Batgrrrl

I'm not at home, so I can't check the official tally on the fridge, but our 3 cats have gone medieval on the local small rodent and bird population since moving to Duluth in August--we've had I believe around 30 birds in the house (about half of them alive, which we released back outside) and about 10 mice--again, about half alive. A few mice have hung out for a while--under the fridge or stove--but luckily they don't seem interested in staying, but are just looking for a clear exit. The funniest moment was when one made a dash for the front porch, running right between col klink's legs as he was crouching down--I decided to tell him about it after the mouse had passed through! In Seattle, we had rats--ugh--and I was the one home most, so I got to do "clean-up" duty. My preferred method for the ones the traps didn't quite kill was drowning. Bucket of water next to the trash can. Not fun, but quick and effective. Batgrrrl

A ray of hope in all this darkness: the college at which I teach (small, public, midwestern, liberal arts) appears to occasionally hold "etiquette dinners," in which students are expected to arrive dressed nicely and then instructed in basics of meeting and greeting, being a guest and being a host, and table manners. So there is some awareness, at least here, that these things are (a) important in the world, and (b) not being learned at home these days! I'm starting to think it might be fun to host conversational "salons" for some of my better students, to both broaden their intellectual horizons and introduce them to a new level of socializing and the manners that go with it. Batgrrrl (oh, and for the record I study and teach Victorian literature, so I'm perhaps more than normally fascinated by codes of manners )

HAH! Love it!

Don't say that! Here's a less high-brow version: There once were two painters from Paris In love with a lady named Maris; "Come lunch with us, lass, And show us your ass, And we'll do what e'er you dare us!" Okay, the 2nd line I'm not happy with--couldn't find another good rhyme for Paris and dare us.

Blue Before Lunch I hate this damn dress. Blue on blue, “so flattering” says Mother; Oh, Mother, could you see me now, Piling peaches on plums for this afternoon’s picnic Which I dread, I dread, I dread The monotony, the talk, the talk Of light on water, which blue to use, The latest display at the Academy, and Who slept with who to get on the walls; The erection of great art starts prone, after all, And only comes to light after repeated thrusting Of brush into palette, knife onto canvas. You will talk, and talk, and talk, Of color and line and stroke And how to capture the curve of my thigh, But I will think of other things; The fuzz of the peach, the sheen of the plum, And imagine the pit within, unseen, unpainted. Batgrrrl (who is supposed to be figuring out which books to order for next semester, but this is more fun!)

Did he bring you leftovers or did he eat them all in the car? You have a great husband. I believe he did bring some leftover prime rib--I'm looking forward to trying it. But do keep in mind--I am married to the guy so I do have, ahem, (slight ladylike blush) constant access to his meat. My apologies; how unlike me! I don't know what's come over me! Batgrrrl

Thanks for sending my man back safe and sound, everybody--he had nothing but lovely things to say about you all. And I got the bonus of a phone message from Maggie, Lady T, and Aurora--what a treat! I can't wait to meet you all. I saw those late-night pics, MatthewB--I'm shocked! Shocked I say!

Just remember to keep all relevant body parts away from moving machinery! I desperately wish I could be there. Drink one for me, and take care of my husband, everybody--I just got him recently, and I'm pretty sure I want to keep him! Batgrrrl

word - i've seen some hilarious things happen at white castle at that hour. Like possibly me and a fellow bridesmaid, still all done up, covered in glitter, 3 sheets to the wind, ordering jalapeno burgers and those weird chicken rings, being carefully chaperoned by col klink, perhaps? white castle--word. Batgrrrl

I love them as part of a fruit salad--paired with sweet melons, like cantelope, they are a wonderful contrast in color, taste, and texture. Thanks, Jason, for posting some of the symbolic connotations--I was going to bring the Greek myth up if nobody raised it yet. It's one of my favorite stories from that tradition. The pomegranate functions somewhat similarly to the apple in the garden of Eden in the biblical story--before Persephone is kidnapped by Hades and eats the fruit, the earth is basically in a perpetual summer; her eating it (and most retellings talk about how tempting the fruit is, more than him tricking her necessarily) causes the seasons, and hence the un-Edenic periods of barrenness and darkness. I would think they would make a wonderful sauce for duck--the tart paired with the rich! Wait, that sounds like a celebrity marriage I just read about. Anyway, just do a simple reduction of red wine and the seeds, macerated a bit to split them, strain, add butter off heat at the end, and pour over duck. Sprinkle a few fresh seeds over for garnish. Mmm, that sounds good--now I'm going to have to try that! Batgrrrl

Now I'm really blushing!!! I don't know that I can explain it--I guess I'd say, the nature of "booty food" is that it fundamentally hits us in a very primal way, "below the belt" if I may borrow a phrase from boxing to imply something complete different! Indian food is just plain sexy to me--the rich pungency of the curries and creamy sauces... Okay, I'd better stop, I've got papers to grade! This is not helping! But before I go, the menu I believe involved a lamb curry and a creamy coconut curry with prawns, as well as a lentil dish. And now all of egullet knows far more about me than is really necessary! Batgrrrl

Great thread! Fascinating term--I've never heard it, and am delighted to find it does indeed refer to precisely what I initially thought! Ironically, Suvir, for me Indian food is "booty food"--most specifically curries! There's just something about a good curry that, well, um, I can't get into it here. I am, after all, a respectable married woman now. But just ask Col. Klink about the Indian feast I prepared for him, early on in our dating life... On the other hand, "traditional" booty foods don't do a lot for me--like chocolate. But I do see a mango recipe on the link you give, mcdowell, and agree whole-heartedly with that one! 'Fess up, everybody--what are your "booty foods"? But then, I'd be surprised if this hasn't already been discussed somewhere on this list. Batgrrrl

This is a really good point, ChocoKitty--though it's also sad, probably, to most of us. We're here on egullet precisely because taste does matter to us, when the truth is, for a lot of people, it isn't that big of a deal. There is a wide variation in the human population in terms of which senses are prominent--I know I'm a spatial thinker, and that has a huge effect on how I write, for example. A good friend of mine has virtually no visual imagination whatsoever--by that I don't mean that she's vision-impaired, but that appearances aren't what she notices or remembers. She recently told me that when her husband isn't in front of her, she can't remember what she looks like! Instead, she's much more attuned to sounds. Similarly, the great perfume makers (there's got to be a fancy word for that) of the world have very sensitive noses. Yes, to an extent, these are things that we can develop over time--but everyone's going to have basic propensities to start with, and if a person starts out in life with a sense of taste that takes a back seat to other senses, then it's not surprising that they won't make good food a priority. Why bother, if they can't tell the difference? Any doctors/scientists around who want to chime in on this theory? Batgrrrl

Mmmm...Shiro's...miss that place. When my husband and I were in Seattle, we noticed this trend at a lot of sushi places--really inventive rolls, sometimes tempura'd. But there, we virtually never got a tempura roll in which the fish was actually cooked--in fact I can't think of a single instance. Similarly, our favorite place in Seattle, Mashiko's, several times served ahi tuna that he'd lightly tempura'd and just barely fried, so that it was just cooked maybe a milimeter through, and then he'd slice it thinly and arrange it beautifully. I liked the tempura rolls--but I definitely agree that if the fish actually ends up being cooked, then no thank you. Batgrrrl (who'd frankly settle for a fully cooked tempura roll in Duluth, if she could find one )

What we have found additionally frustrating is that Duluth does have a Vietnamese population, and there are several "Vietnamese" restaurants--which by and large serve the same pre-made Chinese crap the Chinese restaurants do. Generally these places will have a name like "Vietnamese Lantern", and then a description of "Chinese and Vietnamese Food." One place we went to did have pho on the menu--that was it for Vietnamese, and we were there for dinner, the wrong time of day. The other place I went to for lunch one day had a few Vietnamese noodle dishes. I asked the young man (definitely Vietnamese) if they ever made pho, and he said when they opened, they'd tried it, but nobody knew how to eat it, so they dropped it. It's definitely a case of the market demanding a certain style of food, and forcing restaurants to perpetuate that. It's so frustrating to think that there are certainly people capable of cooking good Chinese and Vietnamese food here, but we never see it in the restaurants. Klink wasn't kidding when he said we were feeling nostalgic for Safeway's China Express. I'm definitely looking forward to eating out in the Twin Cities more, and cooking more as well--thanks, Trillium, for the cookbook recommendation! Batgrrrl

Alas, no. My lovely bride will have to stay home, she has to work. And she's very bitter about it.

Ah, but this gets at what I think is precisely the appeal of large chains--not for me, personally, but for a lot of people around the country--you get to feel like you are part of a "national culture" (and believe me, I use that phrase very advisedly, hence the quotation marks). You get to feel like you're the people on those tv commercials, at Olive Garden or Applebee's. Now, this may sound awful to many of us, but it's a powerful force for much of the population--especially that part that lives in smaller communities. They come to the big city, either moving or vacationing, and they can choose between something they've never heard of, and something that they've seen advertised, that makes them feel like part of something bigger. This is even more noticeable in a place like my hometown, Fargo N.D., which is about the only part of the state with a really growing economy--it's absolutely exploding there, as mostly young people move there to go to school or right after school, coming from smaller communities around it. Every time I go back, there's a new chain restaurant opening up. And it was my mother who pointed out that the appeal isn't the food (though it's better than what most people around there cook for themselves), it's being part of popular culture. Similarly, in Duluth, where I recently moved (MISS YOU PNWers!!!), the whole town is abuzz with the coming Olive Garden! Way back in June, when we were looking at houses, our realtor was talking it up. It's still not open--so people were already excited about it a half a year in advance! Now Seattle isn't Fargo or Duluth, I know. But I think Seattle is more "provincial" (yes, again with the quotes so indicate that I know that's a loaded word) than we often think. It's a growing city, and yes, many of the people moving there are from other urban areas and are used to having good quality food around--but based on who my students were when I was teaching college there, I'm willing to bet that even more of the recent arrivals are from small towns in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, and are looking for ways to be part of the national popular culture. A meal at Olive Garden is going to give them that; Le Pichet isn't. Depressing, but there it is. The good news, I think, is that in Seattle there is a strong base of people who are going to keep the good restaurants alive and well. Think about it--are any of you guys going to start frequenting these new chain restaurants? Not likely. So you'll continue to patronize the good guys, and the chains will come up with a new customer base. And, being optimistic, eventually some of that customer base will forsake the dark side and convert over. That's what the good restaurants have going for them--the conversion rate is, I would think, much more in their favor than against them. Batgrrrl, who is anticipating the opening of Duluth's first Olive Garden with all the excitement of a 5-year-old going to the dentist Edit: I teach composition and still don't know the difference between there and their

I'm going to throw in a plug for the Okanagan valley of British Columbia, a relatively new wine-producing region that has been making lots of really good whites for a while now, and is starting to get quite good at reds as well. I'm not at home, so I can't run down and check the "wine cellar" (read: pile of boxes), but I know when my husband and I were up there last, we picked up at least a few Gewurtzes. What I like about almost all their whites is that they specialize in traditionally "sweeter" varieties (including rieslings as well) but manage a lovely balance that makes them amazingly fruity and aromatic without being overly sweet. Some of the gewurtzes I often describe as "spicy", which I like quite a lot. Sorry I can't be more specific about wineries. Unfortunately, this isn't helpful to most, because these are small, estate wineries, so they don't even really distribute beyond the valley, much less out of the country! A few are starting to distribute in the US--Mission Hill and Grey Monk are both available. But if you're looking for a nice vacation, I can highly recommend it--it's absolutely beautiful there, and the wine is very reasonably priced, especially with the us/canadian exchange rate! Batgrrrl

As a recent decider on these sorts of issues I would say first, go local. There are amazing local beers; yes, Caffrey's is really good, but you're getting married *here*!!! I second the recommendation to Maritime, and to Hale's--I think those two breweries are making the most well-rounded and still complex beers in the Seattle area. Big Time and Elysian both tend to be a bit hoppier than most, which means they do great IPAs, but as you say, lots of people aren't into seriously hoppy beers. It's been a while since I tried Elysian, though, so that may have changed. One near-local recommendation is Deschutes, out of Bend, Oregon. They make fabulous, amazing beers. See if you can find out when Cindercone Red is available--it's a seasonal, I think spring, so it should be around for a March (right?) wedding. We were lucky enough to score one of the last 5 kegs in Seattle for our wedding--so you probably sampled it there! It's an eminently drinkable beer, complex but not overpowering, rich but not heavy. All of Deschutes' stuff is excellent. Good luck! I envy you the tastings. Batgrrrl

The Klink and I are firm believers in pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) for a hangover breakfast--the nice mild broth and soothing, unchallenging noodles seem to be just the thing on an upset stomach, and the meat gives a little bit of protein to get us going. Of course, I still need to be awake for at least an hour or more to eat it. Any other good hangover breakfasts? I do like a bloody mary--I was mixing those up last weekend at a friend's place. Eggs I can't even look at unless they're scrambled (I just keep thinking, "chicken menses! chicken menses!") though I love them soft boiled and poached when I'm not "fragile," as we called it in college. Batgrrrl

This was a common occurence in college, when people ran out of milk--I never did it myself, but saw it done plenty of times. (Also the boyfriend who came home drunk, wanted mac and cheese, got it going only to find he had no milk, but he did have eggnog. But that's another story entirely). Back to breakfast--I'm finding this really interesting because I'm completely incapable of eating anything interesting for breakfast. As in, the very thought of anything with actual flavor makes me sick to my stomach until I've been up for at least a couple of hours. So I eat a lot of unflavored malt-o-meal in the cold season, and otherwise it's a frozen fruit and plain yoghurt breakfast drink. Give me a couple of hours, and I'll wolf down an order of biscuits with sausage gravy, but not earlier. So theoretically I'm very adventurous for breakfast, but only if it's served at lunchtime. And now I've gone and made myself feel sick, because it's still too early for me to even think about sausage gravy... Batgrrrl

I'll second this--some friends of mine who got married last summer used them, and they were quite tasty, and I believe also very reasonable. They were on a pretty serious budget. Ann

I was recently in Minnesota and after seeing A Cook's Tour in the Twin Cities, all I wanted to see in the Mall of America was the MN State Fair restaurant in the food court so I could see the deep fried pickle, the deep fried cheese curds, the deep fried fish on a stick and most importantly of all, the deep fried cheese cake on a stick. I am very irritated to report that that restaurant is no more. I put up with the inanity of America's largest mall for naught.

Yes, thanks Ben--we know it's been a bit of a task getting this all pinned down, and we appreciate it! B-gal

I have never done a shrimp boil, though I've heard enough stories to make this a must in my lifetime, hopefully soon, but I have cooked a fair amount of shrimp, and it kinda seems to me like 5-10 minutes is an awfully long time--my rule is 3 minutes tops, assuming they go into water that is seriously boiling. With that timing, I haven't experienced any real problems peeling. I've used this rule with nice, really fresh stuff from the fisherman's market, and even frozen. They're never rubbery, either. Good luck, and let us know what you figure out. Batgrrrl