Fat Guy

If slkinsey is right, and it sounds like he is, then I have wasted about 50 million gallons of water in the past couple of decades.

I have one of those Russell Hobbs electric kettles. I fill it part way with water, run it until it boils, and pour some of the water into a mug for tea. When I go to boil more water, I pour out the remaining water, refill the kettle, and go again. Several other people I know, by contrast, leave the water in the kettle and boil it again. I somehow feel that reboiled water is going to be somehow inferior. Is this completely in my imagination or is it for real?

I believe Xai Xai is named for a town in Mozambique (it is a South African wine bar).

There's a good piece in the latest Zagat Buzz e-newsletter by Kelly Dobkin titled "NYC's 10 Most Mispronounced Restaurant Names." Her list, with correct pronunciations (the full article goes into more detail): Bice "bee-chay" Millesime "mill-eh-zeem" Nha Trang “na-t’chang” Oaxaca "wa-ha-ka" Sfoglia "folia" Sripraphai "see-pra-pie" Txikito “chic-kee-toe” Ushiwakimaru “oo-shee-wok-a-mah-roo” Xai Xai "shy-shy" Xi'an Famous Foods "shee-an" Any additions?

What is the deal with asparagus making one's urine smell weird? Are there any other foods that do something similar? Does this phenomenon have a name?

I am horribly late to the party here. But look what got delivered today: I had the online preview when that was made available to press. My press loaner copy went to Chris Amirault because I was moving and had no place for it. Now, half a year after he got mine, I finally have my own courtesy of the Cooking Lab. Thanks Cooking Lab. There goes the rest of 2011.

If you search the Google news archives, you get 15 results for "Yom Kippur breakfast" and 25 results for "Yom Kippur break-fast" and "Yom Kippur break fast" combined (the space and hyphen seem to be treated the same by that search engine). Not sure what that says about anything. Just reporting it.

Perhaps the confusion is entirely localized to me. But if you look in Merriam-Webster it says "first meal of the day," which, on a fast day, could be at night. Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

At the end of a fast, such as my people just had on Yom Kippur, there is typically a festive meal. Some people I know call it "breakfast" and some call it a "break fast" -- the latter, I suppose, to distinguish it from the morning meal (which also derives from the notion of breaking a fast). So, when writing about something like a Yom Kippur fast-breaking meal, is it one word or two?

On both such ranges that I've owned -- my old DCS and my current Bertazzoni -- the grates have been unfinished cast iron. I wonder if I need to season them.

Like several of you I've got one of these pro-style ranges with heavy iron burner grates. Mine seem to show rust if you look at them funny. Anybody gamed this situation and come up with a solution?

I really need to get better about this. In the past couple of days, I've reheated chili instead of soup, toasted a sweet bread for a savory sandwich (that actually came out okay), and been unable to tell which container of meatballs was older. Do you label the stuff in your freezer? Do you have any advice on how I can get onto the path and do it well?

I've had a box of this stuff around for a while but the other day I started using it. I love it. I made some toasted cheese and the cheese that dripped off the sides of the bread offered no resistance. Same for reheating a slice of pizza. For lining the tray of a toaster oven, this product is a great tool.

I think pretty much everything Sifton ever wrote was better than his restaurant reviews, though it seems to me his reviews were trending better over time (at least based on the occasional sample, as I didn't read all or even most of them).

I think, de facto, that's true. But I do think the issue deserves broader discussion, because things have gotten a bit out-of-control with the food-sensitivity claims. Maybe I'll start a separate topic for the general discussion.

Very revealing interview with former Gourmet editor-in-chief (and New York Times restaurant reviewer) Ruth Reichl. She is now in the business of creating what I'd characterize as advertorial content for Gilt Taste. She says, among other things: The full interview is here.

Michael Pollan in today's New York Times Magazine:

Michael Pollan has a quotable comment in the New York Times Magazine this weekend. I shall quote it:

This came up because I always heard "mah-coon" but my wife's family has always said "mac-gowan." I now support "mah-cowne" as the most compelling pronunciation.

For what it's worth my wife reports that she asked a farmer at an apple orchard in Connecticut today and he said what slkinsey said.

Is it ma-coon, ma-gowan, or what?

What's the deal with melamine bowls, plates, etc.? Are they safe? Is that the same melamine that was killing pets a while back? I like those cheap melamine bowls available in Chinatowns and such but am I doing something harmful by serving hot soup in them?

I totally missed that there's parking. Do you recall the rules and regulations on the parking, whether there's validation available, etc.?

PJ has requested it for lunch again tomorrow, so I guess we're on to something here.

I had focaccia for lunch. I thought it held up pretty well. I have to consider packaging, because in a sealed container there's a bit too much moisture that accumulates. Maybe it will work better wrapped in paper. I also think I underbaked it a little. Live and learn. Now we have to see what PJ thought of it.