ghostrider
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My own ex-FIL, a traditional Mainer, would do the two-sink wash. He was proud of being what he considered to be the fastest dishwasher in the state, a title I guess he earned while washing dishes at a frat house while he was in college. Of course, the glasses never got scrubbed out, so they all had an opaque, waxy coating on the inside, ick! His own sister would clean all the glasses when she came to visit.
One year I was having friends to visit in the summer place. I took down all the dishes from the open shelves in the pantry and scrubbed them clean before replacing them. My MIL came in, looked, and was dumbfounded. She'd never seen the glasses gleam before...
So it's definitely not just the British.
Yup. I grew up in Missouri in the 1950s & we always did that 2-sink wash (which always seemed a bit unsanitary to me even at a young age - go figure). It was all about "thrift" & saving water.
If you're pre-rinsing the dishes that you're putting into your dishwasher, you're either wasting your time (and water) or you don't have a good dishwasher -- or you have some environmentalist dishwasher that doesn't use enough water (therefore requiring pre-rinsing, which wastes more water overall I'm sure). Any good dishwasher manufactured in the past 5-10 years is going to say right in the instruction manual "you don't need to pre-rinse." And that's true. You hardly even need to scrape the plates, no less pre-rinse them, before you put them in my dishwasher. It has a disposal/grinder unit built in, so you can literally put entire plates of food in -- pasta, vegetables, anything but bones -- and it will rinse the food off in the first cycle, pulverize it in the disposal/grinder, and send the goo out the drain. Not that I do it that way, but I've tested it and it works. And I don't have a super-high-end unit. It's the cheapest KitchenAid.OTOH, if you have a 20-year-old dishwasher like mine, the pre-rinse is ESSENTIAL to getting stuff clean. I learned this through trial & inspection, believe me.
I'm guessing at the age of the dishwasher, it was here when we bought this house 14 years ago. Even then it required the pre-rinse. It may be 30 years old for all I know. I'd never had one in any of my previous living quarters so I was looking forward to "no more diswashing!" Didn't completely work out.
I suppose I need a new machine, but I don't see that happening until this one literally breaks down in some fashion.
In the meantime, I try to pre-rinse as quickly as possible, using as little water as possible, but it has to be done.
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Now there was a piece of marketing that really understood its target audience! Women back then didn't want to be told that they could just make their own fresh from scratch - too scary - but they did want to give themselves and others the impression that they did so. So they totally bought into the deal. Such a business! Is this a great country or what!
Dunno if this is apochryphal/urban legend stuff, but I remember hearing that the first cake mixes (B Crocker?) contained powdered egg, so all you had to do was add water, mix & bake. They didn't sell well, "women back then" (which I guess is much further back than Good Seasons) needed to feel like they were doing SOMETHING. So Gen Foods removed the dried egg, added "add egg" to the instructions, & the death knell sounded for cakes-from-scratch.
Dressing on the side? I'm with the "generally too much" crowd.
Tho these days you will find me asking simply for the oil & vinegar, since I have no way to determine the salt content of any other dressing when I'm dining out.
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Basically, to me, it seems like the classic "nuisance suit", where the big fish is hoping to intimidate the little fish into surrender.
And what, one wonders, do they think they'll gain by this?
Only thing I can see them gaining is a lot of ill will.
Do they seroiusly think that New Yorkers are flocking to Englewood instead of Union Sq, having been deluded into expecting the "Republic" experience in NJ?
It boggles the mind.
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I found exactly what I'm looking for in Nutley, NJ at a Super Shop & Stop off of Route 3. I found a bunch of other supermarkets nearby, but the aisles were more narrow, the ceilngs lower, the structures less modern. I'm trying to compile a few options because I assume I'm going to be denied permission to shoot at a couple of these spots and therefore want to have numerous places to ask. Also, it would help if it was within 30 minutes of NYC.
There's a virtually identical Super Stop & Shop in Lyndhurst, just in case that one in Nufton doesn't cooperate. (I always assumed it was in Clifton since it's part of the Clifton Commons, but after 14 years here I'm still not sure where Nutley ends & Clifton begins.) I shop at both & as far as I can tell the only difference is in the location of the bathrooms.
The one in Lyndhurst is on Lewandowski, between Marin Ave & Page Ave. Lewandowski runs N/S, parallel to Orient Way (1 blk W) & Ridge Rd (aka Rt 17, 3 blks E). It's maybe a mile S of Rt. 3 - a bit closer to NYC than the Nufton store.
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Just last year I was foolish enough to order scallops in a Chinese restaurant - I can't prove it but I swear they were not real scallops. The size and shape was correct but the texture was slightly different and ther was not even the slightest hint of scallop flavor. Yet.... there was some other seafood flavor noticeable. I've never tried skate (knowingly) but these so-called scallops were very suspicious.
Is it just me or is the texture of every type of meat & seafood (with the exception of shrimp) at Asian restaurants different than anywhere else?
It's not you, it's the cornstarch.
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Kudos to the owner.
Deliberately throwing out food is a sin in my book too.
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Naw, sadly, the Afghan place went out of business. At least a year ago, possibly more, I dunno exactly when. Rosie probably does.
That place got us up to Ridgewood at least half a dozen times. LOVED their food, & the whole ambiance.
They had a spinach dish I had to order every time we went, couldn't get enough of it.
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Often the people sitting at the table are splitting the bill and will need some change to complete the transaction amongst themselves.
The server has no way of knowing this, and the offer to bring change may imply nothing more than a thoughtful inquiry having nothing at all to do with a tip.
Considering the math involved in this particular transaction, I'm inclined to agree.
What evidence do we have that the server wasn't simply trying to ask, "Do you need something smaller than a ten & a twenty back?"
Mayve the server isn't terribly articulate. Maybe English isn't his/her native language.
There are SO many reasonable explanations for the question, as opposed to the one self-serving explanation, why harp on it?
P.S. I too always tip in cash even when paying with CC, for the reasons noted above, unless I've been dissatisfied with the service.
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Last time I was in a Walmart it had the unhealthiest selection of foods I've ever seen.
Just a comment in passing, they really irked me.
Coincidentally I've been looking for a local health/natural foods store & found the following in my local Yellow Pages:
Aylward's
342 Main St.
Hackensack
201-342-1932
M-F 9:30 - 7:00
Sat 9:30 - 6:00
Surrey Int'l Natural Foods
33 Ridge Rd
North Arlington
201-991-1905
Hoping to visit Surrey this week, but got a pretty full calendar, don't know if I'll make it. I'll post about what I find whenever I do get there.
Presumably there's some overlap between health & low-carb foods these days.
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Aren't diners required to be open extremely late (if not 24/7) & serve breakfast at any hour of the day?
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Thanks all! Jason, spotted Bhoj on Mapquest, looks like an easy drive. Must go.
Been to Mela a couple of times over the years. It was good, though it didn't bowl me over.
India on the Hudson sounds like another essential trip.
Yep saw the Wazwan thread but don't think I could ever enjoy a meal in West Caldwell. Too many sad memories there. Pity but there you have it.
Had hoped to hit Montclair tonight to try one of their places but the evening fell apart. Will write up my experiences when we do get out.
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I've decided to assemble a list of Indian restaurants that are somewhere near my area (Rutherford), so that I can start sampling their offerings when time & circumstance allow.
I've just spent a very frustrating half hour-plus with the search engine. I can't seem to get it to search for two words within the same post, in spite of following the Advanced Search instructions.
E.g., I want to find posts containing the words "Indian" and "Montclair." Instructions say search for +Indian +Montclair. Doesn't work, gives me a HUGE list of posts containing EITHER Indian OR Montclair. Tried various permutations on placement of the + sign, no better. Any advice on the search engine would be appreciated too.
Then searched on "Indian," which, as one might expect, gives another huge list. Somewhat helpful but a lot to wade through.
What I've found so far is listed below. However, I seem to remember that someone had mentioned a place in Fairlawn, & another place in Montclair in addition to Taj Palace, that I haven't scared up so far. (I should have taken notes on the spot, that'll teach me!) If anyone knows either place, please advise!
Also, I'm aware of the Iselin area from the Turnpike thread. To me that's an excursion, as opposed to the closer-to-home places I'm looking for. I.e., Montclair is 8 miles away while it's 30 to Iselin, so I'd much rather drive to Montclair.
Here's what I've found so far:
Namaskaar
Mall at IV / Rt 4 West
Paramus
Taj Palace
Montclair
Kinara
River Road
Edgewater
Thanks for any & all suggestions!
Edited to add:
Bloody hell! Just tried the +Indian +Montclair search again and it seems to have worked! Mystifying.
Anyway this has enabled me to add Natraj to the list. I think that's the one I'd noticed but not noted some months back.
Or perhaps it was Satish Palace. Ah well, the list grows.
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A great store in the city is Myers of Keswick in the Village. They have a lot of fresh sausages, meat pies, cheeses etc etc.
Ah, ye beat me to it!
I lived 2 short blocks away from Myers until 1990. About the same distance from Tea & Sympathy. It was heaven, cuisine-wise. Myers got the bulk of our biz cuz it was great to be able to heat up their meat pies when appetite struck.
Both places very authentic & highly recommended.
P.S. Back to Jersey - I once found myself driving down Ridge Road in Kearny & it looked like I passed an area several blocks long with a # of iterations of Myers-type stores. Many seemed to be Scottish. It was a Sunday or something & nothing was open. Never got back.
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well, she's kind of getting it a bit in here too, don'cha think?
A lot of people read this stuff in here, it get's around, and a helluva lot of of people read the times.
Don't get me wrong, she made the bed, the whole lot, but, I have a bit of compassion in me, blah,blah.
I loved the blog, BTW.
I understand this world a little less every day, I fear. :sadMe too...
Good points.
And I commend your compassion. Sincerely. There never seems to be enough of that to go around in this world.
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I believe lipid was used, along with soulful and hooded. Yikes!
"Lipid" is hilarious but I hope it was "limpid." Which is hilarious in another way.
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"Artillery fire?"
A rather funny coal-raking in one of a hundred thousand blogs + a tiny paragraph buried at the bottom of a page on Weekend Pleasures in whatever this Manhattan User's Guide thing is = artillery fire?
I understand this world a little less every day, I fear.
Though I suspect that all this will only help Ms. Hesser's career.
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Hey Ghostrider!
Then you HAVE to go to Oak Tree Road!
It's right by the Metropark Train Station if that's any help.
BTW...when you do get enough, just head west on Oak Tree for great Chinese.
Thanks!
Durn, I was hoping that it was closer. Looks to be about 30 miles away. Doable, but not as often as I'd like.
Still, it's great to know that such an area exists. It's good to have goals in life!
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Does anyone know what's happened to Fink's website? I keep getting a "403 Access Denied - retrieval of that file is forbidden" message.
Forbidden? By whom? Most cruel!
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My vote goes to allergy too. Allergies can develop at almost any point in life, as Kim illustrated above.
My own experiences with food poisoning from bad seafood all involved the illness showing up 6-8 hours after the meal. It's that mere half-hour "incubation period" that makes me think allergy.
Glad you're OK.
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Thank you Rosie!
I need some good Indian food. Always. Can never get enough.
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Milt:
At the very end of you're journey, you'll get of the NJ Turnpike at exit 11 and head up the Garden State Parkway. Two miles north of this junction on the Garden State is the Oak Tree Road Indian restaurant strip, the biggest South Asian neighborhood in the reigon. Exit the Garden State at 131 and turn left. Go down to Oak Tree Road and make another left, you'll be right in the thick of things after a block or two.
Look for Chowpatty on the left or the Galaxy Food Court on the right, but don't be afraid to experiment. There are many good restaurants and even more food and snack shops. Be aware that the Galaxy has its own parking in back.
I hope you have a great trip.
Yo Brian (or anyone else who knows),
This sounds like an area that I seriously need to visit.
MapQuest doesn't recognize Parkway exits tho. What town are we talking about?
Thanks!
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There's a place called Cafe Cafe (Latin cuisine) that opened just a few weeks ago in my town (Rutherford) that still has a "Help Wanted" sign in the window.
I have no idea if they're attracting the kind of volume you're seeking - knowing this town, I kinda doubt it - but they're clearly hiring!
16 Glen Rd, just off our main street (Park Ave) a block up from Station Square.
I also noticed that our Moroccan place (was on Park Ave just a few doors up from Station Sq) has gone out of biz & is being replaced with something called La Reggia Bistro (Confused cuisine?). Presumably they'll be hiring at some point.
Our town is probably a bit too sleepy & sober (the whole town is BYO) to have an "always busy" place, but some of them stay in business.
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Whole Foods also has my vote for salad bar diversity.
They seem to have a nice selection of greens and veggies, as well as some of their "homemade" vegetable, pasta and bean salads. There is usually chicken and tofu done a couple of ways, as well as two or three choices of hot soup.
Since they are a sort of upscale market, the selections are normally quite fresh and don't appear "picked over" or tired and dried out.
The nearest to you is likely Ridgewood, and the others are Montclair, Edgewater and Short Hills.
The Montclair Whole Foods does not have a salad bar, the store is physically too small - it reminds me of NYC supermarkets - tho they do have a superb prepared foods counter.
There's one on Rt. 120 in E. Rutherford (off 17, en route to the back end of Giants stadium)Oddly coincidentally enough, there also used to be a Mongolian Grill on Rt 120 in E. Rutherford. It went out of business some years ago (along with LT's Marina).
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Lu's Le Bastogne cookies (or at least, I can't find them anymore!)
Come to New Jersey!
Or Maine. At least, I found them in Maine over Christmas.
Those are good cookies.
Sending food back...
in Restaurant Life
Posted
My thoughts exactly.
Would be foolish of me to try to paraphrase when it's already been said so well.