original message in your own words. While not enclosed in quotation marks, they still require proper attribution to the original source.

3.3. Block Quotes

Block quotes are lengthy direct quotations, formatted as a separate block of text. They are typically used for quotes exceeding a certain length, varying by citation style. For instance, in APA style, quotes longer than 40 words are formatted as block quotes.

4. Proper Usage of Quotes

4.1. Contextual Relevance

Ensure that the quote you choose is relevant to the topic and adds value to your content. Avoid inserting quotes solely for decorative purposes.

4.2. Integration into Your Writing

Seamlessly integrate quotes into your writing. Introduce them appropriately and follow up with analysis or commentary to connect them to your main points.

4.3. Attribution and Citation

Always attribute quotes to their original authors and provide proper citations according to the required style guide (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

5.1. Overusing Quotes

Relying too heavily on quotes can overshadow your voice. Use them sparingly to support your arguments, not replace them.

5.2. Lack of Analysis

Presenting a quote without analysis or explanation can leave readers questioning its relevance. Always follow up with your interpretation or discussion.

5.3. Misquoting or Taking Out of Context

Ensure that quotes are accurate and not taken out of context, as this can mislead readers and undermine your credibility.

6. Quotes in Different Contexts

6.1. Academic Writing

In academic writing, quotes are used to support arguments, provide evidence, and engage with existing literature. Proper citation is crucial to avoid plagiarism.

6.2. Journalism

Journalists use quotes to provide firsthand accounts, add authenticity, and present multiple perspectives within a story.

6.3. Literature and Creative Writing

In literature, quotes can be used to convey character voices, themes, and stylistic elements. They enrich narratives and provide depth to storytelling.

7. Punctuation and Formatting

Understanding the correct punctuation and formatting of quotes is essential:

Quotation Marks: Always enclose direct quotes within quotation marks.

Punctuation Placement: In American English, periods and commas are placed inside quotation marks, while colons and semicolons are placed outside.

Block Quotes: For longer quotes, format them as block quotes without quotation marks, and indent the entire block.

8. Ethical Considerations

Ethical use of quotes involves accurate representation, proper attribution, and respect for intellectual property. Misuse can lead to plagiarism, which carries serious academic and professional consequences.

9. Tools for Managing Quotes

Utilize tools like citation generators and plagiarism checkers to manage quotes effectively. These tools help ensure proper formatting and originality in your writing.

Conclusion

Quotes are invaluable in enriching content, providing evidence, and conveying complex ideas succinctly. When used appropriately, they enhance the quality and credibility of your writing. Always ensure relevance, proper integration, and ethical usage to maximize their impact.

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