Squeat Mungry

Thus my question. Why does a clothes washer remove bacteria from a dish rag when a dishwasher doesn't seem to remove bacteria from a sponge? Hmmm. I don't use sponges (I use those plastic scrubby things), but I do wash my dishrags in the laundry. I always use the hot cycle and bleach. I may be kidding myself, but I assume that combo will take care of me. Squeat

I'm very sorry I wasn't able to attend Varmint's pig-pickin', as I'm an old east-NC boy (Bladen County) and really miss east-NC barbeque! Here in San Francisco, the only available barbeque is memphis-style, and it is too sweet for my tastes. When I was growing up, the publicly-expressed consensus among my extended family and their friends was that the only edible barbeque was homemade, and that the stuff available at the stands/restaurants was strictly for tourists. Privately, however, each individual seemed to have one special roadside stand they relied on when they needed a quick fix! Cheers, Squeat

Nice handle, mfkWisher! My handle on another forum (eek!) is MFKFowler! And welcome! Squeat

There's one here in San Francisco at the Embarcadero Hyatt. Go for drinks and the view -- skip the food. WHY is it that good view = bad food? The food at the Cliff House sucks too. Squeat

Cream cheese and watercress on white. Cream cheese and olives on wheat. Butter, ham and romaine on a baguette. Peanut butter and dill pickles, with or without bacon, on white toast.

Greens'n'grits! We always had these growing up whenever we had pork chops. (There would also be some pork in the greens -- either ham hock or fat back.). My mom served the grits and greens separately, but I always mixed mine together. We usually had turnip or mustard greens, though, as my sister for some reason thought collard greens were 'beneath her'. Cheers, Squeat

Happy birthday, essvee, and thanks for the great detailed review! I haven't made it to Aqua yet for dinner (have had drinks there), but I do fondly remember Manrique's work at Campton Place back in the day. Your review moves it nearer to the top of my list. I'm glad you had a good time, and take my word for it: life really DOES begin at 40! Cheers, Squeat

bloviatrix, Do you have a favorite potato kugel recipe? If so, I'd love to see it. TIA, Squeat

Well, I finally saw it last night, though after the Yankee's series loss and the 49er's embarassing performance in the desert, I'll admit I had been self-medicating a bit with the scotch. I had heard it started off like some of his market scenes from his PBS show, and it did -- but what I hadn't realized was that they were night shots. Some voice inside of me (or was it the scotch) kept saying, "...the Dark Side..."!

I once went on a road trip with a good friend and her then-new boyfriend. This guy would memorize the price of his entree from the menu, and at the end of the meal deposit exactly that amount on the table as his contribution. No tax, no tip, no money for his beverage. She pretended not to notice, and quietly made up the difference. No idea if he still does this, because I now see this friend only sans partner. (She ended up marrying the guy -- none of her friends can stand him to this day.) Squeat

Triple Rock? That's it! Haven't been there in years, but I seem to remember having some good chili in there. Thanks! Squeat

What is that bar across the street from Chez Panisse only a block or so over that's been there forever? I seem to remember some good pub grub in there... Oh great, now I won't rest until I can dislodge the name. Squeat

Nope, completely different. I used to like the Juanita's in downtown Oakland, but the owner is a bit too creepy. Whenever I go with female coworkers, he jibes about the salsa "putting hair on their chests", and if someone orders coke instead of pepsi, he repeats "caca?" just to make sure he heard you right. Good food, but the guy's a jerk. I'd rather head south three blocks to Mi Casa (upstairs in a nightclub). Better (albeit simpler) food, and a lot less crowded. Hey, Merle, Thanks for the info. You know, that guy at Juanita's downtown is a bit of a jerk. His humor has put me off more than once as well. He seems to be a misogynist, but, oddly enough (or maybe not), not a homophobe. It's really too bad, because the food there is quite good. Squeat

I have never been to Juanita's in Alameda, but I wonder, is it related to the Juanita's on Webster (I think, either that or Franklin) near 17th in downtown Oakland? I like that place for lunch. Squeat

The last job I had before I got this one (and before the entire year of being unemployed) was for a dot-com start up in SOMA here in San Francisco. The office was in what had formerly been a photography studio and included a fully equipped high-end kitchen (six-burner Wolf range, etc... this place even had a salamander!). Word got around that "Squeat can cook" and I wound up cooking full lunches almost every Friday for between 4 and 10 people. By the end, I had also been talked into giving basic cooking lessons on Wednesday evenings. Boy, those were the days of too much venture capital and too little management smarts! That kitchen was always stocked with an entire range of snacks and beverages, including bagels, lox, cream cheese, chips, cookies, pretzels, yoghurt, fresh-roasted coffee, frozen pizzas and on and on! Plus, I kept the pantry full of basics like pasta, spices, etc. The office I work for now provides coffee and powdered non-dairy creamer. I keep saltines at my desk. Cheers, Squeat Edited to add that this place always kept wine and beer on hand for everyone, and kept a bottle of Dewar's on hand just for me!

Bacon cheeseburger at Bistro Burger in downtown Oakland. Love that place 'cuz they use Niman beef AND they'll actually cook it RARE for you! Squeat

Tons of Korean here in the SF Bay Area, too. Especially Oakland.

Candy-coated popcorn, peanuts and a prize! That's what you get with... ...CrackerJack! http://pw1.netcom.com/~jeepers/jingle.html Also (and this may only be west coast US): Bum, Bum, Bumblebee Bumblebee Tuna I love Bumblebee Bumblebee Tuna Bum, Bum, Bumblebee Bumblebee Tuna I love a sandwich made with Bumblebee!

One more for me. When I got home last night, Patricia Well's Trattoria (snagged off eBay) was waiting for me. Squeat

Even worse is the bills, receipt, coins Napolean! Not only do you have to figure out how to get the coins where they go, the bills where they go, but then you have to do something with the damn meaningless scrap of paper! Cheers, Squeat

Roasted, peeled chestnuts are delicious sauted in bacon fat with parboiled brussels sprouts. At the end, add back in the crisped bacon and a splash of red wine vinegar. Cheers, Squeat

This is my favorite soup, although I prefer it made with fatback.

Yeah, that Stephen Jay Gould couldn't write worth a whit. First of all, apologies to Jason and everyone. I HAD meant for that post to be about food, but the suggestion that had me so addlepated I posted prematurely!So about the food. Saturday is usually my Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market day, unless I need to buy coffee as I indeed did on Saturday, in which case I head over to North Beach. Yes, I have lived in San Francisco for over 20 years, but I've been a loyal Yankee fan for over 40! Sometimes it's lonely and tough being a Yankee fan here. Case in point, the guy at the coffee store (Graffeo) gave me cheese about my Yankee's cap. This cap gets a lot of people asking questions because the white top-stitching on the front, instead of the usual "NY" logo, has the Hebrew characters for "Yankees"! (And it IS an official MLB cap.) Well, this guy was cleverer than most people who ask me about it (Most popular questions are "What's your hat say?" and "Is that Arabic?" (??)), and caught the word "Yankees" in English on the smaller top-hat logo on the side. So he asks me if it's a Marlin's cap... grrr. I smile politely, say "Yankees" and place my order for a pound of half-and-half. As I'm leaving, he says, "Go A's!" Whatever. It's the world's best coffee. Anyway, since I was in North Beach I stopped at Molinari's and got a pound of their deservedly renowned domestic prosciutto (no, I'm not Jewish -- I happened upon the cap when I was learning the Hebrew alphabet and of course had to have it!) and some provolone. Then I stopped at Liguria bakery for some of their equally deservedly renowned focaccia. So that's what I had for Saturday's game: prosciutto and provolone open-face sandwiches toasted on focaccia in the toaster oven. (I'm stove impaired at the moment and having to be quite creative.) It was so good I had the same thing for Sunday's game. For tomorrow, I'm thinking something a little more World-Seriesy... I could order in from Escape From New York pizza, but their quality control has declined so dismally in the past few months I might wind up with nothing edible. I'm thinking I'll get some kosher franks and broil 'em up in the ol' toaster overn. Let's Go, Yankees! PS Yes SethG, I am eaten up with envy!

Bloviatrix, I'm glad you mentioned the Ehrenreich book. I think everyone should read both that and Fast Food Nation to understand what's up with the corporate chains and poverty and health issues in this country. I won't bring up my opinions on Bayless again, as I have decided to shut up until I can put up, but I did want to add my endorsement for this book. Editted fer speling.

I'm with Marlena on this one. I love garlic, but not the nastiness at Stinking Rose. That place literally reeks. It must have improved at least somewhat if Jason and Rachel enjoyed the food, but I have sworn never to go back. Cheers, Squeat