jhlurie

Yeah, but I really don't like this year's "cow superhero" motiff. Last year's calendar was much better. Because my local Chick-fil-A is actually 20 minutes away, I only use about 1/3 of the coupons, but it still seems to be worth it for the $5. June is a crappy promotion. A free large Coke with a Cool Wrap? First of all, why do I want to buy a Cool Wrap instead of the classic CFA sandwich? Second of all... a Coke? That's costing you like... 5 cents, CFA--mostly for the cup.

Maggie Moo's, despite the cutesey cow-motiff, is better--mostly based on the product they serve. Mix-in ice cream is not the problem inherently. As for the issue about asking about Super-sizing the order (upgrading... whatever)... I suppose I can deal with that if they are willing to take "no" for an answer and just move on. The "lines" are more a symptom of where you live, I think. Short of mowing people down, postal-style, I don't see any getting around it.

See... one of the few Chick-Fil-A franchses in the Northeast is in Bergen County, New Jersey (and has been there for about 25 years). Why Bergen County of all of the possible locations in the inhospitable North? Because commercial properties (like malls) are CLOSED on Sundays (due to "Blue Laws"). Truett Cathy apparently didn't want to battle with local mall managers over having a prominently closed store in the heart of a mall, and fortunately his values matched that of this lone Northeastern county. EDIT - actually, the Chick-Fil-A website store locator reveals there are now a whopping 6 locations in New Jersey. I know that's actually got to be a fairly recent development.

Kind of a fruity drink for the crown jewel of the racing world.

Chick-fil-A doesn't put mayo on their sandwich, at least in the locations I've been in. And to my mind, it doesn't need it.

Okay, so I'm driving around today and it occurs to me that it's something I do a lot less of lately. So I get to thinking... the mere fact that gasoline is sky high (reportedly as much as $7 per gallon in parts of Europe, as much as $3.25 per gallon in parts of the U.S., and STILL nosing the $2.25 mark here in NJ--traditionally a very cheap state for gas)... well this HAS to be affecting the way I go about living my life. And a big part of my life is food, so there's got to be some connections--both obvious and less obvious. Do I go out driving anymore just for the hell of it to explore, and maybe stumble on some new joint to eat at? No. Am I planning any long weekends driving somewhere? No. Do I nervously check my tank virtually every day and try to calculate (using a website even) if I might possibly need gas AWAY from the station where I KNOW it's as much as 30 cents a gallon cheaper--thus at least indirectly causing me to be more inclined just to stay at home in the first place? Yup. And I'm sure there are more subtle ways--supplies that are costing me more due to increased freight, for example. I'm curious how we think this will all turn out long-term, and what other ways it might be affecting our eating life? NOW TO PUT ON MY MODERATOR HAT FOR A MOMENT: Here, on eGullet, we have a history of managing to do a good job of talking about weighty issues of "food politics", while steering clear of the governmental policy variety. What I'm formally requesting... no that's a weak word... what I'm prepared to enforce if needed (along with the entire eG staff)... is that we keep this topic focused on the EFFECTS of the Oil crisis and not the causes of it. It's an undeniable fact that we are living with the consequences, and those consequences can be analyzed independantly of any political debates about how we got to this point. And if you feel they can't be? Then don't post here at all. Thanks all for your understanding. Sorry if I come off a bit harsh here, but I think there's a good space to talk here, and I wanted to be clear about parameters.

Oh Dave. I am usually so with you on most food matters, but not this one. Okay, I can bow to your expertise on the Tuna salad (easy to do since I HATE Tuna salad with or without pickles), but it just works on the Chick-fil-A. I have to check, but I actualy think we've got a Chick-fil-A appreciation thread buried somewhere in "General Topics". EDIT - Sorry, wrong. What I was thinking of was the slightly less specific "The Chicken Sandwich Thread".

Sure he can be. Being a chef is about a lot more than just being a good cook. You are an executive and have to know how to act like one. And above and beyond that being a co-owner? Yeah... I think you can be clueless and yet make great Meatballs.

It seems to be either you love it or you never heard of it. I brought an apple pie into work with slices of cheddar cheese on the side and most everybody started looking for crackers to put the cheese on. I had to explain the concept of pie and cheese and they all took a pass. There was at thread a while back where someone in Germany made the Julia Child recipe for brownies which was basically looked on as a concept too bizarre to eat. Its like that. slowday I was kind of alluding to the fact that a lot more people here have probably had some kind of soft cheese--like Brie--with apples.

It actually sounds like it COULD work. Apples and cheese are not an inherently hostile combination, although cheddar and apples wouldn't be the mix I'd normally think of (maybe the taste of the Gorgonzola balances things out). Also, I think the recipe may be a bit too open about which kind of apple to use. Granny Smiths to Braeburn to Fuji sounds like a fairly wide spectrum from tart to sweet.

I've had a bottle of that Dona Maria in my closet for about a year. And it may never be opened now that I discovered a loyal purveyor who sells a really good product.

Wow, that's like peeling a grape. I know people do it, but the idea seems a bit... odd.

I know the reluctance against imports, but Apples would seem to be a natural import for Japan--especially the hearty breeds which can stand up to it like Granny Smith. Does Japan import apples at all? Is it cost effective, I wonder, even if it's allowed? The Joni-Gold torakris talks about sounds a lot like the Jonagold apple, which is a cross between a Jonathan Apple and a Golden Delicious.

I was watching the local news right about the time the tornado warnings for Bergen county were dominating, and in between weather updates they slipped in a report on this. I don't think the anchorwoman meant to be insensitive, but they cut back from the report and she was biting back laughter. I'm not sure I blame her though. At least part of the report WAS rather comical. Reporter to hardware store clerk selling PUR water filters recommended by the Rabbi who gave this warning: Hardware store clerk: Cut to shot of a huge line of Hasidim waiting in line at the hardware store, PUR water filter boxes in hand... Cut to laughing anchorwoman.

Jason wouldn't take a picture of it! HINT: you have to wipe the spit off.

Yes, Rocco didn't even "rate" the HTs this week. I think we replaced him with "Shrek M&Ms", because they are far more relevant. Damn, there goes my last chance to ditch those barstools...

I really should stop cutting on Rocco though. If I keep it up, he might not buy these $1500 barstools I have sitting in a warehouse in Queens. EDIT - ingridsf, you have an extra

I keep wondering who got THAT particular pizza. This is the thing. I'm at least willing to admit that maybe Tony had bad management skills, but if so that was just a reflection of Rocco's own bad management. It seems to me that a.) Rocco never even once worried about costs or numbers--he relied on Laurent and Tony to do so, and of course they didn't. b.) Tony was a combination of a scapegoat and a shot back at Jeffrey, since if you unravel the editing I think Rocco probably DID know about Tony's raise and saw it as a sign that Tony was now Jeffrey's man and not his.

I agree that it's unlikely (okay, close to impossible) that Tony's reward/firing happened all in one day. Just as it's unlikely that in an earlier episode that Rocco promised to go to a meeting the next morning with Jeffrey, then woke his ass up and went on an expedition to the CIA he'd had planned for months without telling Jeffrey. In fact, I really really doubt that the "more fire, tastes better" debacle was even the same day as the fire they showed. But Roux, having missed most of the season you are indeed missing out on something. As legitimate as the editing/sequencing concerns are, Rocco has exhibited a PATTERN of behavior over the course of the show that's hard to attribute to mere editing. In fact, there have been manipulated moments to make him look BETTER--although many were very transparent. Last show before the hiatus, for example, we were treated to a sequence where Rocco feels frustrated and is about to give up, and bam... he walks right up to the front window of Rocco's just in time for him (and the camera) to catch Mama schmoozing with a set of customers conveniently placed to be seen through that window. Rocco feels bad, and the camera catches his sad lonely face.

I wanted to yell out "hey, putz, how about a YEAR--assuming you are lucky enough to find another 'Tony' to actually cover your ass while you are on Regis or Jay Leno's show."

No, these were both new episodes. Frankly, none of this made Rocco look any better. Even the "Rocco saves the day" sequence (they had one in BOTH episodes) they are almost contractually obliged to have went South. Of course the sequence of events (particularly around Tony's firing) seems VERY odd. Actually, the editing around the sequence with the kitchen fire seemed a bit odd too. Okay, with respect to the frustrated FOH employees... even though Rocco is a boob and "the worst boss ever", he doesn't report to you. You guys are pretty far down the decision making chain. A boss owes you action and explanations on YOUR part of the business, not a different part. He owes Jeffrey the explanations on the other parts. Really, this all seems to boil down to Rocco trying to pass the buck. Notice how he planted the idea that "Tony didn't look at the numbers". Hey, blockhead... that's YOUR job if you own the place. Tony got fired because he cooperated with Jeffrey. It's that simple. Also, notice how Laurent manages to turn on a dime? What's the deal with that? I'm also somewhat done with feeling sorry for Momma. A lot of Rocco's contradictory B.S. was right in front of her and unless she does it off camera she never calls him on it. She seemed to love Tony, and seemed to be treated well by him, and hardly blinked when Rocco canned him. The funniest moment for me was Rocco thinking that barstools really COULD cost $1500 a piece. Moron. I'm actually glad I saw these episodes. Originally I didn't care much after the "hiatus" was announced, and later certainly didn't want to take up part of a weekend to watch more of this trainwreck. But I was home tonight anyway, and they arguably were two of the best episodes yet, even if the editing was very suspicious.

The honor system? Wow, that would never work in the west.

This story makes the whole thing sound rather nightmarish. Is this incident typical for this show?

Anyway, getting back to Shrek M&M's (we've kind of got an existing topic for all of these other "novelty" candies--at least in general), I kind of dig the artwork on the front of the Shrek Peanut bag (at least the 14.0 oz. size), where "Yellow" has turned Shrek green and into an Ogre. So has anyone succeeding in biting in half a group of normal M&Ms and Ogre-sized ones (peanut would work best) and giving us a comparitive photo of the cross section?

Natto? I mean except for stoned Japanese people...