Food That Bites Back

People are funny. 

We all have our idiosyncrasies: there’s a movie special effects guy (practical/analog/old-fashioned) who hates getting his hands sticky; people who keep each component of a square meal distanced on their plate; folks who hate mayonnaise on its own but are totally fine with it if it’s in something. There is a camp of people who don’t like to struggle with their food – and another who loves the process of chewing tough meat or wrestling a cooked lobster to get its tasty treasures. Harry Crews, the dirt-poor farmer-turned-English-professor, retained a love of off-cut meat, gristle, and chewiness from his upbringing that didn’t abate no matter how sophisticated or educated he got. 

Food Protects Itself 

But some folks don’t want to have a wrestling match with their food, so eschew nuts one has to crack open, shelled seafood, spiky artichokes, and the like – food that gives a little resistance. Chef Becky once had a customer request “the chicken meat that comes from the chickens without bones.” The customer meant a chicken breast or tender but seemed unaware that poultry birds have skeletons just like the customer did. Some diners do not want to be reminded of a meat dish’s animal origins. Eating is a psychological experience as much as it is visual and taste-based. What we allow to enter our bodies reveals much about us, as well as how much work we’re willing to do to be nourished. 

Never Has It Been So Easy to Eat 

Keep in mind that for 99.9% of human history, getting food has not been easy. A prominent and probably true theory about early human origins postulates that early human tribes survived food shortages by discovering animal bone marrow, which of course had to at one point be discovered, and involves the breaking of bones to access. (Today we saw them.) An old Russian adage goes “He who does not work, does not eat.” 

Food is a Process and a Journey

What arrives in a prepared meal or on your plate in an eatery has a long history that often goes unnoticed, especially if you are hungry and just interested in getting refueled. A hilarious Portlandia skit involved an eco-conscious young couple who insisted on not just knowing where their free-range, organic chicken meal came from, but visiting the farm. While this is over the top and satire-worthy, it’s also a good example of how we forget or fail to consider the journey ingredients have made to come together on your plate. 

The Bex Bite 

At Bex, Chef Becky believes in the hard work that goes into the final dish and the bite on your fork. She cooks from scratch and doesn’t cut corners. You get what you pay for, and while that fast food taco might be tasty, its meat is probably made from a hydrated powder. Chef Becky isn’t a flashy or pretentious chef: she just prepares food that is simple, wholesome, healthy, and good. Let Bex wrestle with the food so you can enjoy the bite!