Jensen

My recent food readings have included: * Steingarten's two books ... they're just wonderful * John Thorne's "Pot on the Fire" and "Serious Pig" ... loved them too * both of Ruth Reichl's books ... good reads (I'm not sure I believe anything that is written down as being the gospel -- not even the gospel!) * a bunch of Calvin Trillin (The Tummy Trilogy??? does that sound right?); I also read his parking book (if I weren't so lazy I could get off my butt and go into the other room to see what it was called). * that American Pie book by the woman with the French name ... she annoyed me beyond belief in that book. Why go on a quest for pie and then put the pie in the glove box and leave it there? Arggghhhh. She drove me insane! It's only because she came to her senses and actually did the pilgrimmage thing right that I finished the book. Had she not done that, I would have slammed it down in disgust. Books I have but have not read: * Kitchen Confidential ... I started it but it didn't really grab me * Stuffed: Adventures of a Restaurant Family ... it's just sitting here on my desk waiting to be read cheers, jen

Short ribs were listed as a "dish of the year" in Bon Appetit a few years ago. They even made the cover of that issue. That recipe has become my favourite: Short Ribs Provencal

I love it! For Christmas one year when I was little, I received my only Barbie in a Black Velvet canister. There were also Barbie clothes in it (handmade by my mum).

Who needs a pattern?

It sounds like an exciting week for us food voyeurs! I can't wait! Oh, and thanks for confirming all my previously-considered-completely-irrational fears about being refused entry for not having the right paperwork. Now I'll really be freaked out whenever I travel! (Although, it is nice to know I'm not the only one that doesn't have a work visa...)

We ate out a fair bit last week so I didn't need to buy as many veggies today. * zucchini * two bunches of basil (with which I have already made a batch of green garlic pesto) * early carrots * Old World Portuguese cheese from Spring Hill Dairy * green onions * morels * daisies Edit: forgot the 'shrooms

Tuna casserole made with elbow macaroni and tinned mushroom soup.

Stop! You're making me homesick! But, as an Island girl, I have to say corn from Silver Rill Farm. Thimbleberries and salmonberries to go with those huckleberries

Heh and here I was thinking salmon ... British Columbia: salmon Alberta: beef Saskatchewan: wheat Manitoba: I'm stumped here; somebody help me out Ontario: another stumper for me (my excuse is that I'm a "bad British Columbian") Quebec: poutine New Brunswick: potatoes?? PEI: shellfish? more potatoes? Newfoundland: cod Yukon: sourdough NWT: caribou Nunavat: ??? ... whales

Another vote for congee here. Oh, and I think that the next time I'm sick, I'd like Eunny Jang's mum to take care of me...

Sure, but who's going to do that? I take your point about the journey, but the way I look at it I'm not responsible for the journey. My chief concern is to make sure I'm not neglecting, or screwing up, any part of the process that I am responsible for. It's all academic now, since the problem seems to be resolved - have heard back from Soba and Jason and according to them all is well. I'm losing sleep over Jinmyo, though. My point was that there's likely nothing you can do. Eventually, whoever is in charge of the weak router along the way will notice that there's a problem and they'll fix it. No worries! [insert Bobby McFerrin soundtrack here] cheers, jen Edit: typo

Umm...No! You must be from some other country because no one in Canada is paid that poorly. I agree with Daddy-A-doubling the GST is the easiest way to determine a fair tip. All the big tippers are from some other country... one in which restaurant owners abdicate their responsibility to pay a living wage because their wait staff can earn tips. Double the GST and then bump it up a bit. Works for me!

I'm wondering if anyone has ever had any success ordering breads from an online source? Since moving to Sacramento, I have not been able to find a decent roll. I like the German style rolls (Brötchen) and they just don't seem to be available here. Even the German deli near me only has loaves of bread. I did find a German bakery in Atlanta that takes orders online. I'm wondering ...

Stop thinking in terms of origin and destination and start thinking in terms of the journey. It's likely a bottleneck somewhere between those people who can't see the images and the canticlecomm server. The appropriate test for this would be to run a traceroute from the user host to the server.

I've just now (and I do mean just now) finished "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay". Wonderful. My penultimate read was "The Way the Crow Flies" by Ann-Marie MacDonald. It is devastatingly brilliant. I haven't decided what I'll read next. I'm almost done with "Sailing the Wine-Dark Seas: Why the Greeks Matter" but it can be picked up and put down at any time. I've got in my unread pile: Drop City, Stuffed: Adventures of a Restaurant Family, The Master Butchers Singing Club, The Dogs of Babel, The Cave, and some others I can't think of right now. Faith Fox by Jane Gardam should arrive early next week.

Not if you're left-handed My mother-in-law is a leftie and my husband keeps his fork in his right hand and his knife in his left. I can't complain about it; my mum is also a leftie so I hang my clothes up "backwards" (according to Wayde). The "manners" part of it comes into play when you transfer your fork to your other hand before moving it to your mouth. So, * fork in left/knife in right * cut food * put knife down * transfer fork to right hand * eat

I just want to say that you all have inspired me to start going to garage sales! I feel deprived...

Two examples of arbitrary manners amuse me: 1. Americans who cut a piece of meat, then lay down the knife and transfer the fork to the right hand. Holding the knife and fork in the correct manner was one of my dad's bugaboos when I was growing up. We were not, under any circumstances, allowed to transfer cutlery from hand to hand!

Oh, I am drooling with envy! Being a poor foreigner, I'm never sure about the nomenclature of the sauces. My racing buddy, Lynne, and I went to the Dixie Pig in North Little Rock on one of our major tours and I bought some of their sauce. It's not sweet or thick but is made with vinegar and hot peppers. Is that what they call "East Carolina" style? I never liked barbecue sauce until I had that Dixie Pig sauce... Hmmmm. Carnitas at Trader Joe's. Maybe I can have pork for dinner tonight!

From today's market: * fava beans * peas * assorted summer squashes * Valencia rhubarb (apparently, it is green and doesn't get as woody as the regular rhubarb can) * parsley * sui choy * artichokes * baby Yukon Gold potatoes

Quick! Drop a Coke bottle into your kitchen! The abos will be so taken with it that they will turn their attentions away from the yogurt! Edited to add: It hasn't been an hour yet! Wait until 10:25 pm PDT.

Ahhhh. It all becomes clear to me now. I like to pretend things too But it will! Okay, I'm only going by what you've posted previously but it seems ingrained in my grey cells that, no matter when you post that your yogurt isn't setting, invariably, it sets up about an hour later. Patience, my sweet.

Rogie, the youngest animal at my house, would definitely approve of your choice of coffee mugs. His idea of morning coffee: My friend, Dunja, reminds me that doping is illegal on the track. I don't usually measure anything when I make my yogurt. I don't take the temperature of the milk (although I did confess that was due to a technical problem ... my thermometer broke!), I don't time it, and I don't measure the starter. I just put the entire container in (waste not, want not?). As for dinner at the diner... I am a HUGE fan of diner food. Pictures! (please)

It makes perfect sense to me. I moved here from Vancouver! And I thought that, since Sacto and Vancouver are the same size population-wise, that the same cultural amenities would be available here. (Yes, you can stop laughing any time now ... ) Perhaps a link to the Taste section would work instead? The last time I was there, it was the top article.

Well, thank God someone's up to the task! I loved the article; it was much better at piquing my interest in the restaurant than Dunne's review on Wednesday.