Mark Bittman: Killer of Tomatoes

Either I failed Mark Bittman or he failed me with his lousy (LOUSY), did I mention? LOUSY recipe for Gazpacho. Everyone says East Coast tomatoes are totally different and that is my hope at why this recipe was so beyond bad. I love his "Joy of Cooking" sized tome, "How to Cook Everything", but trust me, it does not include how to cook - or assemble - Gazpacho. I bought almost a full grocery bag of vegetables; save one cucumber it was to the letter of what he proscribed. It made something that would not only didn't fit in my blender, but looked and smelled like barf. I am very acquainted with barf (morning sickness) and this was an excellent facsimile of what is in your stomach after lunch. When I was finished, it took me a while to come to terms with the fact that I had taken a few pounds of beautiful tomatoes, a cucumber, lovely french bread, etc. and turned it into something that would only be served at a shellbacking event. To add insult to injury, in the day it took me to decide to just pour it down the sink, it made my fridge smell like said upchuck. I suppose I should just be thankful that I didn't clog my sink. /rant. Okay I feel a little better about this now, but I will not be making Gazpacho for a while.