indiagirl

6 lentil types, 2 peppercorn types, 3+ flour types, 30+ spices, 2 rice types, etc Most of the stuff gets stored in mason jars. Some of the stuff gets stored in french style jars of which I have 3-4 large ones. The larger flour bags get the giant tupperware stuff. The spices sit in smaller mason jars that are shaped like glasses. Rice goes in the other giant tupperware contained because I use it so much. The leftover rice (10-20 pound bags are what I typically buy) goes on a shelf in the laundry room. I'm not happy about that. The leftover stuff goes in a wine crate that I attached rollers to. It now sits at the bottom of the front closet which got converted into a pantry. Empty tupperware containers go into a similar wine crate. They sit there at the bottom of the not quite pantry pretending to be not quite drawers. I used to have a list of everything I stocked pasted on my pantry door (before I converted it into dinnerware only and moved all my food stuffs into the kitchen closet, but that's another story), and when I used something and ran out, I would make a little mark next to it so that I remembered to get it the next time. I've been teased mercilessly about that - I don't do it anymore.......

One more for me, Maggiethecat. And atleast 25 for Saveur who is storing them at my place while he lives it up in Paris, the dog. Perhaps I shan't give them back. How much farther do we have to travel?

Forgot to say - Suvir, good to hear from you. Feels like it's been a while.

Thanks for the links - interesting threads those - wish I'd been there. Just ordered the Achaya book. Will post a review when I am done. If I ever get done, I'm a little daunted by the purported dryness.

P2, did it have the roots still on? Otherwise the planting in water prolly won't help. Hvae you tried just wrapping it in a wee bit of newspaper loosely and leaving it in the fridge? Welcome to eGullet, BBhasin.

Wilfrid, you're a genius.

Wow, fresh turmeric. I am SO jealous. I wish I could find some. You can make quick indian pickles with turmeric root - don't have a recipe on hand but it's for exact proportion but it's real easy - lemon juice, fenugreek, salt, a touch of sugar. About your other question - You're right - it is used as a dried spice most commonly in India -I think the flavors of the two forms are quite different. Also, I suspect, since it is most commonly used to season oil in tarkas, the powdered form is better. Believe it or not, most Indians are not fond of the flavor of "raw" turmeric. It has to be fully "cooked" by the oil. It is almost never added after the vegetables, etc. Am I being clear at all? This is what it looks like, right? http://www.foodsubs.com/Ginger.html#turmeric Now, about the stains. You know this is the first I've ever heard of fresh turmeric staining teeth. I'll ask my Mom about it but the best I can think of now is baking soda or something like that. And now, The Camille, the better part of the story, please?

Cheeseburger.

The Mobius Strip threads on eGullet - which discuss heirarchies of cuisines and are found in the General Food Section under various guises such as How to Approach an Unfamiliar Cuisine, the Measure of All Things - have led me to seek official documented histories of Indian Cuisine. There seem to be thousands of such books about European cuisine which traces the origins of it, the entry of various influences, ingredients and techniques, the priorities, the passions, the prejudices ...... What I know about Indian cuisine and it's development is from growing up there and a little from translated bits of the Vedas. Does anyone know of a book about the history and development of Indian cuisine?

As it happens, we chose a disturbing one to discuss here. Try Googling "Amos Lee King".

I believe you. It's totally possible, I know, I'm an automotive engineer.

Either way, innocent or guilt (and that's a political discussion we aren't supposed to get in to here) what I don't get is what possible reason there could be for them to be so petty? It's his meal, for crying out loud. What possible reason could they have to refuse it? That it sets a bad example? And then there is the inconsistency, which leades me to think this is some petty whim that we are reading about - if he got the meal the first two times, why not the third time? Also, just to point out, the article did not say anything about him complaining about it.

Interesting article. How petty. Also, a link The thread where we dicussed the TDCJ website

I think the site was down last night. It's up now, here's a copy and paste: http://www.zingermans.com/Index.pasp Glad you like the article.

Basildog, not to rub salt but check out this deli. They stock some of the best stuff and may be a good source of ideas. They're really enthusiastic about food and it shows. http://www.zingermans.com It was recently reviewed in Inc. as one of the coolest small businesses in America. http://www.inc.com/magazine/20030101/25036.html

Mango, limes. Raspberry, honey and a touch of lime. Are neighborhood juice bar used to serve Citrus Sunshine - Oranges, lemons and Grapefruit.

Went to a wonderful olive oil tasting on Wednesday. They served nine different kinds of oil. Gorgeous stuff. Some things I learned that have not already been mentioned here: Cold pressed olive oil is what one should look for. It does not extract the oil using heat and so the flavor and the anti-oxidant quality is preserved. Extra virgin olive oil only stipulates the acidity (less than 1%) - not how it is achieved. This means that some brands use chemical processes to neutralize the acidity - they are not required to declare this on the packaging by law. Ask the store if you're unsure. Pure olive oil is the worst kind. General consensus was that Colavita, which is reasonably priced, is a good reliable brand for everyday use. I'll list the oils I tasted in a few minutes.

ScottishChef, missed you! i know this guy on eGullet - he lives in Scotland and makes Indian/Pakistani food for a take out (or is it a restaurant?). he gets to design his own menus. Some guys have all the luck :) So share the menu with us, like Simon said.

like, whatever.

Thank you for giving me a mention, Indiagirl oh no. macro-san. oh dear. if i had emoticons they would be: embarassed tentative smile :? may i please please go back and rephrase that? ... most of the research in how saliva stimulation retards taste mechanisms is done on senior citizens with saliva generating deficiencies related to illness and drug side effects. still friends? :)

India Girl - This is a false statement. Presentation cannot make food taste better. What it can do is improve the dining experience, and that can influence how you react to the food. But it can't make it taste any better. It can just make you like it more. Uuuh. uhhhh. Thanks Steve. For the clarification. I really had no idea what this thread was about. Just blabbering as usual. Don't mind me.

Macrosan, I think the scientific research is relevant - what I read over the last few pages before I ventured to post was a volley - the molecules don't change, so what, the molecules don't change, but taste does. My point with what shall henceforth be called the Spit Sequence was - actually, even the molecules change. It is relevant. Also, I don't think it's like saying deaf people hear things differently. It's quite different actually. Also, while your Beethoven example may be self evident, drawing the taste conclusion based on it is not. Here's why: If everytime you saw blue jeans, your ear drums became a little thicker, and you processed sound differently, your music analogy would work. I think if you used a yellow chick egg cup instead of plate it would. :) Seriously? Yes, I think it could. It would not work for me, it may not work for you, but if it did work for someone and it made their mouth water than it would taste better to them, no? The only reason I brought up the people with faulty taste mechanisms was because most of the research in how saliva stimulation retards taste mechanisms is done on senior citizens with deficiencies. No other relevance. I agree with you here, on every point. If you could say "lemon" to a person and it made them salivate and it improved the taste of whatever they next put in their mouth, would you not say that judicious use of the word "lemon" could enhance their dining experience? :) In response to the latter part of your paragraph - yes, it's a random response but also, there are also certain things that trigger common responses. That's what restaurants and food ads are trying to tap into. Further, whether the presentation technique will work for every diner is not guaranteed but that it is not in discussion here - what's in discussion here is will it affect the taste? And I think your saying this: Yes, it can affect the taste but there is no guarantee that it will. I agree. It appears to me that what we are discussing on this thread was whether or not appearance was a variable. I think we all agreed, yes. Then we talked about whether it was a *real* variable or whether it was something only the stupid, peer pressured mass of humanity bought into. My response to that was to attempt to demonstrate that the fact that how one tastes something has been biologically proven to be affected by saliva, which in turn is affected by multiple sensory stimuli. i.e. in a rare defense of the teeming masses on eGullet I wanted to prove that everybody is affected by how food looks and smells. I think Cabrales summed it all up beautifully in her first couple of posts. My position is no different, if less eloquent: Forget extremes: crap served to look gorgeous. They prove nothing. Nobody is discussing that. I'm sticking with what I said: Presentation can make good food taste better and bad food taste worse. FG's immediate translation of that into "presentation can make bad food taste good" is not a valid inference. My first post showed a series of equations, I'm still wondering about those. Objectivity in tasting to me is this - I'm in a restaurant. A dish is being bought out. Placed on the table, the smell and presentation make my mouth water or stimulate me intellectually and make me more aware or concentrate on the dish more. I objectively make a note of that, give the restaurant points/kudos whatever for trying to tip the scales and then eat. Objectivity is not becoming an automaton, it is understanding the inevitable psychological and physiological influences that are in play and filtering them through reason, if needed. I will not succumb to the image being parlayed in some of the posts here - of being some mindless blob in a restaurant where if they served every meal with my grandma's photo on top, I would think it tasted wonderful. But neither will I be an automaton in a restaurant where if they served every meal so that it was designed to stimulate all my senses, I would not recognize it's impact on the taste of the food. Sigh. I think I need to change my sig file to: Long posts remain unread.

Here, I'll help.

those sound lovely. from a purely customer point of view, i usually have dessert if: a. the last taste in my mouth demands it! there are some meals that beg to be finished with a dessert, a tossed pasta dish is one (rather weak) example i can come up with right now. b. i've still got room entrees that are not sized to feed a family, i think, go a long way to ensuring dessert space. i know down sizing an entree is not necessarily a good idea but i prefer restaurants that serve me a little less food soo i can have a dessert without the guilt of wasting. c. it looks good, ofcourse.

i had the most divine gelato last night - gianduja - bitter chocolate, hazelnut