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CopperTop

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Everything posted by CopperTop

  1. I have a daughter that Marcel reminds me a lot of - little in the way of social skills, technically brilliant at what she does, but her final product lacks... a human touch. She's an excellent singer in the technical sense, but there's a lack of emotion, of feeling. The reason for this is she is autistic. It's the same way with her cooking skills - she's picked up everything I have taught her (other than her knife skills, because she has issues with fine motor control, I do her mise en place for her), her presentation looks great, her flavor is fine but there is a lack of soul to her dishes. This is because she has an emotional detatchment from the world around her, and has since she was small. As for the attack on Marcel - I know what it's like to be an outsider in a kitchen. I was the lone Anglo female in a Hispanic male-run kitchen. Management hired me because the existing crew was losing money on the evening shift week after week and they needed someone that they hoped would be able to appease the customers, turn out orders right the first time to reduce food costs and make peace between FOH and BOH. The FOH didn't mind having someone on the line that was getting out orders on time without a lot of lip, but the existing BOH saw me as an interloper - and I suffered for it. I could take the little things like no towels, no aprons, no jackets - that was to be expected. My mise going missing - irritating. Every one of the BOH staff refusing to assist as I tried to move a 175 pound bucket of sauce to be portioned for the next day's use, then one of the guys spraying water onto the floor as I move it myself, making sure I'd slip and fall - borderline assault, ripped rotator cuff, six weeks off work due to the injury and loss of a job. Seriously, I would never patronize a restaurant that hired any of the parties involved in the attack on a sleeping person and if I owned a restaurant, I'd never employ them due to their unpredictable natures, making them liabilities. I wouldn't be able to afford the insurance premiums. (edited to correct spelling error)
  2. In one way, I have to agree with Ms. Ephron - I can't stand the "hover-bot" style of service in a lot of restaurants. I have been known to actually tell the server that their tip will double if they just serve the food, glance over to see if beverages need refilling as they walk past, ask if we want dessert when they clear the entree plates and if we don't want dessert, bring the check as soon as possible. However, if that piece was meant as satire, it came off as whinier than my 6 year old granddaughter in dire need of a nap.
  3. For those of you that are interested, according to my Time-Warner Cable guide the Texas-Mexico border episode of "No Reservations" airs tonight at 8:00 PM EDT (7:00 Central) on Travel Channel, with the Beruit episode airing in the standard slot for "NR".
  4. Houston does have the advantage of a "Chinatown" district, according to one of my fellow techs (I had to retire from professional kitchens after surgical reconstruction of both knees and a shoulder due to 20 years of prep/line cook work) that has worked assignments in the Houston area. He said that it compaired favorably to the Chinese dining he left behind when he moved west from Brooklyn, NY. He also mentioned that the Central Market in Houston is not quite as good as the ones in Dallas and Plano, TX, (Think Dean and Deluca the size of a Kroger or A & P with a cafe and sushi bar inside). I'll see if he can call his former supervisor to get the name of the little Barbeque joint he hit when down there that was in the middle of nowhere that was absolutely fabulous.
  5. Chris, I'm not clear if your Texas visit will be Houston or Dallas, but I can clue you into a few great places in the Dallas area - like a Greek restaurant in the heart of downtown that's run by a husband and wife team, a Jamacian food restaurant that a friend of mine that hails from Jamaica swears by, a couple of market cafes and the most storied Italian restaurant in Dallas. All are affordable, and no donuts in sight.
  6. I've had one for years. Tough part was training the girls to clean up behind me without complaining.
  7. This is one that is now being clamored for by a 3rd generation. My grandmother used to combine blanched elbow macaroni, Campbell's cheddar cheese soup, drained stewed tomatoes, evaporated milk and cooked ground beef, then top with french fried onions and bake. When I started making this for my kids, I changed the stewed tomatoes for Ro-Tel tomatoes with chiles and instead of just french fried onions, I used a combination of crushed tortilla chips, french fried onions and shredded cheese. My oldest now makes this for her children and they adore it, although she uses the nacho flavored cheese soup and the mild Ro-Tel product, though they liked Nana Marie's version, too.
  8. In our family it was called "American Chop Suey" and made with Campbell's tomato soup. Didn't we talk about a lot of this on the thread about stuff we like that most people think sucks? In my house, it was prepared with the extra wide egg noodles, Campbell's tomato bisque soup, cooked ground beef and garnished with shredded extra sharp Cheddar cheese. The dish name was "slumgullion". My siblings would turn their noses up at it, which would prompt my dad to reply, "Oh well, more for me!"
  9. A mere 113 here. Oddest title is the Harley Bikers Cookbook. It was purchased for me by my SO, who had never ever purchased a cookbook in his life before that.
  10. I eat plain McDonald's hamburgers topped with a small smear of strawberry or raspberry preserves. My younger brother prefers bologna or hot dogs with peanut butter. We chalk this up to genetics. Our father's favorite sandwich consisted of Miracle Whip, softened butter, kosher prepared horseradish, peanut butter, finely diced red onion and crisped bacon on seven grain bread, with a dill pickle spear on the side and a cup of coffee so strong it could double as paint stripper.
  11. Y'know, I am not the least bit surprised to learn this monstrosity impersonating a bagel shop is located in SoCal. By the way, I'm a native Californian, so I expect anything way over the top to be from the state of my birth. My pet culinary peeve is when mushrooms go unmentioned in a dish description on a menu. The reason why this bothers me is because after working BOH for 15 years in Italian restaurants, I developed a sensitivity to mushrooms. A mild reaction results in nausea, a bad reaction can result in swelling of the lips and tongue. By the way, do you know what you call a chef that can't taste a mushroom based sauce for re-seasoning? Unemployed.
  12. I know that my appetite is tied to my mood, because the last thing I can think of when I get truly depressed or truly manic is food. I've been diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder, so mood stabilizing medication keeps me from swinging too far in either direction. However, there is a big difference between mood and emotion. Emotions will trigger food cravings - sadness causes me to reach for anything chocolate. When I'm feeling worn down, I want a big bowl of wonton egg drop soup or pasta with butter, garlic and cheese. When I'm happy, I can go for just about any ethnic cuisine - particularly Tex-Mex or Italian, but any Asian, European, Mediterranean or Latin will do in a pinch.
  13. What is your all time, would eat it every day if you could, favorite food and why? Thank you for sharing your precious time with us and forgive the silliness of my question, kind sir.
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