This is Not Top Scallop

I love Top Chef. At best, the routine and discipline demanded by my diet makes planning meals and eating a chore. At worst, it is something that inspires fear and loathing. The hours that I whittle away planning my diet (or, more accurately -- planning to avoid eating things that are not in my diet) does not inspire me to want to cook or have fun in the kitchen. Top Chef changes that. Seeing the culinary artists at work -- the pride they demonstrate in their craft and the colors, flavors, and smells it produces reminds me that food can be enjoyed and that the emotions evoked need not be negative. Top Chef makes me want to test myself in the kitchen and I think that the coming winter months will provide an opportunity to refine my low residue recipe portfolio. First on the list, of course, is scallops.