Carrot Top

Basil, yes. There is surely a reason its name in other languages translates so often as 'The Holy Herb'. It is incredibly life-giving to breathe in the aroma of a large bunch of fresh basil! More....(I have not escaped my previous imaginary walk through NYC yet and have run into some other good things)... The Sabrett hot dog carts. Wait in line and you become pleasantly anxious to hurry up at the smell of the hot dogs combined with the slight aluminum and sugar 'nose' of cans of Coke popping open. The ultimate moment of happy intensity of scent occurs right when the guy is layering the toppings on your own hot dog...those Greek-ish stewed onions...or sauerkraut and yellow mustard... I do believe the sides of my mouth squirt out excited anticipatory tastebud juices at this exact moment. Well. Yes. Let's move on, shall we? Pretzels covered with kosher salt steaming from racks....the earthy serious smell of chestnuts roasting in a steel pan sending out hot steam into the winter air of a city street....let's not forget honey-roast nuts, now, either! With their caramel smell that also reminds one of fresh warm cotton candy. Sauerbraten. With sweet and sour red cabbage and potato dumplings. That aroma is a sure hook...I don't know why restaurants don't make this very much anymore.... Linzertorte. One that I do not like. It took a lot of memory- searching to find it. The smell of brandy combined with the lesser aromas of various meats and aromatics. This terrible dislike happened after a three-day exposition into making a ballontine of duck, about a hundred years ago when I first started cooking. Boned duck...forcemeats of (I can't remember...something meaty though)...slivers of ham...god I think there were even pistachios in this burdensome recipe...white wine and brandy were also involved. I grew to hate ballontine of duck (though it turned out gorgeous) and the smells that had anything to do with it during those three days. Couldn't eat meat for a week. Yuck. Please, someone...post something delicious-smelling again soon...let me forget about this terrible memory.... Oh. Let's not forget taco trucks. I hear they are quite wonderful...

This is just too much to bear. How could you ask these things?! This night is going to go on endlessly with my mind filling with sublime aromas...aromas are sometimes better than the food itself (especially with untried restaurants...) Yes...a gently weeping onion on its way to caramelization in sweet butter is at the ultimate top of the list. Then just take a walk down a NYC street. Curries, sweet and punguent come from one window...garlic-y tomato sauce cries for attention from another. The not-to-ever-be dismissed smell of fresh bread baking wafts from the back of a bakery to capture your attention till the next step brings the aroma of roast lamb from the Greek place. Enticing dark roast coffee giggles out from the Cuban place and the so-many coffeeshops...and to top the whole thing off there is Hardees doing its Big Boy Angus Steakburger thing out the side vent. You are leading us into thoughts of temptations, Melissa. Naughty, naughty... Oh. Before I go, let me just mention Little Italy and the bakeries. The Lower East Side and the pickles and pastrami. Sausage and peppers grilling at whatever Italian Festival is ongoing. Roast duck from Chinatown around the corner. Please. Stop me, someone. I am going to go have a cup of tea...mint of course...and forget about all this. I hope. P.S. Barbecued ribs. Simmering greens. Cornbread fresh from the oven. What's not to like?

That is an excellent and thorough analysis of the more 'global' aspects of what the Slow Food movement initiators are up to, I think, FG. And the Italians who write about these things are more ardent and pushy about 'what should be done'... but that may be due to a cultural style of expression perhaps. (And it is also a way to grab attention for a food 'movement' in a country and in an environment -Europe- where most people have a good knowledge and their own educated ideas about food...and who really have no great personal impetus in listening to anyone else tell them anything about it!) It does not seem truly feasible that (if the core goals are as you perceive them to be) , these goals will be able in reality to be furthered too much in the realities of this agri-business world we live in, and eat by and that some, if it were not here, would go truly and in actuality hungry from lack of its existence. The philosophy has some good things to offer in ways of looking at things, but I can not see this movement becoming mainstream. I wonder if there is anybody out there that truly does believe this could? Would be interested to hear the how's and why's, if so...just for another exposure to thought.

Yes, "and if it tastes good". A philosophy that involves food would not be worth its salt without invoking the sensual marvels of tastiness!

Soba made me think of this with a thread he started in the Southern Food Culture Forum. Aside from fresh ham...let's see how many sorts of hams we can list...cured, salted, smoked, seasoned, whatevered...from around the world (or the universe, if that's where you hail from). Please, also, if the ham is unusual, tell us a bit about it!

Good question, Soba. In your original listings of 'hams' let's not forget though all the hams from other countries...I wonder how long that list would be...Italians make an enormous variety..so do the Germans...and even the Chinese. Having moved to the South as a 'grown-up' (yeah, right ) I find that I don't have the appreciation for 'country hams' that people who are from here do...the flavor is too strong for me, even in general cooking use sometimes. But I wonder if the Southerner's love of 'ham' is not another evidence of how close many people here still are to their agricultural roots. Country ham is not a nicely-packaged up taste-emptied product. It is real, it is strong, and it is something that lots of people still have in their memories as being made at home, or close to home, by someone they knew...following the rural tradition of living on what was nearby and available.

That is what my understanding of the 'movement' is, also, Danielle. It is more a philosophy of food, a gathering of ideas for consideration...on how 'we' and 'food' relate in natural, caring, connected, and 'real' (in terms of where food actually comes from, which is not a can or a plastic package) ways and terms. The philosophy encompasses the notion of not just taking and eating...but of thinking in a heartfelt way about what is going into the mouths of you and your loved ones (and hopefully anyone else, too, that is not included in this 'loved ones' category!). It is about grace and thankfullness and giving back, in a internal emotional sense...to the food and all that surrounds it....what it has given to you. Not a bad idea, seems to me. But as with all good philosophies, not always easy to implement...but worth striving for if the idea appeals to you.

In the search to bring proper southern culture to me (a northern girl) a friend from West Virginia (born and bred) decided I needed to visit several 'beer joints'. The night started with cans of beer provided on the floor of her car to warm up my feet for the upcoming event of the evening (along with beer beer beer) which was flatfoot dancing. We went to a uh, well you would call it a hamlet I guess...way off the side of the road...where everyone had the same last name. The parking lot of the...shed? shack? garage? was full of pickup trucks so in we wandered. Cover charge collected by the guy who was also selling milk, cigarettes and probably also fishbait in the front room. (After all, one can need these things at any time of day and night and why not be neighborly?) Jenna told me of how this place looked like where she lived, her first five or six years. Live band. Good. Loud. Bizarre. No sooner had we slid into our seats than at least three beers were bought for us and lined up in a neat line for the little ladies to imbibe. (Hopeful fellows, southern guys are...almost as hopeful as the French.) Lots of dancing, too much beer to drink but it kept appearing along with a lot of nice smiles. Dancing!...the Yankee learned to dance flatfoot to some happy hoots of the customers (gee I don't know how they could tell I wasn't 'from there' but they knew) and in return the down home folks learned a bit of salsa. Later, we tottered out into the night. I still have memories of the lady who owned the place...who kept sitting in the booth and falling against me laughing...she was a large lady with very very short cropped hair...and the dancefloor where sixty year old men with checked shirts and cowboy hats held their own with sixty five year old skinny determined women in tight fake leather pants. Would I do it again? Yep. Oh yes. Cigarette smoke and pool table under one really bright light.

Anything is possible in life. The things one plans for and thinks will surely happen often don't, and the most surprising and odd and sometimes wonderful things often do happen...and they are things that nobody, absolutely nobody, could ever anticipate. You won't know till you try. Go for it! Sure there are rules. And rules are sometimes made to be broken by the exception. Call someone...maybe even today...and let us know how it goes. Bon chance!

Thank you, sparrowgrass...

Congratulations, Chris! Each post a marvel of thought and finely worded expression, too, if I may say so. I enjoy your capacity for a 'global' sort of thinking process. I didn't focus on the index...children were with me gathering piles of too-many too-expensive books so could not focus...but I would bet it is as you suggest. This thing weighs six pounds at least.

I saw this book today at the bookstore...it is huge, with a bright yellow cover. It is a true book of recipes, and I would guess that most are just plain wonderful. A solid tome. One that people might grab for consultation in future times rather than 'The Joy of Cooking'. That is how complete it seemed to be to me.

My first instinct was to reply 'Malaysia' or 'Tibet' but then the realization hit that you said money was not an issue...that it was unlimited. My little greedy heart right smack then decided Paris. I would stay at one of the top hotels....or maybe spend one week at each of the top four. Shop, shop, shop...from those hotels haute couture is walking distance! and oh yes and a bit of eating inbetween. (Yeah, right where on earth would a Mom with two kids wear these clothes when she had to come home to Blacksburg, Virginia? Hah! ) For food, the choices are innumerable of course. Haute cuisine to market streets. Sigh. Would not avoid a single thing foodwise but for the tourist places and the horsemeat shops (if they are still there...they were when I lived there...) And all this eating would be okay because it is such a walk-able city (after you learn enough rude French to dissuade those Frenchmen who are Frenchmen and act like it that truly you do not wish them to keep doing their Frenchman thing following you along the street).... and you can claim with great pride the calories you are losing by walking, walking... Paris. Paris.

I've been thinking on and off about your question all day today. And I kept hearing this funny noise coming from my closet. A sort of small squeak...but more shrill with a crackling effect to it. Being busy, I chose to ignore it till just a moment ago, as it was getting louder and my heart was beating as if I were going to have a conniption if I had to think about all this any longer. I went to the closet and opened it, ready to smack the mouse with the broom, but there was no mouse. It was my Curmudgeon Hat, and it jumped smartly out and directly onto my head. It is a terribly ugly brown color with chartreuse green spots on it, and it always remains stuck on my head till my mouth opens to let out the Curmudgeonly Thoughts. No right-minded professional kitchen is going to hire someone for free, unless that is exactly what they have been set up to do....to train any variety of free help. Liability, liability, yes. Liability in the very real sense of insurance issues. Liability in the sense of potential lawsuits of all sorts. Liability in the fact that a professional kitchen that is actually pumping out work of a good quality at a good pace does not have the time to babysit (sorry) an untrained person. Liability in the fact that the other professionals in this hard-ass business will not likely take well to the fact that they are now expected to teach some...person that is coming in to do part of their job...for free. Bad idea in terms of developing team spirit or management/staff communication and respect. Liability to the customer. I don't want to eat at a restaurant where someone is in the back making my food who has possibly not even been trained in the many facets of sanitation that have to do with producing food in quantity and quality at the same time. Good restaurants recruit, interview, and train based on what their needs are. There are lots of people looking and applying for each job that exists, even in the low-end places. The professionalism of the metier must be respected. Finally...to put a more positive note on your original question...don't sell yourself cheap. If you are a fairly technically adept home cook, then you have some real skills that you should be paid for if you enter the professional world with them. Assess your skills, be honest, then think about the sort of place you would like to work. Try speaking to someone there, in person preferably. Based on production needs, sometimes there is a need for an extra person now and then. (This will be more common as holiday time comes around, with catered parties and all...) The best idea I can think of, though, is to call the catering companies in your area. They are more accustomed to hiring all sorts of people at all sorts of skill levels, and sort of have 'training' built into their system...just as a survival tool. Great way to learn a lot and be serious and make some money, too. Phew...the Curmudgeon Hat is loosening....must go try and pry it off.....

Sometimes the taste of the chicken can be affected by the wine. Not that you've cooked it in, mind you, but the one you are drinking with it. A fine bottle of fat soul warming Burgundy does wonders.

Generally any livestock that are raised (unless they decide to keep it as a pet) are sold. Pigs, lambs, goats, rabbits...I think that some of the profit goes to the 4-H participant and part goes to the 4-H Club. On the larger livestock, there is a bidding process that usually happens at the end of the 'shows'...and if you win, you get your picture taken with the prize piggy or whatever...and posted in the local newspapers. Good for business in small rural towns, and good for local gossip...who bought what! If you do buy a larger animal, remember to count in the cost of having it transported (unless you can haul it yourself!) to the local processing plant, and factor in their costs, too. Not a simple enterprise, but a very real and connected one.

And a good way, too...isn't it. What is your secondary way of showing off? ( )

Even more thrilling offerings...wow. Maggie, I agree...keep the cat and she can help with sorting out the compost heap...which undoubtedly is lovely, for I read an earlier post of yours which spoke of distilling all the budding flowers of trees. You will add the touch of unexpected elegance as usual. Sparrowgrass...what you have outside your door sounds like all things bright and beautiful. But you are from Missouri...that is the 'show me' state isn't it? Hmmm. We might need a care package for proof here.... Andiesenji...it is just too much to bear to think that outside your door is as rampantly wonderful as the inside of your kitchen is. To think of a desert! Offering all that you spoke of.... And then MORE desert offerings of chayote and masses of colors bright and flavorful from Kapuliperson and Chowguy. The colors are what stand out as I read, such stark enticing colors shimmering in the bright sun... What fun! Thank you...

Mmm hmm. 'Your face on a baseball card!' would be a very very difficult thing to turn down for almost any guy I've ever known.

What does the world of food and cooking mean personally, to you? Is it... A way to express an artistic or creative urge? Something that has to be done so might as well be done well? A profession? A desired profession? An entertainment in following celebrity chefs and restaurants? A neccesary requirement in educating oneself for health reasons? Something spiritual? Something that is about feeling cared for or expressing that care to others? A natural follow-up to an interest in farming or ecology? Something else?

Promised to post the 'roadkill' poems but when I found them, I realized that they were...truly...uh, quite serious...and I did not want to put anyone into a certainly possibly morose but definitely serious mood after reading them. If a front-face not humorous look at the notion of roadkill still appeals to anyone who appreciates poetry, search for Gerald Stern on the net and seek his roadkill poems.

This is something that poultry farmers who have a mind to, can and do address. There are a vast amount of 'feed systems' that can be used to develop the taste of the birds. Different combinations of grains are used to supplement the 'free-range' diet. Of course, the better the feed, the more expensive the final product becomes. And often the price of organic feed, specifically, is so prohibitive for the small poultry farmer that they do not use it. Chicken farming is not at all a glamorous business. Lots of hard and dirty work is involved...culminating in the final dressing and cleaning of the birds, which is onerous. Personally I've known two small 'free-range' chicken farmers who went out of business because of this part in particular. Even with equipment to make it easier (a de-feathering machine and a supersonic boiling vat to remove pinfeathers) there is still a lot of messy stinky butchering to do...and small time rural farmers (usually younger folk looking for a better way of life with purer food) can not even get the old-timers who know how to do it to come to work for them at butchering time (when lots of chickens come to the right size)...for factory work is much easier and pays better! Chicken, free-range, is a lovely (and it can be a tasty idea...till you have to kill it and clean it yourself OR pay the price it demands....)

One of the other forms of 'free-range' chicken that is being touted is neither exactly free-ranging nor enclosed....they are confined in medium-large wood and chicken wire pyramid-shaped structures that are hauled around to different parts of the pasture during their growth. Seems to me a lot of your thoughts apply to the question, phaelon. I've also read of a recent testing (I think it was Cooks Illustrated) where the kosher chickens came out as the preferred chicken among all the other choices, including 'free range' varieties.

Those NPR specials are generally more fun to listen to than one would think! The website is good also, and has some odd bits and pieces on food and things to do with food... Thanks for the 'heads up', GG.

A recipe can be many things. It can be a stepping-stone to learning, when you are first learning to cook. It can be a way to convey a certain personal vision...when it is written by someone with a different 'take' on things or perhaps a person with a deeper 'take' on things. It can be an entertainment...and it can also be a way to hold on to a special memory or history, either personal or cultural. I've read and used recipes in all these ways, and am grateful that all these ways exist. Oh, yeah. Recipes can also be a way, within a business, to maintain consistency.Hah! Almost forgot that one.... At this moment in time, I don't use recipes...really at all. In some ways that could infer capability...in other ways it could infer lack of intensive growth in the area of continuing development...that grasping seeking that is done when one just 'doesn't know' how this thing will turn out, and needs to follow someone else along the path to learn. I am quite sure that in the world of cooking, there is something new to learn each day one wants to! On and on ad infinitum! Some things are simple and take not a lot of time or effort...but others (as in learning a new language) there is preparation and focused intent involved to truly capture the thing. New vocabulary....that is what recipes can offer....when one is ready to seek it. (With the added note that one can learn just by doing, too...but recipes are like secret code books, I think! Take them, use them, then write your own code in your own way to keep the interest going....)