Liza

Hmm. Plenty to ponder, Stephany B. I'm going to jump in a assert that plenty of philosophy can be conveyed without words. We use body language to convey quite a lot about how we interpret the world. (resisting the urge to quote famous Australian philosopher B. Gibb's "You can tell by the way I use my walk I'm a woman's man, no time to talk..." D'OH!)

Suvir, I look forward to sampling those recipes from your forthcoming cookbook! Let us know, and we can all start stocking our larders in advance. They all sound delicious. Liza

I'm a doctor's daughter. You should have heard the dinner table conversation. AND, my dad used to throw blood on the roses - either as a composting agent, or because he's a really weird guy.

Coming to a crowded bookshelf near you, Mario Batali's Babbo: The Cookbook, May 2002. Mint love letters, anyone?

One real drought related question: if mosquitos thrive in wet weather, then why are they still thriving in dry lower Manhattan?

Ah Sol N' Sol...anyone remember the original, down at the bottom of Palisade Ave. I still rate their crinkly fries right up there, and when my uncle is in from Mill Valley CA, we still have to go for tongue and chopped liver.

Oh dear, at the risk of offending our more proper readers, I remember visiting LA and being advised to....avert thine eyes, delicate creatures.... "If it's yellow, let it mellow..." I can't go on. No, no...I can't.

Haven't been for while but always liked the room, an odd collection of for-sale furniture. They did serve a fabulous wild board sausage but again, that was a few years ago. Also, I always went in winter, when the room felt cozy and warm. Wondering what it's like on a 90+ April day!

We've done Dannon, and sampled Ronnybrook. I'm currently trying a Yo-Crunch, which comes with a packet of granola to fold in. Has anyone taste a yogurt taste-off? Looking for active yogurt cultures and available in NYC.

Yes, please, Wilfrid!

Since Macrosan hasn't done it, I will: How hard to you have to squeeze the woodchuck to get the cider?

Banana blossoms? Tell me more, please.

It's a white from Austria and it goes terrifically with asparagus. Honest.

How can one chew 50 times a bite for all foods, or for any food for that matter? --I have no idea. But that is what this gentleman (mid-40s, for those interested) does, with all foods that require chewing. And he performs no other activity. I'm telling you, this was the slowest eating performance ever. Bite goes in, hands go to lap, and chew, chew, chew.

The slow speed was all due to our dining companion's dining rate. They are self-professed slow eaters, but we had no idea that meant one bite every five minutes, or thereabouts. One half of the couple counts every chew, and chews each bite 50 times, as per mother's instructions.

Jinmyo, you might be interested in "Raji Cuisine" by Raji Jallepalli, in which she has a recipe for "Tenderloin of Pork, with Black Mustard Rub, Collard Greens, and Curried Blueberry Sauce". I'm rather handy with the photocopier, should you like a copy of the recipe.

Sadly, yes Cabrales, a meal has been ruined by slow-eating dining companions. But I'm talking glacially slow - start to finish, 4 1/2 hours. It was excrutiating, and embarrassing, as I knew the chef and I'm pretty sure they were hoping to turn the table at some point. 7:30 reservation, 3 course meal. By 11:30 when we finished our cheese plate, D. and I could see the finish line. The chef sends out a round of desserts and for the first and only time in my life, I was saddened by free dessert.

Yes, master.

So we're beginning to work on defining our wine palates and have found Gruner Veltliners to be very matchable with what we cook. We've enjoyed Alzinger and Hirsch especially, and wonder if other Egulletarians can point us in some promising directions.

Patrice, do tell...

I have no idea. Larousse says it's a 19th century pastry cook but does not give pronounciation. I like to think it's "chih-BOOST", but that's just cause it sounds like it could replace "Chi-boom, chi-boom..."

I dare ya to ask for it at Food Emporium! My quest would start with a visit to Kalustyans, but my guess is that whale by-products are banned in the US.

[finally, a chance to seem intelligent...] "A tale without love is like beef without mustard: insipid". - Jacques Anatole Francois Thibault [bow and scrape, sound of retreat...]

Great word, yes, and apparently a great dessert. I've found a recipe by pastry chef Jill Rose, for lemon curd chiboust - a chiboust being "a vanilla pastry cream combined and lightened with Italian meringue," sometimes lightened with gelatin. With a name like chiboust, it's got to be good. Why aren't there chiboust chains across America? Can we start this trend? Who's with me?

This will be boring if I post ....because (as posted elsewhere) my husband works at a farmer's market and brings home fresh stuff all the time. Tonight it's whole trout we'll stuff with garlic and thyme; baby arugula salad; and roasted potatoes.