Mayhaw Man

If this is the kind of thing that I can expect, I may be busy that weekend. ← Oh, I assure you that you'll be very busy. ← Seeing to the every need of Marlene and your Dad. I know which side my bread is buttered on.

If this is the kind of thing that I can expect, I may be busy that weekend.

For a man who has spent most of his career in the backwaters of the circuit, Dave certainly shows signs of an ability to trash talk in a big league fashion. He can talk the talk, but...

It's true that Brooks needs the practice. And the bribery. ← I'll be needing your parent's address. ← Do you need the address of the nearest Popeye's, too? ← For those of you who are unaware of the chicken frying situation, there is some information that might make things clearer, as Dave seems to be using subtle and not so subtle methods to take the world's eyes off of his recent and somewhat murky past: People are still talking about the "frosted flake" episode at the World Fryoff in Demopolis, AL last year. Apparently, in a last fit of panic, Dave ground up Frosted Flakes and used them as his flour mixture-thinking that any group of people that liked sweet tea that much would really enjoy sugary, crunchy chicken. There was a short supension after this episode . . . ← There was indeed a short suspension. What Brooks fails to mention is that he was the one suspended, not for an innovative technique that was merely a riff on John T. Edge's Sweet Tea Chicken, but for spiking his cooking medium -- by law it is limited to shortening, peanut oil or lard -- with horse fat. I have a photocopy, if anyone is interested in the truth, of the citation, which clearly shows Brooks's name in the "offender" slot, and, in the explanatory remarks section, the colloquial description of the offense itself: Belgianizing the bird. ← They never proved anything. The panel made their decision based completely on rumor.

It's true that Brooks needs the practice. And the bribery. ← I'll be needing your parent's address. ← Do you need the address of the nearest Popeye's, too? ← For those of you who are unaware of the chicken frying situation, there is some information that might make things clearer, as Dave seems to be using subtle and not so subtle methods to take the world's eyes off of his recent and somewhat murky past: People are still talking about the "frosted flake" episode at the World Fryoff in Demopolis, AL last year. Apparently, in a last fit of panic, Dave ground up Frosted Flakes and used them as his flour mixture-thinking that any group of people that liked sweet tea that much would really enjoy sugary, crunchy chicken. There was a short supension after this episode, but he was soon back on the circuit-the memories of the chicken judges being somewhat short thanks to clogged arteries and poor blood circulation to the brain. Early onset Alzheimer's is very common among professional chicken judges. This condition, known as "Fried Brains" is one of the many hazards that face the professional chicken judge on today's competitive judging circuit (the other is the constant shameless flirting of the octagenarian women who are often participants in the local events-something Dave is often unable to resist).

It's true that Brooks needs the practice. And the bribery. ← I'll be needing your parent's address.

So I guess the velcro system I planned on won't suffice?? Seriously though, Thanks for the physics lesson. I'll be sure to use a hot glue gun in conjunction with the velcro! Eric ← Oh sure, you go ahead and laugh, hot dog boy. But one afternoon you'll come back after making the deposits and there will be a big fat hole in the sheetrock and no fries prepped. All you will have is a fry masher on the floor and a lot of guilty looking prep guys. And when it happens, you'll not even be able to post about it, because you know that you won't be able to deal with the scathing ridicule that you will recieve here from this previously helpful audience.

Cardoons? Good Lord, Woman! Next you'll be wanting to fry the chicken in truffle oil. When one is traveling to a strange land it is best to try to blend in. If we wanted cardoons we would have growed them our ownselves. Let's just stick with the basics, please ma'am. edited to say: chicken fried in truffle oil would probably be pretty tasty.

I have worked a number of places that had these things, so I have a helpful hint: mount the thing like it is going to be in a war. Mount it like it is going to be used by dishwashers. Use bolts that are bigger than you need, put them all the way through the wall if possible, and put a plate on the backside of the wall to even out the load. It never occurs to first time users that these things are machines that do a pretty torque heavy job, and additionally, that they will likely be operated by non owners who aren't particularly concrerned with pulling the wall down. Whatever you do, don't even try mounting it into studs with screws. This will last about one sack of potatoes and then you will have no fries and 4 holes in your walls until you get them fixed. They are great units, but they can really do some damage if you don't set them up tight..

"Green Splodge" pretty much describes it, though you might want to back out a bit with the focus. If you do, you will then be able to see "green splodge with blue roof". It's amazing technology, though. I spent an hour with my 15 year old last night, who pretty much won't do anything with me for an hour other than play tennis, looking at cities and landmarks. The Great Wall, The Kremlin, D.C., New York, all of the places in the world that I have lived, Mt Everest, tons of pyramid sites , Mt St Helen's, Danali, Everest. I am just stunned by the technology. I especially like putting in a new destination and "lifting off" (youngest son's term) to go to the next destination. Moscow to Los Angeles in 10 seconds-and the on board meals served are much better than any airline today. Last night they served grilled pork chops and corn with asparagus and watermelon sorbet for dessert.

ceviche, gazpacho, smoked salmon with all of the side, caviar, sushi of various sorts, crudite with interesting dips, all kinds of great cheeses with breads of various sorts, various kinds of fruit and melon soups There are lots and lots of interesting dishes that never see a stove. You might also consider many of the things that come out of some of the more interesting raw food kitchens- Raw Food Recipes

34 48' 41.23" N 78 40' 41.23" W Dean is looking up and waving. Be polite and wave back.

Obviously you have not been following the trials of Enron and MCI officials, Dean. You would be better off having a large corporate ladder to take the heat for you in case the Puddin' scheme goes bad. You may want to rethink this strategy.

I'll help you out, but let's get one thing straight first, or there will be trouble later: A poboy is a sandwich A sandwich is a sandwich Poboy and sandwich need not be coupled together as a term, not should they be. Today's lesson in New Orleans speak is now over. Crabby Jack's is a fine spot for this delicacy. The real deal though, the one that they serve at Jazzfest, is at The Galley Restaurant in Metairie

My Mother

Would you like some delicious nutria or alligator meat for that VD business? It can't hurt, I don't think. ← Rodents are always good, so the nutria might work. Reptiles generally don't go in VD Stew -- well, not intentionally, anyhow. ← Tastes like chicken.

Alright Holly, I did you right in Birmingham and I will try to do so again. I logged hundreds of trips up and down this truly great rural highway in a two year period a few years ago (4 or 5 times a week for two years). About halfway between Jamul and Tecate is a little oasis (literally and figuratively) called Dulzura, CA In that town is a classic roadhouse that is at least 75 years old known as The Dulzura Cafe. They have great hamburgers but it's really all about the place and the drive. Take the time. If you decide to go that route, you can cross the border at Tecate (there are NEVER more than 3 cars in line, and that's during rush hour) and I can give you a giant list of places to go get some stains on your shirt that will make you very happy. There is some great food there. But either way, I highly reccomend that little side trip. Most San Diegans have never even been down 94 and they are really missing something great.

Brooks can you fill me in a bit on the entree prices at August? The menu looks awesome! ← It's in the high end of the range, but really, really worth it. John Besh is the real deal and his food, well, it's even realer. It will not be an outrageous evening, but it won't be cheap either. OTOH, I can't think of a high end place in NOLA that I would rather eat right now-and we have many, many choices. Here are a couple of reviews by people I know and trust_ Sara Roahen on August Brett likes it too. And he still likes it Here's how the competition stacked up, as rated in Beans, which are, after all, better than stars.

Would you like some delicious nutria or alligator meat for that VD business? It can't hurt, I don't think.

I don't believe that Dean will refuse the beer. Ever. Welcome to eGullet. Any friend of Dean's is, well, a friend of Dean's. We won't hold that against you, though. I'm bringing some Abita, as well. A little beer, a little root beer. I'll see what fits in the truck.

Heh, I have this lawyer buddy of mine who keeps me supplied with Blenheim's (love that hot!) and Cheerwine (I find the diet flavor to be one of the best diet drinks on the planet). Perhaps you should try to cultivate some new friends in NC like the ones that I have. They take great care of me.

I've got the five gallon thing. In fact, if you let me know what else you need, I can always throw it into the back of the 18 wheeler that I am coming in. Seriously, I have 5 or 6 sets of restaurant pan sized chafing dishes if there is a need.

I might have a friend. What you should do is go to your local library and get a copy of the first Foxfire book. The best description of simple, pot type, distillation that you will ever see is there. My friend built his first still completely from those diagrams and had huge success with those designs. This was long before the internet began to be a resource, so it was all he could find at the time. After you read that, and get all excited, you will find that there are a number of online resources that can help expand your knowledge. You also might want to look online for a copy of "The Blue Flame". This is the book that someone at ARAMCO put out in the Fifties to tell it's employees how to make simple distilled beverages. It's a pretty fascinating thing, considering that they were telling their employees how to do something that at best would have gotten them deported and at worst could have gotten them jailtime or worse. It's a fun hobby, but not one you can exactly advertise to your friends. There is nothing legal about it in the US. It is NOT homebrewing.

The other thing to consider with the commercial units (I looked at them pretty hard, as I could get them pretty inexpensively, given that I live in New Orleans and we have a couple of really good used equipment dealers here) is the amount of heat that they throw off. The split units are great, but that means that there is that much more heat being given off. If you live somewhere that is generally cool, this might be an advantage, but if you live in a 100 year old, more or less uninsulated, house in the Gulf South of North America, more heat is not something that you need. Hell, we don't even bake in the Summer that often (not at all right now, as my kitchen is a train wreck under construction) and the additional heat from big commercial units would be intolerable. I also looked at putting in a small walk in with a reach in front. Seriously. I have the space for it and it seemed like a good idea, but the energy cost was going to be out of site. It would have been neat though. Maybe on the next go round. For those of you looking to go commercial, you might actually explore the option of used gear-many, many places go out of business before they can tear the stuff up and the leasing companies and equipment dealers have them "priced to move"

Exactly. Brooks "Natty" Hamaker