therese

Pretty much any restaurant recommended by a hotel concierge just about anywhere. I'll actually make a point of asking the hotel concierge where to go just so I'll know what places to avoid (particularly irritating to tip for this information). Hotel doormen are more reliable sources. Cabbies usually have great suggestions. Bartenders ditto.

Woohoo! Muscadines/scuppernongs are back in season. Those of you who've seen them but not yet tried them should do so (I give directions up thread). Tant pis for anybody who doesn't have ready access.

No marinating necessary. Thread them on the skewers (thread three or four on one skewer and then go back and push the other skewer through---having them on two skewers means they can't spin around and will lay flat on the grill). Brush or spray with fat of your choice, salt, and grill. They're done when you think they're done---probably five minutes each side on a pretty hot grill, but your mileage may vary. Some of the, um, "goo" will leak out of the skewer holes (make sure when you trim the stems that you don't open the pods; you can see some of the leakage as the white froth in my pic) but this prep is generally non-sticky. Okra are in season here in Georgia, so I'm getting lots in my CSA. The other half of my breakfast was fresh figs, also from my CSA. [edit to fix a preposition]

What I had for breakfast: Okay, so they weren't really supposed to be for breakfast, they were supposed to be for lunch later today (along with zipper pea salad and squash casserole) but they didn't make it that far. Oh well. Guess I'll have to slice some cucumbers and tomatoes instead.

Great memories of eating at A&W. We lived in Keokuk, Iowa at the time, and the A&W was somewhere that required a bit of a drive (though I've no idea how far this really was, as I was pretty young). I always got a chili dog, but then was confronted with a very difficult decision: a regular size root beer or a little tiny root beer? The advantage of the little tiny root beer was that I got to keep the darling little A&W mug, the advantage of the regular size root beer was that I was unlikely to die of either choking or dehydration. I hated eating in the car, as a chili dog is not a tidy thing to consume, and to this day will eat in a car, moving or not, under only the most extreme conditions.

I never developed an aversion to McDonald's food, but I have no trouble whatsoever resisting popcorn at the cinema: foul, foul food in every respect. It came in enormous trashbags that we dumped into the warmer before opening for the first show. Butter came in a large plastic jug. God, did I ever hate cleaning out the butter dispenser---fiddly bits that could end up down the drain, and the smell of the butter and the soap...bleah. I was, fortunately, spared the task of actually popping the corn myself.

Agree, sweet corn the grill's the bomb. Also made of corn, if not what most people think of as a vegetable, is polenta: sliced into slabs big enough to not fall through into the heat source, of course. Eggplant and onions (choose broad ones and slice in half) both easy and tasty. Okra can be skewered (thread them onto two skewers to keep them from spinning) and grilled. Only if you like okra, of course.

Remember learning how to bag an order? Which size bag to choose, what went in first, etc.? On those rare occasions when I visit McDonald's I still look to see whether trays are assembled in the correct order (from coldest to hottest). I think one of the things that I liked about the job was that it rewarded me for being both obsessive and efficient. In the drive thru I used a foot pedal-driven microphone. I now use a foot pedal-driven dictaphone, and still find myself wanting to say "Good evening and welcome to McDonald's. Can I take your order please?" everytime I use it. Old habits die hard. [edited because I actually had to go use the foot pedal to recall exactly what it was I had to say in the drive thru---brains are very weird things]

I much preferred (and still do) Wendy's hamburgers because they were more like hamburgers my mother and grandmother made. McDonald's didn't have tomatoes at that time, and tomatoes are a crucial part of the hamburger experience for me. And of course the weird shredded lettuce and rehydrated onion bits were not too appealing. Our store was right down the street from a Wendy's, and the true aficionados would go to Wendy's to get their hamburger and then drive by McDonald's to get their fries (because Wendy's fries sort of sucked). Our dining room was downstairs in the basement, so customers would sometimes sneak Wendy's burgers in so as to enjoy their McDonald's fries alongside while they were still fresh.

Basil subs nicely for mint in lots of things. Recently had something described as a Suntini (sort of like a Long Island Iced Tea) made with basil.

McDonald's (the store I worked in, anyway) was actually quite clean (because we cleaned every minute that we weren't waiting on somebody) and so grease and associated odors weren't really a problem. One of the reasons I liked the job was that the shift went by very quickly, unlike the endless tedious hours at the cinema. But the cinema was way better for my social life: no switchblades, but pretty much all of my dates started after 11 p.m.

A recent viewing of "Supersize Me" reminded me that I actually used to work there. Not my very first job (which was cashier at a cinema when I was fifteen), but I did work there for about two years, my last two years of high school (at the same time that I also worked at another cinema---surprising I did so well in school now that I think of it). Anyway, not a bad job for a student. I was a cashier, working either the in-store counter or the drive thru window. Working the drive thru window was considered a particularly good job at the time, as I had a runner to fetch hot food when it got really busy and the cash register was computerized instead of the old mechanical ones in the rest of the store (where you had to figure out tax in your head and count back change rather than the amount being automatically calculated by the register---very good for developing math skills, actually). Food was half price for employees. As a student my hours were limited, so I didn't necessarily need to eat a meal while I was there, but I did eat it when it was available. I remained as thin as ever, but then I was running my ass off. My brother worked at Arby's. To this day neither he nor anybody else in our family will touch Arby's. He smelled so bad after a shift there (he cooked) that my mom would make him sit on a blanket in the car while she drove him home (he was only 15) with the car windows rolled down. He had to strip down in the garage, put his clothes (including his underwear) directly into the washing machine, and then go shower. Any other eGulleteers out there with a similarly checkered past?

Apricot bars. I don't have a recipe, but my mom made them lots and there's probably more than one out there. Base sort of shortbread-y (I'm not sure if this layer is made separately or is produced in the course of baking), topped with very dense (and intense) dried apricot and nut mixture, finished with powdered sugar. Amazingly good.

Just had one of these experiences myself, dining at Seeger's in Atlanta. One of the few places around that still insists on a jacket for men, very hushed dining room, etc. We remaining diners staged a mini revolt, deciding that we'd just talk over him. It worked well, and was certainly the most fun I've ever had dining at Seeger's, but dinner would have been ruined if we hadn't all been willing to play along. I related this story to a friend who'd been dining at another nice (but not nearly so upmarket) restaurant in Atlanta the same evening, and he commented that his meal had been disturbed (though not ruined) by a six month old. I pointed out that I'd have traded in a heartbeat, as a six month old is at least potentially quiet and almost certainly attractive (two things our fellow diner most definitely wasn't).

Atlanta, Georgia featured: Potatoes Garlic Zipper Peas Purple Pole Beans Okra Cucumbers (conventional and lemon) Zucchino (just one, and it was yellow) Eggplant Sweet Corn Tomatoes (double share, one counting as fruit until figs come in) Pattypan Squash Basil I splurged and spent an additional $10 on figs from Cimino Farm (one of the many vendors at the Morningside Market where I pick up my CSA).

Well, Harry's dream died, but the business on which Harry's dream was based, Your Dekalb Farmers Market, is going great guns. Originally Harry and his brother Robert ran DFM together, but there was some sort of falling out and Robert ended up with DFM while Harry headed off to build an empire. Or not. There are two Whole Foods within easy driving distance of my house (about the same distance as DFM is from my house), but I use them rarely. On those few occasions when I have resorted to WF (one of them's next to a large book store, another's fairly convenient to work) I routinely leave furious, frustrated at the staff's lack of education ("Marsala? Is that a cheese?" "No, it's a type of wine." "Did you look in the wine section?" "Yes, I looked in the wine section. Are you familiar with the wine section?" "Yes, I work in the wine section." "So I guess you don't have Marsala, since you've never heard it." "Uh, yeah.") and crap processed food. DFM's biggest problem is the hordes of tourists on the weekends. Visit if you happen to be in the area, but please avoid blocking the aisles. Hey, maybe we could do a little exercise: give me a grocery list and I'll see how closely I can match it without running all over hell's half acre.

Yes, they are actually hemostats. Or, as you point out, a roach clip. Forceps would look like either salad tongs or barbecue tongs (or tweezers if very small). Also called pickups.

I'm guessing they're for pulling pesky little bones from fresh fish. Here's hoping for really nice weather, Dave. Looking forward to the blog.

The down side to living in Paradise. Still sounds like Paradise to me.

I, too, shop at Publix, Therese, and at several others as well ... but would it hurt for a TJoe's to open here as well? and this is not only about Atlanta ... ← Don't get me wrong, I think it would be cool if Trader Joe's entered the Atlanta market, but I don't think the issue is Trader Joe's not having yet done so because we don't know or appreciate cool food (which is why I responded to jackal10's suggestion that that was what was lacking). I think it's more likely that Atlanta is viewed as a nearly saturated market: we've already got so many options that we're unlikely to drop everything and run screaming to Trader Joe's. I do think that Trader Joe's would do really well here in the far suburbs, places like Alpharetta. Certainly in town as well, but the competition's much stiffer.

Done and done. I'm going to go ahead and (once again, sorry) disagree vehemently on this issue with Melissa: Atlanta's already got a great restaurant and food scene. Plenty of local providers and purveyors, huge ethnic markets with great seafood and meats, stunning variety of produce from all over the world. We do have conventional grocery stores as well, with Publix being the best of the lot, but who shops at conventional grocery stores when you live in Atlanta?

Wow. Myrtle Beach. So sorry. But as you point out, it could be worse. Fresh local seafood and produce (which you'll find are available farther year 'round than just summer) are nothing to sneeze at, and the Mexican and Asian markets may well be good alternatives for meats and more produce and dry goods variety. And should you decide that you need to out to eat, you can simply fly via Hooters Air to a number of appropriate destinations. We've got great restaurants and amazing groceries here in Atlanta---come for a weekend of dining and return with your suitcases full of groceries.

Ambien's lovely. The antianxiety effects of Ativan go along with some pretty striking amnestic effects (your mileage may vary), so not my drug of choice. Apart from the perfectly foul quality of airline food, it can also interfere with Ambien's taking effect: eat before you board, take Ambien when you take off.

For me it's not just the effort of cooking (and I'm also a huge fan of the "walkaway roast technique") but the effort of prep. Rinsing, peeling, dicing---it's all a thrash if I'm pressed for time. So I tend to pick things that don't require much peeling or other prep: new potatoes rather than old, jerusalem artichokes rathern than potatoes, asparagus, corn on the cob (I grill it still in the husk). I choose cucumbers with edible peel, and eat the peels of carrots and beets. If possible I cook a lot at one time and put it aside (in single serving sizes if I'm taking it for lunch) so that I won't have to cook if I'm tired or slammed for time. Cooking techniques that I use include slow cooking (get a crock pot if you don't have one), grilling (gas grill obviously less work), and steaming (usually as a preclude to some sort of puree or soup---I use a blender, but an immersion mixer's next on my list of cool kitchen appliances). Do you know if there's a CSA program in the area that you could subscribe to? I do have to go pick mine up (on Saturday AM, presenting me with my own physical challenge related to Friday PM imbibing, but never mind my decadent ways) but some will deliver to your home. Even if you do have to go pick it up it's much easier than regular shopping because, well, you don't shop: you're given what's good and abundant on the farm that week, and that's that. You might even be able to drive up and have the pre-packed CSA box deposited directly in the trunk of your car---no need to pay right then, as you've pre-paid (and paid less than you otherwise would in my experience). When you get home you've got an enormous amount of very high quality veggies and fruits that you pretty much have to eat (or preserve in some way) over the course of the week. You can direct the energy you saved shopping towards food prep.

If you're doing downward dog you're in better shape than you describe. I sure the helll wasn't doing downward dog when I was 9 months pregnant! I was thinking more along the lines of a water aerobics class at the Y, or at another gym with a (preferably) indoor pool. No kids, no bikini clad stick women, just other people who are interested in a good low impact workout. Just about everybody will have some sort of joint or other health issue, and absolutely nobody cares what anybody looks like. The trip from locker room to poolside includes a robe. It's basically PT, so you may be able to get hooked up with a suitable class that way.