Carrot Top

Just out of curiosity, NulloModo...what was the tab for the dish? Was it similar in price to the other entrees...or do you think it was put on the menu as a 'draw'?

Sinclair...I agree with much of what you have said overall in this post...but want to focus in a bit on these areas in discussion, for...well, these three paragraphs speak the strongest to me in this exact moment. We were discussing the difficulties inherent in having a family life for a woman who wanted to undertake a profession that was demanding...with the underlying inference that this could and would weigh heavily upon the decisions that were being made and that would be made in the future by women. And in response to your comment that twenty years ago it was impossible to find a stay at home husband I must disagree, for twenty years ago I had a stay at home husband, and it was partially this fact that sent me out into the workplace of the professional kitchen in the first place. I realize in this thread that my life has had many parts that do not fit with most norms. Believe me, this is nothing I ever tried for...it just sort of happened...and the only real sense I can make out of the oddness of things is this: Nothing is impossible in life. And you can not guess what is around the corner. My then-husband was fourteen years older than me, and he was a boatbuilder (America's Cup Boats) who got aggravated at what he saw as....discrimination within that world against Italian-Americans vs. WASPS. So he quit his job and decided to stay at home and design boats with the aim of eventually building one. That went on for a number of years...as he eventually fell apart in various ways....some of which had to do with the fact that he WAS a 'stay-at-home husband'. It may just be as difficult for some...most? men to be supported by their wives as it is for a woman to become a 'great' chef. I just told that story to prove the point that these things do happen. Here, today, I see many couples without children who have decided not to have children. I see couples who work two jobs and who do not strive for success but who just struggle with things, day to day. I see lots of children from two-income families going home to empty houses...but without either of the parents really trying to do anything but survive. Is this right? That is for each person to answer for themselves, I guess. The point here is that IF a woman steps out and says,' I want to do better than just average' she deserves every chance including being understood and cheered on by other people. 'Cause the other shit exists already...the sort of mess that we have in terms of 'relationships' and work. ................................. The 'neon-pink' glass ceilings. Yes. And yes to the fact that many men do not want to work for a woman. But if enough women head fearlessly into being leaders, and behave in ways that breed respect from the people that work for them, male or female, it will change. Because there is no way any guy would prefer another guy for a boss just because he was a guy...if there were a women standing next to that guy who somehow had better management and people skills and who had shown over time that the workplace would be well run, pleasant, fair, and full of opportunity to always do more. ................................................... Finally, I do not believe that the time will ever come that men do not see us as women, just as I don't believe that we can avoid seeing them as men. We are what we are...but we can each add to the workplace among other places...and whoever wants to aim for the sky rather than just standing with their feet in the mud deserves cheering on.

Caviar and champagne, bien sur. But there is no Petrossian's in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Surprised?) And the atmosphere is imperative. Ah, well. Guess a pizza with all the toppings will have to do. Wheeeeee!

But far more amusing, Miguel. And holding a knowledge of fine service that one hopes is never lost to the world through time and change....

Bravo on that good-looking yummy stuff you've made, Rachel. For the chicken side...maybe a wild rice pilaf that includes carrots/onions/mushrooms?

LKL...nice website. And whether you decide to stay on this path and pursue this thing or not...you still deserve congratulations. You are there....you are doing the work....and you have proven at the very least one important point. Boys, even in the heights of their professional powers, don't get cooties from girls (who are doing the same work standing next to them.) And it could be you will prove much much more than that....

You know...I love mangoes but they never fail to make me cranky. What is it with them? They sit there and look so enticing, promising fruit, sweet delicious fruit. A fruit that has the flavor of no other. And you want it. And then when you go to take them up on their sneaky little promise....what do they do? They hang onto that tough rubbery skin like a virgin to her blouse in a 1950's black and white movie. They mush up and sqoosh about, becoming nothing so much as an instant countertop mess-maker. You continue with all the best equipment you can muster....hundreds of dollars worth of knives and cutting boards and peelers and this and that just sitting there expectantly to help...but to what result? Half a cup of slimed-up orange gook. Pah. (Mostly though, I think the cause is the quality of the mangoes we get here in the usual grocery store. Not ripe, yes bred for travel, and somehow will never be quite right. Sigh.)

< You mean like that? Well....you know...I understand these things can be useful....but I have a vague fear of them. My forebears are from Plymouth, in England. Cold rocky place I hear. Also hear you don't give up a smilie unless you think the occassion really warrants it. These smilies must be literally forced out of me, kicking and quietly screaming (all internally, you understand). Don't want to be excessive, no, no. Will practice today, in real life. Print out a few and walk round town flashing them at people as we pass. Thank you...I feel so free now! ( ) But then again, maybe it was just the tankard of ale I scarfed down for lunch...

Darn. A good joke ruined by bad spelling. I'll try to do better next time.

Really...I agree. These photos are a form of sweet torture. Especially before breakfast. You are cruel, cruel, in your unquenchable search for knowledge, bleudauvergne.

Now there's a true Joisey and environs product for you...Taylor ham! It does not always travel out to the rest of the country. (Please don't 'boo' me, but I had almost forgotten about it...thanks for the reminder. ) P.S. Whaddya think...does Taylor Ham belong in the List Your Ham thread or not? It is called one, but it is really a sort of pork roll, isn't it?

I thought they started the day with a tot of whiskey before the oatmeal hit the table...and that contributed to their always jolly countenances. Am I wrong?

This is a good question. Is it that there are simply not enough women out there in charge of kitchens that aim for this in the first place...so that affects the numbers? Is it that (as Rogov said in discussing women chefs in Israel) that most people dining at this sort of restaurant would rather 'shake the hand of a man than a woman' in thanks and congratulations at the end of a meal experience? Is it that there is something inherent in the ratings systems that skews the numbers? I don't have a clue. Maybe if Rogov reads this, he will jump in. Or someone else with accurate knowledge of how the ratings systems work. It may be different in different countries. Fat Guy, if you are reading this...you seem to have knowledge of these sorts of things...any ideas? Boris has written that Italy seems to be doing better at these numbers than other countries...is this true? If so, why?

That is a beautiful place, chromedome. It makes me sort of breathe a little deeper with a feeling of trust that one would have a wonderful, hospitable, delicious meal....just even in viewing the exterior of it...

LKL Chu...I am curious as to what led you to desire to be a chef in the first place....and also am curious as to what background, path and/or specialized technical skills led you to obtaining positions in these high-profile restaurants....if you would share that?

Agreed. And hearty congratulations on your really fine accomplishments.

A dirty joke or fooling around verbally can have different connotations, meanings, and results depending on a huge variety of factors that have to be weighed at the time it happens. Of course the guys do not forget you are a woman. If a dirty joke is told, it is told with the knowledge that you are there, and that you are a woman. Whether it is a direct challenge of some sort of whether it is just plain meant to be fun has to be sensed. And of course to sense it correctly, you have to be sure you are not becoming personally overwhelmed with the situation thereby creating within yourself inappropriate defensiveness which would ultimately make things uncomfortable. If it makes you feel queasy by the tone or by the facial expression, then it's probably best to walk away from it and not be part of it. If it seems like inclusion, even if it is not what you might consider the best sort( ) then it can be a good thing. And at best, it can be plain good fun. Just my opinion. I am sure there are opposing ones...

Depending on the recipe and the texture you are aiming for, you may want to blanche and then peel it before continuing...

Dramatic intrigue enters the blog....

That was a beautiful loaf of bread, Rachel.

That seems to me to be the beauty of many Italian foods...that one food with the same name (when spoken obviously not in the many dialects but in the newer language on the scene, "Italian") can transform itself into a myriad of forms and flavors as soon as you walk from one division of the country into another. It makes not only for an enormous variety of foods but also for much fun hand-waving in the air, good-mannered insult throwing and passionate debate back and forth. Which is all well and fine in the end, for there's always a good bottle of wine to share and relax with afterwards. Ground cornmeal in all its incarnations...seems to have many uses. When Fifi mentioned grits, I remembered even another way to use them. Does anyone else remember a number of years ago...Al Green had to cancel a number of concerts because he was taken to the hospital with first degree burns all over his body. How did it happen? His girlfriend was mad at him and threw a pot of hot grits on him...apparently while he was..uh, naked. Grits. The angry Southern woman's weapon of choice?

My first exposure to polenta was in the kitchen of an Italian-American woman who had emigrated to the US as a young woman. The polenta she made...is not like these more traditional types. She had six children and little money...and her polenta was made in the form of a soup. With sliced hot dogs added. And there, was supper. Her family loves it, and will forever.

I agree with Miguel. But it is something that the vast majority of Americans have had no exposure to, therefore it will be as incomprehensible as a foreign language is to anyone that has not studied nor practiced it. As with all things, though, this way of doing things can sometimes in certain instances work less-than-perfectly, for the tasks involved in this sort of service are not undemanding in the first place. That is when the whole thing might feel burdensome. Overall, though, we are moving faster globally and simply having a hard time sitting down and relaxing...so this way of service may become less than desireable to the majority of customers that walk in the door. They may prefer to ignore the ritual and all that is behind it...

This is a happy thing to hear! Now we who do not live in Mexico can sit and read and drool and plan of which cheese to try to somehow get next.Trip to Mexico required, maybe... A very nice thing, indeed.

Not enough did, Katherine. And still not enough do. I am simply more optimistic about it than you perhaps, or more pigheaded that it should and will be so. Not only for 'me', or for other women, but for men and for children too. Because when things are as fair as is possible, everyone benefits. Note I said as fair as possible. I do not dream of a perfect world.