Jay-bob

We were very fortunate growing up with progressive parents eager to explore foods of the world and expose us to it. Although certainly not as authentic as it might have been had Ma had access to the ingredients we do today her Indian Curry was great. She would put out about a dozen little bowls of chopped peanuts, raisins, shredded coconut, chutney, chopped scallions, coriander. Quite the spread for a girl from Toledo in the early seventies! To this day when the family gets together at Christmas each kid (now in our late forties) gets to ask Ma to cook a dish we remember as a kid. Last year I asked for veal kidneys in a wine sauce she used to make. My brother once asked for her version of chicken Kiev with tarragon butter inside, man that was great. What she taught a couple of us anyway is that if you put some effort into the kitchen and do things right, you will be rewarded.

I bought a PC a few years ago and just love the thing. They are great for cooking artichokes or just getting a jump on a chuck roast. Very handy.

There is a great Szechuan restaurant in the shopping center at Lloyd Rd. and Rt. 34, it is called Great Szechuan and it consistantly gets positive reviews. I have been there dozens of times and have yet to be disappointed. They have two menus, Americanized and one authentic, go with the authentic casseroles, grouper and garlic with tofu......oh my! I actually ask the owner, Tom Shen, to make me whatever he thinks is good, he is a great guy who really takes pride in his work. We are going there tomorrow night, can't wait.

In the late sixties and early seventies Patrick O'Brian wrote 19 novels on British naval life from around 1795 to 1810. One of his books was made into the movie 'Master and Commander'. They are great books with loads of eating and cooking references that may apply to your event. A woman and her daughter (I forget their names) wrote a book called 'Lobscouse and Spotted Dog' which you can pick up on Ebay that recreates these recipes. They were real big on what they called puddings back then, lots of goodies like Soused Hogs face, and such. I bought the book a while ago and it is highly entertaining. There is no doubt these are the dishes many pirates survived on.

Ah yes...thoses were the days...in Salters SC, eating bbq quail slow cooked in an old horizontal Coke cooler, mustardy vinegar sauce, cold Buds akimbo. I have been here in Jersey (Shore area) for nearly twenty years and have yet to find anything approximating real SC bbq. No oyster roast, no she-crab soup, no boiled peanuts, no decent Hoppin John. The closest thing to SC vittles we have on the shore are some fairly decent soul food joints, which at least is a start.

What a great, if complicated topic. I grew up in the midwest (Toledo) and southern Ontario (Toronto) during the sixties and early seventies and can relate to the sentiment that things were different, we treated food differently. A big treat was a steak and potato dinner, or chili mac, or a Lake Erie fish fry. Tuna noodle casserole and oven baked chicken were weekly staples. Food was more functional than discretionary, access to the exotic did not exist. Perhaps there is a midwestern cultural expectation surrounding food that is different than the dominating and prevailing food cultures of the east and west and south. Maybe an agrarian food ethic that values the simple access to ingredients over the differentness of ingredients? I clearly don't know what I am talking about, what a train wreck of a post.

Has anyone been to Sonny's in Asbury Park? This is where Springstein played for the Today show. They do a real nice job with their honey fried chicken as well as short ribs and other assorted goodies. Very non pretentious, funky, good grub.

I have to agree with the first part of this thread, we went to Rosa Mexicano here in NY (the original on Lexington and 58th) with another couple a few weeks ago and were floored when the bill showed up. Keep in mind this was a celebratory occasion fueled by many margaritas, appitizers and shared dishes, but still when it was all over we were flabbergassed by the bill. They do a nice job with many of their dishes, the short ribs were great, the lamb shank sublime, ect.....but this place is very typical of a NY 'expense account' restaurant, great to take customers to, but not so great otherwise.

Chineese pork shoulder pork shoulder (3-4 lbs.) half cup water half cup soy quarter cup sliced ginger star anise cloves cumin cook on high for four hours and serve over rice noodles Thems good eatin'

Gourmet magazine had a great recipe for a chocolate bread pudding I think last month. I made it and it was wonderful! Real simple. The key is to use god chocolate.

Gourmet magazine had a great recipe for a chocolate bread pudding I think last month. I made it and it was wonderful! Real simple. The key is to use god chocolate.

Gourmet magazine had a great recipe for a chocolate bread pudding I think last month. I made it and it was wonderful! Real simple. The key is to use god chocolate.

As for programming ideas, I think we can learn something from T. Bourdian. He seemed to understand that the food itself is only interesting if put in the context of the people and the culture. Cooks tour, to me at least, was fascinating because I felt like I was there, riding in the taxi in Bankok or where ever he was. Show me how people live and where they shop, and play their music while talking about their food, this is interesting! Think about how eating a hard boiled egg was described in 'Angela's Ashes', the egg in context to the surroundings was extraordinary. On the other hand shows about Americas top five brands of ketsup are ........

I really have to wonder sometimes who the FN are trying to capture with their programming line up. The food tv watching public seems to be maturing into a number of camps, at least among people I know. There are people who love the ethnic travelog type of shows like Cooks Tour, there are those that like the instructive shows like Good Eats, and then there are apparently gagillions of morons out there with a hearty apetite for progamming pabulum. Does anyone on this board really care about a candy bar made in Idaho that looks like a potato? I would love to meet the FN's head of progamming in a bar one day and discuss the logic behind their line up. It seems to me (and of course I am just another know nothing loudmouth on a message board) that they could really jazz their ratings by revamping their approach of trying please everyone and instead focus on shows designed to appeal to true foodies. I want to watch these shows to become a better cook, I want to expand my knowledge of ethnic cuisines, and wine, and technique in the kitchen, and ingredient choices, and ....... Additionally, it seems that the publishers of Cooks Illustrated and Fine Cooking and other food related publications seem to have figured this out, no? Oh how I doth rant so,

Bubbles just loves it when I schmeer mince preserved lemons ,rosemary and garlic together with some black pepper on the bird. Another favorite is to push some 'herbs de provence' (sorry about the spelling) under the skin before roasting. Had one like this last week with some green beans and mashed parsnip potatos, now thems good eatin'.

Thanks Woody, you are correct, I now remember the Fellows connection, it really was an interesting read. It is a shame Smith turned out to be such a cad, but the book was good. I think I can track down a copy from here.

Years ago Jeff Smith co-wrote a book about the menu of (I think) the Delmonico Hotel around the turn of the century. Great book. Anyone know where I can find it? I cannot seem to find it anywhere, probably due to the fact that I do not know what the title is.

One of my favorite ways of doing greens is to fry up a small amount of pre-chopped bacon on the side as the greens are cooking down then at the last minute pour the bacon, and some of the fat over the greens and serve. You will need to add a little salt, but not much else. Them's good eatin.

Here is a source for said peppers. http://www.ethnicgrocer.com/eg/product.asp...uct%5Fid=SG1444