Mayhaw Man

That's great. Thanks. No oven? Or is there just no need for one given most Japanese food seems to come from stove top? Brooks

3 2 1 4 I think that the main deal to me is that, after a while anyway, it becomes second nature for everyone to sit down at the table and share a meal. If some people feel like talking more than others, or not at all, so be it. I personally look forward to it as the highpoint of my day (a close race in front of actually cooking the meal and the other big event of the day, the boys finally going to their rooms for the night and giving me a precious few moments with the lovely (and she really is, although it is hard to tell by my sig photo ) Mrs. Mayhaw). The byproducts of this ritual, for most of the responders here anyway, seems to be a natural inclination towards decent table manners (which, I think, spill over into all parts of civil living) and an ability to recognize and discuss good food (or the lack of it, in some cases-as not all mothers can give Julia a run for her money ). This thread has turned out to be very interesting.

No problem with bear hunting, although I don't think I would shoot one. I am from serious hunting culture. Men here hunt (so do alot of women), generally, and taking boys and girls and properly teaching them the ropes and ways of the woods and fields are huge rights of passage to adulthood. My own son whacked a nice doe this past weekend (ducks,on the other hand,are a much discussed poor subject here in the Delta ). We eat what we shoot and look forward to sharing this bounty with friends and neighbors. I love it and hunt and fish with great enthusiasm and hope to do so with my boys for the rest of my life. All that being said, I don't think I could pull the trigger on a bear. In the wild I have only seen a bear twice. Once in Jackson Hole up high in a tree (the thing was huge and I had a backpack full of fried cheesegrits and chicken , thankfully the bear was concerned with his cholesterol more than I was and it didn't come down out of the tree) and once near the family farm. That bear was a small black and I have to admit that while it was suprisingly large, it was cute and fascinating to watch. I would not have had the heart or the interest to shoot it. I have only seen bear in front of me on the table once. A friend killed one somewhere out west with a bow and brought much of it home in a couple of coolers. It was exceedingly greasy and a little tough. While this could have been poor preparation, I think it was more the nature of the beast.

I'm just like Tommy and Fat Guy Now that IS a scary thought. I believe I might need professional help.

He's 6'2" at 14?! Good grief. What do you feed that boy? Okra-The pod of the Gods The boy will eat anything, but he prefers sushi of all sorts and Mexican (real Mexican, he knows the difference as we were living there for a while) and soups of all kinds (particularly duck gumbo and Toscana Soup w/andouille instead of italian sweet sausage).

Here's one place I would make a pretty big effort to go to. Have some tamales and then go mad over a huge hunk o' meat.

I don't mean to pry. Just be rude and treat me poorly if you think I am being too nosy, but would you mind taking a photo or two of your kitchen? I am always interested to see where other people prepare meals and I suppose I am wondering if your kitchen/house is a typical Japanese kitchen (whatever that is, I am not pretending I know) or is it more Western in nature? I am enjoying your blog so far. Thanks, Brooks

As my friend Everette used to say "I'm just here to help".

It's not. The food can be spectacular at Commander's Palace but it"s definitely as much about "The New Orleans Thing" as it is anything else. If you really want to see this in action, get a reservation for lunch on the Friday before Mardi Gras. It is a zoo, but highly entertaining. French Laundry, Daniel, etc. are all about the whole experience. Diners need show up only with an open mind and decent working range on a credit card and they can sit back and have all of thier senses entertained by flavored foam (sorry, there I go again ). It is not so much about the company you brought with you (although clearly good, like minded company can add a great deal to the enjoyment of serious dining <especially if their credit card is involved >) I love to do this and so do many here, but I don't know that I would enjoy it with my SIL and a couple of her ill mannered kids along .

Flocculate, as used by brewers, is a term used to describe what the yeast does at the end of fermentation. Loosely translated, "to floc" means to fall to the bottom of the tank. A good brewer will select his yeast strain based not only on fermentation characteristics and eventual flavor profiles, but also on floc characteristics. Lager yeast, once the beer is cooled a bit, will settle to the bottom of the tank (hence those conical looking tanks that you see in microbreweries, they are designed to draw off the yeast to be repitched or thrown away and also make for better filtration characteristics). As a general rule, beer in the aging (laagering) process develops alot of flavors that you don't want in the end product if it is allowed to sit on the yeast. Ale yeast does not do any of this stuff (generally) but that is o.k. because most ales do not benefit by aging. A big part of the aging process is to get some flavors and esthers OUT of the beer, not really so much to put them in. Ales are pretty much ready to go at the end of fermentation, either ready for filtering and drinking, or not filtering and drinking. There is a hybrid known as alt yeast that performs as a ale yeast during fermentation but has many of the positive characteristics of the better flocculating lager yeast. Hope that covers it.

Yeah. Just tell the kids to look for the guy on the train with the funny looking chain around his neck.

I am not sure if I would call them inappropriate, but I am not sure that they would be appropriate either. Family gatherings are just that-FAMILY gatherings. And high end places like the ones that you mentioned above are (in my mind) more about the food and the experience than they are about being places to meet and enjoy friends and family. Certainly both can be done in these kinds of places at the same time, but it generally requires a group of like minded people who know about fine dining and who will be able to enjoy the company AND the food at the same time. I think with most families (Mom and Dad, grandparents, children and teenagers, etc. all in one group) it would be a pretty hard deal to visit in a familiar family way while commenting on the fois gras and flavored foam (sorry, I just love writing the words "flavored foam"). Obviously some people in the group would enjoy it, but just as many would not (service is slow and staggered- portions are, or at least often are, very small-small children with little or no experience in this situation will be bored stiff and begin to act out-and then that will annoy the first group of family who think that this is the greatest idea ever-it would likely be a never ending circle of dissapointment). You may have an exceptional family and all ages may totally get off on flavored foam (sorry, couldn't help myself) but I don't have much experience with families like that. I do come from a large extended family of well to do and well educated people that can cook, discuss food, and between us pretty much cover a large hunk of the great places often mentioned on these boards in terms of dining experience, but I wouldn't try it with them or any other large group (and I am talking about 10 or more, less is a whole nuther matter). Too many things can go wrong and spoil it for everyone. There are always better choices for family groups. They can still be very upscale, but leave room for visting and family-i.e. it won't be just about the food and wine. In New Orleans there are a number of pretty good choices where the food is good to great, but the atmosphere for enjoying your family (laughing, loud talk, etc.) is great. Galitoire's Mr. B's Wine Room ar Emeril's Antoine's (several different smallish dining rooms) Commander's accomodates this pretty well and they don't mind a little noise If I step it down a notch or two I can come up with maybe twenty places that would be great for the kind of gathering that I think you are talking about. I'm sure the situation is the same in any decent dining town.

I acquired it a while back It was not a very difficult acquisition, unlike my experience with some other acquired tastes.......escargot, really stinky cheese, strongly flavored fish, etc. The Grappa-not so hard

On another note: I was formerly employed by the guy who made Black Death Vodka. mmmmmmm "The vodka to die for!" We used to have a warehouse next to the brewery in Tecate full of these little wooden coffins that were intransit from somewhere around Puebla up to a bottling facility (or maybe two, as I think that they bottled it both in New Orleans and L.A.) in the U.S. They made for great little conversation pieces. The guy sold the brand to some Europeans several years back.

I know that a million people will jump in and correct me if I stray-so I will forge ahead. Isn't Grape vodka another name for (pick one or add one of your own liking) grappa, eau de vie, fruit brandy, etc., etc? Generally these native brandies (moonshine, call it what you like) are single distilled in a pot still and most commercial vodka is distilled multiple times in a column. Single distillations and pot still work generally retains a fair amount of the essence of it's origin. I mean, Vodka is a (I believe by definition, regardless of the origin of the original source of sugars for fermentation and eventual distilling) neutral spirit. Does this just mean that it has been distilled so many times that it doesn't matter what it comes from? It would seem to me that the only thing that would affect it after multiple distillations would be the dilution of it back to 80 proof (40 gl) with distilled water (which in itself should have no taste). So what difference does it make where it comes from if by definition it is not supposed to taste like much? Incidentally, I am not looking for an argument about whether or not different vodkas taste differently, obviously they do. What I am saying is that by the time it is distilled to a reasonably pure level, what's left in terms of essence of the original material used in fermentation and distilling? This seems like just one more in an endless line of advertising goop to sell something that is not supposed to taste like much anyway. TRUE STORY: The principle in this story is dead. So you can't ask him, but if you ask me I will tell you it is true because I was there Really. I am vague here because I still do a little business with a couple of the guys involved I was in the office of CEO of one of the largest alcoholic beverage distributors and manufacturers in the US. They make and own a number of very large brands. During the beginning of the Vodka craze (app. 1997) they put out a premium version of their flagship vodka. When I was offered a sample bottle (very large and very commemorative) I queried the difference between the flagship brand and the new "premium brand". The guy looked at me and smiled happily, "about ten bucks a bottle". There was no difference. Just a swap of change parts and glass on the line and $10 more a bottle. His explanation was that ultimately, vodka is vodka. That certainly some is made better than others and is distilled to a finer point, but that since it was not going to improve and would have no real aging, that it was all in the still and how good the operator was at getting the stuff to taste like nothing. Once again, I don't even drink the stuff, but I thought this was interesting.

You might want to this source as well. All of thier products are generally dependable, but I don't find their andouille to be particularly hot, but my tastes probably differ from yours (there is very little I find to be particularly hot ).

Here in Louisiana we use them regularly, but only when eating this stuff.

Maybe you should try these. Or you could scroll down a bit on this site and find out that you are not wrong after all.

The results of a big session with andouille can be pretty explosive, but as of yet Homeland Security does not have it on thier list of Banned Carry On Items, but it might be because it is hard to categorize. Explosive, incindiary, club like, disabling chemically? You tell me.

This andouille is pretty typical of the stuff that comes from LaPlace and surrounding St John Parish. Lucille is correct in that it does vary widely by maker (and by batch, if they are not careful with q.c.). This would be a fine place to try out Andouille in it's native habitat with natives behaving like natives.

Exactly. It is, however, interesting to see what people do. Things that are a big deal to some are not very important at all to others. I just like to see what goes into whatever decisions are made and why people make them. So far it has been pretty interesting.

Exactly. Hence the old cowboy movie question - "What's your poison, partner?"

Thank you for this. I cannot wait to use this stolen line on the bottomless pit that is my teenager (he is 14, 6'2" and weighs about a pound and a half. I have no idea where the food goes )

This topic has brought up a question that may have been addressed here before, but if it has a search did not turn it up (of course, I may not have been looking in the right part of cyberspace). My question is this- Do you and your family (whatever group that you consider to be your family counts) sit down to dinner, at a common table, on a regular basis? If so, what is the situation? Is there a TV in the room or not. Does your family rush through meals or is there a reasonable conversation and a discussion of recent family events? Is the table set or does everybody serve themselves and sit down? If you do, why do you feel that is important? If not, why not? You get the picture. Inquiring minds want to now what the scene is inside your households. Don't make me plant a camera . I will if I have to. Here is how it works in the Mayhaw Household. I have two boys and they are both relatively active in outside school stuff, music, sports, etc. and we often don't all arrive at home until 6 or 7. Happily, my working day ends about 3 o'clock so I can go home and get some kind of meal going. I do ninety percent of the meal preperation (my wife is a great cook, but she is messy and slow and prefers to cook grand and complicated meals for special occasions and workaday prep bores her to tears-so she likes this arrangement) and generally have things pretty well done by the time everybody hits the back steps. Most nights we all manage to sit down together for 30 minutes to eat. Sometimes I set the table, sometimes not. But we do generally manage to get there at one time. We have a large sunroom off the kitchen that has a very large dining room table (recycled mahogany from Indonesia, it weighs a ton, but I like it) and that is where we eat. There is a TV at the other end of the room, but I can count on one hand the number of times we had it on during dinner. The result of this has been (completely by accident and a lack of tolerance for bad manners by me) that my children know how to eat without annoying everybody around them and understand polite table talk (this is not to say that they won't break decorum with a good fart joke, but most of the time they are pretty good ). I look forward to this little bit of time with them, as with all of the rediculous loads of homework schools are handing out these days it is often the only time all day I get to talk to them). I guess it is important to me primarily for two main reason-I think that table manners and the ability to deal appropriatly with dining is very important and I also like the whole "family deal" that occurs when we eat together. O.K. That's what we do. How about you? Edited to say that there is almost always music in the background-Lucinda into Charlie Parker into Miles (the trumpet player, not my son, although my son is named after him) into Louis Jordan into Hank W. (Sr., not that buffoon Jr.) into classical into NPR into James Booker into the Chieftans into ad infinitum

Funny is in the eye of the beholder. I laughed out loud. Perhaps I should seek immediate counseling