FaustianBargain

i am afraid to ask, but vada pav? is that like a vada burger? gee. why? plain vada or vada in dahi is perfectly heavenly. why spoil a good thing?

That is about the most brilliant suggestion I've heard! I'm all for it and am ready to file the appropriate documentation with the State! We can get Guillermo to be our Bishop (or would that be Pope?) and we can all be licensed priests. ← Satisfying the conditions to gain tax free status under the IRS definition of 'religion' is one step towards legally establishing yourself as a religion. During the Vietnam war, a landmark case, US vs Seegar, established how religion can be defined for those who refused to participate in the war(conscientious objectors). You dont need a 'God' or a 'Supreme Being' or even adherence to the 'traditional religions' to refuse the draft on the basis of religion, but 'beliefs' are essential. Later, in another landmark case, Welsh vs US, religious beliefs were also allowed to be 'political' in nature. You might be pleased to know that as a religion, the 'church'(there has to be a 'physical' church and a minimum number of people who attend the church as the 'congregation') probably doesnt have to pay any taxes on any property it purchases and foie gras farms can enjoy non profit status. I should shut up while I am still ahead. I should also probably declare that I am only jesting.

This is quite straightforward as the issue is related to practices that fall under the category of animal cruelty. There is no requirement for it to come to the voting public. Under CPC, cruelty to animals is a criminal act. Laws against animal cruelty exist in most(probably all!) states. All you have to do is establish le gavage as cruel treatment of the ducks. Anyone familiar with California law can correct me if I am wrong. The article is kinda inaccurate when it says that the whole thing is directed against Sonama Foie Gras and its owners. The 12 years moratorium is actually a victory for the foie gras people, imo. Does not affect them directly and I dont think it was ever meant to affect them directly. Now, the law punishes you when you have hard drugs in your system. This interferes with the individual's idea of recreation. Some countries do not wage war against drugs, some do. Some countries allow GM food on their shelves, some dont. Some countries enjoy *real* Brie, some cannot. You get the idea. The ban against French food imports have been lifted(quite prompty after this fiasco, iirc) and french foie can freely enter the country and consumed as can foie from canada etc. It has nothing to do with the eating public. The law is related to food production and animal cruelty. The law does not tell the public what to eat. The law is not in favour of the animal rights activists. The law is not against Sonama Foie Gras nor does it single out their owners. The Sonama folks enjoyed a monopoly in CA and the notion of them being 'targetted' is merely an unfortunate side effect of their unchallenged market monopoly. Actually, we can form a Church of Gastronomy and register it as a religion that requires sacrifice of force fed ducks. Religious practices, as you well know, are protected under the First Amendement.

From Carolyn's article: I dont get that quote. How a Tyson chicken is treated is completely irrelevant to the issue which is le gavage. Animal rights groups have moved on from violent protests. PETA, for example, is pushing for kinder methods of chicken slaughter by making speeches at the annual board meetings of McD and Tyson. You got to stand back and appreciate their strategy. I would rather not say this, but setting aside my own personal feelings about the matter, I have to say that the pro foie gras camp is making a great mistake by ignoring the elegant and efficient manner of protests by animal rights groups. They have moved on from violence to using weapons provided by democracy and capitalism. They are making legislation work for them while the pro camp is merely protesting by making logically challenged arguments. Every one of those animal rights groups mentioned in the article opposes factory farming. They also feel the need to take a stand against le gavage. In light of that, Ms.Wolfert's quote is an unfortunate and irrelevant choice if one chooses to borrow her words for the pro-foie gras side. That is an interesting statement, I thought. Also, it is a curious fact that in America, even before the CA ban on le gavage, there were so few foie gras producers. Economics dictates that when there is a demand for the product, entrepreneurial fervour ought to rage over. I like to see this as a game and I find this conflict of interests educational and rather interesting. As far as I am concerned the only tragedy that has occured is the involvement of the government even though it does not directly interfere with the dining preferences of the individual and it is through the perfectly acceptable route of legislating an industry.

Saffron is rather mild, i thought. It blends with other flavours without standing out on its own. Saffron in desserts with cardamom has an entirely different dimension compared to a paella or a bouillabaisse. While Indian kheers and paellas and bouillabaisse are traditional, I would like to see a modern interpretation/flavour matching of saffron in other less traditional dishes.

Is there an url?

Ok..so everyone is talking about it. Just for fun, what is *your* Saffron Menu. We have the truffle menu and the chocolate menu, so why not saffron? Starter+Main(1 or 2)+Dessert Optional: canapes, beverages, petit-fours, wine matches and all that stuff. Can be designed to be suitable for any season, specific to any region or dining preference(vegetarian/"healthy"/no dairy etc)

question: what about the wine pairings for offal? any personal favourites? is there a 'rule of thumb'?

I will be visiting Chennai soon and this is the first time I am returning to Chennai after giving up being a vegetarian. I am especially keen to try out the Chettinad eateries, Karaikudi and a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Ponnuswamy. The latter was very popular among the southern indian students when I was at university, but I stayed away because of my veggie habit. I dont know the address, but I am sure the locals will recognise this very famous 'mess hall'. The last time I was in Bangalore, I went to this wonderful Kerala restaurant called Karavalli. It is on Residency Road. In the same locality is Nagarjuna, an Andhra restaurant. Very spicy food.

Reading this thread is making me wish for re-runs already! Well..almost. They are trying to get Tana Ramsay, Gordon Ramsay's wife and a 'trained nursery nurse' to appear in her own Ramsay's Toddler Nightmares' for UK's morning breakfast show. They should have had Papa Ramsay on that job instead. Toddlers will listen to him with reverence and fear tinged respect, no?

marine biologist! pooey, i say to him. as a chef, let me assure you..after you drop a lobster in boiling water and listen very VERY carefully, you can hear the lobster screaming. TRUE. ← Well it depends on what you mean by scream. But lobsters have no lungs or vocal cords so they do not scream in the normal sense. But there is an escape of gasses as their tempratures increase when put into boiling water. That is what you hear - but whether that is what we think of as pain is still in dispute. ← Ok. I have to confess that when I made that post, I was joking. I have never heard a lobster scream. When I type with the caps lock on, I am either joking or very very angry. Of course, noone knows that except me. Now ya'll do. As a kitchen n00bie, I was trying to cook something lobstery and a kind old gentleman told me lobsters scream when you plop them in boiling water. I agonised over it for a few weeks. A few months later, he declared(and quite convincingly) that he was 'only joking'. I thought it was..like..a running joke among lobster fans or something. Although, I have to admit that its good to know that sounds do emanate and that there is an underlying reason for it.

Relately, "Indian crepes" are dosas. Same principle and it is 'spread' out with the back of the ladle. It is more concentric than a smooth round thingy. Apropos to nothing, last tuesday, Feb 02, marked La fete de la Chandeleur, Candelmas or French pancake day. A week later(and just before Lent), on Feb 08, it is Shrove Tuesday(The French Mardi Gras) here in the English speaking part of the world. Both harken back to the times when the celts/pagans 'sacrificed' wheat(by eating them as pancakes shaped like the sun itself) for the next harvest.

Done that to live langoustines. Sigh. My karma balance has taken a serious beating after I decided to learn cooking. Tragic, I am telling you.

Place them in the fridge before knifing them. The cold deadens the pain. Supposedly.

marine biologist! pooey, i say to him. as a chef, let me assure you..after you drop a lobster in boiling water and listen very VERY carefully, you can hear the lobster screaming. TRUE.

1. i do not endorse the fancy shmancy non stick pans/crepe makers. non. iron cast crepe pans. old fashioned and heavy, but they will never fail you. so no tips in that area. 2. adding a little brun noisette butter to the crepe mix gives it a nice flavour/colour and adds fat to the mix. because of said fat, your crepes wont stick to the pan. 3.following up on #2, the first crepe will be on a dry pan. so wipe the pan with a little noisette butter/clarified butter so the first crepe doesnt stick. you dont need to do this for the second crepe and so on.(dont know how this will translate for a crepe maker) 4.always rest the crepe mix for at least 20 minutes after you whisk the ingredients together. 5. strain the crepe mix so there are no lumps etc. my crepe mix ratio: 125gm soft flour + 300 ml milk + 1 egg + 20gm beurre noisette(brun) + salt OR sugar, to taste. i am a crepe swirler.

Gosh! I hate making restaurant specific posts here, so this isnt specifically targeted at Le Gavroche. Restaurants that excel in service are usually places where the diner is made to feel comfortable, relaxed and are well fed regardless of attire or decibel level. I think it would be a pity to miss any restaurant experience because of intimidation by reputation. My 2c.

is "foriegn culinary influence" = fusion?

Right. I am still left wondering why teachers' salaries and waiters' wages are being compared in the first place. Do you think teachers should receive tips too?

This is rather unscientific with figures that people pull out of their hats and of course, there are going to be as many computations as there are opinions. This can go on forever with numbers being tossed in from all directions. As for the discussion involving the comparison of the pay scales of trained educators who are responsible for the intellectual and creative growth of the future generation(current state=kids who eat crayons while sticking chalk up their nostrils, obnoxious children, angsty pre teens and horny teenagers) and the wages of waiters who bring food from the pass to the table with varying degrees of dedication to their job, I am too surprised, disappointed and at an utter loss for words to pen an appropriately worded contribution.

relatedly, i remember reading somewhere that cooking fish in banana leaves(or sorrel leaves in other parts of the world) causes chemical interaction between the leaf and the fish which breaks down and releases the calcium from the fish bones.

Hmm. Who said that and where? edited to add: never mind. much has been discussed after the initial comment. kindly ignore this post.

how much can a student(full time/part time) make as a waiter in france? approx?

That is because French universities are heavily subsidized as much as the fact that some American waiters are heavily compensated. Of course, don't you have to spend two years studying full time (with no time to work) just to pass the entrance exam? Or is that just X. ← taking jackal's model into consideration > 52 weeks = 50k usd 1 week = approx less than 1000 usd it must be swell studying in france.

I am sorry that the word 'vulgar' has been taken literally and that all of you have to grapple with the import of my usage. It is quite simple. It is not 'power in the diner's hands'. I simply do not grasp this logic. At an extreme, this is blackmail. Especially in snobbish eateries where one is a repeat customer. If the decision is made for me, please show it in the bill. I do not want to take the effort to mull over whether the service deserved 1/5th of the total cost of a meal. If I disagree, I wont come back. Showing it on the bill reflects how the establishment expresses its confidence in the performance of its service staff. I see weird bits like "20% service charge on Mondays and Saturdays". What does it mean? Why is it so? I dont know. I dont care. If the food is good, I wont care if its a Monday or a Sunday. If I pay a lousy tip and choose to exercise my 'power', I am merely displaying my pettiness. The restaurant is challenging me to bring out my pettiness. That simply isnt classy, man. It is an illusion that this is power to the diner. While my eyes may moisten when I see furry kittens or baby seals being clubbed to death, I am usually not moved by restaurant service.