A customer in Denver told me my soup was 'too perfect'

This was about two years ago at a small spot I was running. A regular, an older guy who always sat at the bar, ordered the daily soup, a roasted tomato bisque. He took a few spoonfuls, put his spoon down, and just looked at me. I asked if everything was okay. He said, 'It's good. It's very good. But it's too perfect. It tastes like it followed a recipe to the letter.' He told me his mom's soup always had a little bit of a burnt edge from the bottom of the pot, and that was the taste he missed. It wasn't about being fancy, it was about a real cook making a real mistake that became part of the flavor. I still think about that. Has a customer's offhand comment ever made you change how you approach a classic dish?

3 comments

3 Comments

graceblack1mo ago

That's a real compliment in a weird way. Means your technique is flawless. But yeah, sometimes a dish needs a little human error. Like a scratch on a vintage guitar, it adds character. My grandma's gravy always had a few extra black pepper flakes that didn't fully grind. That bite was the whole point. Perfection can be boring.

anderson.david24d ago

Actually, it was a baker who said that... but same idea. The little mistakes are what make things feel real, you know?

angela4161mo ago

Totally read a chef saying that once, @graceblack.