g.johnson

We now know that the decline in standards preceded FG’s education. Or, no, to answer your question more directly.

Aren’t regional variations so great that to call something “authentic Italian” (rather than authentic Tuscan, Sicilian, etc.) is close to meaningless?

Phaal (or paal or phal) is a Ceylonese curry that is generally the hottest thing on the menu in Indian restaurants in England. You'd have to ask Suvir about authenticity.

I don’t think that ghee (assuming that’s what you’re referring to) is quite the same as western clarified butter. Clarified butter is decanted as soon as the milk solids separate. Ghee is cooked until the solids turn golden, imparting a slight nutty flavor.

What do you think is the reason for the improvement when you toss the juice? Bitterness of residual seed stuff? Seasoning in the juice?

I generally put the juice and the toms through a food mill to remove the seeds. Then reduce as appropriate. Seems to work OK.

Why do you throw the liquid away rather than reduce it with the toms?

I am shocked. Expel Balic immediately and revoke Wilfrid’s passport. Toad in the Hole is wonderful (if made with good sausages). No need to pre-cook the sausages. You can remove the skins and wrap them in prosciutto or pancetta if you wish. The oven needs to be at least 450F. Add a knob of lard and pre-heat the pan till the fat’s smoking. Then add the batter and then the sausages. It’s essential to serve it with gravy.

Of course. If you want the best food you should find a chef who grew up in the most evolved culinary tradition.

I thought Le B was better 10 years ago. (It's the little things that make a marriage work.)

O bugger. You mean we're not part of the gastocracy? Edit: gastrocracy -> gastocracy, which can be said.

The table was booked by our friend Alan. He called exactly one month in advance at 8.55am and there was no response. At 9.00am the line was busy. He persisted and got through after about 30 minutes and booked the table for 8pm without further difficulty. He did complain about the system which might have helped get the table. Alan extracted the private number from the maitre d’ as we were leaving but I didn’t witness it. He said later that it took some persuasion – I think he managed it for three reasons: he can be extremely charming, he complained about the current system and he’s planning to return in a few weeks. I think the advantage of the private number is that one can usually get straight through since the line is less likely to be busy.

Hard to get enough of this stuff. On the Crown Plaza (NYC) An interview with Gene Simmons A politics headline

The rest of the site rewards close study. I particularly liked a review of The Grooming Lounge, A Place for Upscale Men to Relax and Groom Their Body

Philistine. The dish was predicated on simplicity. Peas and beans with mint, lamb and pots with garlic. The highlight of the meal after the ravioli (raviolo?).

Ignore Yvonne. I had a great time and that's all that matters.

We’re off to Venice and then England (to eat, ‘cos all the food in NYC is crap) tomorrow morning, but a quick response. jaybee Your experience is completely consistent with what’s known. You have high blood pressure and you are sensitive to salt intake. No one disputes that this occurs. But that does not mean that high salt intake causes high blood pressure in normals. Furthermore, no one knows whether reducing blood pressure by restricting salt intake increases longevity. It’s a plausible hypothesis but only one of many. John Whiting I think the scientists-corrupted-by-drug/food/tobacco-money bit is exaggerated. I and most of my colleagues have received industry money and I have never been aware of any pressure to change results to suit the sponsor. It certainly can affect the public’s perception of the validity of a study (which seems to be Nestle’s main point) and that’s a concern. But fabricating results is something that a scientist is highly unlikely to do because he/she will be found out and it will end his/her career. (I would not trust studies from a companies own labs.) In any case industry money is not as highly sought after as Nestle suggests: promotion comes through prestigious NIH grants, not easy industry money. I’d guess that most of the studies we have been discussing are NIH funded, not industry funded. Finally (I hear cheering), if food industry funding has corrupted research, why do the NIH and CDC recommend that hypertensives reduce salt intake? Edit: affect, effect. My brain is mush.

You might be right. However, there is data that suggests a low salt diets can increase risk of cardiovascular disease. There may be better ways of treating hypertension – losing weight, exercise and, my personal favorite because it requires no change to my diet, drugs. I’m sorry if I’m going on about this but salt=satan (like fat=lucifer) seems to have been accepted as a self-evident truth on the basis of little or no compelling evidence.

It’s impossible to evaluate the claims in that article since no references are given. The papers cited by the CDC (here for example) show only that reducing salt intake reduces blood pressure in hypertensives. There are plenty of epidemiologists out there looking for evidence that high salt intake causes hypertension, but (as far as I know) no convincing evidence has been found.

It is curious why the down-side of salt was ignored by the author. Kurlansky does discuss salt and health, albeit briefly – about a page on p442. His conclusion (This seems to me to overstate the case against.)

There's pretty strong evidence that at least a large minority are adversely affected by salt in large quantities. There is? There are studies that show that reducing salt intake can reduce hypertension. Are there studies that show high salt intake causes hypertension?

Is there something you're meant to do before extracting the knife? (I'm loving your diary, by the way.)

Plotters: You got me. I fell for it. I really did think that you were serious in your posts. Now I realize that no one could be that dim. You are the supreme ironist. Congrats.

Since Mayle's books were best sellers in the UK and were made into a TV series this characterization seems typically wide of the mark.

I see. So if there’s an upturn in the market for 1985 DRC Montrachet as a result of your enthusiasm, they’ll make more of it. Damn clever those French.