ExtraMSG

I thought he was just implying a bunch of fat cats and premier donors and delegates would be on the ship. Hmm. I just looked up figures and according to CNN there were 45,000 attendees to the convention in 2000. I really doubt they'll all be on one ship in 2004.

Unlike many businesses, they maintained revenue growth throughout the poor economy that hurt most of the big companies. If you look at Wal-Mart's profit and loss statements, even they've had quarters of decreasing net profits. McDonald's revenue has consistently grown while they've been gobbling up businesses and expanding them. Chipotle had revenue growth of 53%. No analyst questions whether McDonald's will continue to dominate. (btw, that article was from May and McDonald's has consistently improved its performance since then. March was it's low for the 52 week period.)

I understand complaining about McDonald's from a culinary standpoint, but from a business standpoint? Compare the likely success of them opening a store anywhere to that of any independent and complaints about their business models should just fade away. They're not trying to revitalize their brand through these other ventures. They're trying to diversify their business interests, which is almost always an intelligent business decision. It's like Disney teaming with Pixar. They're not trying to revitalize Disney's name, they're hedging their bets on the future of animation (and considering how well Pixar has done and how well Chipotle is doing, both seem to be making smart decisions).

Aren't Asians way more inclined to be lactose intolerant?

It's typical that government gets involved when it's not needed anymore. Most restaurants where it matters go non-smoking or have a very segregated smoking area. Truck stops and bars, of course, will never give up smoking until forced. But big wup. As a non-smoker who never has and never will smoke, I still thinks it's bad law. More annoying to me are the people who rudely stand in front of doorways smoking so that I have to walk through their fumes. I don't think it should be illegal, but it doesn't surprise me that people want to ban even smoking on sidewalks. Ben Franklin, I think, was asked what kind of government we have after the convention. He answered something like: "A Republican if you can keep it." In other words, good government demands some level of responsibility by the citizenry. Be rude, take advantage of loopholes, light security, etc, and you'll get bars on windows, cops on street corners, a whittling away of the 4th and 5th amendments, and more and more authoritarian governement. These anti-smoking laws are just part of the trend that develops from people being selfish and rude.

Italian is just easier. Most of what people are making is Italian-American. Boil some pasta, add a canned sauce, maybe some steamed or sauteed vegetables and you're done. And cheese. Don't forget cheese. The emphasis on the tomato, too, makes for flavor without much effort. I imagine with the same skill set most people would make a lot of bland dishes if they cooked French. Didn't Moulton work for her or something? I have a weird thing for Moulton that I can't explain. I'd say it's Oedipal but she looks nothing like my mom. She has a knack for pointing out the emperor has no clothes. I wonder what she thinks of "small plate" dining. Not tasting menus, but the expansion of the tapas concept to non-Spanish food. Amen. I tried this with yellow jackets when I was kid. Same result though they eventually explode. I didn't try to eat it. Both sound good to me. I've had endive cooked similarly at Carafe in Portland and it was fabulous. What good American doesn't like green vegetables covered in cheese sauce? Broccoli would disappear from the supermarket without cheese.

Probably right. It was my first reaction: get away from the media. I imagine some is an immature political game over pork (not the good kind, like bacon) as well. From the article: As a Republican, DeLay isn't my favorite representative of the party. But people like him are probably necessary evils keeping the minions in line and the fat cats well greased. There are certainly plenty of them in both party. But you do have free room service 24/7 and buffets galore on cruise ships (at least the one I've been on). To many people that's more important than quality.

I did a bit of a taco crawl in Sacramento not too long ago. They've got some good options. You can find it on Chowhound, here: http://www.chowhound.com/california/boards...sages/9814.html Definitely go up Franklin and you'll find plenty of great little spots. I would highly suggest these: Carniceria Lopez La Esperanza Mexicana or Esperanza panaderias. Also, if you're up on 80 at all, try Zarape. I really like that place. The below crawl thread has some excellent information as well. Mariscos Mazatlan seems like a good option if you like seafood with a Mexican accent: http://www.chowhound.com/california/boards...ages/10151.html

I'm amazed a linguistic thread is getting so much play. Maybe some of those college classes will actually come in handy, if I didn't have the memory of a salad spinner (ie, it expells its contents and is rather useless anyway).... Exactly. In this way it is kind of like "modern" or "modernist" art, which refer to works produced over a half century ago. Of course, the term 'avant-garde" technically refers to a specific artistic movement. So complaining about the term "nouvelle cuisine" as such puts you in the same boat as using "avant-garde". But words are really just empty shells that gain meaning as we use them. "Avant-garde" has been used for decades as more than just a technical term just as Kleenex means more than a specific brand. This seems like an odd thing to say -- imposing English implications, connotions, and nuance on Spanish. Really what we need are a couple native Spanish speaking gastronomes to tell us how people already refer to such things. Looking through google.es, it seems that either a long description is used, suggesting there is no proper phrase, in which case a French import is probably in order, or phrases using a combination of "alta" and/or "nueva" and "cocina" are used, suggesting that "new high cooking" may have more meaning than it would here. Like I said, I think Spanish tends to just impose new meaning on already existing words and phrases whereas we as English speakers like to have a unique, plus about 20 extra, signifier for everything signified so we borrow and invent words constantly. Not that Spanish doesn't borrow words, too, or invent words, it just seems like they're much less likely to. So we shouldn't impose our predilection on their language. "Avant-garde", eg, is a word you would hear in very general contexts among any somewhat educated middle-class American. Or at least they would recognize it when they read it in a magazine. I don't know, though, that it's such a word in Spanish. Would it have specific meaning referring to the art movement? Would it feel archaic? Would it be clumsy and create blank stares? I don't know what the original purpose of the question was. Obviously, in English "avant-garde" is as good as anything to refer to places like El Bulli. But are we questioning what it should be called when we're speaking Spanish, eg, if we were in Spain and wanted to ask where to find avante-garde food like that cooked at El Bulli? "Conoce usted un buen restaurante que sirve 'avant-garde' comida o alta nueva cocina?" (Sorry to fluent speakers for the crappy high school level Spanish.)

Something us English speakers forget is how much more limited Latin-based languages really are. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I've heard a lot of people complain about learning English because it's such a mish-mash of Germanic and Latin and Greek words, plus the kitchen sink thrown in for good measure. We have 20 words for any one idea and few rules of grammar that don't have a hundred exceptions. I wonder whether that means there's more nuance in our language because we can always search for a better word and if we don't find one, just make one up, whereas Latin-based languages just use the same words for about a dozen similar things and if the word doesn't exist in Latin, then they just appropriate the foreign word, such as "beisbol". That may mean there's a lot more nuance in Latin languages, though, because you really have to understand the language to understand the meaning, a dictionary and thesaurus won't do. Anyone know how they refer to themselves? I saw a new one searching around through google.es: "La Comida del Futuro": The food of the future Somehow, I doubt that.

Wouldn't "nueva cusina" be more Italian? "Cocina nueva" or "cocina alta" or "alta cocina" or "nueva cocina" or "cocina alta nueva" are phrases I've seen in Spanish before. eg, from Travesias, a Mexican magazine (accents and tildas removed by me, sorry): However, in that same article they use some other phrases, such as: I'm not sure if deconstruction has the same philosophical implications in Spanish that it does in English and French, but I would think it does. Maybe an appropriate descriptor just as "post-modern" might be proper as well, though both are probably a little ... inappropriate for food (and certainly overused by academics). I think French words are appropriate for this sort of thing if only because nearly all avant-garde food in Europe and the US owes so much to France even when it's eclectic like El Bulli appears to be. I could be totally full of shit, though. My Spanish is mediocre at best.

I didn't participate in the food-making this year. But a hit this year was a butternut squash soup garnished with a tasty basil pesto.

"Nueve" would be Spanish for "nine" whereas "nueva" would be Spanish for "new". "Nouvelle" is French for "new". So that's what you can call it: newish stuff.

Soba, I think you're missing one of the best things about creme brulee: women love it. Creme brulee absent from a menu is one less way to get lucky. There should always be champagne, chocolate, creme brulee, and strawberries on every menu. Personally, I'm not interested by creme brulee. I've had some good ones (The Mansion at Turtle Creek in Dallas has an excellent one), but I don't order them. But other such dishes, pot de cremes, eg, panna cottas, and the like are very well liked by those considered experts in such things. It's no different than a steak, simply prepared lobster, oyster on the half-shell, a potato-leek soup, etc, etc, etc. Compexity and difficulty have no clear correlation with what's considered haute. I know some, like Fat Guy, have said that there are principles in cooking and dining that are recognized throughout the world, but I haven't seen it. I don't know what defines haute cuisine other than agreement. Some things seem to help, but there certainly isn't a formula you can rely on.

They have three basic recipes for cheesecakes depending on the texture you want: rich and cream, light and airy, or dense. The rich and creamy cooks the longest and has a water bath. Here's the changes for the other two: My guess is that you have instructions (and saw instructions) for two different types of cheesecakes. They do also have a recipe where they suggest checking for doneness (as said in the above post by Katherine) by using a thermometer. They suggest removing the cheesecake when the center reaches 150 degrees F. A cheesecake cracks at 160 degrees, apparently. They also say to let it only cool a few minutes and then to use a knife to cut it away from the sides of the pan or else it will crack as it cools.

Railhead isn't in the terminal. It's just not that far by car or taxi. There's a mid-level chain in DFW airport, but I can't remember which one and which terminal off-hand. But it has okay bbq. I'm sure someone else can pick up the slack (in my memory).

Even though it wasn't among the 50 restaurants on Willamette Week's top 107 that I haven't been to, I've really been wanting to try their fixed price dinner. I've only ordered ala carte there before. Damn! Damn! So good. The squash soup: excellent. Those black beans and walnuts: fabulous. The kimchee: great. The little crepe "tacos" with 8 different fillings: fantastic. The soy pot roast: yum. What an awesome deal, too. Seven courses for $25 with all the mini courses within the main course. And they were constantly asking us if we wanted more of the side dishes. Honestly, yes, but I was stuffed and didn't want to take advantage of their hospitality. The place wasn't full even with only 11 tables tonight, but 75% of the tables were populated by Asian girls with their caucasian dates. Love, keep my favorite Asian restaurant in Portland alive. Here's a report from my first visit that I put up on Chowhound:

Have you been back since? I'm wondering if they've maintained their quality.

So, I'm considering getting a Hattori as a gift for someone. What's the best source? Ebay?

Are you sure you'd want to eat cheese or be thinking about cheese at that point? Most certainly. Maybe some cheese, a granny smith, some dried cherries, and roasted hazelnuts. And a big bowl of ice cream. That'd be the dairy part of my last meal. And lactose intolerance be damned. If the execution scares the shit out of me, that's just my little present to those who killed me.

Well, that all depends. Alaska's fisheries haven't always been managed well. And imagine the pressure if they were essentially the only significant fishery, besides BC's, in North America and the price has skyrocketed 10 or 20 times. a) You'd certainly have consistent pressure from fisherman to increase limits, b) You'd certainly have more poaching. The "not as we know it today" is an important issue. Sometimes industries have to go through phases. Given the importance of farm-raised fish as a source of relatively low-cost seafood for people, don't you think something short of just tossing the salmon out with the seawater might be in order.

Exactly, fresco. What beans should be working for, imo, is resolution of the issues she finds problematic with farmed salmon, not the elimination of fish farming. I think Fat Guy has made some similar comments in another thread somewhere. I know beans has a bit of a personal stake, though, because, if I remember right, her grandfather was an Alaskan fisherman. But maintaining the status quo at the expense of not only the long term health of a species, but also of the world's population seems like a huge mistake. Generally these aren't either/or issues anyway. Commercial Alaskan fishing will not disappear, it just may be reduced to where only those who know the difference and especially want to pay a premium, such as nice restaurants and gourmets, will buy the troll caught and line caught open ocean salmon. Very similar issue, in my mind, to local/organic vs corporate/commercial farming. There's no reason corporate/commercial/GM farming can't feed the world (to borrow ADM's tagline) while those who have the luxury to care about the DNA in a tomato eat from their local farms.

Which 3 I couldn't do without is much different than which I enjoy the most. There are some that I use so often that they'd have to be the ones I can't do without. But they'd be very different maybe from the three I'd choose as my last three bites of cheese before execution. 3 I use the most: parmegiano reggiano feta gorgonzola 3 I would want a bite of before execution: gouda aged 4+ years (probably what tommy referred to) emmentaler Montgomery cheddar

Finally picked up some of Goya's masarepa, both yellow and white, and made my first arepas. I like them. Made the basic variety, not arepas dulces. For both, I just used 3:2 ratio of hot water to masarepa, plus a little salt. I let that sit in a covered bowl for a little bit, only 10 minutes was necessary, while it hydrated. When I put the water in initially it was like polenta consistency. Afterwards, it was more like a grainy mashed potatoes. I made balls which I flattened to about 1/4". I griddled those on a comal until speckled lightly brown on each side. It was essentially like making sopes in Mexican cooking. The white ones I then fried in lard. The yellow ones I served as they were. They were moist, but not mushy, on the inside and crisped on the outside. I served the white ones with a sautee of black beans, carmelized plantains, onions, and garlic seasoned with cumin, coriander, and all spice. Sort of Caribbean flavors. It's what I had in the pantry. I topped it with sour cream. The yellow ones I served with a braise of onions, garlic, diced carrots, poblano chile, tomatoes, tomato juice, and duck/chicken stock and pork shoulder all seasoned with bay, cumin, and coriander (seed). I also simmered the braise with two seeded guajillo chiles which I pureed in the juice and mixed back in to thicken the liquid. Again this is what I had in the pantry (the tomatoes, eg, were canned). Also, again I topped it with sour cream. I like them. I wouldn't refer to them as hockey pucks, but maybe mine weren't as dry and hard as they sometimes are. They're clearly distinct from corn-based flatbreads made with Mexican masa. And they're clearly distinct from corn-based flatbreads made from cornmeal (such as johnny cakes). I like them. I look forward to trying the sweet variety. Thanks for the help.

I'm not sure how it's handled in Alaska, but in most of the PacificNW, I believe hatchery fish have clipped fins indicating which is which. Truly wild fish can't usually be kept. This even extends often to trout on rivers like the Deschutes in Oregon. Those articles did all deal with Oregon or Washington, I think. But the woes of Oregon and Washington and Northern California could quickly become the woes of British Columbia and Alaska if farm-raised fish were eliminated. The pressure on those fisheries would greatly increase. The price for salmon would certainly increase making it much more desireable to poach, overfish, reduce regulations, etc.