Varmint

(thinking of laying on the heavy guilt trip -- he he he he!)

After hearing the stories of the Bourdain-fest, I'm not sure the South can handle y'all!!!! Come on down anyhow!!

Sounds like a great plan. Perhaps I could join you for a round of golf, if I get all the other items taken care of! How about an eGullet golf outing? I'm trying to think of a place where you could get good chow. Of course, we could forget about the food and go down to Pinehurst, which is but an hour away. I could get us a good deal at Pine Needles, home of the Women's US Open next year.

Of course you're welcome, Jim. Where are you located?

That's great, HungryChris. Where are you located? We'll iron out details over the next couple of months. By the way, Mrs. Varmint now wants to find someone with a small backhoe so she can dig a real pit in the weeds at the far end of the tennis court. She may actually get into this!!

If you've ever drunk any real moonshine, it's hard to believe you'd want to get some for this gathering. Things could get crazy. I started to put up the name of a family to get hold of if you're serious, but then I remembered this is the internet. Good, crystal clear, smooth 'shine could result in some people just about going on an acid trip. It's soooo good, you've just got to have a little more. Feel free to PM me with that info, Nick!

Try some of the bread at Guglhupf Bakery in Durham. That might do the trick. Otherwise, you're stuck with the bread from Whole Foods, which isn't bad, but not great. Of course, if you're making bread pudding, it would have to be banana bread pudding!

Just to let y'all know that I informed Mrs. Varmint last night that we'll likely be getting guests from across the continent. She responded, "eGullet?" She gave me a look that essentially said, "Are these people that food obsessed, or are they merely desperate for friends?" Fortunately, because the question was never posed, I never had to give an answer. Nevertheless, the final hurdle has been cleared, and it is officially on the Varmint Family calendar. Seeing people are booking flights and hotels already, this could be a bit of a crazy situation. Something tells me that I'll probably need to invite all the neighbors and pay off the local police force. Again, if anyone has any access to moonshine, please bring it. Make sure that it's ethanol rather than methanol, please! I can also make arrangements for some restaurant action while folks are here, too. We have some good low and high end places. I'll post specifics at some later date. Finally, you should definitely try to get in on Friday, as the cooking and drinking will go on all day long on Saturday. Let's roll. . . .

Suh-weet! Welcome to the southlands, weka. I'm sure you've already heard that "Cary" stands for "Containment Area for Relocated Yankees." I had to live there for 3 years before they let me in Raleigh. No, we have no lawn. Or, as Jed Clampett might have said, we just have a "cement lawn." The court's been in place for 30 years. Our house is a stone's throw from the Whole Foods on Wade Avenue, so you're likely to be very, very close to us. Maybe too close, based on what I heard from the Bourdain fest.

You're now counted as "in." It should be pretty damn interesting.

He was recently in NC for a barbecue segment of Cooks Tour, but it appears that episode may have been scrapped. This would be more fun.

219. One pound in one week. To be honest, folks, I'm pretty damn excited. After a weekend of serious binge drinking, too much bad food, and zero exercise, I still managed to drop a pound. Under the old regimen, I would have gained 2 or 3. The doctor gave me a new antibiotic yesterday, and I'm hoping that will clear up the sore throat and cough. I have got to get some exercise. I'd probably be down to 215 by now!!! Seriously, I don't feel as if I've sacrificed one bit from the beginning of this plan. I get full more quickly. I have more energy. I pee a lot more. OK, that's a bit of a problem. I'll eat well this next week. I'm doing a dinner party tomorrow (ideas, anyone?), but I'll focus on what's fresh at the farmers' market. Strawberries and balsamico make a great dessert. I may make a strawberry sorbet, lightly sugared, and break out the good balsamico. Just thinking of relatively healthy things to do. Thanks for your support. Oh, and I had a tuna burger and white asparagus for dinner and my two slices of toast for breakfast.

I'll make sure I have a color-coded map with all the hot nightspots. Although ZebA may be a better resource, as he doesn't have any kids and still loves the nightlife. He loves to boogie.

Good god, that sounds awesome. Thanks so much, Michael.

Excellent! You've been added to the list. Gee, I need to find a good source for moonshine. Maybe Kathi Purvis has some connections. Kathi??

Here's the latest update (am I really updating the attendee list on a daily basis for an event 5 months away????): hjshorter ZebA Marlene vengroff Jaymes =Mark maggiethecat Holly Moore KatieLoeb Malawry edemuth (??) Dave the Cook kpurvis s'kat (??) dlc Mummer claire797 +2 (??) herbacidal (??) Blondie ditsydine NewYorkTexan (??) Jason & Rachel Perlow Tommy is "in", which means he's probably out but would like to be in. Nickn from Maine realized it's a thousand miles, but is reconsidering. Xanthippe may be susceptible to peer pressure, even if she does live in New Hampshire. timothycdavis may be in if kpurvis gives him a ride and she doesn't kill him on the way.

Could you please provide some more details about this dish? I apologize for my ignorance, but what is an olive oil financier?

Since strawberries and balsamico are so good, has anyone done a frozen version of that?

Perhaps we could get an eGullet group rate somewhere!!!

Don't worry, Marlene. It's not that good of a prize! Did you book your flight and hotel yet?

You mean, other than the chance to meet me? I've got plenty of time to figure that one out. New Hampshire, Maine, and Texas are the leaders so far. Now if Schielke or Mamster get involved, sorry folks!

You kiddin' me? You got married, didn't you? Let me rephrase that question (although we got engaged in September and were married in February): Has there ever been this much planning for a pig pickin' (or an eGullet get together) that's 5 months away?

I'm just wondering if there has ever been this much planning for an event that is nearly 5 months away???

Heather, are you on the Virginia side? If so, it's a bit more than 4 hours, but not too much more (assuming you go 5-7 miles over the speed limit and not counting potty and food breaks). Go through Richmond rather than around. ZebA drives up there regularly. The kids will be fine. They don't need a DVD, just parents with great patience!

Damn, the Varmint household will be the center of North American gastronomic activity in October. Remember my ol' standby line, Jaymes: You can call me Jimmy, 'cuz I'll take what you gimme.