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It is nearly impossible to get badly grilled octopus in Mexico. Even corner taco stands know how to do it. It remains a popular item for both of us.

Should be OK in your carry on I suspect.

Looking for a cocktail to bring to a Cinco de Mayo party hosted by the cookbook club I am a member of, I spotted this intriguing cocktail with mezcal and Benedictine which seemed like a good way to celebrate this Franco-Mexican event . It was in one of the books we were cooking from, Oaxaca (eG-friendly Amazon.com link). Lovely long, refreshing drink where the mezcal comes through and the Benedictine adds some interesting base notes. I also liked the fact that it is pretty diluted but still packed full of flavor. I need to play with Benedictine more often, it's great with tropical flavors (in a ying and yang sort of way).

That would be great. My husband did make it once but apparently it "wasn't the same."

Reading the exchange below in the Dinner thread made me think it'd be fun to start a thread about "American" food in France. As in, American food viewed through the lens of the French. It reminded me of this little series by David Lebovitz where he reviews the "American" offerings at Picard, the French frozen food store (here is their current line up). Being a French native living in the US, I find it silly, entertaining, and horrifying as well. You have to wonder what goes through the head of the people conceiving or consuming these products which are both familiar and strange (a version of hachis parmentier with pulled pork and mashed sweet potatoes representing American cuisine? ok...). I am sure things have evolved since the unfortunate days of the Indiana Café which, 30 years or so ago, introduced Parisians to "tex-mex" cuisine. Or have they? (a quick google search revealed that Indiana Café is alive and well with 10+ different locations, serving nachos and burgers...).

This pavlova turned out a little bigger than I anticipated... Not exactly dainty. It was mango and passion fruit, with a tonka mascarpone chantilly... The leftovers went into an Eton Mess... I mixed some Korean red pepper flakes with the fruit, and sprinkled over a pinch of sumac. (I was looking for inspiration and saw a Mary Berry Eton Mess where she uses her own-brand mango, chilli, lime dressing, and Ottolenghi sometimes does the sumac thing on desserts.) I didn't add enough of either to make much difference, unfortunately. I'm unlikely to make another one, so should've gone all-in this time. (Although mango, passion fruit, tonka, lime, chilli, sumac is probably a bit much!)

Warm salmon salad. A quasi Nicoise minus the olives (could not find any good ones this week in our corner of MX).

How saliva changes the flavor of food

This is one of the easiest cured products to make at home. I'm planning on doing some in the near future and will post the procedure and results.

What people choose to eat can indeed be complicated. I did look up Priscilla Feral and her PETA ish organization and my advice to her would be if you want to change people's practices don't start by making such a derogatory and IMO stupid statement.

Chorizo, roasted Poblano, and green bean breakfast tacos with tomato, onion, feta, and cilantro. Tapatio salsa

Does anyone know if I am allowed to bring the dipping fork on the plane? Anyone in the us brought it in their carry on before? I would hate to toss it away if it's not allowed, because we aren't checking bags. I didn't even think about that when I got it.

My Ontario born and raised husband also longs for the peameal bacon of his youth. We've been able to find it a couple of times over the years but not often.

My husband lives for the grilled octopus at one particular restaurant in Playa del Carmen. It is his gold standard for octopus and no other place has come close so far.

Spaghetti with sausage and sauce. Broccoli rabe.

@Ann_T at first glance n I thought they sure do have Unusual crabs at your fishmonger.

@Senior Sea Kayaker, that pasta looks so good. And spicy. Simple dinner last night. Peameal bacon and tomato on toast. Having felt deprived for the last few years I love having peameal bacon in the freezer.

Dunno yet. We do a lot of meze, charcuterie type meals, so probably with cheese and such. And my mother is a fiend for anything pickled or garlicky, so I’m sure they won’t last.

How will you use the pickled scapes?

Picked and pickled the garlic scapes this morning.

If there's no water, there's no emulsion. Milk powder is part of the white chocolate along with sugar and cacao butter. Sometimes full fat, sometimes non, some makers add whey or butter. Lecithin is used in chocolate production for fluidity purposes, not emulsification per se.

I went down a rabbit hole this morning thinking about Octopuses. I gave up eating them years ago; it's unnerving how smart they are. Did you know they have nine brains? A central brain and eight more, one in each tentacle. Also there seems to be a huge controversy on the subject of farming them. Among other reasons, such as environmental problems with farming most all creatures, they tend to eat each other. You will never run out of things to think about when you think about octopuses. Not being judgy of course, but this did strike a chord: “Anyone who has seen the documentary film, ‘My Octopus Teacher,’ knows the animal is more fascinating and intelligent than the people who eat them,” says Priscilla Feral, president of Friends of Animals. Snarky, yes. What people chose to eat or not eat is complicated, neh?

Thank you @liamsaunt for the entertaining and delicious journey!

That's a bit on the cool side round here, even in May. I too had a chicken thigh for dinner, but no avo. Braised with garlic and shiitake and served with rice and baby spinach. No pictures. Too hungry.

Something you won't regret if you can obtain octopus.