Chris Amirault

What kind of rice, Mel? If you don't want to spring for wild rice, I'd think that brown jasmine or basmati would be nice.

"Swift's proven solution"? Anyone know what that is? Sounds vaguely Strangelovean....

That's interesting. Sounds very like this place called Tealuxe, which is smack in the middle of Thayer Street, the main business stretch running through Brown University's campus.

Matthew, have you ever heard of this drink?

At one of our local haunts, a "Gingered Gentleman" was up on the drink board, and I tried it. Gingered simple syrup, bourbon, lime juice, topped with soda. They also had a sprig of mint in it. I've been fiddling with the ratios some (right now, about 2 bourbon, 1 lime juice, 1 simple syrup, all muddled with grated ginger and then strained through a fine mesh, poured into a high ball glass with soda and ice), but I can't find any references anywhere. It's not in google, for crying out loud! Is this a different name for an old bourbon drink? Or the product of an oddly prescient mixologist?

Bux, have you been talking about me to that chatterbox Bob Woodward?

If eGullet Management planned on making this a professionals-only site, wouldn't their first step be to fire hosts like me? Feel secure in knowing that your fears won't be realized. ← Michael's right: there's enough of us around here that we could have a pretty tidy little coup. What's more, my 6 Qt KitchenAid is easier to swing during a fight than some professional Hobart TankMixer. And on the anonymity question: after over a decade of active participation using my real name on listservs and other online fora, I decided to transform my name in a devious manner, producing an eGullet handle that would utterly hide my true moniker to most and reveal it only to those who can figure out the complex two-step code. (Hint: think about capital letters and a single space.)

Fantastic... just fantastic. You and Jason have me hankering for a trip down to Arthur Avenue to stock up. Did you get everything there (sweetbreads, etc.)?

What a coincidence! I'm allergic to carob, too! If I taste carob, I immediately break out in violent fits, destroying all of the carob within reach. The symptoms settle down once all of the carob items have been eradicated. Strange affliction.

Ah Leung, another great thread! A question. I have previously thought that microwaving the rice before adding it to the wok can make it a bit sticky and overcook, especially if I'm not outside with my high-heat burner. Do you have that problem?

Ditto me. I'm officially confused. My Patio Wok is rated at about 50K BTUs, and I never, ever, ever turn it all the way up. It would instantly burn anything I put in my wonderful carbon steel, well-seasoned wok. How in the world can anyone use something that produces 100-160K BTUs? I'll add that I've had the pleasure to witness high heat wok cooking in Chinese restaurant kitchens, and my Patio Wok is comparable to what I've seen there. I can't imagine that those burners are three or four times hotter than what I use. Any thermodynamics engineers out there?

It also depends on how much fat is on the outside of the butt. I just made 7# of sausage this weekend, and I had a very fatty butt, so I didn't add any extra fat. Even with a fatty butt, I thought the sausages were a bit too dry, and in the next rounds I'll be adding some of the pork fat that I've ground and stored in the freezer. It also depends on the style of sausage. What sort of sausages were you making?

In my formative cooking years while in college, I once made a chicken stir-fry that became known among the unfortunate pot luck attendees who tried it as "Chicken with Corn Starch."

Interested folks might want to check out this related thread, Childhood clues that you'd become a foodie....

Uncle.

I've moved this from General into Cooking, where I think it will get more attention. I'll also point y'all to fifi's great lard instructions in RecipeGullet here. Works like a charm!

You can click on my foodblog for a few ideas in Providence -- and I have about a gazillion more where those came from!

Capital W?

menton1, you misread me. I didn't say that "official" was only a colloquial adjective, as you claim. I was trying to say that I think the term is meant colloquially in this discussion by many of us. It certainly is by me. Of course, you are absolutely right that corporations pay big bucks to be named the official sponsors of things (though, if the ProJo was right, DD had to be pressured into supporting the money pit that is the Civic Center, and the naming was inadequate compensation for same, but I digress). That's not what I was talking about. I was talking about the ways in which many Rhode Islanders identify as "Dunkin Donuts coffee drinkers." This may happen in other states, too (though what you write here seems to suggest otherwise), but it certainly happens here. A few years ago, the ProJo reported that more drive-through purchases were made at DD in the state of RI than at all other fast food restaurants combined. That sense of affiliation with a brand, to the point of ritualizing it into daily habit via the drive-through, is what I meant by "official." That doesn't mean it's exclusively a RI phenomenon -- but no one is claiming that. I don't know what your doctor's office is like, but mine never serves any coffee! I was talking about the coffee that people bring in. Finally, I guess we'll have to disagree about the impression you cite: most typical Rhode Islanders I know would spit out a heavily roasted Starbucks -- and choke on the price to boot!

Abra, I'm a bit late, but can you tell me where you get your Urfa pepper? I hadn't heard of it before, but a bit of googling has me curious!

I think that people mean "official" in the colloquial sense. For example, Tim Horton's is getting driven out of RI, and Bess Eaton too, because of many Rhode Islanders' devotion to DD. It's not like NYC where there's a significant culture of independent coffee shops serving takeaway coffee in those blue and white "Greek" cups. In most doctors' waiting rooms, at the dept of motor vehicles, in cubicles throughout downtown -- most folks not only drink DD coffee but see it as an affiliative gesture with others who do.

Yes, Sandy, basically, when you're working the dough at the start, you really want to work to produce a disk that has relatively thin edges and a thick center. Then, place the dough on the back of your hands, letting it drape over your wrists. That way, the thicker part will expand across the backs of your hands, and you can toss it a little -- with a spin, if you'd like. Click here for some more tips (scroll down).

Great thread topic and interesting responses so far. A question: for what cuisines does this principle apply? For example, it makes no sense if you're having dim sum, tapas, or sushi. As I read the comments, I also thought about the meal I had at Esca in NY, during which I enjoyed a series of dishes, none of which were properly mains save my daughter's fish course (wild salmon, purslane salad, and grilled figs) -- hardly meat and two veg.

Oh, yes, please do! Pix too would be great!

Folks, I think that we in this international conversation probably can be most productive without making broadly drawn references to entire cultural groups and their purported characteristics. Let's stick to discussing broadly drawn references to entire age-based groups (i.e., kids) and their purported characteristics, shall we? To that end, I think that many young children who lack a sense of the importance of mealtimes as opportunities for important social experiences -- sharing, bonding, talking, listening -- might be those most likely to disturb the others who are there for those very purposes. I haven't read the whole thread, but I'm sure that someone's referenced the reduced amount of family time spent at the table together in US life, in particular. Wouldn't those kids who have few social experiences related to food be most likely to act out in restaurants?