Varmint

So which eGullet member is SHE? (sorry, you set yourself up) It's definately Varmint in drag. Actually, I am a woman. I was in drag for the pig pickin'.

So that's what you did with your ex-boyfriends???

There's a boat? Chad Look just above the dude's turban. That's a rowboat, isn't it? I believe Chad was being facetious, my friend. Reminds me of that "optical illusion" email going around. Seen it? Hey, bud, I ain't got no patience for that there facetious crap. And who you callin' friend, chump??? Oh, it's you, Mike. Sorry about that. That's still a big-ass woman.

There's a boat? Chad Look just above the dude's turban. That's a rowboat, isn't it?

Not an entry, but if you look at the chick in the water and the boat, either that woman is incredibly huge or the boat is tiny. Or maybe I have no sense of perspective.

"Ahem, gee, thanks, Louie, but what I really wanted was a chicken breast."

Where do I start? Hmm... It comes down to two things really-- counting back change properly, and facilitating getting your change back in your pocket, purse, wallet, etc. If I buy something for say $12.53, and pay with a $20, the cashier should put $0.47 in my empty outstretched hand and say "13", and then hand me the bills counting "14, 15, 20". This doesn't work when they just hand you a few bills and then slap the coins on top. Also, what do I do with a stack of bills with coins balanced precariously on top with one hand since my other hand is holding my wallet? If the coins are put in my hand first I can kinda palm them while putting the bills back in my wallet. If they don't do this, I have to put my wallet down, pour the coins off the bills into my hand, stuff them in my pocket, and then put the bills in my wallet. Am I being too much of a nut case here? Dude, I'm with ya all the way on this one. It drives me crazy, and I can't tell you how many times I ended up dropping coinage all over the damn place.

Mmmmmmm. It doesn't get any better than this: I ran home, made myself a PB&J with Malawry's sour cherry jam, grabbed a bag of chips, and came right back to the office. Thank god for the jam, as otherwise, it would have really been a sucky lunch. Oh, I had a Moon Pie left over from the pig pickin'.

I peeled and diced the sweet taters into 3/4 inch cubes. Sauteed in butter, shallot. Added some port and cumin along with S&P. It was fantastic.

Welcome to eGullet, FP! Harris Teeter and all the other major grocery stores really do have sucky seafood. Produce is also hit or miss. I find the seafood and meat at Whole Foods quite acceptable, but very overpriced. Thus, when I have the time, I'll get seafood from Earps or Hieronymous. I'd get my meat from Cliff's in Carrboro, if I lived over that way.

Burger, fries and Diet Coke from Papa Lou's, a local chain.

Just curious -- and if it's been discussed elsewhere, please point me in the right direction -- but what truly makes up a great fish taco???

Zilla, you may want to experiment a bit, but if you grease your pie tins well, you should be able to make a crustless chess pie. That's what I do when I need to whip together a quick dessert.

I think it's called Luvans Old South Fish Restaurant. My sources tell me it ain't what it used to be. I'd be interested to hear of any fish camp types of restaurants that are still worthy of a trip.

Yeah, leave Fat Guy alone. He's busy making movies for Pringles.

We had intended to deep fry a battered Moon Pie at the pig pickin', but we got too drunk and too full to worry about that.

Carttronics This is another retrofitted system, unlike the one I saw at Lowes. Schnucks??? Would you really ever shop at a place called Schnucks?

No mixers? That's unheard of. Please tell us more!

I just ran to the nearest grocery store to get some fake potato chips and noticed that the shopping carts had been retrofitted with a device designed to make the cart inoperable once the cart is taken beyond the parking lot perimeter. The company that developed this technology is Gatekeeper Systems. Apparently, this works the same way the fenceless dog gating systems work: when the cart is taken beyond an electronic "border", one of the front wheels locks up. Pretty cool, although I didn't take it for a test run.

I am leaving my office in 30 seconds to purchase samples of all 3 chips. Am I going to report back here with the results? Probably not -- I just want some munchies.

I've already found a source for fresh goat for the next Pig Pic. . . . er, Southeast get together. I'm amazed by the copious amounts of meat. It makes me want to grab a tankard of mead and dig right in. By the way, why does Nero always stick out her tongue when she is photographed????

Mmmmm, fritters. That sounds like a fantastic flavor combination, Rhea. I think it's so easy to "typecast" sweet potatoes as something not all that versatile, when the truth is that they're easy to use in a ton of different types of dishes.

Please do report back, widebody. And welcome to eGullet!!

We tried the keg theme at the pickin', but even there, we couldn't even float either of the 2 kegs. But then, liquor WAS being consumed rapidly. Seriously, though, what other "big" shindigs could we do? A Door County fish boil (I'll bring the kerosene!)? A clam bake? An oyster roast? That crazy goat buried in the sand thingy that Bourdain did?

Just don't teach him the secret handshake. Plus, he should nevertheless go through a proper hazing, just to remind him of what he's missing. What would a proper hazing be for Burger Club?