HungryChris

Now what does that have to do with large breasts?

I have been collecting oil lamps for a number of years, so light is not a problem. I also am a firm believer in keeping dried and canned goods in good supply (probably a carry over from my lean years). I also like to frequent the post Christmas sales for Christmas candles. You can often get a dozen 12" tapers for a buck. It cracks me up to see those "emergency candles" for $1.25 for about a three hour supply. I also really like the wind up radio, but have not gotten one yet. I do make sure I have fresh batteries on hand and opted for a gas range when I moved into rural CT. I also keep many gallons of spring water in the chest freezer just to act as a reserve for both water and coldness. If I loose electricty that I think will last a while, I take a gallon or two out to put in the fridge and wrap the chest freezer in a quilt. That will keep it frozen up to a week, and I know that even if that isn't enough, I do have spring water to drink

There is a world of difference between the generic dishes you cite, and the personalized 'haute cuisine' of Boloud et al. At the highest level, and never more so than at present, fortunes are made on chefs' ability to create and innovate. Unfortunately there are some high profile chefs, who, lacking this ability, rely on importing other chefs' creative endeavour into their own menus and claiming the credit for themselves. Your compelling what's-yours-is-mine rationale may make you feel this is acceptable, but it's hardly rooted the moral or ethical foundations of the society in which you live.

If I have a dish that I really enjoy in a resturaunt, you bet that I'm going to try to make it myself. When I bought it I was paying for the ingredients, the idea and the execution. If I was then to start selling the same dish, I would be selling my ingredients, my execution and an idea that wasn't mine. Would that be wrong or dishonest? If the answer is yes that means that whoever came up with the idea should have exclusive use of it. If that were so there should only be one place to buy fried clams or pizza or ceazer salad in the world. HC

Tampopo Awright I have some questions. I hate to break topic, but I gotta know how others feel about this. Lets start at the end of the movie. Is it fair to say the the child at his mother's breast is a statement that we all start out both needing and liking food? Do we then look at the child and ask the question: "How is life going to skew this one's view of food? Is he going to be like one of those guys that said 'I'll have the sole and consume and no salad (I really don't give a crap about food, it's all politics)' or is he going to be like the kid who doesn't care that his bosses treat him like crap, but knows his food, in fact lives for it, or perhaps like one of those people who are willing to stand in line just because they know they love and need good food?" Who was the guy in the white suit and why did he get shot at the same time Tampopo became a success? Who shot him, did we, by liking the outcome? Yes, I made Ramen noodles right after each of the two time I watched it. I probably will the next time too.

As luck would have it, this Saturday will be my birthday. This particular one has been diminished by too many previous ones, but I am sure nobody can relate to that! Thanks to Tommy and Melkor, this one will be celebrated, I hope, with steaks from Lobels (12 0z boneless Strips), a home grown Ceazar Salad (with the croutons still warm) and some iced Korbel. What a country!!!!

A quick trip into the garden tonight let me know that Saturday will be FCD (First Cucumber Day) here in CT (for me at least). Yes we had a crappy, rainy spring, so FCD is late! FCD will be celebrated with fresh cukes, pickling style (what else?) rinsed under running water enough to break off the spines. Part of the celebration is the fact that these will be the first cukes that are NOT PEELED! Once they are cleaned and ready to go, they will be sliced thinly an put in a mustard vinegrette with about 1/2 finely chopped shallot per cuke some salt and pepper, a smashed clove of garlick or two and left to stand for a few hours. Just before serving, some fresh dill, chives and chopped parsley will be thrown on.........Gawd I love this time of year! HC

I will be at the GCOB this next Saturday. I love the place. You just have to accept the place for what it is. Oysters at the bar!!! Speaking of the bar, Am I the only one who finds the stools too close to the bar? Admin: an archived thread about the December '03 - March '04 strike at the Grand Central Oyster Bar may be found here

Fresh ripe tomatoes chopped into 1/4" cubes, fresh garlic paste, chopped fresh Basil, fresh thyme( just a little), chopped capers, sea salt, pepper and some good EVOO all mixed up and served on a toasted slice of good bread. It starts off as an appitizer and ends up as dinner. Of course the only way to celebrate FTD (First Tomato Day) and mine is easily three weeks away, is a mater sammich, though...and yes, it must include mayo. Gawd, I can't wait!

I have a Lussino model 4080 made by Musso that I bought on e-bay. It's much like a Simac in size and capacity. As I am someone who has to be careful in what I eat in order to keep my cholesterol below 200, I tend to be more of a sorbet person. I have found that a pint of fresh blueberries or strawberries put in the blender with 1/4 cup of lemon juice and 1/2 cup of simple syrup (I use 1/2 cup of Splenda dissolved in 1/2 cup water) then put in the machine makes a very satisfying sorbet. If I make more than I can finish and try to keep it in the freezer, it's hard as a rock in a few hours, though. I think the Splenda has something to do with that. I think if I used sugar it might fare better in the freezer. I have gotten in to the habit of just making enough for 1 dessert and it works out pretty well.

I booked the room for myself and accomplice tonight, Varmint, so we will be heading south from Connecticut. I am looking forward to picking some pig! Next I have to figure how the hell we will be getting there, Air, Rail or Road.

I go to a friend's house down the street and on the water every 4th of July. That is the place I drink more beer at any one time than I do all year. I will bring sausage and peppers and probably some fried chicken this year. This year, because you asked the question and because I am curious as well, I have decided to ask my accomplice (this just works out so well!) to count how many beers I have before deciding to leave. This way all I have to do is hand her the empty cup and the rest is history. This is the way reasearch should be done! I get to the point that I just can't drink another beer! Usually that is after the fireworks and I'm ready to go home anyway.

Paul, EVOO is extra virgin olive oil and Sriracha is a hot chili sauce made by Huy Fong Foods. It come in a plastic squeeze bottle with a rooster on it. No kitchen is complete without it IMHO.

Cubed, seasoned pork sauteed in evoo with shallots and garlic until browned. This was set aside and into the pan juices more shallots, garlic were added and sweated down a bit. Then white wine, diced tomatoes fresh basil and chopped capers were added along with a couple tbs of Sriracha for some heat. The pork was then readded along with drained angel hair pasta which was finished up in the sauce and the combination served as a main course accompanied with an endive and water cress salad with mustard vinegrette, garlic bread and Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon. I was quite happy with the mix.

I have what I call "the big three" for hot sauces and I think if I had to keep just one it would be Sriracha. I like that stuff tons!! I put it in Shrimp Fra Diavlo with diced tomatoes, garlic, capers, basil, chopped olives and of course, shrimp, over angel hair pasta. Next is Texas Pete. I don't know if it has ever been tested for narcotic content, but I would await that investigation with some concern. I like to use that stuff in soups, most notably, my rendidtion of Olive Garden Pasta Fa Gioli(SP). Then it's Frank's Red Hot! Put eggs and home fries in front of me (actually please don't, since my recent blood tests) and I won't eat the stuff without Frank's Red Hot. There is something about the heat from cayenne that fills another endorphine receptor that the other guys don't touch.

I used to go to a place in RI that would give you a little dish of garlic pickles along with the menu (Richard's Pub). I loved the way they tasted so much that I decided to try to duplicate them. I had been growing picklers for a long time because I think they have a better flavor than regular cukes. The first time out of the chute, I was blown away at how good they were, twice as good as what I was hoping to duplicate! I now use these as bribes at work on a regular basis. These are refrigerator pickles, so they must be kept in the frige and used within a few weeks. Once you taste them, that will not be a problem. In a perfect world, pick the cukes when you are ready to make these. I have made some great batches with good looking winter ones from the grocery store, however. Just make sure they are not so mature that the seeds have gotten woody, no matter where they come from. I use 1 quart mayo jars and buy the plastic canning lids for them. Into each quart jar place 3 crushed garlic cloves, 2 tsp dried dill weed and 2 tbs kosher salt. Rinse off the cukes (breaking off the spines if they are freshly picked). Slice them lengthwise into quarters or into 3/4 " slices. Pack them into the jar fairly tightly. If quartered slices, I try to keep the skin sides out, just for appearance. Fill the jar with distilled vinegar to just below the shoulder of the jar (just before it starts to turn inward. Top off with tap water, cap tightly and shake until you see that all the salt has disolved. Refrigerate for three days. That's it.

I have grown to love Squid brand in anything hot with seafood. It does seem to add that depth that you appreciate, but don't know where it comes from unless you do the cooking. While I love to cook with this stuff, I'm still not ready to "do shots" of it for a comparison test. How would you propose to do the test? Perhaps break your next use of it into camps?

QUOTE (HungryChris @ May 24 2003, 09:15 PM) I have checked with my accomplice, varmint, and we have decided to show up. All we need are the details and what you want us to bring or do! That's great, HungryChris. Where are you located? We'll iron out details over the next couple of months.

I have checked with my accomplice, varmint, and we have decided to show up. All we need are the details and what you want us to bring or do!

I like to treat Beet greens just like Chard, Turnip green, Spinach or Rabbi. I like them best sauteed in OO with a bit of crushed garlic. Begin the sautee with them dripping wet from the wash. Cook on high heat until limp and tender, hit them with some sea salt and pepper and a dash of fresh lemon juice. They make a great tasting side dish that is quick.

Thanks, Suzanne for your reply. Soft shell crabs have been late to arrive in these parts (SE Connecticut) this year. I have never tried to prepare them, but do have a memory of a cook telling another cook in a resturaunt that I was a Busboy in how to prepare them, that I have never forgotten. "Cut just Aft of the eyes and remove the part in front, remove the gills, then flip them over and strip off the clinger on the bottom." They were so perishable that this same cook used to cook the non-survivors at the end of each shift an pass them out to the help....My first and only taste of Soft Shell Crabs! Wow, were they good!

I remember seeing many Sea Salt Ponds in Spain with bulldozers at the ready (from my train window) and thinking that they probably don't list the leaking oils from the machines on the list of ingredients.

I have had some dynamite soft shelled crabs, but have never prepared them. I have never bought them, for that matter. Anyone have comments on reliable sources and or methods of preparation?

Awright, since we have gone off color...I got one. I was once training a new waiter. He was doing pretty well. It was a Friday night and we were starting to get a bit of a wait. As I said, he seemed to be holding his own. I got embroiled in a problem with the water heater not working. The people using the rest rooms kept the faucets open waiting for hot water, which ensured there wouldn't be any and so on. The dishwasher wasn't performing up to speed without hot water, you get the picture. Once this crisis was resolved by shutting off the hot water to the rest rooms for a bit, I got back to the waiter in training. I found him ashen faced in the kitchen. I think his name was Al. I said, "Al, what's wrong?" He stopped pacing, mid circle and confessed that he had just asked a table of 7, grandmother, kids etc, if they wanted a cockteaser before dinner. I reassured him that the only recovery was to go back out there and pretend it never happened, which he did.

I once went on a company ski trip and got paired up with a guy who let the waitress know at a place I frequented (Nikkis at Okemo base) that he wanted more water by tapping his water glass on the table to get her attention. I went to dinner with a cooworker who had a $16 glass of cognac after a $30 lobster dish to my $5.95 sandwich and wanted to split the bill when it came time to "settle up".