Ten Minute Cooking School: Puerco Pibil

Robert Rodriguez's comment that not being able to cook is as bad as not being able to f*** is actually a crudely put truism based on the physiological and psychological pleasures enjoyed from participation in the respective recreational activities. It takes someone with at least a modicum of talent in the kitchen to be able to appreciate the sensual pleasures of the consumption of carefully prepared food (and good wine) to further appreciate the same kind of emotion generated by the intimacies of the world's oldest sporting activity! The emotions involved in both should be able to render a grown man close to tears. Sound weird? Then you aren't the kind of person that can truly appreciate the wonderful enlightenment that participation in either brings. I have cooked dishes at home that have reduced me to tears when I have sat down to eat them, and have tasted wines that have had the same effect. As regarding the fairer sex? I can only say that emotion is viewed as a strength by women, not as a weakness.

The overriding danger of having such a "cool" focus in a film like "Puerco Pibil" is that the young, uninitiated wannabes will latch on to it and denigrate the real meaning by cooking it for themselves and serving it up at their lame "Hey, I can pretend I'm really cool!" parties to try and impress their friends (for friends actually read "Hangers-on"). If you're as cool as you think you are you will cook the dish (several times) and just revel in the all-consuming emotion that is generated by the taste explosion in your mouth. You may then just want to share that feeling (as does Johnny Depp's character) with someone close.

Cool is not letting people know you think something is cool. "Puerco Pibil" is destined to become a cult dish: that can not be in doubt. But it is because it has been mentioned in a film, not because it is the most marvellous food on this planet. (Don't even go there McCorporate Death Burger!) Don't reduce Robert Rodriguez's recipe to a mere social point-scoring exercise.

Be Cool. Stay Cool.