Alex

OK, let's try again. Lured into a rabbit hole by this article in the NY Times, I just ordered a bottle—the brand weinoo posted on eG here—plus, just for the heck of it, a bottle of saba. Here's the updated Serious Eats article. As liuzhou posted in the same fish sauce forum, colatura di alici is used as a flavor enhancer, most famously in Spaghetti con la Colatura (one two). It's also used in salad dressings, especially Caesar. Any direct experiences here, either cooking or eating?

Gritty ghee:

Five minutes ago (via a crossword puzzle in The Atlantic) was the first I've heard about a "lasagna cell," aka "lasagna battery." Has anyone ever experienced this?

I think this is what happened. When the meat thawed, it realized it was situated in an entirely different magnetic field from where it started, so it tried to head back home. Unfortunately, only the water was able to escape in time.

And here's another example, related to the above, from this morning's Washington Post.

I know we're not supposed to discuss politics here, so I won't, sort of, but the first three pages of the full report are a perfect illustration of how politics (and economics) and food are inseparable.

Zingerman's annual "Balsamic Blowout" is back.

Nobody Likes Me

Ah, this one isn't soggy at all.

If by some twist of fate you find yourself in Chicago, Kristoffer's makes the best tres leches cake in the known universe.

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Ms. Alex is out of town), to accompany g-f penne with a simple ragu. (Yes, all three days for that, too. I made a lot.) Also nibbled on a little Parm-Reg before the pasta. ETA: The 2020 vintage was Wine Spectator's #9 wine of the year. This 2021 is one of Binny's (Chicago mega-retailer) Top 50 Under $50.

Picking up Real Food, Fake Food from the library next week. Currently making do with Invitation to a Banquet, by Fuchsia Dunlop.

A.Word.A.Day sends a compendium each Sunday that features selected feedback from its readers. Today, a physician wrote, "In medicine, an opsonin is a protein (like antibodies or complement proteins) that coats pathogens or debris, marking them for destruction (phagocytosis) by immune cells, essentially making them 'tastier' for engulfment."

Today's word is... Collins online defines it as "a person with an extreme enthusiasm for a particular food." The online OED requires a subscription.

Ditto

I have family in Philly and get there regularly. My reaction pretty much matched those above. Allow me to add Vedge and My Loup to gfweb's list.

Full story

There was a ceramicist in Dearborn, just outside Detroit, whose work I really liked. We still have many of her pieces, from a tiny vase to a huge serving platter. Most of what we have dates from the mid-80s to 2000. Here's a large mug (on the R), accompanied by another favorite, which reminded me of one C. Sapidus posted. (The mugs aren't tilted; I am. ) Here's the large serving platter. She also did one like this but with a nesting place in the center for a bowl holding chip dip. And here's a set of serving bowls plus a spoon rest.

We have that one, too -- along with four other plain red Waechtersbach mugs, two of which are so old they were made in West Germany.

Hey, I also used to have a Taylor & Ng mug (or maybe two or three)! I wish I still did—even though for the life of me I can't remember which ones.

As much as I like cats (most of them, anyway), I'm unpleasantly allergic, and Ms Alex has been very kind about not insisting we get one. (When we met, Katie the Cross-Eyed Kitty was her companion.) We also both like dogs (ditto), but neither of us is willing to dog-walk no matter what our Michigan weather throws at us. However, we've compensated by collecting, and being given, a menagerie of stuffed and otherwise inanimate animals—including some of our very favorite mugs. So, before I post the pics, I'll ask: What are your favorite mugs? (Photos, please, if you can.) Is there a story, even a short one, behind any of them? Weird Kitty and Silent Kitty Atomic Kitty and Jiji (from Kiki's Delivery Service) Wistful Kitty So they don't get bored, they can chase birds and fish. Action Kitty, Pusheen, and Hello Kitty (yes, I know she's a little girl) approve

A further reply:

He replied this morning: I sent an appreciative reply.

I also read this today. I promptly sent a message to our local fish and seafood wholesaler; they supply our major supermarkets: Their marketing manager promptly replied: I then replied with the URL from the Guardian, and asked: That was about 1:30 this afternoon. No response yet.

FWIW, here's the Washington Post's top 14 cookbooks of 2025.