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Carrot Top

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Everything posted by Carrot Top

  1. Ah, yes indeedy. The movers and shakers of the business world that choose to meet in the booths of Burger King rather than in the corporate dining room. Why they are not meeting in the corporate dining room, I can not imagine. But they *are* impressive, and I am startled that you would even say a word against them in their choice of sitting next to the little kids area and then asking for quiet. (I didn't mention it myself for fear they might take out their matching sets of Donald Trump wigs and hoodies, put them on and all point their fingers at me, scowling, "You're FIRED.")
  2. You spell "behaviour" I spell "behavior" You say potahto, I say potato . . .
  3. If you can locate a copy of Jane Grigson's "Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery" there is an entire chapter devoted to "Blood and Black Puddings". Twelve recipes, all with ingredients easily found.
  4. That is beautiful, Paul. It's the music that must be sought, not the boombox.
  5. ← Absolutely wonderful, if put into practice consistently. Not the norm, in many if not most places. As mentioned above, it seems certain venues with certain cultural traits might be better at this task than others. Or at least it has appeared to be so to me. Personally, my kids have never been *out of control*. They have, however, been difficult to settle in happily, as kids can be (or oh . .my kids can be, anyway. ). When this happens, usually nobody notices but me. I can assure you that as a single parent I more than deeply appreciate every single act of kindness shown towards my children (and therefore myself) in restaurant situations. Therefore I tend to take the kids to eat where I can be hopeful of finding small bits of kindness - rather than glares of anger from those whose drinks are slowed down because of a child's needs . . .or arrogant smarminess from youthful servers whose manners really show not much better than a cranky child's themselves. There is often no quarter for the child edging towards heavy discomfort in these situations. There is no quarter for the singular parent who must take charge of it all, and take everyone out if we go, rather than struggle through traipsing back and forth like a small army through the scene. A simple bit of care shown could alter the situation to a brand new thing - to a good thing. One smile, one act of intelligent care by a server who knows how to talk to children (which after all, is part of the act of hospitality, if children are to be considered humans) can make a difficult moment go drifting right down the stream. And yet how often do I see this? To quote from J.B. Priestly, who was talking about another thing, but what I'm talking about could well be substituted, in my mind:
  6. My theory is to let the kids find this out for themselves with their own common sense, choices, and experiences, not by a parental proscription from me that they can not eat from the children's menu. That way (to my mind) they know it from a true place inside themsleves, rather than because "Mommy said I can't do that." An entirely different feeling, to my mind.
  7. Then blessed be the situation and may it thrive and bloom, across the land. P.S. I like picnic tables.
  8. Hah. I went back and linked to it too, at the same time you were posting, so there will be double-hits on it now from everyone.
  9. I wasn't talking about your trip, Varmint. It hasn't happened yet, and you said you would tell us about it. If joyous things occur (which I image they may) then that is wonderful. A personal invitation of that sort from the owner of Union Square Cafe is not the norm for most diners or from most restauranteurs of that caliber. If it were me issuing the invite of that sort (as owner or manager) to a venue of that sort, I'd be damn sure to instruct all the staff involved to be on their best behavior. (Edited because "caliber" is not spelled "cabiber". A "cabiber" is someone who drinks in cabs.)
  10. Duh! That's what the kids are for. ← Yeah babe. And that's what *you* are there for, to wash the dishes. With a winning smile tossed over your shoulder while doing so.
  11. Ah, well. I am reminded these last few days of an eG member whose sig line had a quote something like "eGullet: Where all the children are well-behaved and [. . .]". "And." Naturally. To each their own, and let the swords rise and the trumpets blare. I still say there are people who haven't learned their fish forks from their spade handles who I would find it prefereable to spend time with, in or out of a restaurant. Even if they speak a different language, I guess I could point with my finger. "FISH FORK" I'd have to mouth, in a loud whisper, kind of secret-like, so the other foodie diners would not know this important knowledge was not known. I still say that there are people who lack the best manners that I'd rather know than many I have known who were capable of showing great charm and knowledge of forks spoons and wine who in a blink of an eye would strip your business of its profits to put in their own pockets however they could, or strip your wife of her clothes and put whatever it was they wanted from her in their own pockets, too. And, it's my feeling that venues planned, designed, developed by restauranteurs for adults, adults with some sort of adult "grown-up" way of being that comes with being an adult (hopefully), designed for those who are cognizant of what adult behavior involves, should be frequented by adults, not by children whom the adults wish to mold into mini-adults *now* "for their future". I say give the kids a break - let them be kids - take them out to eat if you can - try to make it pleasant for all, which means giving consideration to *everyone* at the table including the kids. If extra napkins are needed, let it be that they are eating somewhere where the adult at the next table will not be upset if the server's time is taken by this act of service rather than the act of service of bringing an adult a drink. They will be grown up soon enough. As far as expense goes, no expense is too large to spend on something that will be a good thing for a child. I just can think of better things to spend both time and money on than this rite of initiation that more and more "foodies" seem to think important as more and more "foodies" become a vital (sic) part of our culture. I've heard the argument that job interviews have been lost, for "good jobs" because of table manners. My response to that is, that if a person manages to get through college to be considered for such a job, and they then can not figure out how to act *wherever* they go, then they are just overeducated idiots anyway, bless their hearts. Burger King and Olive Garden, and a spouse who cooks frozen TV dinners will be their sad, sad future undoubtedly. Every parents nightmare. Of course. Excuse me. I must run. My linen tablecloth requires ironing, the silver needs polishing and darn it all if I don't think I might have a Michelob beer with lunch if I can find a Seven-Eleven. I'll see you later, some time later, at The Colony Club. Kisses! Mwah mwah!
  12. Depends, depends. I'm thinking the lady from Cork posting might have been having a bit of a laugh. But it got me to thinking about other things that one culture might not eat that another one will. Before having this fine little bunny for a pet, my son used to have lizards.
  13. Ferret Recipes
  14. Amazing, what one can do with one single product like a grain of wheat. What you describe sounds like a rich almost-molasses- taste. Maybe like Indian Pudding but made with wheat . . .
  15. Wow. Yes, I'd forgotten about that addition to the Bunny Hall of Fame. I enjoyed your links very much, Diane. And I'm still musing on that last line you wrote. I'm being careful and carrying both my carrot and my big stick, Dignan. I used to be that macho. I really don't know what has happened to me, Kent. Funny how one is either too old or too young, throughout life. I do have a rural perspective on rabbits, but this may change. I believe it's all due to the fact that when we had to give my son a middle name (his father is Catholic so you have to choose a saint's name) I chose "Francis" as in the guy with the animals. Sigh. Mistake, for culinary purposes. Hassenpfeffer is still my favorite bunny . . .er . . .rabbit dish. It is a thing unto itself, a thing with a name that is strong and a taste that is itself. Rabbit dishes cooked with cheese are very good too, LindsayAnn. .............................................. Here's a site with a lot of rabbit recipes. It's a ferret site, which reminds me that ferrets are used to hunt rabbits. Anybody ever eaten a ferret?
  16. Now that's the sort of thing I like to read. The author should submit to The Daily Gullet perhaps.
  17. Mmm. It was roast chicken.
  18. It's from the site on Afghan food posted here. Everything sounded so delicious. But when I stopped to really focus on the two "puddings" I realized that of course they would not be the same because wheat that is only fifteen or twenty days old is *not* likely to have such big mature kernels.
  19. And this is how great recipes are invented. The potato recipe worked great for me the three times I tried it. Maybe someone sold you some wierd potatoes . . .but now that you have to make the bread again you'll have to make the original recipe again, I guess, to find out.
  20. I sure hope you weren't understanding anyone to be self-righteous: I don't think anyone is considering this type of response defensive. ← Perhaps self-righteous was the wrong word.
  21. Nope, but it's child-centric which too many people believe means "kids rule," all the time, every place. There are places they don't belong, period. And there are times that having a staff cater to their every need as demanded by themselves and their parents, affects the other customers. ← The concept of "child-centric" that you are describing is *not* child-friendly. The actions engaged in within the concept make it, finally, a falsity as being "about" the child in the final analysis. It also offers up the supplemental value of creating an atmosphere that sets people at each other's throats. How and why it has happened to such an extent, creating the sort of overwrought restaurant scenes that "we" do have here more than perhaps in other cultures, is a tangled web that somehow maybe someday "we" (as a culture)can climb out of. I also think, however, that it is interesting to consider how and where we as distinct individuals might edge towards our own ways of being ethnocentric in terms of these things, even if perhaps only for the mental exercise of it.
  22. Twilight Zone time. Walden Pond and those elegant prewar apartments on Lower Fifth are in alternate universes from each other. (But I admit I always find it amusing when the wealthy force themselves to stumble and bumble and struggle for no really good purpose except one they make up, for the purposes of getting book deals. )
  23. Certainly it was not my intention to hint that behaving at restaurants did. Naturally, it's always nice when mass murderers have good table manners. Civilized-like.
  24. Funny you should say that. When I first posted the topic I was thinking specifically of these sorts of "power foods". I was really surprised the posts started pouring in with almost everything *but*. Some very creative people around here. Power, apparently, comes from different sources for different people. (Why are Pokemon coming to my mind? )
  25. Wow. That's really wierd. I'm having deja-vu. Do you know that you just succinctly described like . . .the best meal my mother ever made? Delightful. I'm glad to know that people will drive hundreds of miles for this.
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