Dignan

The scene that summed it up for me in "The Restaurant" was where Rocco sat his sous down so that he could watch Rocco sign cookbooks for a minute, just before he fired the man. It was a chickenshit move. But, Rocco has started to blog episodes of Top Chef over on Bravo!'s website, and so far I've enjoyed his entries. He writes better than that Gail woman from Food & Wine in my opinion, and it seems to me that his head has deflated somewhat. He and Bourdain had a short exchange via blog re Tony's frequently expressed contempt of/disappointment in Rocco. It didn't really resolve anything but it was interesting to read.

It seemed to me that once Casey came out we didn't see Brian FOH again. She introduced the rest of the dishes. I think he went into that supply room in the kitchen and never came back out. Someone remind me why we give a crap about this blogger? You're right Kristi, they kept intoning the words of this blogger like what she wrote meant something. I guess they were simulating the effects of having an anonymous food critic in the restaurant. The contestants thought they knew who they had to please, but you never know who's going to be in your restaurant. Like that dickhead in the striped shirt. Who the hell was that guy?

Yep, bawl 'em.

Carrot Top, never bring a knife to a gunfight.

But that green! It was awful. And if I'm now not talking about the same thing that you aren't talking about, I imagine I could have done a heck of a lot better along those lines. I have now fired the last round in my fashion bandoleer. I shall not comment on oufits for at least another 5 years from this date.

Yes - the frozen Bertolli pasta entrees that Rocco is shilling for. Kinda contradicts himself a bit, don't you think?! ← The challange was to mimic a mediterranean style dish. Is all italian cuisine also mediterranean in style? Is the above a valid example because Piedmontese (?) cuisine, without regard to my first question, is generally considered to be mediterranean? I'm curious about the distinction. I think the guy's original point was that truffles are associated with french cuisine and not the med. Sure France is on the med but French cuisine is distinct, is it not? So does the fact that one can get truffles in Italy mean that they are not dissonant in a well conceived med style dish?

For the most part, pets and livestock can eat things that folks would either derive no benefit from or would rather not eat at all. So pigs get fed slop buffered with things from the tail end of the human feeding process. Cattle, sheep, and goats can graze for sustenance. And cats and dogs can eat the stuff we aren't going to eat, like lungs. Obviously offal is trendy these days, but for most folks and for recent history western eaters have focused on the "choicer" cuts. I'm sure people did eat a lot of the offal in this time of shortage, but I've not heard of a chitterlin tradition coming out of the war years. Note that the violation listed above was for feeding bread and milk to pets and livestock. Thems people food, I reckon. I know a good deal of concern in rationing was devoted to getting milk to children, as milk has traditionally been considered very important to health and development in children. I'm sure production was limited on the island, so love your pets but don't give 'em any milk. And I believe Britain was very dependent on grain brought from America on Liberty Ships through the wolf pack gauntlet, so again if you have to cut somebody out it probably should be Fido and Bossie. Sure, some pets can be fussy about what they eat, but one time my grandmother told the grocer in a little store in Ellijay, GA that her dog wouldn't eat a particular kind of dog food. He told her, "Ma'am, let me have that dog for a week and I'll have him chasing rocks 'cause he's hoping they're donuts." I had been under the impression that Marmite and Bovril were developed during this time period in order to provide nutrition during a time of shortage, but apparently it was the Great War and not the Second Great war. Would a dog eat Marmite?

And then again, some people are just buffoons....

12 and 3?

Get him a stack of "Highlights" magazines and flag "Goofus and Gallant."

If so, whatever fashion savant that put Casey in that bolt of blah should turn in his or her gun and badge. We were treated to a shot of Howie painstakingly ironing a shirt in his assigned boudoir before they went out. All in all, I think they, like normal people, own clothes that aren't cooking togs and they brought some with them. We know they aren't wearing whites 24/7, and nothing they were wearing was all that special or unusual.

Because you were probably told by the producers to bring things to wear for FOH purposes, competition surprises, photo sessions, cocktail parties/dinners, and other events they might schedule in order to promote the TV show they were making?

Sara specifically mentioned having to do their "shopping" in high heeled shoes, but I wouldn't at all be surprised to find out that, while they were working, they were wearing different shoes. Now, I don't think we ever got a shot of the dressy gear footwear the ladies were wearing before or during the challenge, which is curious given the attention the matter has drawn. I'm sure the party shoes weren't comfortable and sturdy, and the floor of the roach coach was probably, what?, perforated metal planking or something like that? If so, you simply could not walk on it in heels, and bare feet would be painful. But even with the best floor everyone involved would have known the dangers of open toes, high centers of balance, cramped quarters and sloppy floors (and why don't I ever get invited to those kinds of parties), so I suspect shoes were swapped and it wasn't considered an issue in the event and thus no camera shots of them, and it only arose later when Sara complained about shopping in them. Of course, if she said she cooked in them then a good deal of what I just said is of no use whatsoever. I just don't see any way that Howie can win this thing. Besides his character foibles that are so amusing to watch, he's just all wrong. Isn't the person who wins going to be a rep for F&W and sponsor products, or is that not part of it? There's some discussion about how much influence the producers have on the selections, which they might exercise in order to insert conflict which increases drama, but also in order to choose someone photogenic and likeable and after that perhaps competent in the kitchen. I never watched before this season so please correct me if I'm misapprehending the reality. Who was it, Ted Allen?, that said Howie reminds him of a cartoon character. He does. He looks like Sluggo in the "Nancy" comics. He's understandable when he speaks but falls far short of compelling. Same with Joey -- he could be a culinary genius but in a sound bite he'll never sound like anything other than a Brooklyn hamnegger. And most of the others have their own issues. So my call is Brian, Tre, or Casey. Casey is attractive and personable, it seems like maybe she can cook, and has other assets I won't dwell on, though she needs a new haircut. Brian wears stupid hats but appears to have a personality every one enjoys, though as I think about it I don't know if I've really been shown that he can cook. Tre does appear to be able to cook, the strongest of the three certainly and from outside evidence better than that indicates, is personable enough, and, least important in my opinion because he is otherwise the best choice, would address whatever diversity issues might be piled on this decision making process. So I vote Tre.

And, god bless 'em all, shut up in an airplane with a bunch of young men who have been eating brussel sprouts at every meal. That's why they had oxygen masks.

Yes, he was interviewed...but you're right, the stage shot was strange. Maybe he wasn't used to all 'dem fancy lights and stuff ← I was reminded of "A League of Their Own," when they showed the not so attractive Marla Hooch in the newsreel. First, all the pretty girls in closeups, the Marla across the diamond in position at 2d base. "And Marla Hooch! What a hitter!"

This was sure a peculiar show, though I missed a lot of it because Bear Grylls' food show was more interesting. One bit I did catch was when Rory introduced her cowboy, who was in the studio audience. The camera focused on him, but with a shot that was about a thousand yards out. His was but one head amongst others in the middle distance. I thought it odd that they didn't frame him. Did they show him more distinctly in her little background expose'?

Rory's theme that I got was that she was teaching people to cook who didn't have time to go out to eat. What? Don't people go out because they feel they don't have time to shop for food and cook it at home? Are there folks who think having somebody else shop and cook for you is too time consuming?

I was going to point out that fried burgers seemed to be a common item in UK chippers, but I think there we are just talking about the patties. This is something else. I'd like one big bite, just to see what it's like, then I think I'd never need to see another. I'm lead to believe that finding things to deep fry in the chipper is somewhat of a past time, so perhaps this one has been done as well. I'll leave the fried butter to Homer.

Thanks, Timothy, for the link. I enjoyed reading that. Much of what was described is how things are done in the US as well (when done properly -- there are a lot of amateurs wandering the earth), particulary the interaction between regulars and one another and the House. But places that are conducive to developing that sort of atmosphere are much less common. The idea of the local is not as much a part of the social fabric in the US. To many people, going to a bar frequently enough that everyone knows your name and your favorite drink is poured without you asking for it means you probably go to the bar too frequently. "Cheers" was a favorite show on these shores, but those guys and gals were a dysfunctionally lovable bunch of misfits. The article ascribes the pub tipping customs to an egalitarian sensibility. The publican is an equal, and offering money would be gauche, but he or she can be included in a round with everyone else as a gesture of appreciation. Does that ring true to everyone? Or is it perhaps more because the custom of tipping in general never had a firm beachhead?

Thanks for the replies. I haven't yet but I intend to peruse the etiquette link, so thanks for including that. I knew it was unlike the practice here in the US, which also can get complicated when it morphs into a symbiotic relationship between staff and customer. We've had several threads discussing those issues, such as this current one. The practice calls for tipping here, and I believe that you tip well, as most of the time the consideration is returned in some fashion. In a general sense, every time money is exchanged with a bartender or cocktail waitress, a tip should certainly be considered. I live in a resort town which welcomes hordes of tourists from all over the world so we see all variations of tipping practices, and I've witnessed all variations of reactions from the service corps. So your info as to what is proper is me forewarned, 'cause mainly I don't want to look like a rube.

I've read that in the UK you tip your barkeep by offering to buy him or her a drink. Is that how it's done? And how does it actually happen? Is it a wink wink and they pocket the cost? How often should it be offered? And then, how about someplace that has a bar and serves drink as an adjunct to a larger purpose, such as a restaurant. Same deal?

Great post, Pyewacket, and keep on makin' that food look good.

You did right, except you should have invested those Coke funds in a nice cold one. My game day ritual is two hotdogs. One's not enough, and I don't need more than two. If I want something fancier than that I'll go somewhere I don't have to eat it off of my lap. I have never appreciated the new ball park foods, especially at those prices. Ribbon on a pig. Now, you've lived there 24 years and never went to a Phillies game? You mentioned your next visit. Can we expect another food review from the park in 2031?

We have a mexican place here that opened up last year, and when they opened, they had tongue tacos. I wasn't surprised when they quit offering offering them. I imagine they simply didn't sell enough of them. I would order them on principle, but with all the accoutrements of a taco, and the way the meat was cut, it was hard to tell them from the beef tacos and they were the same price.

If the employer's accounting system was recording his "processing"of the tips for his employees as a credit to his own income, then there should have been an offset debit expense in his books when he cashed them out, so I don't see a net income differential there. (Seems to me tips owed are really liabilities, but perhaps it's a function of the POS system in place.) If it was a result of recording a previously underrecorded category of employees income, that may have had an impact on his employers' taxes such as UI and WC. I don't think he could pass that cost on to the employees, though.