lala

Never been to the Outback, but I do sometimes eat at chain restaurants (I confess!). While I do normally research any place I'm going, sometimes it just happens. Once on vacation, when my rental car blew a tire, spun out during morning rush hour, nearly got me killed, and it took me hours to get a new car...then I had to drive to where that evening's hotel reservation was... I admit, I parked the car and practically crawled across the parking lot to Taco Bell. The next day, nerves soothed, I resumed my hunt for local food goodies, including bags of lucious apples in the Hood River area. When I visited my folks in Ann Arbor, MI, they always took me to Chili's or Applebees. Hello? Ann Arbor? Home of Zingermans? I usually get them there by the second day of my visit ("But it's so expensive!" "Yeah, Dad, good food can be more expensive than bad food"). And when my Mom was in Hospice, Boston Market kept us fed, when otherwise we would have just gone home every night and had canned soup. And if you're on a trip, zooming down the Interstate, and just want to make time to get to your destination, there can be a sick thrill in pulling into a Chain restaurant. Sort of like going 'Native' in polyester-land. This is only done when it's cold or rainy, otherwise, it's a picnic at the rest stop (or beach, or winery) with my own good food.

Don't you think that's a vast oversimplification? There are many wonderful places to eat in America, and Artisinal food producers here, just like in Europe. Ever trolled through the regional boards? If it weren't for the great food available in America, eGullet would not be running in this country.

Hmmm...you all have good points. MickeyD's is as responsible as anyone for obesity, heart attacks, etc...bearing in mind the fact that what each of us eats is ultimately our own personal responsibility (yes, I eat burgers on occasion, too...). But, having lost my mother at age 62 last year brings home the point that age 60 is incredibly young to die in this day and age. Besides whatever may be said in the press, or the irony of the situation, I feel sorry for his family, losing a loved one who was relatively young.

I've posted before, and was assured by you kind people that I wouldn't explode from the heat of the food. Now, here's my next question: When is the best time to visit? I understand that Crawfish are in season in the Spring, so I'm rethinking my fall plan to visit. Are there any other reasons why I should consider one month over another? Along with an aversion to spicey heat in food, I'm not good with outdoor heat/humidity, so summer is out. So, for someone looking at a blank calander next year, when's the best time to eat my way through NOLA, getting the best of seasonal foods, in comfortable temperatures?

Mabelline, you're absolutely right! But... if I'm up at 3am, can it be an Early breakfast? Pleeeease? It's sooo good, chewy, greasy, li'l olives popping in my mouth.... mmm. mmm. mmm...

I'm a traditionalist...warm milk and cookies... or pizza, if there's any in the fridge

Oh, Belgian Frys are delicious! I had the pleasure of having the classic meal of Moules Frites in Bruges a few years ago. Mounds of gently steamed mussels and heaps of crispy, creamy fries. They are thicker than most American fries, and as Matthew indicated, they are fried twice. The first time is to actually cook the potato through, at a lower temperature. The second time, when they're ordered is at a higher heat, to crisp them up. Sometimes, they're even a little puffy, because the steam is captured inside the golden crust, and it expands them a bit. At that dinner, we were offered a selection of dipping sauces for the fries - it was a while ago, so I don't remember exactly what they were, but we got some of each variety to try them all. I particularly enjoyed a mayonnaise based sauce that had something pickled in it (capers? cornichons?), which nicely balanced the richness of the mayo and potato. I don't remember seeing the Frites stands on the streets, but then I was more interested in the Herring stalls. I'm chagrined at the timing of that stand opening. I'm sitting here with my new South Beach diet book at my side, with full intentions of being a (very) good girl and dropping some poundage. Unfortunately, the #1 forbidden food is potatoes! So I'll just have to live vicariously through your postings for a while.

For frozen juices, my first choice is Trader Joe's Valencia. Nice balanced, fresh flavor, not too sweet. A small glass in the morning makes me very happy. Second choice is Minute Maid original. For a treat, I'll get some Odwalla Tangerine juice. Really nice! I'd say it was...sprightly! yeah, that's it...sprightly...

Huh. I've always had great service in City Kitchens. They are good ( in my opinion) in that they ask once if they can help, then back off, so maybe that's what happened? I don't like being hovered over, but they are always happy to help when I need it. I always hit their sale in September, and usually drop around $500. They have great, quality stuff (none of that cheap Progressive brand crap), and the sale prices are terrific. One of my great finds last year was a 16 qt calphalon stockpot for $60.00. Currently, I don't have much use for this, but next time I need to make a mondo huge stock, or boil up more than one crab at a time, I'm ready! They let you play with all the knives as much as you want before buying. And I found the flatware of my dreams, after searching for years. And each year, I buy one new Le Creuset piece. Oh, and I love the olive wood utensils (functional, comfortable, and beautiful!), and the le creuset silicone spatulas. After 6 years of this, my kitchen is just about done...

Walleye rocks! We always had this in Minnesota when visiting relatives, usually pan-fried. It was on the menu in Michigan when I was back there last year, and I had it as Fish & Chips at a pub. Yum....

I wonder if that's because cucumbers are often waxed, and thus, too slippery? I know that on a bad day, they can squirt out of my hands before I get them to the sink for a good scrubbing! I solve this by buying the English cukes when I can afford 'em. I find the stickers annoying, but I'm also leery of ink being imbedded in my food. You can cut around it on citrus/banana peel, but what to do about that ink infested apple/peach/pepper?

Damn right! Or indeed, where possible even in a restaurant setting, supposing one were really honorable. But I think it's pretty clear ex hypothesi that that is not a salient attribute of the people lala has described! In that particular case, this 'chef' had indeed credited her minions in the book proofs. However, these credits dissappeared between the proof and the final product. I guess the little people were just too little to be credited in public...

"Mere listings of ingredients as in recipes, formulas, compounds or prescriptions are not subject to copyright protection. However, where a recipe or formula is accompanied by substantial literary expression in the form of an explanation or directions, or when there is a combination of recipes, as in a cookbook, there may be a basis for copyright protection. " The squishy part is 'substantial' literary expression. I have a friend who works for a recipe web site that uses recipes from members. The editorial staff has to check each recipe in this regard. Say, you have a recipe for a cake, made by creaming butter and eggs, and add dry and wet ingredients alternately. These directions are not really subject to copyright, due to it being a common 'literary expression' - ie: common recipe procedure. So those directions cannot be copyrighted. The directions must be more complex and unique. Of course, as the quote above states, putting these recipes into a specific format/combination creates a new entity, which can be copyrighted as a whole. This is how I understand it, but you are better positioned than I am in this matter. so if I'm wrong, please correct me. I appreciate your concern about the recipes that I created . I have not personally published any recipes (yet?!), but your input gives me hope. And yes, unfortunately, the person I'm thinking of is a bit unethical, but she's a famous 'chef' and author, and is still publishing cookbooks with recipes that others have created. I worked for her years ago, and have happily forgotton the overall hell of being in her employ...

"There was cheese sauce on the windows"!!!??? Now THAT'S a party! I think the worst I've ever done was the roast goose at Christmas...stuffed with prunes and chestnuts. I tried one prune, and it had no pit, and I swear it said 'Pitted' on the bag. Well, they weren't. We wound up spitting prune pits at the table...not a dignified party... My brother, however made a hash (so to speak) of a Thanksgiving dinner. He made the turkey. At the appointed time, it wasn't done, so he let it go another 15 minutes. Still not done. Another 15 minutes. Finally, he asks me (the pro chef) to have a look. Well, being a strong lad, he had Packed the stuffing in so very tightly that it was still ice cold in the center, 3 hours later! We ate the side dishes, and the turkey legs (he hadn't trussed, so they were done). My brother and I thought it was kind of funny, but his girlfriend was horrified at how casually we took the whole thing. And my favorite. I made dinner for a friend who was going through a hard time. Comfort food: Roast Chicken, Spoon Bread, Asparagus. I had it timed so we'd be done with the salad just as the spoonbread was coming out of the oven. At the appointed time, she banged on the door, and as I opened it, she shot past me, throwing her purse and coat behind, as she raced into the bathroom. She (poor thing) proceeded to be violently ill for the next 12 hours with food poisoning from a catered lunch at her work. I picked at the dinner in the kitchen, but what I was, um, witnessing pretty much took my appetite away.

Ah, but servers are sales people, not mere order takers and food runners. Every manager and restaurant owner glows when they hear their front line team adding on to guest checks. Also, once a server provides their guests with options that may increase their guest check averages, they also see the $$$ benefits in their own pockets. A restaurant must find ways to make revenue. Empowering your service staff to make a difference in their earnings by suggestive selling is key. Why resent them for doing their job? Yes, I know that waiters are sales people. I've worked both front and back of the house, and am well aware that the restaurant lives and dies on the waiter's ability to move the food/drinks. The key phrase in my post was 'overly aggressive'. You know, the one who looks at you with dollar signs dancing in their eyes, who couldn't care less if you have an enjoyable time, just if you spend enough money so the bill will be well padded for calculating the tip. We've all seen this, where you feel harrassed, not served. That's not upselling, it's a bad waiter, doing a bad job. And in my experience, each time I get one of these jerks, they invariably ask if I want the change when I pay. One example was where I felt so harrassed that I finally told the waiter to get his crowbar out of my wallet, as my money was clearly all he was interested in.

I have found that that question is usually uttered by some wait-schmoe who has also been overly aggressive in his/her efforts to upsell the table. "Would you like a mixed drink to start? How about an appetizer? Groaning in ecstacy over the (unpriced) special, urging me to get it before it runs out. Would you like any sides with that - the asparagus is good today? Dessert? Coffee drink? After dinner drink?" On top of all of that, and having to say 'No' a dozen times, that final question just seems to be a bit much. Just bring my change, ok? I usually try to circumvent the process by bringing enough small bills, so I can tell them that we don't need the change when I lay the money down.

Interesting...I was always told that anything a chef/cook created while being paid by a restaurant was a "Work for Hire" (or something like that), and is the property of the Restaurant Owner. This is how several of my creations were used in cookbooks published by the owners of restaurants where I worked, with no attribution to the staff (myself and others) who created the recipes. However, in reality, I am aware that Chefs/Cooks do take recipes (and staff!) when they leave. Heck, I've done it, and have gone so far as to give the owner (a real jerk, in this instance) the 'recipe' written incorrectly - not obviously, but enough so that it wouldn't work. This was for baked goods, so I made sure the chemistry was off... I found that far more entertaining than just taking the recipes with me! As for copyright law, it's so squishy in regards to recipes that almost anything goes. Here's a link to the applicable gov't site: http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl122.html

Spuds was bought by Ivars, and now it sucks. On Alki, I like Sunfish. It's great fun to have fish/anything and chips at the counter at Jack's in the Market - there's about 6 stools, but is sooo fresh. I dine at Chinooks regularly, but mostly for the pan fried oysters, which are perfectly cooked every time. And the chocolate fudge cake. I'll have to try the fish & Chips. However, the best fish and chips in the area is in the summer in Port Townsend. On the old ferry dock, there's a little hut, run by one of the restaurants in town. They do fish in an ethereal dill batter - heaven on a paper plate. It's only open in the summer, all the better to don your shades and gaze at the mountains while eating that perfect fish.

I love sharpening my knives. When I was young, I had the opportunity to buy the tri-stone oil sharpening stone, but I went with the commercial size rolling pin instead. So I use a water stone, and it's just fine. I traded odeous tasks with my roommate at the CIA - I kept her knives sharp, and she kept my whites (chef's jackets) white. Now, I sharpen all my friends knives as well as my own, although that may be more in self defense, so that when I cook in their kitchens, I have sharp knives to use!

And if it had gone in, the jobs pay so little that the workers could only afford the "cheap" groceries with the assistance of food stamps. edited for spilling..er, spelling

LOVE meatloaf sandwiches! I make my meatloaf with a ketchup/caramelized onion topping, which I then schmeer on the bread when making the sandwich. Sometimes, mayo, too. (I seem to be developing a troubling affinity for mayonnaise... ) There's a shop down in the Pike's Place Market (3 girls bakery) that makes an excellent meatloaf sandwich. Great on Wheat or Rye bread. I used to trade my lunches for my friend's whenever she had a meatloaf sandwich. But the kicker is that hers were Mooseloaf , not meatloaf. Her dad went hunting in the fall, and always bagged a moose (my gawd, I remember gazing in horror at ALL the meat in their freezer!). Her mom then made the most incredible Mooseloaf, which she then assembled into sandwiches on her incomperable homemade bread. Yes, my food inclinations started young...

Us Seattleites are often treated to the spectacle of Mr. Smith riding his scooter through the market, barking at people to get out of his way. I cannot say if he has the ability to stand and walk, as the last time I saw him do that was in 1995.

My normal breakfast: Slice of Milton's whole wheat toast, one Morningstar farms breakfast patty, pan seared (nonstick pan) and 1egg plus 1 egg white over easy (cooked in nonstick pan). I'm trying to cut back on that yolk, but damnit, I love that yolk. My favorite breakfasts: The best breakfast ever is leftover Thanksgiving dinner - hot stuffing and turkey, a bit of cranberry sauce and candied yams, cold glass of milk. mmmm.... second best: cold pizza on a Sunday morning with a mug of hot tea. nibble pizza slowly, sip tea, read the paper. Pizza is such a Non-breakfast food, it's sort of illicit to do this, which is a large part of the joy for me. Favorite dinner: Blueberry pancakes with good sausages or bacon and a BIG glass of OJ.

When I was doing my externship from the CIA (semester out in the 'real world'), I toiled in a very high end English Country Manor (I'm American). My counterpart, Anne, a lovely girl from England worked front of the house, and on slow nights/mornings, we were often the only ones on staff. She was very intelligent and aware, however, she had this amazing habit of Malapropisms which just cracked me up. My favorite was when she came running back into the kitchen, late one night, her face beet red. Instead of offering the Very Proper Elderly Gentleman and his Stoic Wife the Exotic Sorbet plate, she had offered him the "Erotic" Sorbet Plate. Wifey gave her an earful, while Hubby was apparently enchanted by this novel dessert idea.

Damn you. Now I have diet coke all over my monitor.