Carrot Top

Would you say that a "ristretto" might be more like the profile of a "Cuban Coffee" then?

That's interesting, Rogov. Leads me to wonder if any women have entered into the field of being coffee-tasters for the major trading companies. I remember all those guys being "guys" when I worked on Wall Street. Definite guys with guy-like Damon Runyon lives. All travelled to exotic places and all spoke interesting second and third languages like Zulu. What fun! Which leads me to wonder if there are positions like this within the major wine-producing or trading companies. . .tasters. . .and how those positions are stacked gender-wise, or not. ............................................................. The speculation about women tending to be more "sensual" in their evaluations as opposed to men being oriented towards the analytical. Can you make a guess as to why people would speculate this way? I am wondering if it could be language-based somehow. . .based on the descriptions women might use in detailing their thoughts as opposed to the descriptions men might use?

Thanks, PattyO . There is sort of a look of an intelligent lecturer, knowledgeable about all things in that cat's face. Which of course is my design in life. But then of course one has to really burst out laughing at how totally ridiculous she looks, which is even better to my mind than being a great intellect . Yes. . .if these things are factory farmed. . .wow. . .what a small miracle!

This was an interesting quote to read. . .for this is something that happens sometimes, but not always!, with free-range chickens. It doesn't happen all the time with the "free-range" "organic" ones that I've bought in the supermarket, though. But it did used to happen each time I had a fresh-killed chicken from the places where one could go (years ago, in NYC and other places) and pick out your live chicken and have it. . .well, made ready for you! And the taste, a full chicken-y taste was there in these birds too, which again, seems come-and-go with the storebought "organic" "free-range". Can't wait to find these birds. If they don't carry them in my market (which is always a good possibility! ) I think I'm going to hound them till they do! The price does not seem bad, and certainly its worth it if these things can guarantee a flavorful bird each and every time!

Sounds fantastic! I wish there were something like that here. . .the closest we can get is the newly opened Mexican bodega where there are several variations on the fruit-chile blends of popsicle (imported from Mexico). . .(and they offer candy-chile blends, too, for that matter. . . my eleven year old son adores the lollipops of all flavors that are packaged up to be dipped into the accompanying poblano chile powder. . .)

Ah. . .setting aside all the very admirable ideas that you've come up with to think about initiating within the scope of this recently inspired project (and I do love a project of this sort, for all sorts of thoughts, ideas, progressions can come from it of many sorts!). . .there is one question that seems to rise in my mind. It may seem rather an idiotic question, but nevertheless I'll ask it . . .and would also like to hear any answers that anyone has to it, please. Is there any difference between the way(s) that women and men seem to experience the tasting of wines? Has anyone noticed anything along these lines, as a very general impression? (Personally I don't have a clue but am curious. . .) Karen

Oof. I have to admit that the only thing a Long Island Iced Tea seems useful for, to me, is to get very very drunk very very quickly. The idea of a delicious taste never seemed to enter into the quotient. . .though I can see how psychologically, in a person who enjoyed the feeling of getting drunk that fast, it would take on a "delicious" taste for as long as they were tasting! Do you guys really like the taste?! Really? (Go ahead, throw rotten apples at me. . .just don't throw a glass of Long Island Iced Tea. . . )

How was the pricing on the stuff, Abra and avocado? I am hoping that the price is as humane to grocery-shopping people as the chicken-growing people were to the chicken. . .but. . .

Just saw "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" last night. Good movie, even for grownups. . .particularly those who like food. Your line reminded me of what Charlie says to one of the particularly obnoxious children in the story: "Candy doesn't need a reason to exist! It is enough that it is candy!" Might adapt the tortes to use black walnuts or pecans. . .filling to be lemon or lime curd or peach buttercream? Then it could claim a "Southern" provenance, no? This will be fun! Yes. . .thank you for saying "no" to the banana pudding. Probably my cooler would never recover from that marvelously messy stuff!

On one of the smaller highways crossing the West Virginia/Virginia border, there is a Shell gasoline station with a grill that serves burgers and such. One of the letters fell off the sign, and was not replaced for about a year. Everytime we drove by, what we saw was: "HELL" "Try our Angel Steaks for only $4.95!" (Never did find out what an Angel Steak was. . . )

Hah! Generally with large social functions I notice that how enjoyable an experience it is for ME is up to THEM! Heh heh. . . Nevertheless, the one child that always questions everything (daughter, of course) has seemed to take quite a liking to the idea of an eGullet pig-pickin', and has been talking it up to me. Her brother is always happy to be wherever good food is, and as long as his sister is happy and busy enough to not find time to harass him, he is well pleased. So, I've just "bought my ticket" and will be very happy to come and eat all the good things and meet all you exciting characters. . . It will be good to have the chance to take the children to the museums on Saturday, too! It's been a while. . . Unfortunately, we are from Virginia at the moment, so can not add to your collection of states attending. . .but I can offer to bring dessert as we will be driving down and a cooler will hold something well for that period of time. My general tendency with desserts is to do Viennese-type stuff. . .walnut tortes and so on. . .but with a stretch I might be able to do a southern-style banana pudding for a crowd. . .which do you think y'all would like better for this bash? Let me know. . .either is fine with me. Thanks. . . Karen

Ha, ha! The Seven Characteristics of a French Fry! It sounds like something Hobbit-ish! I love it. Actually, it was even funnier when I read it wrong at first and thought it said "The Seven Charismatics of a French Fry"!

My opinion is definitely "inexpert", Rebel Rose. . .I've had three semesters with Kevin Zraly "way back when" and have had the opportunity to taste some of the world's greatest wines due to the fact that I had to order them (and know their taste) for formal dinners planned to showcase them (and the pockets of the people that were having the dinners ) in the past. And of course I've had the opportunity to taste some of those older "less-perfect" wines that definitely suited my own pocketbook at other times in those years past. My opinion is inexpert because I think one has to drink wine daily and think of it daily in order to give a really good opinion, and I don't! So here is a reaction from that "audience" which is me. . .I think there is a great deal of standardization and less personality being shown in the average bottle of wine that hits the shelf. And from what I hear, it is what the average customer demands. They do not want to "explore" too much this idea of wine. They do not want to take the risk of possible mistakes. . .which of course can happen when exploring in any new area. Most people just want something to taste the same. . .just as if they were buying a bottle of Coke rather than of Pepsi. I feel that the variety of tastes is being lost in a generalized way to a wish to homogenize so that the wines will sell. And possibly the distributors are looking for this homogenized taste, too, for the same reason. But I am sure that the wines are out there. . .just not maybe in the average wine store or grocery store (for sure!). The exceptional wine store with a loving proprietor and the small local wineries. . .that probably is where they are to be found. The trend towards the artisan movement in all things food. You can not get it "everywhere" but you can get it if you care to hunt for the treasure.

These stories are making me feel as if they would be good episodes for "The Twilight Zone". Very nice (almost) first post, jvictor930! Same to Jenikaye. . .great story. . .

Guess it depends on what sort of chemicals they were using when they were making the tie-dye. . .

Yes, it is rewarding to offer the opportunity for greater and possibly expanded pleasures to one's friends or lovers or family. Yet if they finally, do not take the bait and rise to it. . . (?) I do not think I have ever seen a gravestone that said: Elizabeth Julia Spinkower (or whatever) In a life well lived, she finally overcame the worst of burdens. . .a liking for Olive Garden. RIP

Ah, my dear, the glass is always completely full. Some of it is filled with air, and some of it is filled with liquid, but it is always full. It just depends on which part you wish to see. ← Mmm, hmmm. Absolutely. And I am happy as long as the air part is not all "hot air"!

What sort of spooks me about this discussion is that while one most certainly can make some good superficial judgements about people based on their tastes in many areas (including that of a restaurant choice for dinner) there is so much more to every human being than what they show in their displays of taste within one area or another. I am sure that each one of us, if we look closely enough, is not picture perfect in all ways 24 hours a day each day of every year that we live. Tastes change. . .hopefully they grow in ways. . .we are not static as beings, unless we are frozen in time. One can judge a person on so many things. Restaurant choice. How they dress. Their pattern of speech. Their education or lack of it. How good their hair looks today. On and on and on. Not to get too serious about it, but seriously. . .some of these old sayings like, "Let those who are without sin throw the first stone". . .and "Judge not lest ye be judged" and "Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones". . .all those wonderfully frightening old saws have some pretty great truths in them. What do you want to be judged on? When and by whom? Would you make the cut? Have you ever been judged on something that you considered superficial. . . much to your own sadness and possibly to the detriment of others or of the situation? The glass truly is half full, if you want it to be.

Yeah. . .still a couple of those places in Staten Island, huh? But the vests are not always for protection from the diners. . . Nice "little" list there, rich. Do feel free to add more ideas as they come along!

This is the only place I hit this weekend in the intended trip to the "Shenandoah Valley" because with my usual disregard for geography, my real destination was actually about 100 miles beyond that! (Gettysburg, Harpers Ferry etc.) I stopped in on the way back around lunchtime. About a mile past the exit, in an old-fashioned small town. The Southern Kitchen has a nice big sign of the 1950's type out front. . .almost kitsch-y but not overdone. Same thing inside. Not a fancy menu. . .just reg'lar stuff. I was slightly hurried so I just ordered a BLT. The really interesting thing was the atmosphere. . .the decor was picture-perfect 1965 but again, not faked or overdone. . .it was just "there". And the atmosphere was the same. Families sat with amazingly well-behaved children and couples sat together that had been married for so long that they completely resembled each other. What struck me was the total lack of angst. There was no hurry in the air, yet no feeling of slowness either. There was no anything "in-your-face". It really felt like Eisenhower was still the president! (Well, I'm not "quite" that old but almost! ) So very simple, easy, pleasant. The sandwich was fine. . .it was exactly as it should have been for the place. But the waitresses. . .yes. Here's the other wierd thing about that place. I felt as if any one of those waitresses could have been picked up and transported to a fine-dining situation in a split second and they would have done a great job at it without missing a beat. They were "there" at the right time without that "coffeepot in your face" sort of thing that happens so often. And many other small clues. ..................................................... Ate the little lunch, paid the check, and was back on the highway within (gasp!) half an hour. And it felt. . .right, though rather amazing. Thanks for the tip, Holly.

It has happened to all of us, I imagine. You are hungry. . .looking for somewhere good to eat. . .the options might be numerous in variety or extremely limited. You know nothing about any of these places except what shows in the front window. Finally, out of starvation and bewilderment, you make a choice and walk into a place, hoping that the meal will be good and the place welcoming. Sometimes, though, this doesn't happen. There is a moment of epiphany when you just know you've walked into the wrong place to eat. This weekend it happened to me. It was a tourist-y town in northern Virginia. The place was Italian, with nicely shining windows and polished brass details gleaming. No menu posted. White tablecloths showing on the tables. We entered and were greeted. The leatherette bound menus were taken along with us to the table with a smile. All was well and fine until that moment. My epiphany? You know you're in the wrong place to eat when one side of the menu is six pages of plastic laminate with big colorful shiny pictures of chicken nuggets and spagetti with meatballs and the other side of the menu is a print-out tied on with gold stretchie things, offering four or five specials like "Toasted Ravioli with Fresh Vegetables in a Creamy Curry Sauce" . . .(and all the specials are priced at $24.95 per entree). Anyone else have any stories of this sort to share. . .so we all can tatoo them on our memories and run in fear when they see them happening in our own lives?

How do they measure stomach capacity, robyn? I am curious. . . I am also curious about what drew these people towards this. . .activity. . .or "sport" in the first place. Just something arbitrary? A love of food? The idea of a contest where money might be won? Bravado? It is interesting, as I simply can not imagine wanting to do this, myself. . . On the website there is a sentence stating that competitive eating is one of the oldest of "sports". I am wondering what references there have been to it in antiquity, that would allow the "federation" (which seems to me more of a public relations organization than anything else) to say this. There is certainly more to this thing than I ever would have imagined. . .it always seemed to me to be something mostly done at County Fairs that was more along the lines of winning a stuffed animal for one's girlfriend than the big professional thing it appears to be!

Looks like I'll have to do a back-search of the Times as well as reading from the links you all have posted. Sigh. I try to avoid reading newspapers often, especially on-line, because nothing else gets done, including reading the endless piles of books here (that I really prefer to read!) And of course eGullet cuts into time for everything. . .maybe even including cooking a decent meal! Thanks, all. Karen

Yes, you could be right about the fact that "food" is not as complicated as the subjects you speak of except for the part of it that is more. . .sigh. I don't have the right word. . .personal? Ethereal? Un-sort-out-able in ways that people think of it? It is the "softer" part of food that makes it a squiggly sort of thing to think about when going beyond the preparation, policies of all sorts, or specific cultural meanings. Several discussions lately seem to have revived my own interest in this concept (which always lays latent. . .food to me is not just a past profession, or not even just a burning interest for the most part. . .moreso to me there is something conceptual about it and the ways people think and feel about it that consistently fascinates me). . .the "Food as Religion" thread and the Julie Powell thread both re-opened questions in my mind as to. . .well, to really try to figure out what it is that I am trying to say! I don't exactly mean the softer subjects such as the joys of gathering around the table either. . .although these are certainly "starter" subjects, as are the "harder" subjects you mentioned before. I'm just curious to see what is covered in this format of op-ed and how it has been done. I like ideas and like to see how people put them together. . .and if I ever figure out what it is that I myself want to say about "food as concept" it would be great to see what "worked", what didn't, and what ideas have been used in the past to back up the concepts that the op-ed writers have offered up so far. Heh heh. Clear enough? I have to run off to drive to the Shenandoah Valley so can't focus in on making this any clearer, but am so looking forward to anything that anyone can suggest as reading material in this form! And bloviatrix, thank you for that link. . .will definitely read it a bit later! Karen

I am curious about the subject of food as it is; could be; or has been used as a subject of Op-Eds by writers. Do you know of any op-ed piece that has had food (and its many manifestations) as its subject? (Beside the Julie Powell piece which is discussed in another thread. . .) If so, what was the specific argument being made on the part of the writer, and was it, finally, successfully made for the most part? Although there are many books that I can think of that have points-of-view on food being espoused, I just can not gather any ideas of any numbers of op-ed pieces that have been done. . .can you direct me as to who does this (if they do) and where? I am wondering if, in the final analysis, food might be a difficult subject to strip down enough to easily do a successful op-ed, which by its nature, must be in a rather short form. What do you think?