jamiemaw

Indeed: One can smell without tasting but not the reverse.

So, in this particular case, the sense of sound is a negative? And the sighs of (your) pleasure don't add to her joy as you consume them (the cheezies) with apparent glee? Do the forthcoming marriage vows include the words "until cheezies do us part"? ← Totally. The equivalent of 'lipstick on the collar' in our household are smudges of orange cheezie dust around my cakehole.

Andy, Thanks again for pausing your schedule to transcribe these passionately spoken words. We now have several different perspectives speaking to the same message and that's important reading. Jamie

[edited to add:] As for sound, while I'm not sure about the role of sound in eating (though I wonder how certain textural components, notably crunch, are affected by our hearing...), I'm very sure that sound in cooking is vastly underrated. For example, all deep frying requires are careful ear much more than a careful eye. ← My fiancée, who is both blessed and cursed with the hearing of a deer, refuses to be in the same room with me when I eat a bag of Hawkins brand cheezies. She says the big ones sound like a rock slide, and the detritus from the bottom of the bag like knitting needles.

Without question, smell. Deprived of the sense of smell, our perception of food holds no context whatsoever. Breathing in the aromatics, however, can invoke love at first bite, or just before--and can also flood our memories; smell is the most (sometimes hauntingly) mnemonic of our senses. While visual appeal might be important, without smell an attractively presented plate is only a pretty girl who knows it. Remember, a decade or more ago when she went through a Brittany-esque 'growth spurt' and started poking us in the eye with teetering faux-Napoleons, vertigo-inducing stacks and rosemary spears? Thank goodness Brittany relaxed, on the plate as well. Now modern presentations look 'landscaped' and we can all exhale. Interestingly though, smell may not be the most important sense for oenophiles. You might recall that study last year, in which some experienced tasters were unable to distinguish between red and white wines. Claudio Aprile (the chef at Sen5es--as they logo it) not incidentally, is a very good cook.

"A watermark is a design embossed into a piece of paper during its production and used for identification of the paper and papermaker. The watermark can be seen when the paper is held up to light." Hopefully the menu can, in time, be held up to the light of the westerly setting sun as well.

We were at a truck market east of Vancouver--in a small community called Vernon. One farmer had painstakingly labelled each and every zuke piled high in his pick-up box with individual masking tape price stickers: 15¢, 25¢, 35¢. I'm sure it had kept him and his wife up all night. But there in the back was the trophy squash, a zucchini from the back of the patch that had clearly gotten away on them. It was the size of a fungo bat and its label simply said--"Offers".

The winners of the Lieutenant Governor's Third Annual Awards of Excellence in British Columbia Wines have been announced: SPARKLING Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards - See Ya Later Ranch Brut 2003 WHITE CedarCreek Estate Winery - Platinum Reserve Chardonnay 2003 Domaine de Chaberton Estates - Gewurztraminer 2004 Summerhill Pyramid Winery - Ehrenfelser 2004 Wild Goose Vineyards and Winery - God's Mountain Riesling 2004 RED Burrowing Owl Estate Winery - Syrah 2003 CedarCreek Estate Winery - Platinum Reserve Meritage 2002 Jackson-Triggs Vintners - Proprietors' Grand Reserve Shiraz 2002 Poplar Grove Winery - Benchmark Cabernet Franc 2002 Sandhill Wines - Small Lots Syrah Phantom Creek Vineyard 2003 Curiously, there were seemingly no sweet wines announced. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last year's winners were: SPARKLING Sumac Ridge Estate Winery - Steller’s Jay Brut 2001 WHITE Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards - See Ya Later Ranch Chardonnay 2003 Sumac Ridge Estate Winery - White Meritage 2003 RED Inniskillin Okanagan - Meritage Dark Horse Vineyards 2002 Inniskillin Okanagan - Cabernet Sauvignon Dark Horse Vineyards 2002 Nk'Mip Cellars - Qwam Qwmt Merlot 2002 Nk'Mip Cellars - Qwam Qwmt Meritage 2002 Sumac Ridge Estate Winery - Pinnacle 2000 Township 7 Vineyards and Winery - Syrah 2002

The real test will come on a rainy Tuesday night in November, when the view disappears as fast as Coop.

Something in this theme works well 1/4 lb shallots, thinly sliced crosswise (1 cup) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 1/2 lb zucchini (3 to 4 medium), peeled and halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices 2 (2- by 1 1/2-inch) strips fresh lemon zest 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz) 1 3/4 cups water 1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill 1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk or plain yogurt Garnish: thinly sliced or torn zucchini blossoms Cook shallots in oil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini, zest, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is softened, about 5 minutes. Add broth and water and simmer until zucchini is tender, about 3 minutes. Purée zucchini mixture, including zest, along with parsley and dill in a blender (in 2 batches if necessary) until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Transfer to a metal bowl, then set bowl into a larger bowl of ice and cold water (to quick-chill). Cool, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Stir in buttermilk and season with salt. We've also noticed that zucchini works well with curry spicing. So add your favourite cuury blend to sliced, sauteed zukes and onion, then blend with chicken stock and some lemon juice and pepper.

Care to illuminate?

Please explain. And welcome! Jamie

Chef Lee Parsons is going very well at Bacchus now--cooking from his own menu and very much in the season--he's been a pretty quick study. So I would go for drinks in the sunshine somewhere, with a pretty view perhaps, and then call a cab down to Hornby Street. Where I would call a Cab. For something completely different I would venture to 244 East Georgia Street with a bottle of Clos Floridenes in tow. I would order the hot and sour soup, Chinese broccoli, a double order of garlic squid, a crab and some lotus roots. Then I would take a deep breath and say, "Same again, please."

Dare we ask if he likes his peas cooked in perfume, or is it like the tale of Marilyn Monroe's being asked about her preferred sleeping ensemble; she'd coyly murmur, "Chanel #5." ← She extols the latter virtue. Occasionally, for a change of pace, she cooks in Shalimar and pearls. Everything just seems to taste a little better that way.

Thank you. That teared me up faster than a gauntlet of Kents and Spraynet. My fiancée makes a convincing case for cooking in Shalimar and nothing else. I still get to fry the bacon though.

Looks like fruit stickers may go the way of buggy whips and corkscrews soon anyway. Here's that piece about laser fruit tattooing, but not behind the NYT screen.

Have to love the MENU BARBECUNOMIQUE Accès : 5 euros reversés à Action Contre la Faim Apéritif: Emulsion de melon au Ricard, glaçons à l'estragon et groseilles à maquereaux par Christophe Beaufront / L'AVANT GOÛT, Paris Bobo boeuf, et Bobo cheval par Sou Phongphet / PLOUM, Paris Hot dog de veau de la tête au pied par Eric Fréchon / LE BRISTOL, Paris Brochette de langue d'agneau au romarin, fin ragoût de pied de céleri et pied d'agneau au vin par Thierry Breton / CHEZ MICHEL, Paris Cornetto Fantaisie anisé, boeuf thaï et caviar d'aubergines par Bertrand Bluy / LES PAPILLES, Paris Brochette d'agneau au galanga par Oth Sombath / LE BANYAN, Paris Brochette de mignons d'agneau grillé Gomasio, fraîcheur de quinoa aux légumes d'été par Sylvain Danière / L'OURCINE, Paris Rouleaux de boeuf farcis au lard, fenouil et tomates confites Accompagnement : sauce crue au thym frais, persil, ail, et citron vert par Antoine Westermann / BUEREHIESEL, Strasbourg, MONVIEILAMI, Paris Dessert : collection Häagen-Dazs printemps/été 2005 customisée par Trish Deseine Vin : Avec tout ça, le sommelier proposerait bien un rosé, et pourquoi pas un rosé du val de Loire pour changer? Un verre de cabernet d'Anjou, aux reflets discrètement saumonés, charmeur et délicat, suave et onctueux, subtil et floral, décolleté dans le dos, marqué par des notes de fraise et de framboise, issu des cépages cabernet franc et cabernet-sauvignon.

Outstanding. Tonight our house smelt of the pulled pork barbecue that we threw into the red sauce for cowboy lasagne (Tuesday night), and the sea, ozone and fresh laundry.

We read today with interest Amanda Hesser’s column in The New York Times magazine where she detailed the ‘Le Fooding’ picnics (held in Paris, Marseilles, Nantes, and Montpellier), organized by the journalists Alexandre Cammas and Emmanuel Rubin. At the one in Paris, finger food of veal with fig chutney and beef with bonito and chives was served off the barbecue. About 1,600 attended, with more than 4,000 at the other three picnics. Did any of you attend?

Heartiest congratulations to you and yours, Andrew!

Every home has a distinctive smell, an aroma as distinctive as a fingerprint: your odiferous DNA if you like. Much of that smell is food generated, perhaps leavened with the spin cycle from the washing machine, and at this time of the year, some herbs or lavender. What would your friends and neighbours smell if they visited right now?

On the far side of Blue Ball (past Lititz) you’ll pass through Intercourse and then, in due course, arrive in Paradise. The same can’t always be said for Lancaster dining though and I've been racking my brain to recommend a couple of nocturnal suggestions. Despite our meanderings, we’ve yet to find that trifecta of really clean cooking, taut wine list and relaxed surroundings although we’ve come pretty close at Strawberry Hill in downtown Lancaster (it has a wonderful wine list, at below NYC prices, and Chimay Trappiste on tap) and Haydn Zug in East Petersburg, which is cosy and has a good list, but with slightly vestigial cooking. Just driving around Amish country reveals some extraordinary moments: last summer we left the 21st century through a covered bridge to transit to another age. The flat morning sunlight caught a flaxen-haired Amish girl kicking her horses around at the end of a long corn row. We felt as though we had cheated time.

Frederic Desbiens is a very good cook and well-used to making speacial celebratory menus. Mind you, his his regular menu is very good as well and I think reasonably priced. Combine with a visit to Township 7.

Too funny! The August issue of Bon Appetit contains a short note on the 5 megapixel Olympus Stylus 500 digital camera which apparently inlcudes a setting just for "us"..."cuisine mode" ..."lets amateur photographers shoot their favorite food in the most flattering light by accentuating warm tones and softening the flash."...the article concludes with the writer's observation, "Now, if only it had a "wash the dishes mode." ← Not to veer too widely off-topic, but seeing as we're talking about food travels . . . the convenience and incognito qualities of the Olympus Stylus 500 (called the Olympus Digital 500 in the US and about US$249-$299) rate pretty highly in my book: 5.0 megapix, 3X zoom, built-in lens cover, bright and generous 2.5" LCD rear screen, sturdy and weatherproof. But the best features are the numerous auto modes (some macro) at hand that control lighting and shutter speed, several of which are really helpful for food and restaurant photography: 'candlelight', 'document' (KGB-approved and useful for copying menus), 'cuisine', 'night-portrait', and 'behind glass' (which captures deli-case, Stalin's Tomb or window shots without reflection). Terrific and terrific value. There's an underwater case available too, although it's almost the same price as the camera itself. It's also guaranteed not to draw attention to you, but rather to your pictures. In other words the Olympus is more likely to come out and the big and geeky Nikon SLR stay home. I learnt this lesson a while back when I asked Mac Parry (whom, cleavage aside, I consider to be the best portraitist for The Vancouver Sun) what kind of equipment he uses. He whipped an inexpensive Canon Power Shot out of his pocket and got a lovely shot of my cleavage. Very good for taking pictures of gas stations too . . .

Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.