Mayhaw Man

I am not sure how to reply to this and was hoping someone would do it for me. The dried shrimp that we see here are on the counters in grocery stores and zippy marts. They are meant for immediate consumption as a salty snack. Usually with Beer.Here is some information on the industry in Louisiana and here is a site that vends them (although this is not the brand you usually see). I suppose that they could be rehydrated and might actually be interesting in something like Jamabalaya, but there is no shortage of the fresh kind (most of the time anyway, it is seasonal, but more or less year round) and with the influx of shrimp for the pacific rim, the pressure is off of the shrimp population (and that is good for the whole food chain but not so good for the economy-but that is a whole nuther ball of wax and I will not start preaching here). Let me know if you use them to cook with. I would be interested to see what you come up with.

It is exactly like it, although in my part of the South (of the US) it is more typically made from corn or corn syrup. Sometimes mollasses. I lived in Meath (Enfield) for a while and had the opportunity to try a little of the local stuff, I quite enjoyed it. I suppose you were using some kind of Gaelic spelling, as I have only seen it spelled "poteen". Gaelic blew me away when I was there. I used to listen to hurling on the radio in Gaelic and the announcer was unbelievably expressive and funny, even though I understood not a word. Welcome to egullet. Nice to see someone from Ireland here.

Opera-check Concerts-check (these kids have seen more music in all kinds of settings than most of the adults who are reading this) Mass (Episcopalian)-check Royalty- check (if U.S. Senators count, and sadly I believe that they do) Old and Important-check I guess they were ready (roughly age nine for each of them). They like to eat out, but both of them, when given a choice, head for a Sushi bar any time they have a special occasion and can choose for themselves, although they both like Galitoire's (but I can argue that the dining room downstairs may serve great food well, but that the social interaction occuring there is more like a very expensive and fancy diner. It is loud and fun, not quiet and stuffy. Hence, it is a great place to take kids). And I am relatively proud of their manners. They do seem to behave well when they are in public, and the reports on them when they are not around us seem to be reasonably glowing as well.

You get the "arcane scientific terminology usage" award for the week. Maybe for the month. Nice work. You just did much to dispel some of Steingarten's theories about lawyers and writing. Or maybe you just did much to confirm his theory. I will need to reread them immediatly.

1) Irish 2) Bourbon 3) Rum (brown ones) 4) Tequila 5) Brandy 6) Gin 7) Good Quality Moonshine Seriously.

I know this is a bit off topic and I won't belabor my point ( as I tend to hammer it in usually ) but I have about 200 people working directly under me and the average age is about 24. These people are cut across all lines, social, economic, religious, sexual orientation, etc. We have the Rainbow Coalition marching around here everyday. So I can pretty safely generalize about this statement and feel like I am safe- Manners have gone to hell in a handbasket and that is the reason that we are even having this discussion. People these days do not seem to even know what rude is, much less how to be polite and well mannered. I am hiring out of the same exact pool of labor that would likely end up in the restaurant industry (actually, a number of people here are in the business and use this a second job). Cell phone abuse, undependability, inability to listen to instructions and carry them out without giving their two cents worth at every turn, general rudeness. If people don't know how to behave (or care enough to try) personally how can we ever expect them to know how to behave professionally? It is getting more and more difficult to find people who have the ability to be polite. I run a large customer service and sales oriented call center. Ever wonder how those people can get away with being so rude? They can't. They get fired regularly, but it is a empty gesture because someone just like the one who got fired is coming in right behind them. The basic problem is that they just don't have the basic training to be polite. "Yes, I will be glad to help you with that" is not so difficult (in my mind anyway). And it is only going to get worse, as these people are now beginning to raise families. Boors begetting boors begetting boors ad infinitum. Anyway, back to the topic- These same people cannot be expected to know or care about any of us as they are completely absorbed in their own little spheres of life. People are generally kind, but that is not the same thing as being concerned with the welfare of others and how personal behavior can affect those around you. The only way that these people can be dealt with is hard and fast rules. It is all they understand. I like eating with my kids. I did not start doing it until they were both well ready. Period. Did I skip a good meal or two? Sure, so what? Did I have to shell out for a babysitter more often than I would have liked? Yes. In reality, though, I really don't want my kids along on "date night" or when we are dropping a big wad on a meal. Once in a while on a special occasion is fine, but not regularly and certainly not when they were very young. It would not have been fun for ANYONE concerned and I would never have inflicted that on the other diners. Now-Do you want me to get started on diners who don't seem to know how to dress for the occasion?

This is a great idea that is not seen often enough, but it does bring up an interesting picture in my mind. -A Sommelier riding through the dining room on a mini engine followed by cars loaded down with cheese, dessert, fabulous drinks, and a caboose filled with coffee. He could wear a little engineers hat and have one of those wooden whistles that sounds like a train and the patrons would be able to flag him down at the ....................- Well.-Maybe not

I have always thought that this was basically brilliant and very true: Too many cooks spoil the broth.

Left at home to my own devices Spaghetti Carbonara with a little tasso, bacon, and andouille Pistolettes (Leidenheimers Bakery in New Orleans) Spinach Salad w/toasted pecans All the coffee I want because no one is here to tell me stop

Jeffery Steingarten-The Man Who Ate Everything Just reread A. Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential in my continuing quest to keep from doing something stupid (again....for the third time.....must not do it.......need a life.......need my wife......aaaaghaghahagha!).

Thanks again. It was fascinating.

No. In fact this year was as flat for beer sales in the US as any in recent memory. While the industry is spinning this by trumpeting this dubious milestone, sales have been particularly poor this winter. There is a large article in this months Beverage World concerning beer sales in the US. It does not seem to be available on line yet, but I did link to the sight as it might interest many here. In order to keep volume up brewers seem to be actively getting into smaller and smaller niches for smaller and smaller chunks of market share. It does seem to raise volume, but the whole thing is so advertising driven that it almost doesn't make sense, financially speaking.

I think that with wine service a server who "appears to be knowledgable" is probably just as effective as one who really does know a great deal. There may be a fair number of customers who have a deep base of knowledge concerning wine, but there is probably a much larger percentage who don't have much knowledge at all and what the customer really needs is to be directed to a decent wine that will complement their meal or course. My complaint (generally) is that servers are not ready with an answer when I ask a very basic question about a wine. It would seem to me that, considering the profit involved, dining establishments would spend a great deal more time than they do educating servers about specific wine choices for specific dishes. It would appear to me that it would be much better for a server to know a great deal about a few good choices than to have a "general" understanding about all of the wines. Perhaps in a pre service meeting servers could be instructed as to a few good choices for each course? At least they would be ready with a fairly well versed answer about the wine and it's origins. This would be better than "I would have a nice red sir. It costs plenty and I am sure that you will enjoy it". Clearly a good sommellier is the answer, but how many places actually have a top notch one on staff? Wines by the glass can be a great deal of fun when dining and are also a good, cost effective way (most of the time ) to try out new things. If there are plenty of choices the reccomendations are important to me and I do not always want to talk to the sommelier about a single glass of wine. Server knowledge would seem to be the key to moving more wine by the glass. But what do I know? I'm a brewer.

Instead of hauling chips that will likely be bulky and pretty easy to crush, why not get corn tortillas in the UK (assuming they are fairly easy to come by) and fry them there. They are really easy to do, you can fry a ton of them in a short period of time, and they taste much better than store bought. Incidentally, I would love to be in line behind you when they make you eat a hunk of that cheese. Edited for really crummy typing

As the great philosopher W.C. Fields once said-"Any man who hates dogs and children can't be all bad." ... While I love children (generally) and I am crazy about my dog (yellow lab, well behaved except for a propensity to sleep on unoccupied beds), I would rather dine with well behaved humans (regardless of age or national origin).

"The Way of the Guy" is a long and difficult road. Training takes years and many never reach the top of the mount. The way is fraught with peril and temptation. Only those who can focus on the ultimate goal will make it. Actually, it does take years to look busy while watching a pot boil. The great part is that once you have figured out the routine, no one will question you or your cooking methods again. Men are free to drink beer and tell lies uninterrupted by observers and potential diners, who refrain from any questioning out of fear and a lack of understanding of "the way".

What a sandwich! I thought Dagwood Bumstead was an American, but I stand corrected. Nice knife. I have that same knife, plus the 10" slicer and a 8 and a 10 chef's knife. I love them. Had one of the chef's knives rehandled a few years ago, due to abuse in the dishwasher. You are correct about the edge though, there is nothing else like it. Thanks again for the blog. It has been a great one.

This should be national policy.

Nice summation, counselor

What makes you think we are going to tell you? That's like asking what's the big deal with beans in Chili? The essence, to give you a straight answer, is tomatoes. Here is a recipe that I am making up on the fly. I am making out like I have a couple of hours to kill and someone has requested piquant. The meat in this dish can be substituted with any game you might have-venison, squirrel, alligator, etc (you Texans may use armadillo if you so desire ) This does call for canned rotels, but you certainly could use good canned Italian and throw in some fresh peppers, but I am the one making this up, and I usually use Rotels (a Texas product, come to think of it ). Venison Sauce Piquant 2 lbs. cubed venison 2 cups coarse chopped onions 2 Cups B.P. 2 Cups Celery 1/3 cup peanut oil (you can use any oil, but I like peanut because it is hard to burn) 1/2 cup chopped green onions 1/4 cup chopped parsley (some cilantro might be nice as well) 2 Cups Pureed can tomatoes (good ones, italian if you can get them) 1 Cup Rotels (medium or hot, as desired) 1 small box button mushrooms, sliced thin 2 tbls. Lea and Perrin's (two famous Cajuns) 3 or 4 basil leaves or the dry equivelant 1/4 tsp. Oregano 1/4 tsp. Rosemary Marinate Venison in Red wine and some chopped garlic overnight Sautee O, BP, and C in oil until golden brown Add Tomatoes (both kinds)along with seasonings and simmer 10 min. Add mush. and meat Cover tightly and cook on medium simmer for about 45 min. Uncover and add green onions and parsley and cook for 15 more minutes, uncovered Serve over Texmati Rice ( always buy local ) Simple, easy and delicious. I will stick this in recipe gullet sometime shortly so it will be easier to find. Incidentally, a little okra would not hurt this at all.

Rachel, I thought you were from New Jersey, but your mastery of gleatinized desserts leads me to believe it must be at least SOUTH Jersey. You could take that thing to any after church covered dish social in the South and be the belle of the ball (or, if it happened to be a non dancing denomination, just a belle). What a knock out. It looks kind of fun too. Unlike many of the more sophisticated posters here, I kind of like Jello in small doses (I suspect that they do too, but are tooo cool to admit it ) and I think my 11 y.o. would dig this project. Thanks for the link.

It has been my experience that this is usually exactly what happens if the children are behaving appropriately. Cool drinks, jokes from the waitstaff, maybe a dessert set up for the child-these things come with the territory for a kid who has just eaten a meal with adults and has behaved. It is pretty natural for people to be polite to a precocious, reasonably entertaining, well behaved child. This treatment is onw of the rewards for behaving and it is only good business (aside from some kind of natural tendency to be nice to children) to treat young customers well if they are with their parents. THey will come back and fill our seats again on some other night. The issue, once again, is whether establishments should have stated rules about the dining ages of their patrons? I tend to lean towards no toddlers or babies, but as someone stated above, there are exceptions to everything. After the age of 9 or 10, I think that the parent should have a pretty good grip on what the child can do and what the child WOULD LIKE to do. Some children, like some adults, are NOT EVER going to like sitting down to a multi course degustation. Some people would rather go to McApplebacks and count the "flair" on their waitron's suspenders while they are waiting on their pressed meat baby back ribs. More power to them. They can have my seat. On the other hand, some kids take to fine dining pretty early and I think that after a couple of practice runs at sit down and long service/multi course eating that they should be able to tag along if they are interested and you have a want or a reason to take them. Just be prepared to bail without complaint if it starts to go South. I like eating with enthusiastic young diners and I am not only talking about the Little Mayhaws. We eat a decent meal or two every couple of months that generally involves a older adolescent or a young teen and I like it when they start asking questions concerning food or service or just about the business of running a high end place. I think that I have repeated myself enough at this point.

I think that most people don't do it because: 1) Most people are generally respectful of others 2) It is a waste of money (generally speaking) 3) It is not fun or fair for the the children (generally speaking, once again) 4) Nice dining is a big occasion for most people. Correcting a child all night long would sort of take the shine off of the apple. And trust me, having a disagreement involving children is no way to "get lucky"

They happen everyday. And while I disagree (generally) with the posters who claim that people are doing this out of some kind of innate evilness, I will say that I wish they would stop doing it and find someplace more suitable. Most of the posters here seem to be of the opinion that a young person (I am talking 8 or 10 y.o. here, but I am certain that all of you have exceptional children and could have and wanted to dine fine earlier in life ) who is able to sit still and be interested is often a welcome addition to a meal and that a young person who cannot sit still or enjoy a meal is NOT a welcome addition to a dining experience. I'll go further than that-I do not want to sit next to anyone who is going to annoy those around him, regardless of age. Bad behavior is bad behavior. Boorish businessmen, annoying lunch ladies talking back and forth about their latest jewelry acquisitions and upcoming trips to Bali, guys on cell phones talking 3 comma deals. All of these are JUST AS ANNOYING as little kids. The difference between these groups is this-The adults have chosen, of their own accord, to dine in a nice place where certain rules and standards are in place (maybe not written in detail on the back of the menu, but generally understood) and the children are just along for the ride because Mommy and Daddy either wanted a good meal and only had one shot at the reservation or because they are just plain thoughtless. Neither of these things are good excuses. Until a child (or anyone else for that matter) is old enough to understand decent decorum in a fine dining establishment they should not be there. There are exceptions to this, but there aren't many and the excuses that do exist (no choice, one time shot, etc.) aren't up to snuff in my book. THere is always somewhere else to go that everyone concerned (children, adults, fellow diners) would be happier with. After all, no small child, regardless of age, wants to be told to sit still 100 times during a 2 1/2 hour dinner service and no parent wants to say it 100 times (and parents who don't bother shouldn't be in there either if they are so clueless as to not try to correct the behavior of their offspring). It is all about the way children are brought up and how they behave in public. It is my experience when I see children generally acting terrible in public that their parents do not spend anytime correcting their behavior either because they don't know any better or because the are so wrapped up with themselves that they don't even notice their little hellions throwing bread crumbs and butter pats. Take em when they express an interest and when YOU think that they are ready. Make a big damn deal out of it. Make sure that they know that it is a big deal. Tell em how much it costs ("Sweetheart, this meal is really important and you should know that. You should also know that this is going to cost more than a playstation and 3 new games. Please behave like a good little girl and we will do it again soon. If you misbehave you will have to grow up and get a job before you see the inside of this place again" ) and that it is a very special deal to you and you are thrilled to have them along. Make the child feel like a grown up. I had great luck doing something similar (I have to admit that my little lecture was a bit more threatening. Something along the lines of "If you wanna go to Military School here is your big chance, bubba. Screw this up and you will be marching around in circles before you know it" ) and now have both of the boys suitably broken in. They know how to eat, know which fork to use, and know not to make bad noises when they see a waiter at Galitoires trundling out the esargot service for a nearby diner (it's a long story, but they REALLY HATE that stuff). We don't do it all the time, because they would rather go to Joe's Dreyfuss than Emeril's, but I know if I need to I can depend on them to behave. But I would never have done this before many dining experiences in places where it didn't matter, frankly, if they spent the whole night running around. THey got used to sitting and they got interested in food as something more than just something to fill up on. Please keep the kids at home until everybody is ready to act decently and not bother everybody else. We will all be glad you did.

I skipped a "get" My mother gave me a fabulous 50th anniversary edition of the Waring Blender. I have coveted hers (she actually has two that might be 50 years old and would not share under any circumstances, so I suppose she was trying to avoid an inevitable theft ) and this thing is exactly like it. Two speeds, cool deco canister, all chrome. I was very pleased.