Sun Tzu in the Kitchen

Sun Tzu was an ancient General for the king of the Wu region of China. He fought and won battles and it is believed he wrote the famous Art of War. Well, I wonder if his war tactics would work in the kitchen?

*Know your enemy and know yourself.* It is important to know what your family likes to eat or can eat and if you have the know-how to prepare those meals.
*Attack their weakness instead of their strengths.* If you know someone really knows Italian food, conquer them by cooking Chinese food. Don't believe me? Ask Cynthia.
*The winner realizes the conditions for victory first, then he fights.* A good cook first sees what he has in stock and starts making tentative dishes in his mind, then he prepares the meals.
*When troops flee, are insubordinate, routed or fallen in battle it is the fault of the General.* This applies when you have helpers in the kitchen. If you ask them to do something and they either do it wrongly or not at all, is your fault for not controling your crew. Kitchen assistants must be trained before going into battle.
*War is of vital importance to the state.* Need I say more? If we do not eat, we die.
*A way a wise man can achieve knowledge is through foreknowledge.* Plan ahead. If you know you might not have sufficient time to prepare a meal, pre-cook and pre-cut.
*All warfare is deception.* Do you have picky eaters who don't like to eat their veggies? Arrange the plate in a fun way, mix them up with something they do like, for example, in a pasta sauce. Another good one is making the picky eaters take part in the cooking process and have them give input on how others might eat the ingredients they don't like.
*It is essential for victory that generals are unconstrained by their leaders.* If you are doing the cooking, consider yourself as the General. It is essential for a good outcome that you don't have others telling you how to cook or what ingredients to add to/take out of your dish.
*The best way to win is not to fight at all.* People deserve treats once in a blue moon (they actually happen, like on Dec 31/09). Instead of fighting over what to cook, order take-outs.

It looks like Sun Tzu did it again! Remain curious my friends!