Cooking Obstructions vs Instructions

Cooking competitions have become all the rage both online and off.  Quite frankly, there are too many for me to keep up with; however, a new  competition has caught my attention.  The local foodies have devised a type of cooking competition  inspired by the 1967 Jorgen Leth film “The Perfect Human”. The organizers have invited local foodies to compete in “Food Obstructions.” Fifteen contestants will be accepted to make their own original dish. In the spirit of the film, there are five obstructions to whatever type of dish they will make:

1. Must include at least one ingredient that is the color purple;
2. Cannot contain pork or pork products;
3. Must include at least one locally-sourced ingredient (grown or raised within 100 miles);
4. Must contain both a fruit and a vegetable; and
5. Cannot cost more than $25 to make

The dishes will be judged by the audience on:

• Taste;
• Synthesis of Obstructions; and
• Presentation.

For more details on entering the competition, visit the blog, Not Eating Out in New York.

When:     October 18, 2009 @ 7:30

Where:     The Gutter,  200 North 14th Street, Brooklyn

Admission Fee:     $5.00

Prize:  Bragging rights and total collected from admissions to be split between 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.

This competition resonates for me as there always seems to be some obstruction or wildcard in  my own cooking.  Once after getting a midnight craving, I  started a chocolate cake only to realize that I only had white corn meal instead of cake flour.  I ended up inventing chocolate corn fritters which are delicious. Sometime an accident can be a happy thing!  I would love to hear about your own happy accidents.