FistFullaRoux

I can't believe anyone else even saw that movie...

Memorable food scenes: Cool Hand Luke - "Sounds like a ripe watermelon..." Blues Brothers - "Got my Cheese Whiz boy?" "Come on guys, the f-ing soup is twenty dollars..." "Four whole fried chickens and a Coke" Animal House - "I'm a zit. Get it?" Caddyshack - "This steak still has marks from where the jockey was hitting it." "It's not so bad..."

I just went through the first and only 3 minutes that I am going to waste on it. Kobe beef burgers. By Tom Arnold. This should be all you need to know about the show. Plan accordingly.

For what it's worth, I prefer to know somebody's in recovery. I have a disability myself but am fortunate that it is not often perceived as a characterological issue. If someone is dealing with sobriety, it's a medical condition, quite as much as an allergy. However, I know people feel they have to be more guarded about it, as is their right. Edited because I perhaps wrongly assumed "sober" meant "in recovery." If I'm wrong, please imagine Emily Litella saying, "Never mind!" (Old SNL joke.) ← You had it right. There's a whole story there, of course.

The answer to all of this is simple. Would you be the kind of person who would make something with shellfish when a Jewish person is dining with you? It's obviously not an allergy, but a personal choice to not partake of that type of food. Would you add bacon to a dish for a Muslim? It would not kill them, and if you didn't tell them, they would not be the wiser. How is that any better or worse than adding an ingredient someone says they are allergic to, whether real or imagined? It's one thing for kids to say they do not like vegetables, when you are the parent and know the history of the child to get them to try it. It is not your perogative as a cook or host to prove a point with someone's real or imagined dietary restrictions. I've been sober for 6 years now, and it would be so much simpler if I were to tell people I was allergic to alcohol. It's not a true allergy, but it would have unwelcomed effects on me. You generally don't have to explain allergies or religious beliefs, but someone always wants to know the story behind a "like or dislike". I don't always feel like discussing it. I'll just have the iced tea, please. I'm driving.

As I've stated before, I was raised on a dairy farm. I eat veal happily, have no problem with any other "normal" meat available in the US. As a member of 4-H, I've raised a calf, groomed it, cared for it, and showed it for a ribbon (which I didn't win). We ate the calf after the competition. I've killed and plucked the chickens and ducks I fed every day. I know the circle of life and the filth and fear that goes with it. I really don't know if I would be able to eat horse. We used horses every day. I know they are big, dumb, skittish, high maintenance animals with little to no personality. I know they probably taste like beef. But I think I would eat another person before I would try horse. It does not make sense, but I would have to be desperate to do it. I can't even imagine swallowing it without gagging a little.

Sorry, FistFullaRoux, but I have to disagree on Threadgills. I used to think it was pretty darn good southern comfort food....but then I found Hoovers. And since then, most folks I talk to tend to agree Threadgills isn't what it was. ← Yeah, but it's still like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower...

Threadgill's is the "You must eat here" spot in town. If you don't, everyone will ask you how you could go to Austin and not eat there. I like Magnolia Cafe on Congress, a little south of the river. Funky little 24 hour place with good grub.

Very cool. Thanks so much for that. It's really nice to hear him so excited. I'm sure it's a struggle for him, but he really sounds like he's into it, and has become a real cheerleader for the reconstruction. Nice job, sir...

Quality wise, it's OK already. Yes, it would be neat to have the Sennheiser and Marantz equipment, but it really won't make that much of a difference in the sound. Biggest thing I could suggest is an unidirectional microphone. You would have to switch it back and forth between yourself and the subject, but it may cut down on some of the background noise. Just make sure that the mic is close enough to each mouth to get a good signal. Audacity should be fine for what you need, just be careful you don't overedit. It's easy to do. If you make a lot of cuts it will sound jarring and the edits will be obvious, especially when you have background noise. With the unidirectional mic, you may want to consider some post editing compression or limiting which will even out sound levels. And don't overthink your voice. It does not sound bad, it has a bit of an NPR quality about it. That's a good thing. No reason to make major changes, just keep the annunciation in mind. Old radio guy advice, take with as many grains of (Kosher) salt as needed. And while you are in Austin, try Magnolia Cafe if you have a chance. My favorite sopt in town. edited for lack of caffiene during the original post.

It's amazing that I have not discovered Jason's podcasts yet. I'm incredibly impressed. You have a great laid back style that really suits the kind of people you interview. If anyone has not heard these yet, they are outstanding. Obviously not done in a studio, but it sounds like friends talking. It's also great to hear those ancestral accents talking about the good things. I can't wait to hear the Prudhomme interview.

Ever play Iron Chef? Even at home or with other staff? Even in your head? It's the 4th of July (or other major summer/grill related holiday), and there's a burn ban. What do you do? How was your Mom's cooking? How would you describe food to someone with no sense of taste or smell? Could you convert a vegan? Most addictive food on the face of the earth? (My mind works in strange ways though. There's a bunch more stuff like that.)

I think I found it myself. It is the manufacturing aspect of keeping grain in contact with water for more than 18 minutes, if I understood correctly. http://www.oukosher.org/index.php/articles...he_yosef_blech/ I notice that Gifted Gourmet is typing as I type as well...

This may not be the place to ask, and pardon my ignorance, but why is corn syrup considered non-kosher? It's an agricultural product, with no animal products involved. Is it corn in general or something specific with the manufacturing? (this question was posed by a nice Catholic boy...)

Call me jaded, but the money must not be there. Same with tomatoes. If they can sell all that they harvest now for a good enough price, why bother improving it and changing the way the business is done? The big growers know that the "gourmet" market is a small percentage, and even though gourmet shoppers are willing to pay higher prices for better product, it's not worth their investment. And most small growers are incapable of meeting local demand. In other words, the big growers like it the way it is. It's proven and far less risky. The small farmers can sell all they grow, but can't possibly meet demand if they have a quality product. If you can meet all of the demand, your prices go down. If someone is left wanting, they will pay the price for it. Supply vs demand.

I think it went along with the general re-interest in cooking and the 80's obsession with "gourmet" items and conspicuous consumption. Everything from popcorn to prime rib. What was more decadent in the 80's that to drop some balsamic (that you picked up at the duty free shop at the airport in Rome? It had a great story to go with it. Besides, it's good. It's different.

Another option (screeching to be heard in the background) is a microwave cooker. Those are fine for small batches, as most rice cookers only really work well with larger quantities that you will probably ever use. Cheap, easy, and consistent. They reheat rice well too.

Did one today. I'll always doublecheck the oven temp when putting something in. I was reheating last night's pizza for lunch today. I turned on the oven, waited 10 or 15 minutes for preheating, popped the pizza in, and set a timer for 9 minutes. It was set for 450, but we usually keep it at 350 or so. 9 minutes later, the pizza that should have warmed perfectly was burned. grr. Well, not completely. Some of it was edible if overcooked, but it still ticks me off.

I'm catching the midnight repeat of it. Prudhomme's looking good these days. I didn't even know that Ming Tsai and Food Network staff were involved in Gulfport. I'm frankly impressed.

Rats. Not in Alabama.

Bananas Foster. Super easy, and super impressive, especially if you flambe a little booze in there. Find any "little old lady" cookbooks, the ones that are put out by church groups and such, you'll find tons of stuff in there. One class could be jus on variations of the Jello mold...

In Birmingham, I think it's Nabeel's. It's a great place, a little out of the way, kind of "ethnic", but not nearly as widely loved as it should be. It's not uncommon to seat a table of 6 or 8 with no problems on a Saturday night, even though they only have 7-8 tables and a few booths. Small place, but out of this world Greek and Mediterranean food.

How about "ick". Is "ick" an option? Maybe "get the hell away from me with that thing?" Can I write that in? Just wrong on so many levels. I gagged a little just reading about it. This from a guy who happily had bacon with his waffle (at Waffle House, of course) this morning.

It's also called crepinette or crépinettes in French, but it also refers to a dish made with the caul fat. Anatomically, it refers to the membrane enclosing the paunch of the animal, not necessarily the whole abdomen. Maybe Docsconz can weigh in with the better explanation. It is rendered as part of the lard making process, usually. It seems to be the innermost, textured layer of the belly fat. How it is separated, I'm not sure. Maybe you could just show him a picture? Because it is exceedingly thin and delicate, unless the processors are searching it out, they may not have even noticed it.

In Alabama, (asfik), it's the closest to the exit that gets listed. There was a story a little while back about a restaurant owner who had the sign, then lost his spot when another place opened closer to the ramp, crowding him out. I also seldom see listings for more than a mile from the exit in Alabama. I've seen far more than a mile done around Laurel, Mississippi. Edited to add, it must be a state thing. Revenue for sure, but also handy to the drivers as well.