You would think that a pot of spaghetti is the one thing that is a blank canvas in the food industry. You can do just about anything with a pot of pasta, including creating a white wine cream sauce, a simple chicken alfredo, or adding shrimp to a rose sauce. The opportunities are endless.
But apparently, some people are very protective of their pasta and they don't like it when people experiment with new recipes.
Nigella Lawson recently learned this when she decided to experiment with a carbonara recipe. She shared the recipe for her simple spaghetti carbonara on her social media and people were furious.
But why?
Recipes are not set in stone
Lawson received negative feedback because she decided to alter the original recipe for carbonara. Instead of making the recipe with eggs, she decided to add cream as the sauce. She kept the bacon as well.
It's almost ridiculous to think that a chef will get negative feedback for a recipe she decided to share on social media. She was merely trying to create another version of a carbonara and people completely freaked out.
It's important to note that a recipe is not Set In Stone. Just because a traditional carbonara may have eggs doesn't mean that people can't make alternative recipes for the same dish. What about people who cannot have eggs? Should they not enjoy the creamy flavor of pasta and bacon?
People need to get creative
If you could never alter a recipe, there would not be the world and industry of chefs. Many chefs dissect known recipes and come up with new versions or deconstructed solutions to these recipes. If this wasn't allowed, there would be no creativity in the kitchen. Also, if people can't experiment and get creative in the kitchen, there will be no fun solutions for people with food allergies and sensitivities.
Overall, people need to get creative in the kitchen and they need to be less pretentious when it comes to food. Food, including Spaghetti Carbonara, is meant to be enjoyed by the consumer, no matter the recipe. Plus, by encouraging young people and kids to get creative in the kitchen allows them to get involved with the food. This could potentially lead to healthier eating habits, which could help fight obesity in children. And who wouldn't want that positive outcome for their kids?
What do you think about recipes? Are you surprised that people are giving Nigella Lawson such negative feedback because she decided to alter a recipe?