Two brothers, cooking for the love of one mom.

Food has a way of bringing families together. Except for mine.

This is my mom. She was a foodie before it was cool to be a foodie. I have memories of her trying to get me to try new foods, and me not willing to try them. I'm pretty sure this has always made her really sad inside to not be able to share her world with me. And I'm pretty sure this is why she's never liked me as much as she's liked my little brother who used to eat everything...even fermented fish paste. Blech! But I'm older now and after leaving home to travel the world and become a professional, my palate has grown from In-N-Out french fries and french toast to duck-fat pomme frites and brioche. I think she likes me more now and I ask her for advice about how to prepare various dishes all the time, but does she like me more than she does my little brother? Argh. If only she could see how much better I am now...

Anyhow this isn't a blog about my mom--that's too much a happy and inspirational story that we hear all too often. This is a much darker blog about the divisive rivalry seen amongst two brothers. Will said rivalry elevate the brothers to sharpen their knives and become better cooks? Or will their competitive natures drive them to lose sight of that simple desire to make their mom proud? This is Big Brother Cooks and I hope you'll enjoy following our competition to see whose cuisine reigns supreme, letting us know who you think is more deserving of his mother's love. In the mean time, I'll be supplementing the blog with numerous recipes and photos of what I've been eating so that my mom knows that even though I'm away from home, I'm eating healthy.

This is my little brother. He thinks he can cook better than I can, but as you can see in this picture, the flame is very much doctored. He hasn't flambe'd anything in his life and if he has flambe'd something, it means that he's somehow acquired alcohol. He's 20. I think I'm telling mom.

Congratulations on your acquisition of photoshop skills over the years, Little Brother, but this is kitchen stadium and now everyone knows that you're a cheater.

End of round one. Big Brother 1, Little Brother 0.


Thanks for reading and be sure to check out my little bro's blog at http://littlebrothercooks.blogspot.com.


~Big Brother