auntdot

We can rarely find offal, other than chicken livers that appear and disappear from the local supermarkets. Hearts and gizards, forget about them, unless we drive forty miles to the Asian market. Kidneys, lamb or pork, ya gotta be kidding. Liver, they call it calves, but I will bet the donor was eligible to join AARP. And I have never seen pig livers in the stores. Where do the livers of all those lovely veals go? Those sumptuous, white to tan slices of veal liver, that I would pay big bucks for, I cannot find. (One time, at a restaurant that we particularly liked, I convinced my sister-in-law to order the veal liver. She stated she detested liver. There was only one order left; would have traded her my veal chop had she disliked the offering. She swooned over it, at least made a half Gainer of a swoon. The stuff is that good.) One of these days, I hope, offal will once again become considered at least edible by many folk and become generally available. And why lung is outlawed,? I have no idea. Would buy it in a second and make, yes, the dreaded haggis. Sorry, but I love that stuff and can only get to Scotland every so often. Sorry, am carrying on. But would be grateful if we could at least find chicken hearts and gizzards easily.

Was brought up in a family in which half of us were pretty inured to, shall be say, biological processes. Heck, we could discuss autopsy techniques (what little we knew of them) while shovelling in the liver and onions. Then there was the other half, who were about as squeamish as one could get. Have one brother who could not stand seeing his wife mix meat loaf ingredients with her hands. Usually conversations at the table would become a bit too graphic for the squeams (OK, it isn't a word, but it should be) and we would be asked to change the topic. Which we would. Today, as an adult, find that in some company can discuss anything, including politics and religion, at the table. In other company, I kinda just bite my lip and hope someone else has a benign subject they wish to discuss. I suppose old TV shows is as good a neutral diversion as any.

"one or two requests a week" That's it? To keep a customer happy I would gladly quarter a brownie or half a muffin once or twice a week. If every other customer came in and requested the service, I might rethink it. But once or twice a week? Rules may be rules, but they don't necessarily keep customers happy.

We will eat about anything (do not include insects or other strange delicacies in that). And I will not allow even the smell of egg salad to polute my air (the other half will make the stuff only when I am not about). Other than that, we're pretty flexible. Wish the rest of the family was. The worst is a brother in law. Usually just abandon all hope and send out for pizza, regular pizza that is. No onions, no mushrooms, no sausage, no olives, no pepperoni, peppers or anchovies (OK, I am one of those who like anchovies on pizza but understand most of the world does not). Just regular pizza. Tried to pawn off one with extra cheese one time, no go. Regular pizza. Yes, he will eat beef but the hours of the crematorium make it difficult for us to prepare a meal. Another B-I-L will eat vegetables, as long as they are string beans and have been cooked for at least a week and a half. At least for him we can just open a can. Don't get to cook for company often, but when we do we like to get a bit creative. Love good beef, buy why bother when it is going to be incinerated? Hate making two meals, and hate plating bad food. Just a foible, I can deal with it if I need to.

Have eaten raw clams and oysters for years. But only the hard shell variety. I am a hardy soul. When I go to a clam bar I always tip the guy who shucks the stuff in advance to toss me the big ones. Many would call them quahogs and not cherrystones. I am probably eating the stuff they would toss in the chowder pot anyway, but who cares? I like them. But with the exception of balmagowry (vide supra), I have never heard of anyone who has eaten raw soft shell clams (mya arenaria) or mussels. And have wondered why not for many years. Do not now live in an area where I can find soft shell clams (make a run to New England every few years where I eat them steamed and fried until I could burst), and the mussels we find in the supermarket, I would not trust to eat raw. I can only guess that shucking a soft shelled mollusk could be difficult, and frankly, I am not sure I could pass one of those guys down my gullet. But I would do my best. But why, to end this bloviating, do people not serve raw soft shelled clams and mussels?

El Polo Loco used to be in Florida a number of years ago, but apparently they all went under. Liked the chicken, but they served it without cutlery. Had to eat it with your fingers, or use the tortillas, as I recall. The chicken was pretty good but was unimpressed by the beans. Tod Wilbur, of Top Secret Recipes, has a copycat recipe that calls for a marinade of water, S&P, garlic, food coloring (or saffron, why anyone would waste saffron on this I have no idea), pineapple and lime juices. That's it. All that remains is the chicken. As usual, he claims this is close to the McCoy, and perhaps it is. Don't doubt it for a minute. Have found that most fast food places use the simplest of ingredients. The more the stuff costs you, the more you have to charge the customer, and the less the profit. Have tried to make a few knock offs, and have learned that, when in doubt, go for the cheapest solution. El Pollo Loco got me through a three day cooking marathon when we were making a Thanksgiving feast for a whole lot of relatives. They, and we, are no longer in Florida. Would not mind going to a Loco Pollo for old times sake, but am not about to travel three thousand miles for the experience.

From what I have been told NolaFoodie is exactly right. Many in Louisiana, including many Cajuns, no longer make their own roux, just buy it. Have a few jars sent by the relatives of an in-law. Savoie is one brand, Kary's in another. One web source has been listed and found a few more by Googling the brand names. Might want to try ordering a couple (the brands have light and dark roux). They are not very expensive and are a lot cheaper than tossing out a bunch of gumbos. If nothing else it will confirm that your problem is in the roux, which seems quite likely. And then get to work on making a roux you like. Good luck.

Have to agree with FM. Where we usually purchase CAB we get a very good to fine cut of beef, far better than most choice we get at that supermarket or other local chains. Perhaps it is the buyers for the supermarket but believe we are getting the high end of the choice.

The local supermarkets will often carry chicken livers, occasionally gizzards, but I don't remember seeing hearts. There is an Asian/Spanish market about twenty miles away that we have seen hearts in. And then there is an Asian supermarket about 40 miles away that sells everything from beef pizzy to beef uteri (uteruses, don't ya know).

With the exception of White Castle (none near me but if I am near one, I gotta have a bag of sliders) and running for the border about once a year (where we drop about $35 in take out and pig out for a week), we shun them. Particularly dislike Red Lobster (have only been dragged there and have had consistently bad food and service) and the Olive Garden (if that is Italian food the Roman empire would have fallen sooner). The same company tried to launch another chain, but with Chinese food, about ten years ago. Sorry, I forget the name, but there were a few near where we lived in Florida. The food was execrable, even by lousy US Chinese food restaurant standards (there was a time I ate almost all my meals in NYC's Chinatown). When forced to eat in a restaurant that we are dubious about, usually follow the wisdom "When in doubt, order the cow." Have had a lot of bad beef following that advice, but if they can ruin cow that badly I hate to think what they would have done with the fish. And the decision has kept us from praying to the porcelin god half the night, I have no doubt. In an Applebees (or any restaurant of that ilk) used to order a burger, rare, but no one will serve one less than cremated any more. Often, now, just order appetizers and share. Make it sort of a tapas meal, without the good food. And why in the heck are there not more tapas restaurants in this country anyway? But I guess that is another thread.

Don't know what 'ras-el-hanout' is. Would appreciate it if someone could educate me.

In: The death penalty for anyone who calls a martini any drink that calls for anything but gin (OK, only probation for people who use vodka). Also in: Good buttermilk. Out: The lousy buttermilk I find at the local stores.

When faced with a noisy child that the parents will not remove, we just call over the waiter and request to be seated elsewhere. Otherwise we tell the waiter we cannot tolerate the noise, and usually leave without a bill. High end restaurants know they are making their bucks from people who want a quiet meal. If they choose to allow children, it is part of the price of doing business. But hate it when a special meal is spoiled by a loud kid. If a kid is acting up in a 'posh' restaurant, the fault of him/her remaining there is not the fault of the kid, it is the fault of the parents.

How about a Welsh Rarebit? Put the Rarebit in a chafing dish (really of the era) or heck, how about a slow cooker. Put out toast, or a toaster for guests to do their own, and then have some sliced olives in a plate, sliced pickles, or other additives (pimentoes, crumbled bacon pieces, diced onions, or whatever seems intriguing). Very, very retro. And it doesn't taste bad and feeds a bunch of folk. Just an idea.

Love foie gras, but then again who does not? Well, PETA and its various similarly minded organizations about the world. And those groups may be winning the war to ban the stuff. It seems that Israel is going to have to stop producing foie gras in 2005. Yes, the Israeli Supreme Court has decided that all foie gras production should stop, cruel to the animals it seems. Would not particularly care, except it seems Israel is the third largest producer of foie gras in the world, after France and Hungary, and exports most of its production to France, under strict contracts. France, as far as I can find out, then exports the stuff to the rest of the world. And in 2005, Israeli foie gras will be no more, probably pushing up the price of the stuff greatly. And let's face it, when France raises its prices, the limited US domestic sources will do the same. What was once dear, will become impossibly expensive. Suggest we all enjoy the next few months and fwa gra outselves to the limit. For tomorrow, we may be liverless.

Used to love to watch the Frug. Still use some recipes occasionally. Became disgusted when I heard about his 'activities'. But those charges, and I am not a lawyer, appear to have been served in civil court. Why did no one press criminal charges against this guy? If the stated accusations are true, the Frug should be spending hard time, not merely having to pay off a few families for his errant ways.

Hi Chickenlady. When we travel on vacation, and buy stuff we can't manage on the plane, we just go to one of those mailbox type stores, they have them almost everywhere, give them the stuff and they wrap it and ship it. Have had no problem with them delaying shipment for a few days so that the treasures arrive home after we do.

When we used to live in Florida, a few years ago, would always bring several dishes to our friends' Derby Day party (generally appetizer or finger type food). We had a few regular offerings that would always go as soon as we put them on the table. But then, just for fun, every year would try one or two items that we thought were delicious. One year we made hummus. Now we eaten a lot of hummus and believe we make at least a passable version. Arranged and cut the pita so it was easy to use. And added a spoon so people would not have to dip. The stuff went untouched. Had a recipe for a quite good smoked mullet spread (great with crackers); that too, was ignored. As an aside, cannot find smoked mullet anymore, quite a pity. And there were others. Learned that what works in one area may just not hold up a few miles away.

Our fallback for company is baked stuffed lobster. Kill the lobster by stabbing a cook's knife in the center of cross on its head, cut through the underside, remove the head sack, vein, and wash out the tomalley and roe (don't like that stuff). Then stuff the body with a dressing made of onions, crushed Ritz crackers, crab meat (or scallops or shrimp) and seasonings. Can have dinner ready in one hour (including salad, raw clams if we choose, corn on the cob, you name it). Can get home at five and have company at six, with one of our favorite dinners.

Keep up the good work. My sister and I were hellions when we wanted to be, but somehow our parents' message came through. When we we barely teenagers, mom had a stroke. Dad had to work, go see mom during a time when it was touch and go, and then deal with two kids at home . Without being asked, we decided to take charge of the home front. We cooked, cleaned, did the laundry, all that stuff. What we did not know how to do, we learned quickly. And took the subway to visit mom in the hospital. It seemed like the natural thing to do; it certainly was not a burden. The credit belonged to our parents who tried to raise children to become responsible adults, and yet they let us have a wonderful childhood. Fortunately, thanks to a very wise neurosurgeon, mom recovered and lived for another twenty years, with her facilities intact. Know too many people who farm the raising of their kids out to people whose credentials they don't even check. You reap what you sow.

If you have been cooking for a while you know what goes together. You know what recipes should work and which might not. And you have an idea how to salvage the mess, if it should come to that. And there are always the steaks in the freezer if all goes awry. If a recipe calls for cilantro, peanut butter, vanilla, five spice powder, and pesto, you might want to try it out before serving it to guests. But most of the time we go with our instincts.

We are kind of like the poster. We will go crazy over a dish, or ingredient, for a week or two, and then not touch it again for months. For example, Kimchee. Will buy the normal cabbage Kimchee (although we also adore other varieties, particularly the radish) in gallon jars, will eat it straight and put it on anything (particularly good on hot dogs and balogna sandwiches). Kimchee and fried Spam, nothing better. Have never had Kimchee and grits, but would probably give it a try. Then, as if a switch was pulled, without warning, will shun the stuff like it was poison. After that, we usually eat normally until we find another food passion. Other than that, we are very stable folk. Am not in to help groups, but are there more people out there like we are?

Sounds to me this bloke woke up after a night of feasting on Fosters with a deadline one hour away. Clearly this guy knows as much about food as I do about the mating rituals of dingos. If someone wants to lampoon American snacks, do so, and have some fun doing it. But grits, collard greens, and hush puppies are not snacks. (As someone who was raised on the streets of NYC but has lived many years in the South, cannot abide grits, love greens, and hush puppies are OK.) Maintain my stated opinion that this piece popped out of a fuzzy mind desperately searching for nine hundred words to complete his column.

We would be glad to frequent a reputable butcher if we could find one. We cannot even find one of the shady variety. We live about fifty miles from Washington DC and the only butcher in this town went under about two weeks before we moved here. The closest city had one for about one year, which we frequented, but it could not survive. For us, and I guess for many, a local butcher is not an option. There is a place about thirty miles away that is supposed to carry Wagyu beef, but every time we have been there they seem to be out. No, we have to go with the supermarket butcher most of the time. They do sell beef they call Angus, and it is pretty good. What it is, we have no idea. The butcher seems as clueless as we are. But it is generally better than the stuff we can buy on the web. Sorry, just venting, but truly miss a real butcher.