CityCook

I forget; did you cover tempeh? I like that stuff too, although I converted back to the dark side after around 4 years of being a veg. Good texture. I really appreciate, Malawry, by the way, your information on drying out tofu. My stir-frys shall never be soupy again! Oh, another by the way: I couldn't find an actual diary of your cooking school experience here. Did I miss a link? Heaven forbid! Please, please tell me I didn't miss a link! On edit (another tangent): I'm going to the CCA in SF (like acronyms? I do.) in May 2004, with the intent to learn as much as possible for a career in cooking or food writing, or both. Maybe I could soak up (like dehydrated tofu) some of your valuable insight on the subject sometime.

I tried some from the UK once. It was called absinthe, though I think there exists a "real" version of absinthe that this was not. I've got a really high alcohol tolerance so I drank a lot of it, probably 12-15 ounces over a couple of hours, with sugar, the whole bit. I didn't feel anything except more drunk (this was after about a bottle of wine on my own); I think I was expecting some kind of trippy hallucinations or something. on edit: this stuff did have wormwood; is that the only factor in "real" absinthe? if so, I'm just not sure what the big deal is...

If I can stick up for my future alma mater for a sec, what about either The Careme Room or the Academy Grill at the California Culinary Academy? The Careme Room was actually rated one of the best food values in the City; dinner's relatively cheap because the food is a by-product of the education (M-F only). Their setups can be beautiful.

The following comes from the Barnes & Noble online listing for California Dish: People who bought this book also bought: The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen Jacques Pepin Running with Scissors: A Memoir Augusten Burroughs Living History: Hillary Rodham Clinton Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly Anthony Bourdain Cook's Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines Anthony Bourdain Did you ever play along with Sesame Street when that song came on: "One of these kids is not like the others; one of these kids just doesn't belong..." ?

absolutely there's interest, if only my interest. I think it's indispensable.

Michael, I want to thank you along with everyone else who's already done so for devoting your time and attention to this Q & A session. I'm mindful that this question may seem insulting to chefs I'm ignorant of; if so, I apologize for my ignorance. I want to ask you, Michael, if you have encountered many chefs who are able to devote the same standard of thoughtfulness and care to their food as Thomas Keller has set in his kitchens. Is there another chef who you see as being "the next Keller" by virtue of possession of the same ideals and principles, or is the rest of the cooking world, as it sometimes seems to me, too consumed in the nightmarish blaze of production to be able to care as much as Keller (& Co.) seems to? Alternately, if I'm off-base and there are chefs all around who are like Keller in this respect, what, in your opinion, is the combination of elements that makes this level of food devotion possible? Thanks in advance!

Thank you so much again, everybody, for your informed and thoughtful responses! I'm taking a printout of this, and a big map of europe to start planning.

I've probably read too much. I started with Kitchen Confidential. The book, perversely enough, started me on this path, made me want to get into food. Then Cook's Tour, and the rest of Bourdain's fiction. Then Ruhlman's Making of a Chef and Soul of a Chef. I think I then bought The Professional Chef 7th Ed. and Larousse Gastronomique. The first I read through, the second I've browsed. I'm going through Pepin's Complete Techniques. I've read (/had multiple orgasms to) The French Laundry Cookbook and most of Child's French Chef Cookbook. I just bought The History of Food, and I'll start on that after some Burroughs I'm finishing up. The books with recipes have also had philosophy and technique in them; the latter have been my focus. Bux, your and several other people's suggestion to explore Basque country and similar areas is resonating with me. It's what my ideal Europe feels and tastes like, I think. Dreams of being an old man in Europe with a deep, perpetual tan and a huge belly, sun-basking in almost nothing with a small plate of superb food and a big glass of wine, going from beach to beach in my houseboat . . . this cannot take place in the cold rains of Europe. Maybe I should try for a shorter, more concentrated trip, and the idea to get different arrival/departure cities is an excellent one. You're right, Bux, I need to write to lots of chefs, including Keller. I've found the people from egullet to be warm, and freer with their time and their words than many writer contacts I made when I was sure I would be a famous poet someday. Katie, I've got to act on your farm idea. Why hadn't I thought of these things??? You guys rock. I'm gleaning from these posts that the atmosphere contributes to the culture, the lifestyle, and inevitably, to the vibrancy of the food in these warm areas. Re: Eric's advice on the romantic liason: heh . . . no, not a possibility, but maybe I'll find some sweet old Basque master chef who will want to be my "hands-off" sugardaddy.

hey Bux are you there? don't leave me hangin, bro!

I was thinking about adding more personal information but then made the unfortunate choice not to. so: I'm 23, I'll be travelling alone, I'll have around $3-$4K after the plane, I think, I wouldn't say no to cooking lessons in europe but I can also get those here and I'd like to get something there that I simply can't get here. I guess it's exposure to differences in culture as they pertain to food, different products and their applications, regional techniques, etc. Spain would be good; I've got some decent Spanish and that'll help. I've got it pounded into my head, from so much culinary reading, that France is the birthplace of all things culinary, and therefore I should spend most of my time there. Could be a misconception. I think asking TK what he thinks is a brilliant idea. All I know of him is what I've read, never even been to the FL, though I'm dying to go. I'll try to get in contact with him and try not to make the letter sound too sycophantical, which will be hard.

fried egg sandwiches with any kind of cheese and cayenne. olives from the jar. veggie burgers. my mom's tomatoes. (on edit): yeah, really good topic!

did somebody here already say Phillipe's? if not, Phillipe's. get the lamb one.

Here's the scenario: I'm going to western Europe for around a month, some time between Feb-April 2004, for diversion (of course, since I've never been), but with an emphasis on exposure to cooking and cuisine. I'd like to know, from you members who have experience with travel and cuisine in England, France, Spain, maybe Italy, (am I missing an crucial country here?), if you have suggestions for cities/areas/restaurants/anything that I should include in my trip that would help serve to enlighten me and maybe help fuel my imagination, knowledge, and eventually my career. See, I haven't even started cooking yet. The trip will take place right before I start classes at the California Culinary Academy (SF). I'd like to get a sense of what's going on "over there," and maybe find a good place for an externship at the end of the 14-month program. I've looked into some of those french week-long sightseeing/cooking that range from $1500-$2000. That's a possibility, if I can't find something more creative on my own. So, please offer your suggestions, share your experiences, get into arguments with fellow members whose opinions you think are crap. The question, most succinctly, is, "What's the best that culinary western Europe has to offer a wannabe chef who thinks that Thomas Keller is the Supreme Being in the Universe?"

that's amazing, Katherine! I've been thinking lately about how underdeveloped kids' palattes seem to be and what a problem it poses for parents who want their kids to eat healthy foods and develop sophisticated palattes. myself, I was raised on Spam, McD's, hot dogs, chicken w/ rice, etc etc. I don't honestly know how I started to care about food. I haven't had much luck either finding super unknown places whilst away travelling, unless I'm in an area known for good food. I usually have to know that the place is there beforehand. I wonder if it's a kind of sixth sense some people have?

if that menu has prices on it, and all the food is free for now, are people actually expecting that the restaurant will stay open after the show's over? just wondering. also, do you guys think this will spawn a new sub-breed of reality TV? maybe in the future, restaurants will have to have shows that detail and exploit their openings in order to open at all!

Oops! Kinda forgot where I was for a second...heh heh...*gulp* I just meant that it sucked for me. The hours, the stress, it all kind of of got to me after a while and something had to give so I just decided to bail. heh, no, grillboy, I was just asking because I'm looking to join the field, and I'm getting a little jittery about changing my lifestyle from office boy (soft, easy job that makes good money, normal hours, vacation time, benefits, etc), to that of a cook, starting at the CCA (SF) and going from there. so I'm trying to get as many scary details as possible. the reason I'm changing my life around is that I unfortunately am desperately in love with cooking. Sorry to digress but, If I may suggest... I would do some serious assed soul searching before giving up: easy job that makes good money normal hours PAID VACATIONS!!!!! BENEFITS????????????????? Dude(?) take that good money, buy great ingredients and cook for invited guests. In your home. Maybe try to see if you can stage at a place for a week , take notes on how things are done and do at home. Seriously. I think the market is shitty now , depending on where you're located, for employees and owners. Look at the stats that Rocco recites for that Amex open add. 90% failure rate. It's a noble gig, cooking, but, you're giving up a lot if you follow your nose into this. oh, dude, you're driving screws through my heart... my job is so boring and soulless! aren't the adventurous decisions that we DON'T make the ones that we end up regretting later in life? if I love cooking, and feel that I want to learn at the most professional and dedicated level I can, with the full realization that cooking in a commercial kitchen will be VERY different than cooking at home or for friends, why not go for it? because it's more comfortable to stay? I'm really not trying to be antagonistic, but I want to explain my motives fully. I also realize that this isn't the topic of this thread, so if people would rather email me their responses than take up more thread space, you can do so at downtownpoet21@hotmail.com. I'd be delighted to take up correspondence with people who have experience and opinions in this area.

Oops! Kinda forgot where I was for a second...heh heh...*gulp* I just meant that it sucked for me. The hours, the stress, it all kind of of got to me after a while and something had to give so I just decided to bail. heh, no, grillboy, I was just asking because I'm looking to join the field, and I'm getting a little jittery about changing my lifestyle from office boy (soft, easy job that makes good money, normal hours, vacation time, benefits, etc), to that of a cook, starting at the CCA (SF) and going from there. so I'm trying to get as many scary details as possible. the reason I'm changing my life around is that I unfortunately am desperately in love with cooking.

why did that life suck?

Thanks Chad! OK: Establish a basic personality for each ingredient in a simple recipe, and describe how they come together (or stubbornly remain separated) through the preparation process and in the final product.

Didn't she say it was love? I'll bet it's something really exotic like salt.

sorry, I'm new. to where would one submit entries for any of these topics? to this same board?

(new poster, yeah yeah) shouldn't waitstaff in any restaurant have a very good idea of what each menu item is?