Carrot Top

Three questions, please. . . Will it be mostly for adults? Are children encouraged or discouraged to attend with their parents? And what is the cut-off date for "signing up" or is it possible to show up last minute or close-to-it? Thanks. . . Karen

Kroger here, has much better meat than the other chains (Food Lion and. . .omg. . .Wal-Mart!? Yes, that is the extent of it, here). But they do not carry some cuts of meat that are still considered to be perhaps for a different market. And they did not show any inclination to order these different things when I've enquired before, but that could be an independent management decision specific to this store, perhaps. Veal breast, many sorts of offal, some cuts of pork. . .Food Lion is the place to find these. And Wal-Mart actually has become the place to find good oxtails, tripe, and beef cheeks which they stock for their Hispanic shoppers. So everyone, has some things to offer.

Hey, stringcheese! Probably good you are not here in Blacksburg today. . .it is verrrrry hot! The places you mentioned would have been in my "second" list, if there had been one, definitely. Plus Boudreaux's (Cajun) and Sharkey's if it re-opens well (it is undergoing transformation to a BBQ ribs place). The two top places are both new, and both have taken "places to eat" here to a higher level than before, both in terms of a sophistication of sorts and in terms of the technical level demanded of the kitchens. They have made it so that I don't blush when someone asks me what Blacksburg has "good to eat". (Yes, I am demanding in ways, used to be a chef and such-like myself in a previous life experience ). Though if one is in the mood for some good pita and tzaziki, the Souvlaki place is a marvel. Pita shipped in from Chicago, each bite worth every mile it travelled! Which reminds me, "Steppin' Out" the town's annual street festival, is coming up on September 5 if anyone is wandering through. . .

Beurre noir perhaps? Charcoal biscuits. . .they always remind me of some hypochondriac Sargeant in a Brit mystery novel. Wasn't it Adam Dalgliesh's second-in-command who was always munching on these?

The Lunch Club site reminded me of a place in Little Italy (NYC). Was it Puglias? On the corner of Mott and something-or-other? Long tables filled the rowdy garlic-and-tomato scented place. It didn't matter whether you went to eat alone or with others, everyone just gathered round the tables, pulled up a chair and ate and laughed and had a great time. I bet Pan knows of the place, if it is still there.

Busboy's recent thread on trying to find a good place to eat while driving through Lexington, VA brought the thought that maybe someone might find themselves in a similar situation in my neck of the woods. Blacksburg (which is home to Virginia Tech) has a lot of places to eat. It can be confusing to a visitor with the jumble of pizza places and bars that exist to keep the student population going strong. I thought that to start I might just list the places that I can whole-heartedly recommend for one reason or another. If there is a restaurant that someone travelling through does not see listed that they are curious about, please feel free to PM me and I'll tell you whatever I can about it. . . My personal criteria for a whole-hearted recommendation includes the following: 1. Taste of foods offered must have a sort of vitality and life. 2. Consistency, i.e. the food should not suffer if the cook is making it rather than the chef that particular day. 3. Sanitation (a big one for me). In a college town with lots of staff turnover in the kitchens, this can be a problem. I try to be hooked-into the goings on enough in the places to be able to know staff who can give me the scoop on what "really" is going on back-of-house. 4. Atmosphere and service should be pleasant. 5. Style. . .a sense of style definitely adds to the experience. 6. Food made in-house not ordered from Sysco ready-made then reheated and served. Places for lunch or dinner: (I'll attach a link to a website where one exists.) Nerv http://thenerv.com/dinner_menu.php Cabo Fish Taco http://www.cabofishtaco.com/menu.html (A new addition, located right on Main Street in downtown Blacksburg.) (Note: It might be closed on Mondays. . .at the moment it is, but when the students return to town that could change. . ) Five Guys Burgers and Fries http://www.fiveguys.com/images/Menu.html (On University Boulevard, across from University Mall.) PK's Pizza (On Main Street.) Places for Coffee: Mill Mountain Coffee http://www.millmountaincoffee.com/ Bollo's http://athena.english.vt.edu/~nquesinb/Nq/...tra/gbhome.html Starbuck's is here too. The difference between Mill Mountain and Bollo's seems to me to be that everyone's hair at Bollo's, whether they be male or female, is about six inches longer than everyone's hair at Mill Mountain. Bollo's also does not accept credit or debit cards, and Mill Mountain does. Places for Dessert: Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream, Kent Square on Main Street Hope this little list might be of use to someone that might be "driving through"! Karen

Kroger did a "switch-out" in certain parts of the South with Harris Teeter several years ago. For some reason, they just switched locations with each other, trading store for store, from what I heard from the manager of the Kroger here. Of those stores listed, Kroger is the most likely to be "upscale". They also will be more expensive. Another point I've heard about Kroger is that they pay their employees much better than the other chains, which is one reason for the higher prices.

Well, really. . .it will never matter to me at all anymore what my house smells like, for what could top this! Incredible. What a distillation of the essence of intelligent, seductive femininity is held in those five words. And now, I have to say, "Pork Roast"? It makes me feel so plebian, you know. . .rather clunky and worn, dressed in potato sack cloth or the like. Heh heh. Great lines, maggie. I don't even care if you made it up or not. Great, either way. P.S. Sigh. Not that I think you made it up. . .it is just that the words so seem to define a reality that would follow them, rather than the other way around. And now I had better stop jabbering, myself.

Do I recognize the voice of MFK Fisher in your quote, Melissa? A beautiful quote, even if not. . .

If you go to epicurious.com then go to "browse recipes by preparation" then clicky clicky on chill/freeze you'll find a good selection. Tried to copy the link but msn always gives me problems trying to do this. Aargh. Karen

Yes, you are right. . .the City That Never Sleeps does not have much soil left uncovered for folks to dig into and grow things in. The one year that I grew a small garden on my "balcony" (heh heh fancy word for a fire escape with a french door opening to it!) in Brooklyn Heights, it got destroyed when trampled by the cat-burglar crack addict that flew up the back of the building and into the apartment to grab my purse which was sitting on the nearby table then fly back out with it. Maybe he needed money for organic veggies. But the city grows many other wonderful things. . .ideas, architecture, businesses, and art in all its forms. So who can fault it for lack of open soil. Not me. . .though Whole Foods and Food Emporium do tend to make me somewhat cranky.

Some great stories there, Jaymes. It seems as if finally, the only true love that lasted was between the man and the punchbowl!

It sounds as if there are several major points of contention going on with "what the article states". Which is good in one way, for it has certainly sparked debate which brings forth ideas that may have been sitting in the back of people's heads that other people can learn from. . .but difficult in that the whole thing is not a debate about one clear-cut thing. If I were Julie, I might feel good about the debate. . .and also good (as someone has mentioned) that my piece was published in such a noticeable place. I might also feel that ultimately, (based on the reader's reactions) that the piece might have been written with either a better eye to the researching of stated facts or with more clarity of intended meaning. I feel sort of badly for her, for it seems she has put out there, in the written word in public, something that is quite easily attacked in a variety of ways. But then again, she is a professional and professionals have to take their lumps and learn from it in a very direct way. Could it have been that this piece was edited to fit the space and time constraints therefore losing parts that would have made it read for better acceptance? I wonder. My own small contribution to the discussion is that here, where I live there are no Whole Foods stores or Food Emporiums within an hour's drive. And one does need to have a car to get to them. And where I live, is one of the most populated areas around in many directions. Small town rural America reigns here, and where they shop is Wal-Mart if they are lucky (yes, they do for the most part consider themselves lucky when a Wal-Mart comes in) enough to have one close enough. . .or in small older town grocery stores where the lighting is usually dingy and the floors battered, as is the produce. The economies of such places do not allow most people to even consider whether their budget would include "organic" produce from the grocery store, no matter how hard they pushed the numbers around. If they want it, they grow it. There's a large population to whom this discussion of Whole Foods is simply moot. (Not sure how this fits into the overall subject, but just wanted to again bring up this point. . .)

This has turned out to be even more fascinating than I imagined, with more answers given in differing categories than I would have supposed! Nineteen answers so far, and here's how it breaks down: Lack of time. . .2 Lack of pleasure in cooking. . .3 Laziness. . .1 Mass media brainwashing/advertising. . .3 Lack of interest in "being a gourmet". . .2 Love. . .1 Lack of cooking skills. . . 1 Convenience. . .2 Fear of "bugs". . .1 Retro fun. . .1 Familiarity. . .1 Ah, the human race. And the human race most particularly on eGullet! The original post was meant to address people who ate only and solely convenience foods, but I did not phrase it well enough to make that clear. . but so what. That's a far reach, usually, to be form fitted into one type. My own reason, the main one that stands out in memory in the times I've fallen deeply into the use of convenience foods, is. . .well this sounds extreme but it is true on a deeper level than the superficial. . .has been despair. Food is always endowed with emotive qualities in my mind, so it is not that unusual, really. I use convenience food when I am too tired to think, too empty emotionally to give. So I will add Despair to the list of reasons. Are there more answers out there? Will there be any sort of heavy weight given to any one answer over another? Tell us more. . .

This thread (along with a recent trip to Florida where I had some great tacos at a taqueria) was really making me hungry for some good simple home foods of the sorts mentioned by everyone. Yesterday I picked up an el-cheapo pork shoulder at the grocery store. And a can of chipotle chilis in adobo. And some sweet potatoes. Total cost about $14. This morning the pork shoulder went into a tightly covered pan, topped with the chilis in adobo. . .and it was placed in the oven at 325 degrees. (Yes, it is hot outside, but it didn't seem to heat the place up too much.) Two hours later the scrubbed sweet potatoes were placed in the oven on the rack. In three and a half hours time, it was done. The pork was shredded with two forks, the sweet potatoes were lightly salted and buttered then topped with a bit of the pork and juices. And you can not imagine how good it tasted! And now, done with this meal that I could not wait to gobble down, I am off to pack up and freeze the seeming ton of shredded yummy pork that will make tacos and whatever else comes to mind for a looooong time ahead. (The juices in the pot will go into the fridge till solid, to remove the fat, then they'll be reduced for a spicy sauce). Almost no work at all, to do all this, really! My mouth and my pocketbook are very happy that you started this thread!

Mmm. When I admired my neighbor's garden the other day, he grumbled that for the $3000. annual taxes that he was paying on that piece of land, they had to be some of the most expensive vegetables in the world! But of course, he has been doing this every year for forty-five years, growing veggies in that lot. . .so there must be something more to it than the money for him. . .

The idea of "stratas" just popped into my mind. Usually served for breakfast, but just as good at any time. A strata is a casserole (or a timbale, if one wants to sound elegant!) of layered bread, beaten eggs, and other savory ingredients such as ham, cheese, veggies of all sorts. . .almost any good combination of tasty odds and ends can be used. Very filling. Comfort food. Very inexpensive.

Sounds like your then-husband might have been one of your worst guests, too, then, in a sense, browniebaker. My sympathies. It happens more than it should.

In asking the question, I did not intend to cast any dispersions upon those who use convenience food, nor did I wish to seemingly bestow any benefits of any sort upon those who do not. It is every bit as interesting to me to ask the question "what is the reason some people like to focus on using fresh foods each day for majority of their meals" but that is a question that, at least to my mind, is more easily sort-outable and more easily understood. This subject seems to arouse some interesting thoughts, and in previous threads I have noticed that it also seems to arouse some strong feelings. So, I am just trying to see what people say and think about it. . .maybe I'll learn something. Maybe it is finally unanswerable in terms of exact "reasons" but it is really fun to see what various people's "takes" on the subject are, and also to see if there is any trend or consistency in what their "takes" are. I'm just feeling chatty, you know. I hope you'll indulge me by giving more and more good answers. . .

There are still some fermented milk curds lounging around on my brain, Maggie. Hope you don't mind my trying to rid myself of them. . .here's another cheesey story. Despatch from the Front It wasn’t all that long ago that this began, but nevertheless I have a sure sense that the end is near. It’s my impassioned hope that this quickly told story will reach your ears, so that someone will know the truth, and remember me, should the worst really happen. The first thing that hit my consciousness was how very dark it was. Impenetrable darkness surrounded me, a darkness that was like nothing I had ever experienced. As my mind tried to grasp what was happening, suddenly I felt that there were others like me near, everywhere in the solid midnight blackness. Yet I could hear nothing. It was just a feeling of being with others that were the same as me, all of us floating in a vague and quiet fearful unknowing. In a quick movement, the pressure began to move us all forward, slowly, from behind us. It began to build. It pushed against the darkness like a wind from the north, tossing us forward, tumbling us together in a gathering force of confusion and panic. All was still quiet, though. There was no way of understanding at all what this was that had reached into the inky reality to throw us haphazardly and fearfully towards an unknown destiny. In the next moment, it seemed like a huge hand had reached to squeeze the air and life from me. For a split second there was a compression of everything I knew, and then an explosion. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Where I had landed I did not know. It was bright, brighter than any sun one could imagine. It was chill as ice. There was still no hint, no clue of what was going on. I could not see. . .the world was a blank to me but for these impressions. Still, it felt as if I was not alone. . .but that there were many others like me very close. A tossing around began again. We were being transported somewhere. With a final sense of dizziness, we were then thrown down a tunnel into a grey cave with corners hard as metal. Something entered the cave, moving among us with a sure intent. It felt like a chemical weapon of some sort. I gasped, and felt myself changing, altering, becoming something completely different than myself. I fought, but to no avail. A firm, solid angry pressure then came down upon me, and now I feel the end is near. Remember me with this tale, please. . .and let others know. I was milk. Now, I fear. . that I will be cheese.

Boxes of cake mix, bags of potato chips. Cartons of frozen fried chicken, bagged saucer shapes of frozen pizza. The endless variety of convenience foods that are consumed by the general public is a neverending parade of ingredients with recipes created in food labs to be made in factories for mass consumption. What do you think the attraction is, for those people who use convenience foods to the extent that they are the mainstay of their diets? Is it lack of education in the ways of cookery or food? Is it lack of time? Lack of money or some sort of thinking process that has to do with money? An attraction to the way they taste? Lack of interest in food at all? Or some sort of more ethereal thing? What do you think the main reason is. . among people who love and use convenience foods on a daily basis, for their doing so? I am curious to see what everyone thinks. Can it be sorted out at all or is it just a hash of all-sorts-of-reasons. . .

Oh, I do remember one more! It was summer and we had been having a simple barbecue outside near the pool. The children were young, and many of their friends were over. . .most of the food had been eaten, but there was a package of hot dogs left in the cooler that was sitting next to the grill. I heard a noise from the roof of the house, and there was one of my (now ex) husbands friends. He was standing on the roof, having climbed out through one of the bedroom windows. Whether he was drunk or stoned or just crazy, I really don't know, but there he was with the hot dogs in his hands which he proceeded to throw down into the pool with loud hoots of excitement. (The pool was fairly close to the house and he was on the roof of the garage). After finishing up his game of "throw the hot dog" he decided to show how strong and thrilling he was to the rest of us, by jumping off the roof into the pool himself. Nobody in his or her right mind would have called that jump a safe or sane thing to do. Luckily, he did make it into the pool, in the middle of his happy hot dogs. He actually tried to do it again, but I stopped him as he was climbing out the bedroom window and somehow persuaded him that it was not a great idea. (In the meantime, as the children had seen him enact this feat, they were all clamoring to try it! ) I should have made him eat the hot dogs raw from the pool, don'tcha think? Uh. . .yeah, he was definitely not invited again. . . Amazing how one forgets these stories till prompted.

The whole scene was rather surreal from the start. When I ran into the room, there were five men staring down at this guy, who was splayed out on the floor in an odd position. They all seemed to be frozen in time and place, and because of the high level of manners that the business lunch had been running on, it really seemed as if they had frozen into some sort of overdone tableau of politeness. I've never been in that position before. . .one of finding someone expiring on the floor. . . but since then have thought of how odd it was. . .the waitress that was doing CPR on him with me was also shaken by the formal stillness of the men. . .but I think it was shock. They simply did not know what to do so they froze. And it just so happened that my behind was stuck up in the air towards them, so in their frozen state of shock, they transferred their eyes to it. I don't think they did it out of any real urge to peek. . .they were all so terribly mannerly, and seemingly just could not move. Knowing all that didn't make me feel any less the fool, though!

Hmmm. Y'all are making it sound sort of sexy, now. marlene, when I read you on food I feel totally whooshed away by romance. Amazing! *Deborah*. . .this "California Chicken Salad" is diced chicken, avocado chunks, red onion slivers, ripe tomato cubes, alfalfa sprouts (and bacon and cheese diced, too, sometimes) tossed in a light vinaigrette, sometimes with julienned romaine added. I think they named it this so that Easterners would always be reminded of how the avocados would be ripe and not hard, and the tomatoes tasty and not golf-ballish, year-round in the state of California! Sigh.

There is something about chicken sandwiches that make me yawn. Of course, around here, it is my own fault. Out of laziness and out of the desire to make something that the children will eat without requiring a sales pitch first, there are only several sorts ever made. Chicken Club. . .(yawn). . .California Chicken Salad in a Pita. . .(ZZzzzzz). . .and finally sometimes I fall into the doldrums of Chicken-Walnut Salad. Nothing wrong with any of these, really. But still there remains in my mind an attitude of boredom and sleepiness when I think of chicken sandwiches. I wonder if anyone here makes a chicken sandwich that can make me change my mind. An exciting chicken sandwich. . .!?