DEAR MISS MANNERS: I enjoy cooking and have a reputation for being a good cook. Often guests ask for the recipe of a dish they just had.
I have no interest in keeping my recipes secret, but the truth is, I rarely follow recipes, so I have nothing to give them. I can try to re-create a dish and write down the ingredients and techniques, but this is very time-consuming. I’m happy to do that, but only if the person is sincere in wanting to prepare the dish.
How can I tell? To say, “It’s going to take me a long time to write down a recipe, so are you really sure you plan on making this?” seems rude.
GENTLE READER: It does. Miss Manners prefers a friendly demonstration of the difficulty delivered in a slightly ditzy way: “You know, I improvise my recipes. I couldn’t for the life of me tell you how much oregano is in there.”
Those who persist can be presumed to be serious -- assuming your attempt to parry the request has not planted doubts about what they just consumed.
(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)