jhlurie

Soba, there were a few other articles in that section, all about Food and "The Future": The Futures of Food, By MICHAEL POLLAN, also discussed here, about how science is starting to get in the way of food once more. It predicts a bleak future where BigAgriBusiness continues to coop more and more of the rhetoric of the Organic movement in an effort to "fight back" and regain that lost section of the market. The Next Big Flavor, By MATT LEE and TED LEE, which looks a bit less into the future and seems to mostly be about fruit. Imagining a Better Kitchen, By CLIVE THOMPSON, about kitchen gadgets. Vintage Cuts, by Amanda Hesser, By AMANDA HESSER, is more "Back to the Future" than "Future", since its about heirloom pork.

I've long been a champion of Chocolate Velamints, but I was still relatively surprised at how good these puppies, new at my local convenience store, were: Vanilla Velamints Like Chocolate Velamints, they have a creamy texture and taste and smell surprisingly like the "real thing". Also, fresh in from "Brand Extension Land" comes yet another form of Altoids: The Breath Strip. Cinnamon and Peppermint Altoid Breath Strips

Is it just me, or is this picture kind of freaky? Here is the accompanying article., including yet more shots of people in Hong Kong walking around in surgical masks.

Aside from the novelty of the blind waiter (and yeah... I know its politically incorrect to say this... but its kind of creepy--he doesn't wear glasses and he knows the inside of the diner so well that he never lets on that he's blind, except for the fact that his eyes don't track), the Bendix is also famous 'cause its been in tons of movies. Oh... here's a link about the blind waiter, Johnny D., as well as an outside picture of the Bendix at night. BTW: the food isn't great, but lets not linger on that for once. There are SO many diners in North America that we can let a few slip onto the list just for atmosphere, I assume. The best "greasy spoon" (in my parlance, that means cheap, ugly but still good--mainly for 3AM breakfasts) I've ever been to was a place in Arlington, VA called "Bob & Edith's". I lived in that area many years ago, though, so I've got no idea how well its held up.

Isn't the foam--that odd substance which is neither ice cream nor soda--the whole point? I've gotten that same type of foam with Coke and Cream Soda floats, so its not just the root beer.

When I was a kid, we'd spend part of almost every summer in upstate New York--around the Lake George area. The local A & W parking lot was a major gathering area, a bonifide part of the local "culture", and I think this was not at all atypical for this franchise. Even as a cream soda drinker, it was obviously a place that had some meaning. These days, the only place I see A & W is at a mall. It's just not the same.

Perhaps this is heresy, but since I've never really enjoyed Root Beer, and since Cream Soda Floats have no taste, I've been condering the Red Birch Beer Float and the Ginger Beer Float.

According to this link (first on the Google "hit parade"!) :

Yes, I've always loved the Coming bar. I've actually tasted Chocolate Collon. Ewww. I don't even like saying that. In the past, somewhere else here on eGullet, we've discussed the lovely Lemon Milk Bourbon Pickle Ex Bourbon Stick Chocolate -- a group of words which should NEVER be together.

So we are agreed that pig and pineapple mix in various forms? Except Jinmyo, who I know is too much of a meat purist for that.

Well, I'm one of the few people I know who seem to actually enjoy pineapple on pizza (its got to be paired with bacon though, and maybe peppers and onions), but I don't know about that fig thing. In general I'm not big on mixing fruit and cheese, with the above exception, or also apples eaten with brie (I guess I'm not considering cottage cheese in this... but who really loves cottage cheese?)

How about Turkey sausage basted in duck fat? Unless ducks are too cute too.

Down with Pears. Pears suck! Also cranberries. Suck. I've occasionally had Pork with an apricot or plum glaze that was at least passable (barely). But yes, Steak is sacred. Don't put fruit next to my steak. Bacon next to my steak... now that's worth discussing.

Ah... any time you can link something to Victor Borge, you've ensured a groan from your audience. I've had Doro Wat, but I wasn't aware that it was made from these creatures.

True, but Montreal smoked meat is something that reasonably accessible to someone living one state/province-line away. If someone was a connoisseur of smoked meat, its reasonable to assume they'd seek out the Montreal variety, unless they are one of those life-long Manhattanite types who swear that they'll never leave the borough.

At minimum, I know its true in most Thai restaurants.

In Montclair, NJ there is a restaurant called "The Office". I imagine people meeting there for illicit affairs, after calling home and saying "Honey, I'll be at The Office". Somewhere there is a restaurant called "The Restaurant". I just know there is. Plax... I own a "Hog's Breath is better than no breath at all" t-shirt. Oh... also "Hooters". We all love that name, even if nobody really believes it has anything to do with the Owl present on their signs. I believe that there used to be a place in competition locally in Tampa, Florida called "Melons". In NYC, there's a chain called "Daily Soup".

Its like "Puppetry of the Penis" but with 100% less penis.

Bread. Technically, fingers wrapped around bread. In the west in the form of a sandwich, in other parts of the world in the form of some kind of "roll". In Ethiopa, the bread actually doubles as a tablecloth and the food is picked up with the bread, as well as eaten inside of it.

Reasons I absolutely LOVE the smoking ban: 1.) I just LOVE getting hit with that EXTRA HEAVY wave of smoke whenever I walk in or out of a doorway. Thanks to the smoking ban, and all of the extra people lurking in doorways, now my pleasure in this department has been nicely enhanced. And its EXTRA special whenever I'm waiting to be seated. 2.) I love the new relaxed state of people in NYC bars. They are so tension-free and easy going now. Its a pleasant change from all of those years, when you'd walk into a bar and see people with ciggies in their mouths only PRETENDING to be relaxed. 3.) Extra snacks at the bar: Okay, follow this logic... people aren't smoking, so they have to do something with their mouths. I've noticed a lot more complimentary snacks. Also, since there are less people at the bar, there are fewer people to share with. MORE PEANUTS FOR ME!

Thank you Andy for confirming the "downfall" of eGullet. Not. Pure genius, mate. Just what I needed, other than a nice long session with my own water closet. Does M.M. read eGullet under an alias... er... I mean via his secret identity?

MichaelZ, if you were there around 12 - 12:30, I probably saw you leaving. I'm not sure of the exact time, but I saw a large group leaving. "Is everything here spicy?" No, of course not. Just several of the best things. I didn't see Fink when I was there, but I think I heard someone yell out "Dave" somewhere towards the back, so maybe he was hiding back there cooking stuff. A nice couple next to me seemed to be pleased by my recommendations of the Cheesesteak, the BBQ Brisket, the Sweet Potato Torte and the Cottage Fries. Seems like now, a few weeks AFTER the last round of reviews, the new business is STILL flowing in. Its that typical thing where people talk with friends and there's always a second wave a few weeks after a review from that. Had my first Atomic Dog. I didn't realize it used the same spicy onion mix I frequently have on my burgers there, but hey, it works either way.

A new one, with a lousy name but a good taste. It's called "The Switch", probably the most pretentious name possible, but its got the interesting twist that its 100% juice which is carbonated--a novel idea which by all rights should NOT be novel. As usually happens with things that are 100% juice, most of the juice is grape and apple, but in the flavors I've tasted the balance with more flavorful juices is actually fairly well done. The absense of corn syrup or added sugar creates a more mellow, less artificially sweet flavor than many of the "juice flavored" sodas I've had.

Does anyone know who currently does the Field-level "waiter" service concession at Shea stadium? I was at a game there for the first time in years (and in a field level seat for probably the first time in a dozen years) and the food has certainly come a long way from the bad-old "Harry M. Stevens" days of years past. Particularly impressive was the Corned Beef sandwich, which was good in an absolute sense and not just for ball park food. Salty and garlicky to the right extent, with melted swiss cheese, on a pretty good rye bread. Also extremely good (although its from a booth in the private Field level "food mall" and not through the waiter service (where you order from your seat and they deliver it to you) are the Jamiacan Beef Patties, which were the best I've had in quite a while. If you care, the Mets lost TWICE today, in a double-header, to the Diamondbacks. Boo hiss.

Looks kind of empty for a Saturday. Did the rain keep folks away?