robyn

Could you describe the chocolates a little more? I am familiar with some unusual chocolates - but I've never heard of anything like this before. Robyn

PJS - I think that what the freezes started in central Florida - development finished off. Volusia County was next to nothing when we moved to Florida 30 years ago (except for the resort of Daytona Beach and the small county seat/college town of Deland). Today - coastal development has spread in the eastern part of the county - and the western part of the county is becoming a suburb of Orlando. You're right about citrus prices being down. One crop that has been particularly hard hit lately is grapefruit (due to certain concerns about - if I recall correctly - medicines common among the elderly not working properly if you consume grapefruit). On the other hand - there are people like me who use grapefruit a lot more in cooking since they started putting those fresh peeled pink grapefruit sections in jars. Guess one of me doesn't make up for all the people who stopped eating grapefruit though. Then of course - there is also the competition from Brazil. I think that the citrus industry in Florida will be finished off sooner or later - and that the primary causes will be development and foreign competition - not canker. It's kind of sad. I've always enjoyed the agricultural aspects of the state. From what I've read about sichuan peppers - they're basically a dried citrus flower - and - in their most common form - they contain seeds. Whether the flowers/seeds can be infected with canker - or be a vector in spreading canker if they grow to trees - I don't know. I know there are all kinds of theories about canker - but none has been proven with any degree of scientific certainty at this point. Robyn

robyn -- have you ever head of the expression of the brigade system used in reference to commercial, restaurant kitchens? No I haven't - what is it? Robyn

Well - you have had your own personal experiences - and you generalize from them. Which is a fair thing to do. If I wanted to work as a chef - my expectation would be that I'd have to sling around bags of stuff that were as heavy or heavier than the bags of stuff I sling around in my garden (40-50 pounds). If I didn't have the requisite upper body strength - I'd try to acquire it. Did you find that most men you ran across "made the cut"? As for 12-14 hour days - I had to do them in high heels. I would have been a happier camper in chef's clogs . When it comes to crying - I think perhaps that that is just a cultural/sexual thing. Women cry and men go home and ?????? I don't see anything wrong with crying as an emotional response. You said you're a woman about my size - and I'm curious how old you are. Sometimes I've found that woman who had to prove themselves way back when are sometimes too tough on other women (I've been guilty of that myself sometimes). It's kind of like older doctors. They think that because they went through ridiculous residencies (e.g., no sleep for a couple of days) - every other doctor who comes down the pike should have to do it too (even if it's a really bad idea). Robyn

I just got a new Williams Sonoma catalogue. They have a new line of braising/stewing type pots that look like knockoffs of my old Magnalite pots. Don't know anything about them - but if someone is interested in a new pot - he/she might take a look at them. Robyn

Well - Senators Graham and Nelson are both Democrats and in favor of citrus too. Maybe there's someone on a city commission in Florida who's against the citrus industry - but - if there is - I've never heard of that person. I really don't know much about citrus canker except that it's been a huge problem in Florida in recent years. Also - I know that most of the citrus grown here (mostly juice oranges) is different than most of the citrus grown in California (mostly eating oranges). Perhaps the different varieties of trees have different resistances to canker. I did a little reading on the internet too. It suggested that differences in the humidity levels in both states (Florida has high humidity - California has low humidity) may make a difference too. By the way - the canker in Florida is called Asiatic citrus canker. Which may explain the ban on Asiatic citrus products. I live in north Florida - which isn't a citrus area of the state. But I have a Meyer lemon tree with a metal tag with all kinds of agricultural information on it. That tree probably went through more inspections than an airport full of airline passengers. Robyn

I live in a different part of the state than Kartherine Harris. Have never read about her lawsuits. As for citrus in the middle of the Florida peninsula (including Cocoa Beach and lots of the Orlando area) - its disappearance didn't have anything to do with canker. There was a series of 3 major freezes (I seem to recall it was in the 70's - maybe early 80's). A mature citrus tree can survive one freeze - it's crippled after 2 - and 3 strikes and you're out. After that - most of the central Florida citrus industry moved further south. A lot of citrus was planted in areas that had previously been used for crops like sugar. Robyn

I am not a botanist - but I assume the theory is that the buds have seeds. You throw one in the compost heap and it grows into a plant. Then it self-seeds all over the place. By the way - not only is the citrus industry opposed to importing many exotic plants and plant parts. So are many environmentalists in states like Hawaii and Florida where exotics can get out of control quickly and destroy native habitats. So this isn't only a question of big bad agricultural corporations against a bunch of foodies. If this is such a popular food item - why doesn't someone grow it as a domestic crop? There's usually no problem with that as long as the growers comply with all local agricultural rules in whatever areas this plant happens to grow best - and it isn't an invasive exotic. We have lots of new boutique food crops in Florida these days - e.g., Latin American vegetables - in response to domestic consumer demand. Robyn

Not a chance. Agricultural protections and subsidies are very much a bi-partisan thing (witness Tom Daschle's and other Democrats' support of the outrageous farm subsidy bill). And most large agricultural interests tend to give liberally to politicians in both parties to hedge their bets (think the sugar interests in the US gave $100,000 to Bush - and $100,000 to Gore - in the last election). In Florida - we have a Republican governor - 2 Democratic Senators - and many Congresspeople on both sides of the aisle. Never heard one of them speak against state agricultural interests. Robyn

I have a Japanese National (Panasonic) that I bought at appliances.com. I bought it because it's a one cup cooker - just the perfect amount for 2 people for dinner. It has the bells and whistles (timer - retractable cord - warmer to keep cooked rice warm for hours). And it's been very dependable. By the way - I recommend appliances.com because it has large variety of rice cookers (you can pick the features that are important to you - e.g., you want a Persian rice cooker - they have a Persian rice cooker). Robyn

Can you please describe a typical physical thing a typical woman can't do. I'm just curious. I'm close to 60 - 5 feet tall. I can lift maybe a 40 pound bag (of birdseed - salt for the water softener - etc). My husband - who's older but taller - can do 60 - or 80 if he feels like throwing his back out . I know younger stronger guys like some of the workers who come to our house can do 80 without a problem. What's a typical kitchen lifting task? How heavy are the pots (I can do about 12 quarts without a sweat - but - in a home kitchen - have never done anything bigger)? And again - just curious - what are the kinds of things you said that made the women cry? Robyn

Could you please describe to me what a "particularly aggressive" environment is? If it's like the environment when I first started to practice law 30 years ago - it means a lot of guys making suggestive sexual comments - snide remarks about how I was unsuited to do what I was trying to do - and otherwise being crude and making me feel like I wasn't welcome. In other words - I had to put up with a lot of crap. I would have sincerely hoped that by now - 30 years later - women wouldn't have to put up with this stuff in any type of workplace - whether it's a courtroom or a kitchen - but I guess they still do. As for physically demanding - I'm sure there are women who are capable of the physical demands - and others who are not. Just like some women are capable of being fire fighters or soldiers - and others aren't. But I suspect that for most women who wind up in professional kitchens - the emotional stuff is harder to deal with than huge pots of stock. By the way - I've seen some parts of classes given at a local cooking school for Navy personnel - where you're dealing with really massive cooking requirements - and equipment. These are the people who are learning to cook on ships - including carriers that house 5000 sailors at a time. The kitchenaid mixer is almost as tall as I am. And the women who are in that program don't seem to have any unusual problems - perhaps because military discipline and protocol require that a modicum of professional respect be accorded to the people who are working with you. Robyn

I don't think that chicken feet are particularly exotic these days since most Chinese buffet places in Jacksonville (all you can eat for $5.99) serve them (because they're cheap). They're too much work/too little eating reward in my opinion - but if the sauce is good - I'll dump some on a little rice and eat it. Robyn

I don't recall that California citrus growers have had problems with canker lately. There are lots of problems with canker in Florida. Agriculture is the second largest industry in Florida - which is the fourth largest state in the country. So the industry is kind of important politically. And influential in terms of money too. After all - the name on the University of Florida football stadium is "Ben Hill Griffin" (one of the largest citrus growers in the state) - not Wong's Chinese Restaurant. Ben Hill Griffin's daughter is Katherine Harris - ex-secretary of state of Florida (of year 2000 presidential election news) - now a Congressperson. Robyn (long time resident of Florida)

I tend to buy pots on sale - and then figure out what they're good for after . I have a 10.5 inch 4 quart sauteuse and it's good for cooking up quick pasta sauces and then throwing in the pasta so you can mix the sauce with the pasta on the stove. My pot isn't a big deal pot. It's Analon Professional - non-stick - with a helper handle. Can't complain because I bought it for 30 bucks and have more than gotten my money's worth. By the way - I know non-stick isn't popular here - but I like easy cleaning pots. Robyn

I'm not denying that - but kind of hoped it open up into a bigger discussion I'm game for a bigger discussion. I can't say what goes on in the kitchens. But I have always found it unusual that most high end restaurants don't have any female servers. You can't tell me that women aren't capable of being servers in high end restaurants. One of the biggest deal restaurants where I live (Florida) had to be hauled into court to get it to hire female servers. I can only assume that there is even more sexism in the kitchens. Robyn

I enjoyed the food in Costa Rica. It was very much like home (Miami) - except they had some really large shrimp - langoustines? - not sure - that were very good grilled. Wasn't "big deal" food to be sure - but I ate everywhere - even roadside stands - and didn't get sick. I am not familar with the "miradores" - but we did stay in a place in Quepos that was built into the side of a hill on the Pacific Ocean (Mariposa). It was beautiful. By the way - one of our favorite meals at home is grilled marinated chicken with rice and beans. Just so you know where I'm coming from . And Cuban food is pretty bland - not much different from the stuff in CR. Robyn

My husband and I stayed once at the Villa d'Este. We had reservations which we made directly with the hotel. When we arrived - we were told we could not be accommodated for dinner. In my opinion: 1) the restaurant should have told us when we made room reservations that we needed dinner reservations if we planned to dine there; or 2) there should have been enough dinner seating for hotel guests. By the way - the hotel is expensive - I didn't think the rooms were that great - and - when we did eat at the hotel - it was nothing special (compared to many other wonderful restaurants we dined at in Italy). Robyn

The main dining room appeared to be full, though there was an outside area that was maybe 1/2 full. This was on a Sunday night. CB is my overall favorite restaurant in NYC, but I avoid dining there (or at most high-end NYC establishments) on Friday or Saturday nights if possible. Just too much of a madhouse. I think the best times to go are dinner early in the week or at the beginning of service (5:30 pm). The food is usually at its best, since the kitchen isn't under so much strain, and the cramped room is less of a problem when it's not full. I avoid dining everywhere - even the junkiest restaurant in Jacksonville - on a Friday or Saturday night. In fact - I just got theater tickets for Friday May 28 (my husband's birthday and we will be in London). We will do a late light supper after. Will be more fun than fighting the Friday night crowds. The only thing worse than a regular Friday night or Saturday night is a Valentine's Day on a Saturday . I can't bring myself to eat at 5:30 - even when I'm visiting my 80+ year old parents - unless I'm on the west coast and still suffering from jet lag. Robyn

I don't know - but the one night we went there - we walked in without a reservation at about 8-8:30. It was a Monday. There was one empty table - and that's where we ate. I think that most big deal restaurants in big deal cities save at least a table or two for the unexpected big deal guest (we're certainly not in that category). But - by a certain hour - if the table is empty - it is open for the first taker. Also - all restaurants get last minute cancellations. I have always been told that with a big deal restaurant that's hard to book - you either book far in advance - or try booking or walking in at the last minute. Robyn

I don't think of ears and feet and the like as offal. When I think of offal - I think of organ meats. Technically though - what you're talking about is offal. Robyn

Well now we know your food prejudices - no mutton. By the way - mutton's not my favorite either - but I got ripped apart for saying that in a discussion of London restaurants. Perhaps there are chefs who have tricks up their sleeves in terms of working with the stuff. Robyn

I think for us the difference was almost entirely a question of atmosphere. At CB in New York - we were a 2-top squeezed between 2 other 2-tops on a very busy night. The people next to us were loudly discussing a particular legal case and some lawyers we know (mind you - we're lawyers from Florida - these lawyers were from New York - but they were discussing a Florida case with Florida lawyers). It was like eavesdropping in someone's office. After a while - things were getting too personal - so we just told them who we were. They stopped talking - but clearly weren't happy about having to interrupt their business discussion. It was an uncomfortable situation for us. At CB in Palm Beach - there was more space between the tables - the people on both sides of us were excited about the restaurant (this was in August - and the restaurant hadn't been open too long) - and everyone was talking about the food. Everyone had fun comparing notes about all the different dishes we were eating. We even passed around some desserts. Also - the hotel was having a fashion shoot that night - and I wound up taking cigarette breaks with a bunch of women who were twice my height and half my age. My husband was impressed when I introduced him to my new friends . So it was a really fun night. Luck of the draw in both places. Was CB in Palm Beach crowded when you were there (it was comfortably full in August when we were there - but it was basically a single seating that night)? Robyn

Sorry we haven't helped. Since you're not 100% fixed on French food - and the Mrs. likes Japanese - what about Nobu? Robyn

I agree that ultimately - the decision is up to the restaurant. If cameras or cellphone cameras become as popular as plain cell phones - then I think a fair number of restaurants will ban the cameras and the cellphone cameras - just like a fair number of restaurants have banned cell phones. It's a question of what type of atmosphere a particular restaurant would like to maintain (and the decision is entirely up to the restaurant owner). Robyn