MarketStEl

Four of us -- the Grim Reaper, a firefighter, a friend of both who had a few too many and a rapper (me) -- made for a fine little Halloween party last night, closing Chick's along with Katie. She had prepared a killer Halloween punch that tasted like pumpkins and cinnamon -- but not too much like them. Two small glasses of these produced a very nice buzz but weren't so potent that I couldn't walk back to Woody's affair. (I probably should have gone ahead and spent the $20 to attend Henri David's ball, which I've never done, but it wasn't important enough for me to part with scarce between-jobs funds.) Killer costume she had on, too.

Surprised you didn't check in when I conducted a census on this board back in the summer. You look like you could easily top my count, though you'd probably be hard pressed to outdo nonblonde007. Hear, hear! And when your computer comes back to life, Nina, be sure to install good anti-virus/anti-spy software on it. If you are lucky, your ISP may offer a security suite free of charge to its customers (Verizon does, for instance); most of these are more than adequate to protect your computer and updated continually.

Is this blog really over? I thought we'd surely see more, both good and bad. You are as good at writing and rhetoric(al questions) as you are at knowing what makes good food good, Che. Thanks a bunch -- I've enjoyed learning from and conversing with you. Drop a line should you find yourself Philly-bound.

FWIW, La Creole was the only place that matched Moriarty's back in Metro's cook's tour of Philly wings a few summers ago. Had more wings at Moriarty's this past Sunday. I must make my way to La Creole to compare, for Moriarty's are still all that and a side order of Brew City fries (sorry, you can't get a bag of chips there).

As the joke has it: "After reading about the hazards of smoking, drinking, and eating, I have decided to give up reading."

"queer gear"? --Sandy, certain this is also a double entendre in Britain

Welcome to the wonderful world of foodblogging, Nina! As Brooklyn has suffered more than its share of indignities over the decades since 1957, it's nice to hear that you're going to give the city's biggest borough its due. This reader in "the sixth borough" is looking forward to your trek. It will be my first "visit" to Brooklyn since the Pizza Club down here traveled there to eat the only 90-mile pies we've ever had back in early '05.

Do I detect a note of sarcasm in your description of the offerings at New Covent Garden Market? Not much of a choice, if you ask me. So where do the good restaurants in London get their produce from? Surely they do better than this? Perhaps they have contracts with local farms, as some US restaurateurs do? British food has long had a lousy reputation. I recall reading a passage cited in one of George Will's (conservative columnist widely syndicated in US newspapers) columns that went something like this: "In Heaven, all the cooks are French, all the cops British, all the mechanics German, all the lovers Italian, and all the organizers Swiss. In Hell, all the cooks are British, all the cops German, all the mechanics French, all the lovers Swiss and all the organizers Italian." It strikes me that an online operation like yours would represent a general elevation in the quality of British food. While America's common culinary traditions aren't held in as low repute as those of England have been, neither does the country have a reputation for fine cuisine matching that of France, Italy, Spain or even Germany. Perhaps these facts may help account for the parallel paths the US and UK have taken regarding the production, distribution and consumption of food? Perhaps you might at least be thankful that TGI Friday's hasn't replaced the British pub, even if most of the latter are owned by three or four major British brewers.

"The _________ of choice" is another American import, AFAICT. I have a savings account with the Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union in the Philly 'burbs; as you can see, they call themselves "The Credit Union of Choice!" Both of the universities where I have worked over the past few years either called themselves or had as a goal being "an employer of choice". Just wait a few years; soon that phrase will have spread throughout Britain. At least you won't have to worry that it will have lost its meaning, as it is relatively free of substance to begin with. I doubt any French wholesale or retail food market would call itself "le marché de choix" -- or perhaps more accurately, given the sense in which the English word is deployed, "le marché de préference." Those pictures from Rungis were fabulous -- but they also strike me as simply addressing the artisanal/industrial divide from the opposite direction. Phrases in your post like "pallets of Brie" bring the contradiction to the fore. Perhaps your avatar is more apt than I thought: it would take a more radical reordering of society than a mere instillation of appreciation for food could accomplish to bring about the sort of change that would eliminate this dichotomy. This is a fascinating, fascinating blog. I too am enjoying this behind-the-scenes tour.

You started this share session at just the right time, Jamie. On the way back home from what I thought would be a job interview but turned out to be a networking interview (the woman who heads Swarthmore's communications office remembers me from when we both worked at Penn, in different offices), I got this powerful jones for a McDonald's cheeseburger after I reported losing my TrailPass at SEPTA customer service. I'm still kicking myself for leaving my monthly pass on the train, but I feel better now that I fed the beast for only a buck. (Double cheeseburger off the dollar menu.) This should be good for the next six months or so.

Gotta love those Amazon contextual links! I moved my pointer over "meatloaf seasoning packets" and up popped a window promoting Durkee Bag 'n' Season Meatloaf Seasoning Blend. I don't see the need for this either. If you keep a reasonably well-stocked spice cabinet, you have everything that's in this packet anyway, maybe even including the "hydrolyzed vegetable protein" (which IIRC is a euphemism for "monosodium glutamate"), except for the anti-caking or whatever other non-spice, non-herb stuff they stick in those pouches.

I don't think so. Take a look at the produce section in the receipt on the right: I see 'ALB CELERY HEARTS' and 'ALB 2LB CARROTS' among the items. Still Albertson's, IOW. Maybe, just maybe, I might break down and share my multiple receipts with you all after my next grocery trip. But don't count on it.

Given that I brought up Whole Foods Markets in my question, your fingering industrial agriculture as the signal event that changed food production is quite astute indeed. The US' leading natural/organic foods retailer struggles with competing desires, those being to promote local producers in its stores and to provide a consistent supply of products of consistent quality to all of its hundreds of locations across the US. I think you will even find on the blog of John Mackey, WFM's CEO, posts documenting efforts to address critics' complaints that, in pursuit of the latter, WFM has shortchanged the former; the response IIRC was to restore to individual store managers their power to purchase products at the back door. Not on my blog - but you should have no trouble finding it I noticed after posting that there was a link in your .sig. Nice operation you have. Probably the closest analogue we have over here are the various nonprofit organizations that sponsor farmers' markets in cities across the country, augmented by larger, established operations like LA's Farmers Market, the Reading Terminal Market (which I'm sure you are familiar with) and Seattle's Pike Place Market. These latter entities find themselves also torn between their missions to promote local producers and their status as popular tourist draws. That's slightly scary - spot on regarding my undergar studies; how'd you guess Wharton? You were in the banking industry, you grew up outside the United States and you studied in Philadelphia as an undergraduate. When I add up these three pieces of data, I somehow don't get Temple as an answer. I was employed in Penn's public relations office while you were a Wharton undergrad. Might that South Philly deli have been DiBruno Brothers on 9th Street? They continue to enjoy a reputation as the city's premier fine food emporium, reinforced by a fabulous new store on Chestnut Street near Rittenhouse Square. I took folks on a tour of the place in my first foodblog (link in .sig). But there is also a butcher who offers unusual fresh sore-made sausages, as well as relatively exotic meats like venison and ostrich, in the 9th Street market. I'm guessing you never made it to that shop because you didn't mention it. (I forget the butcher's name.) The city has become quite an interesting place for food lovers, both diners and home cooks. As the editor of Food and Wine confessed in an essay that was much discussed locally, the whole of the Philadelphia food scene is greater than the sum of its parts, and while you won't find all that much bleeding-edge stuff going on in our restaurant kitchens, you will find plenty of chefs turning out stellar dishes from a variety of cuisines, backed by a plethora of restaurants that offer similarly globe-spanning fare, prepared well, at Prices You Can Afford, and a population of consumers who have learned a few things from their dining out experiences and now seek them at local markets. No electricity, but in keeping on topic, it would make a superb venue for a restaurant. ← That restaurant would have a spectacular interior! It should be a barbecue joint. That way, they could suspend a pig between the smokestacks as an advertisement.

Funny that one of our Crock-Pot (n.b.: the trademarked phrase is capitalized and hyphenated this way) critics recommends it for onion confit. It seems to me that onions are a common ingredient in slow cooker dishes, and their flavor tends to permeate everything. That, I suspect, may account for $50's disappointment with what she makes in the cooker. However, I will second that liquid retention makes many braised meat dishes problematic. My experience has been that such meats become stringy and virtually shred themselves when cooked in a Crock-Pot, and chicken parts often fall to pieces. Perhaps adding more vegetables on the bottom, which both absorb and keep the meat above the level of the liquid, might help. I've never had a problem with undercooked vegetables in a Crock-Pot. What usually happens is that they take on the flavor of the meats above them -- and of the onions. For meats that should be in shreds of some sort, like pulled pork, a Crock-Pot is ideal. Ditto dishes like chili, which usually call for beef chunks or ground beef. The only adjustment I make is that I add very little liquid; in most cases, I simply add the beans undrained (I buy a store brand that comes seasoned for chili; the liquid, despite the addition of sugar to it, is usually adequately spicy for my taste after adding some chili powder, cayenne and cumin to it) and add tomato paste to thicken the sauce. I do plan to try cooking spareribs in my new 6-quart portable (locking lid) Crock-Pot, purchased to replace a 30-year-old Hamilton Beach Crock Watcher that died a month back, soon. I will probably add nothing other than the dry rub and see what happens.

Because you don't cook with 'em all that often and you want some on hand just in case? They do taste different from fresh ones. I usually buy fresh on the day I want to cook with mushrooms or put them in a salad. Unless you only buy artisanal farmhouse cheddar, orange colored cheddar cheese is common enough. Even the better supermarket brands (Cabot, Tillamook, Heluva Good) come in colored varieties, especially in the milder flavors. And process cheese makes better grilled cheese sandwiches because it melts without separating -- there's no oily layer as you usually get with melted Cheddar. In fact, that's one of the reasons J.L. Kraft invented the stuff. Lower in saturated fat, if you care about that sort of thing. It's no substitute for milk in cheese sauces, though -- at least not the stuff you find on most supermarket shelves, which has been sweetened. At least what they add to organic soy milk won't hurt you or require analysis in a chem lab.

I know you asked Jamie, but since I also shop at an Albertson's-family supermarket, I hope she doesn't mind if I provide one as well. That system appears to be unique to Albertson's chains -- I don't know whether any of the other chains under Albertson's new corporate parent, Supervalu, have adopted this system of listing products by category. It is unusual in one other way: As the cashier scans your items, they appear in the order scanned on the cash register's display screen, but the receipt does not print. That only happens once the payment is processed or approved, then the receipt prints in full, with items categorized as above. They actually have three related categories: meat/poultry, meat/deli, and service deli. Items in the cold cut and breakfast meat cases appear under "meat/deli," sliced-to-order meats and cheeses appear under "service deli," and cuts of meat and poultry, including frozen meat and poultry items, appear under "meat/poultry." The other chain I shop regularly is a member of the A&P family (Super Fresh). They too have a quirky practice. Their receipts print out item by item as items are scanned, but if you present your frequent shopper card at the start of the order (most Super Fresh checkers scan it just before taking the total; Acme cashiers want it before they start scanning), some of the club special discounts come off as the item is scanned, while others don't show until the cashier takes the total. I can't figure out why this is so. Acme receipts break down your discounts by category (Value Buys, club card discounts, coupons); Super Fresh receipts show total savings (as "coupons tendered") and then break out club card discounts. I guess I'm a bit anal too.

This demonstrates how infrequently I dine in Chinatown and how badly my memory serves me, for I have participated in at least three wonderful meals with many of you and cannot for the life of me remember the standout dishes other than those Golden Coins at Szechuan Tasty House. (Well, actually, I can remember a pepper-and-<mumble> dish there that was so hot it had even me in tears -- gotta try that one again! -- but can't remember what it was called.) However, since I am in the minority on the Vietnam-vs.-Vietnam Palace debate, I figured I should at least get a recommendation in for one of my favorites: Vietnam Palace -- Tomato Crab Soup

Interesting...this opener has been up for more than a day, and so far, no additional receipt exhibitionists. Contrast this with the grocery list thread Jamie Lee started, which quickly got followups. I have some theories as to why this is so: Money anxieties. Unlike grocery lists, receipts tell the world how much you spend on groceries, not just what groceries you buy. Even though people have given rough grocery spending figures in other discussions on these boards from time to time, having the figures in detail in this fashion might make otherwise voluble people squeamish. Personality. Or, more accurately, lack thereof. The grocery lists are as distinctive as the people who post them -- organization, handwriting, how compiled, level of anal-retentiveness or sloppiness, creativity, and so on. OTOH, grocery store receipts more or less look alike. Looking at Jamie Lee's, I thought, So he lives in Philadelphia? Only on closer inspection, where his store brand purchases read "ALB [item]" -- "ALB" being "Albertsons" -- where mine would read "ACME" (the two are sister chains), can I distinguish between the two. (Of which speaking, Jamie, have "Supervalu" stickers or signs started appearing at your local Albertson's? I've seen a few slapped on Acme cash registers.) Pile on, folks, if you care to.

Your business takes a different view, or you do? Or both? What has changed a) since you started working for this company, besides your industry? b) since this online shopping service launched? Who do they see as competitors: Sainsbury/Safeway/Tesco, or whatever is Britain's answer to Whole Foods Market? Or something else? Think you could provide a link to the site? I assume you were an undergrad at Penn, specifically Wharton. When did you study there? Philadelphia has changed rather dramatically in the last decade or so, as a trip through the Pennsylvania board should convince you. (I doubt a look at my two foodblogs would do so.) So what's a confirmed capitalist doing with "CheGuevara" as a username? And thanks for providing me with the definition of "cotto" -- I'd always wondered what "cotto salami" was in the prepackaged cold cut case. (Not to mention getting a train shot out of the way so quickly! Does Battersea Station still generate electricity?) Blog on. I'll be drooling with anticipation for each subsequent post.

As I believe I mentioned in the shopping-list discussion, I don't plan meals before going grocery shopping either. I do, however, try to keep a variety of proteins -- red meat, poultry, fish or seafood, and occasionally soy -- in my larder at all times. But on occasion -- this past Friday evening (I had an all-day PGMC retreat Saturday) was one -- an idea will implant itself in my head as I'm at the supermarket. On Friday, it was, "I haven't made lasagna in a dog's age." This may be problematic -- roomie with renal failure must avoid tomato products, among other foods -- but I think that a little once in a while might not be a problem (I hope). In any event, that idea lodged itself in my head and led to a 2-pound tub of ricotta cheese and a box of lasagna noodles, neither of which had been on my grocery list, materializing in my shopping cart, to go with some of the 3-pound pack of ground beef on sale already there, the pound of sweet Italian sausage chillin' in my freezer, the half-pound block of mozzarella in my fridge, and one of the quarts and quarts of tomato sauce also clogging the freezer. Results will in all likelihood emerge from the oven this week or next. Usually, I think about what I will fix for dinner on those nights when I cook that same morning. If it turns out I need something to complete the recipe, I pick it up on the way home. My pantry is in such a state, though, that maybe I need to follow the chefs' practice of making things with what's on hand too.

Shank Jr. must still be as good as his parents. The place was packed full as I hauled my booty home from the Ak-a-me this evening.

Glad to see I'm not as weird as I thought in my kitchen control freakery! Roomie has said he stopped loading the dishwasher after I admonished him about placing the dishes with their eating surfaces facing away from the spray arm. With a very, very few exceptions, I'm a helicopter cook if someone else is working in my kitchen. I have been known to let others help when I'm in charge, though. I've surrendered my kitchen completely to others on two memorable occasions. One was the birthday dinner chronicled in my second foodblog. The earlier time was an evening when roomie suggested that he and my partner cook for me and his then-partner. My partner came thisclose to tossing out the Hamburger Helper they decided to fix when he didn't get the instructions he hadn't read. We who usually cooked got laughs out of that for weeks.

Since I see that Shank's & Evelyn's lunch counter came up in the course of the discussion of great meatball sandwiches, I thought I should alert you all to a new wrinkle in their offerings: They now serve dinner. Full sit-down, waiter service. Every night but Monday, I believe (edited to add: not quite; see below). Menu is Italian (natch) -- mostly but not exclusively Northern. Not a drop of red gravy anywhere, unless you want to include linguini puttanesca as an honorary red-gravy dish. Mains are all pasta, veal, chicken, seafood, or some combination of the above, with the exception of one steak, a filet mignon. Prices are moderate; entrees are $11 to $26, with most $15 to $20. BYOB, of course. Haven't eaten there yet, but the idea of having a fine meal on black-tablecloth-topped tables in a classic lunch counter is a bit intriguing. While this isn't a writeup, I'll provide directions anyway: Shank's & Evelyn's 932 South 10th Street (between Christian and Carpenter) 215-629-1093 (they also cater) Open for dinner 5-10:30 pm Tuesday through Thursday, 5-11 pm Friday and Saturday Nearest SEPTA service: Bus Route 64 runs east-west along Washington Avenue, 1.5 blocks south. Bus Route 23 runs north on 11th and south on 12th; get off at Carpenter and head east. Bus Route 47m runs north on 9th, and Bus Route 47 runs south on 8th; get off at Carpenter and head west. Nearest subway station is Ellsworth-Federal, Broad Street Line, six blocks southwest.

Thank you for a highly enjoyable blog, Rachel. Food is much more than sustenance, as you are aware, and every good blog is much more than a chronicle of a week's meals. The best ones, like this one, are windows into culture, place, and society, and raise as many interesting questions as they answer. Guess I'll have to continue the explorations on your own Web site.

Lovely squaring of the circle you just performed, Rachel. I'm glad you did bring them out of the shadows. This does raise a question that's as sociological in nature as it is culinary, but nonetheless relevant: Might the widespread adoption of highly processed convenience foods by American home cooks, and the concurrent increase in the proportion of all meals Americans buy at restaurants or supermarket take-out counters, have something to do with not only the migration of American women from the domestic sphere to the world of work but also the general disappearance of servants from all but the homes of the wealthiest? I can think of a time in the US when many homes we would have called--and still call--"middle class" had, and were designed for, servants: the physical evidence of them is everywhere (19th-century rowhouses with cramped top stories, turn-of-the-20th-century streetcar-suburb houses with rear stairs and third floors, both of which were separated from the rest of the house by doors). All this occurred over the course of several decades, so we who lived through it probably did so unaware of what was happening.