Carrot Top

It sounds absolutely wonderful to me, Janet. I know someone who might be interested - she is a part of this group here in my town: http://culinarycollection.org/ I'll talk to her about it. She loves food history. I like it too, but merely to wander around in sometimes. I don't have the stick-to-it-ive-ness of the true historian. It's books that I love, and books that carry history (no matter how one can argue it) are lovely things.

Yeah, well now I've caught it from you. I was talking to someone just a bit ago and tried to say the colloquial word for "Mexican corner store" and can not for the life of me think of it though I know I know it well. Oh dear. Lorna - no, the other word I was thinking of is something else. AaaaaAAAAH! This is terrible! But awfully funny, too.

Just ran across this article which argues that eating out is actually cheaper. Is eating out cheaper than cooking? Ahh. The pleasures of economic rhetoric.

This is quite an impressive project, isn't it. Amazing. ................................................................................... The popularity of the Medieval sites is well won, I think. They are interesting, amusing, and often well designed. It does lead me to wonder what initially drew people to focus on this period over others as that period of time is so well-loved by those who immerse themselves in historic cookery. .................................................................................... It looks like Rogov is working on a book: (From his site Rogov's Ramblings). Hmmm. If I were to imagine myself into taking on the role of a character in that book, which one would I want to be I wonder.

There is another word that is more like slang that is similar to amuse-bouche which of course I can not think of now. I think of it more often in terms of Cajun cooking for some reason. It's not lagniappe. Something else.

Bazillion links is right! And I *always* need to know more about peanut butter. It is my secondary subject, right after hot dogs.

The The Food Museum Online also has some good resources.

If you do date a swan, please be sure to bring along plenty of crispels, Steve.

Those sites look fantastic, Janet! I don't know if it is "just me" though, but the links are not working. If it is just my computer, I'll hunt them up separately. . .lovely stuff.

Grunts are too.

I absolutely agree with you, Milagai. I was being lazy in my writing this morning. My mind to itself says "beans" or "pulses", with pulses being equal to meat in flexibility in application to designing maincourse recipes, beans slightly less so. I stopped saying "pulses" out loud though for when I would say to someone "I think I'll start off my dinner with a pulse today" people thought I was merely wisecracking.

The texture seems to hint of something that came from an alien space-ship when it hits my lips, and the taste is of petroleum.

I find that when I am not really "paying attention", incredible amounts of money are spent on food. When one is dashing around, trying to fit doing things into the time available, the time becomes the focus and the $$ focus goes right out the door. That's a very common problem in the way many of us live today, and the intensity of the conusmer society that we live in drenches us in the ethos of it further. Several weeks ago I got disgusted at the whole thing. I tried several things - the first was that instead of trying to plan menus that would fit the week, I would go "day by day" (sort of like that AA thing ). Because when I plan and buy for the week, the week invariably changes in what happens, schedules change, and nothing ever really works out as planned (two middle-school kids in the house contribute to this occurence. . ). Then of course things either end up getting stuck in the freezer, or "lost" to be finally tossed. . so on and so forth. Plus when I buy a huge cartload of groceries I tend to start feeling that "more more more" thing. If I have this much, then why don't I get even more? I went to the grocery store once a day, briefly, in the afternoon - a quick stop in. Instead of planning the meal based on *meat* I started the plan with veggies. For often the veggies follow the meat, and really I prefer it to be the other way. It actually does come out to be more economical, but my original intent was merely taste, and healthiness. Chose my favorite fresh veggie. Often the best ones *are* the least expensive, for well. . .seasonality, you know. Then went and chose a grain - rice, or lentils, or potatoes, or barley, or pasta. . .whatever came to mind as melding into a dish well with the veggie. Then went on to choose the meat/seafood/poultry to finish the "canvas" so to speak. Then if a can of tomatoes, or a spice, or whatever-to-add was needed, I swooped back through the store on the way to the registers, to collect it. I was stunned both at the ease, the relaxed-ness of the whole thing. . and was surprised at the cost. I did not exceed spending ten dollars per day (!) on these things. . .which did make lovely fresh dinners with leftovers for sandwiches or thermos-containers for lunch the next day perhaps dolled up a little. Naturally, I got "busy" and started going back to the more usual way of shopping. .and the $$ went right back up again. It's focus. Just focus. But what a precious thing to be able to clasp to oneself when possible.

Yes, Chufi - that's the one! Incredible thread. It's like that Goggle tool but with coaching and commentary added.

That would sure make for a project to just take one single one of those links each day to read, wouldn't it! I like the Food Timeline. Easy to use and full of surprises and some unexpected humor here and there. . . Yes. Definitely. That is how I spent my Halloween eve.

There once was a thread somewhere on eG where people wrote in "what they had in their fridge" that night to use (when they were flummoxed as to what to do with the odds and ends), and others would respond with ideas and inspirations for meals that night, and on into using leftovers the next day for lunches. This sounds like it would be a useful sort of tool to revive. . .for those times when there *is* food just sitting there, good food, that otherwise might be thrown out. . . but I can not for the life of me find that thread to link to here.

Today I ran across one of the most interesting food history sites I've seen online: Food History News Lots of fascinating tidbits. . . With a mention also of "The Old Foodie": This site is a virtual banquet of riches. What online food history sites do you peruse?

Apparently even the anthropologists are interested in further defining this. From Food History News (fascinating site!)

"I do not like Green Eggs and Ham" (Sam I am, I am Sam). Dr. Seuss' tale of marketing green eggs and ham seems applicable to me about these desserts. No matter how you shape 'em, I ain't gonna take 'em. Green Eggs and Ham

Eh. They work well enough in a mundane sort of way. Mundane. I am fascinated by the word, and the concept disgusts me. It's easy. Just easy. And not terribly good. But it is what people are used to, often. Considering the attraction to the concept being discussed above about smaller portions and variety, it seems a better idea that if *anyone* were going to offer these mundane things, the least they could do is cut them into smaller pieces and place a sweet little fresh strawberry fan somewhere on the plate, pronouncing "fresh! good! light!". Trouble is with the small portion/ greater variety idea. . . .one needs more product in-house - more control over product - which equals not only a higher level of management and/or staff than is required to slop a piece of frozen cake onto a plate. . .which translates to labor and inventory costs. . .which translates to higher prices. Otherwise, if this variety of finer desserts were to be then (hopefully) made fresh "from scratch" in-house, unless there is enough of a consistent customer base to know pretty much what *will* sell, then to be able to project production enough to just about sell out. . .it is possible that by neccesity the product will need be brought in frozen or at the very least quickly ready-made from boxes and cans and tubs in-house. A larger restaurant with a corporate base and high customer turnover such as Seasons 52 can provide this. I do wonder if the desserts are made in-house though. Does it matter? Perhaps not. But I am cranky about this, and would just rather see a touch of individual personality shown in desserts rather than concept.

Aside from underfinancing, this is the number one reason that I can see happening for small places closing (a bad meal or two makes customers not go back, and creates "talk" that affects future business). It creates such inconsistency in food and service that it is heart-rending to watch, yet the solution seems next-to-impossible to find.

Ah, well. One must stop running round rhyming and timing and cackling with laughter sometime(s), I imagine. One last one from me, to give it the the old college try. Whatever that is. .............................................. There once lived a lady called rachel d Who cooked and then wrote quite joyfully When asked how she did it She'd smile like a true GRIT For she held the secret of Fairy Tea. ................................................ Happy Halloween, everyone!

Y'all join in now. . .to the tune of "Okie from Muskogee". . . We don't mess with "polenta" in West Virginny Sundays we cook creasy greens n' beans Our apples pies are fried up really pretty And honey, we admire Paula Deen. Grits for breakfast rather than pertaters That fish you see ain't gonna hit no grill Country ham don't get all that much greater Than when its served with pickles, fried (that's dill).

Agreed, with proofs presented if demanded.

People came up with some good ideas in this thread. . . It's more of a mind-set thing, it seems to me. It's very easy to spend a certain amount if you are accustomed to doing so. . .whether that amount is larger or smaller just depends on history and circumstance but it is the shift to either spending more or less that can be difficult.