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The Importance of “Supporting Role” Ingredients
Because our pantry items with the least fanfare can make or break a meal.
An actor playing a supporting role needs to be so good that you don’t even realize he’s acting. It shouldn’t register. His performance should be seamless. I shouldn’t pause and think to myself, wow, he is putting a lot of effort into that character! And maybe this could be said for all roles. But specifically, a supporting role should subtly enhance the expression of other characters around them.
Being so, a good actor in a supporting role can make the lead characters or the story itself shine. When the support is good, they risk being forsaken. When they are bad, they can negatively affect the whole production.
And you really notice when they are bad.
Funnily enough, that’s also what I’ve realized about many “supporting role” pantry items. Like a supporting actress might not be on the movie poster, your pantry items might not be on the top of your recipe list. They’re an afterthought. And because they aren’t the main affair, we often go cheap. We’ll get the “good stuff” for the focus of the meal, and then get the bare minimum for the rest — chips, buns, rice, etc.
