rancho_gordo

I think the confusion sometimes comes from flour tortillas, which almost always seem to contain lard, or more often partially hydronated something or other......

Is malaria a big problem in California or other food basket states? I don't think so but I could be wrong. Or we could ask the field workers who pick our food if they prefer DDT in the environment or not. re: Organics, they are much harder to grow and there are a lot of bad organic farmers out there. It's not perfect and big agri-biz has infected it, but it's still better than nothing, especially in terms of root vegetables ike potatoes and carrots that literally sit in the polluted earth before entering you. Personally, I want that soil to be as pure as possible. FWIW, I have zero plans to go certified organic but I would eat right off my soil. Then there's the issue of food politics. It surprises me that a board dedicated to food isn't more outraged at the real cost of cheap, crappy food.

Are you suggesting we re-introduce DDT?

It's very unusual to use lard. There's no need for it. Corn, water, lime should be it.

I'm going to be in the Yucatan from Wed until the 1st. I love this area but I don't really know it well. Are there any must-see things for me? I'd love to find any open markets where I might find some interesting beans and chiles. I also have a weird love of ollas and serving bowls + plates. I'll be near Tulum and Akumal and am up to a day trip or overnight trip if it's a good idea. I'm thinking Valladolid might be worth a visit. Also, let me know of any 'must-try' dishes from the region. Thanks!

I think my bean is not a real Bayo or maybe the original story is true that this is from the South (bayou) and that there is a seperate bean in Mexico. Here's what I have: I just made a pot of runner cannellini, three weeks out of the ground. Talk about a bowl of heaven!

WARNING TO TILLE: Read this after you eat there. I went two weeks ago with some friends. I think it's been open almost a month and a half. But first, you must understand, I am not the target audience for this restaurant. As a positive, it has ZERO "wine country" charm. It is what it is and is uninfluenced by the town of Napa (where the opening of Applebees made front page news and the local Wal-Mart thrives) or even the Napa valley. It's a large room but all the tables are scrunched along the edges. It's very staid and quiet. 10 years ago it would have been considered modern and up to date. I was there to have dinner with friends but this is an event place and conversation was constantly halted as the waiter explained the menu, the specials, the drinks, the food he was delivering and none of what he said stuck. Not only the specials, but every line of the menu had to be explained. The food was nice but it's lots of small composed dishes on huge square plates. Enough with square plates. Enough with dinky portions. We never saw much "fusion" except there was lots of seafood so I guess that means it's Asian. We had lots of starters and salads but all I really remember was that I had an excellent quail dish. I think a certain type of person would really enjoy this restaurant in another town- or better yet, city. It's in a weird part of Napa and as I returned from a trip to the gents, I looked longingly out at a taco truck parked on Soscol. To sum it up, the food is very good, the atmosphere is a little precious and self-concious and the prices just short of insane. We all had a good time but agreed we didn't feel the need to some back any time soon. There is oddly little buzz about this place and the night we went it was pretty dead.

Or a bored intern at a magazine trying to stir something up.

No, she didn't.... Surely you want to reconsider this statement. How are French or Italian more "creative" tham mexican or Tex-mex? A lot of people here also love Indian, Chinese, etc. and I don't know that many with an open mind would consider one cuisine more "creative" than another, or even the real subtext here, which seems to be better. Again, how is lobster flown in from Maine better goods than a big fat poblano chile fresh from the field? People demanding lobsters flown in is not good taste, it's arrogance. FWIW, I've lived in Italy (where I worked as a radio DJ), travelled throughout Europe and spent many warm summers in France. I hope one day you get to discover the great things that await you in your own backyard.

I think it's to El Paso's credit that you they don't have live lobster on demand. It's an indulgence that isn't very eco-friendly and has nothing to do with the local culture. I bet the chile selection was better and fresher in El Paso in 1992 than in say Pittsburgh or Washington, D.C. Re the basil- if it was winter in 1992, it would have been aenemic hot-house basil rather than the real thing which tastes of dirt and lust. I don't think basil should be available all year. I think El Paso circa 1992 is a bad example. I can't believe I'm defending the state that gave us this president, but it's very regional cooking and to expect a inland border town with a rich culture to meet an urban standard of Italian food isn't so fair, especially in a discussion of dumbed down food.

I doubt most Italians would recognize the meals she makes as their own cuisine.

My bookstore is now officially closed. The last of these are going ot the library book sale. I'm surprised there wasn't more interest in this. I'm glad to get rid of the books I did but I would have thought others would have had similar lists.

I second the nomination of jack Bishop's Vegetables Every Day I use it all the time. Chez panisse Vegetables, too, but less so. But I insist you at least check out Heidi Swawnson's Cook 1.0. She's a fellow eGulleter and this book is very clever. She is a friend and customer so I hope I'm not being too cheesy but really, you owe it to yourself to check it out. My hunch is you'll buy it. Here are two recipes on my site.

My list has shrunk to: The Kitchen Gardeners Guide (Berg) The Food Revolution (Robbins) Heirloom Gardens (Luebbermann) Edible Mexican Garden (Creasy) Mexican So Fat, Low Fat, no Fat (Rohde) (What was I thinking????!!??) Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure (Sass)

Sister, I wrote that book!!!! Anyway, I have: The Kitchen Gardeners Guide (Berg) The Food Revolution (Robbins) Heirloom Gardens (Luebbermann) Edible Mexican Garden (Creasy) Mexican So Fat, Low Fat, no Fat (Rohde) (What was I thinking????!!??) A Taste of Ranching: Cooks & Cowboys (Bryant + Bernstein) License to Grill (Schlesinger + Willoughby) Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure (Sass) I'd either do trade or be re-imbursed for the shipping. Please PM me!

I think the bottom line is they aren't food. They're chemicals and flavorings. I think we've trained ourselves to like the taste because once you get off of them, they really taste like crap. Plus they're expensive for what they are. I think it's interesting how many heavy people drink Diet Coke. I'm not saying you shouldn't drink them if you like them but I find them rather hard to defend.

You are so swell for answering this! The bean I have is a true cranberry bean and not a flor de mayo or anything close. So I think it's a different bean. However I love Flor de Mayo and especially flor de junio and am thrilled to know they are also known as bayo. This is going to make my search a little easier the next time I'm south. We grow the peruanos (but market them as mayacoba, also correct but more exotic!) and what we've been calling garbancitos that look a bit like garbanzos but unfortunately taste exactly like navy beans (ZZzzzzz.......) Rosa de Castillo is a great name. Ain't beans grand? You've really been a huge help!

At the Sunday market in Marin, chestnuts are sold and roasted right across from my booth by the Boughton Farm. I get them all the time. The skins fall off easily once roasted and his are so fresh, I've never had an off one.

I like it all but I have to say, if the masa is divine and the lard is just right (for me it's the carnitas drippings from Las Palmas Mexi-catesan in San Francisco), I just like a piece of cheese and a roasted chile.

I couldn't get past the really stupid name!

New use: Mexican hot chocolate.

I'd to add that using fresh masa ground coarse for tamales and then adding your own fat is another key element, especially compared to the dry masa harina, even if for tamales, or the fresh masa preperado, with the industrial lard already added. I know that many have to use the masa harina if there's no fresh massa available but it another level using the fresh. I'd also suggest this thread move to Cooking or Mexico unless we're only referring to Texas-style tamales!

Well, I couldn't resist. i had to tell my mater about this thread and she just about **** her old pants!!!! Apparently the fine here is $10,000 for shooting one and there are sanctuaries set up to protect them, not just here but all over the country. They are one of only two indigenous cranes to the US! Throughout the evening she'd turn to me and say, "Really?", thinking I was kidding that someone would hunt them. She lives in a big hunting area, by the way. Personally, I'd stick to duck . We have lots of them, they taste good and we know how to cook them. And you won't have my mother after you!

This is why I hate eGullet. I was perfectly happy never using my 15 year old Krups "wand" and then I read this thread an my level of dissatisfaction is raised- finally to the point where I have to have a new one. I bought the Kitchen Aid today at Target as it was the same price as online. I considered a Cuisineart but my last purchase from them, a burr coffee grinder has left me cold. It broke after three weeks and it took months to replace. I've loved my KA moxer and mini-prep and this immersion blender feels very solid. Well, using it after the Krups is like night and day. This thing is gorgeous. Now I wonder if I should have waited and gotten the Bamix. I can still see using my blender often (it's so key for Mexican food), but as a bean person, this thing is going to be great.

Yikes! My mother's house is a shrine to these cranes. She lives near a sanctuary and spends most evening watching them fly in at sunset during the season. She even trained to be a docent at the park. They really are the most beautiful things. I think I won't tell her about this thread!