h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

paella actually started as a peasant food, Clelba. Many of the foods that are now considered 'gourmet' were peasant foods to start with...

caviar?

I have no idea if caviar did.. I know lobster did..

mmm...lobster...

well, lobster makes sense, i guess
some gourmet foods are ridiculous
i don't see how anyone could live on caviar...

*Looks in for the first time in two months... sees all is well and lots of procrstination is going on... moves on*

Still on food then....

I only really started cooking back in September when I went to uni, and for the first month I could do little more than a passing fair Super Noodles. I now have a reasonable grasp of improvised bolognese, as well as anything with instructions on the packet/jar. I would love to learn more recipes and widen my repertoire, but student accomodation only allows for limitedcooking equipment. Plates are used for pan lids, there is no sieve, pressure cooker (seemingly essential in my mum's kitchen) or weighing scales... This is not the way to learn cookery.
Advice would be gratefully recieved.

*wakes up from a long doze on her picnic rug*

I hate cooking, having to think of something for each meal, who will eat what or won't.

I love eating though

*passes round

how 'bout omlets? those are good, only require a bowl and some kind of pan.. you could probably even skip the bowl if you wanted. you could probably find a decent cookbook, The Joy of Cooking or something like, in any bookstore, place that sells cooking supplies, etc. or for starters, maybe you could check this out?: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/C124 the recipies of the Edited Guide.

The problem with omelettes is that they are made with eggs, and I'm not normally a fan of eggs. Even though I like omelettes and scrambled eggs, I wouldn't buy any for fear of only using about half of them before they expired. I'm already usually eating food which is officially a week or so too old.

maybe you could get the 6-packs of eggs instead of the dozen? if the store near you sells them.

I try to buy things in packs as small as possible, but it's usually no use.

i don't like peasant foods erally...i prefer more processed things
(i'm a child of the artificial world, me)
(as well as a very fussy eater)
^. .^
= ' =

Eggs don't espire until they pong... not in our house anyway

yeah, i live off of tv dinners, cafeteria mush, and chinese food
the occasional home-cooked meal tastes really, really good...

i like super noodles...mmmm...
^. .^
= ' =

Stuffing is a good idea of something that
was designed to use up leftover foods (i.e. bread)
so they wouldn't go to waste). Peasants would
have been motivated to avoid waste, especially
during the winter, when the next year's harvest
would be many months away. Then, stuffing gradually
moved up to a special-occasion/gourmet food.
Maybe the poultry that were slaughtered in November
and December reflected a conserving mindset. They
wouldn't need to be fred throughout the winter.
(Sorry, that should be fed, not fred.)

Batty, if Sazon Goya is a Goya product, chances
are I can get it. There's a huge Goya section
in my nearest supermarket.

Just(e) Bob, you are embarked on a great
adventure in cooking. All you really need
is practice and experience. Almost all the
cooking I do consists of one-dish meals,
of which there are thousands of possibilities.
There are soups, stews, casseroles, couscous
dishes--all of which can be done on one burner
(I only ever use one of the burners on my stove).
When it comes to baking, just get a toaster
oven. I bake everything in those. I got some
stainless steel baking pans that fit perfectly
in a toaster oven. They've lasted for 15 years
or more, and are still going strong.

Such language, Alexandra! Shame on you!