LJFATS

Twice baked potato, some smoked gouda grits, and more chili. It was a starch thursday. Oh, one chicken wing.

Cool link Belly. Crab penne alfrado I had to make special for a guest, made a 'lil extra. Oh, Monday I had this really good prime rib chilli that I ended up taking home and eating w/ my corn dogs.

Forgive me being a culinary school graduate and all, but what is scrapple? Oh, I can't remember who brought it up, but I have figured out chineese food in the South. If you got less than $15 to feed you and your pregnat girlfriend, get some to-go fried rice and then go to the cheapest BBQ joint (not Bono's here in Jax, yuck) spend the rest on by the pound pork or chicken. They go together really well for some reason. Robyn, I work at River City Brewing Co. If I see a ticket come in w/ a no salt mod on it I will make sure it is good. Keep in mind we are a salt freindly place. Everything is not salty....you know what i mean. LJ

Speaking of cultural idenaty(sp) and the evalution of it. In colledge, I worked at this place called Caralina's in Charleston. it is owned by a vietnamese woman, whom is also the chef, and her husband, a Southern Gentalman type. You could get fried wantons and shrimp and grits all in the same meal. http://carolinasrestaurant.com/content.asp?catID=5805 It is a succesful mix of 2 completly different cultures. And the deserts rocked too. LJ

Oh my!!! Robyn you misconstooed(sp) what I ment. I work at an upscale restaurant on the South Bank, and have worked at 3 of the places you mentioned. I was more commenting on the cultural differences between N. and S. FL. Maybe I should have been more articulate than joviale. I will admit I was stereo typing w/ products and such, but I was speaking for the general public, i.e. poor folk, i.e, the real pepole who make this town funtion; Saliors, JEA workers, teachers, line cooks, (I could go on). They can't afford to eat at Mathew's, B.B.'s, or Giovannie's. I am sure they would love to eat at the above mentioned places. But budget wise they can't. They go to Winn Dixie and buy what they can w/ the money they have. Usually that is regional foods, then prepared in regional ways, which in N. FL are more southern in nature than other regions. I love my job and I love my art, but if I did not have that exposere I would be in the same boat as above. And I still eat grits, greens, chicken fried steak, and crystals hot sauce all the time. (I just don't like tea in any form, sweet, unsweet...I can tolorate hot tea.) Oh, and trust me, I love the fact this town is evolving. I get to learn and I have job security when I learn more. Because I am good at what I do. And I love it. LJ p.s. We lost quite a bit of product to Frannces.

I understand what you are saying, but I do disagrree to a point. I have done extensive travelling (I like to drive and see what's there) in N.E. FL and Central FL and other than urban areas like Orlando, Tampa (huge Cuban pop), St. Augustine, maybe Gainsville, and Daytona, the rural areas and cities like Jacksonville, Tallahasse, and Pensacola are very Southern in nature. We eat grits and greens, they tell me tea comes w/ your sugar water (i don't like iced tea). Crystals hot sauce and Dukes mayonaisse are the prefered choice in this neck of the woods. Oh, and bbq, some of the best i have ever had right here in FL ( and I have lived in Charleston and Atlanta). The trials of some Southern rural areas you descibed are very much the same as many rural north and central FL town.

so Belly you feal me on the siracha(sp)/ saracha. ever so yummy???? Yo legusta salsa calienta (agin sp) oriental. Sorry, i get sundays off. go team. i am drunk.

TJ, I'm from the south. We will try anything w/ hot sauce pretty much. And fried for that matter. Think about it, Siracha is basiclly the same concept just thicker. mmmmm.......there ain't to much Siracha don't make better. Like you Belly, I didn't eat really. Well mashers as always. My pregnant girlfriend woke me up before I had to go to work and had to have BBQ... Probly the quickest I have gotten ready in a while. It was good. I did smuggle home a chocolate angelfood cake-like dessert w/ a chocolate gonche(sp) W/ haselnut liquour. We affectionatly called it a Moon Pie.

Sushi fridays at the RCBC. I ate tons of sushi scraps. I have a new pervertion....sushi dipped in medium wing sauce. Crazy but i like it. I had some chocolate anglefood cake-like scraps. And got to taste the steak special. Oh, and my mashers as always. Yea, i fixed the new creamed corn recipie. Tired of corn now though...LOL

Today was a taste everything I can day. I made fett alfrado for a guest, had to taste it. i messed up a scamp (i forgot, no boursin cheese), pulled off the cheese and had to taste the noodles that came w/ it. they changed the recipe on the creamed maple corn, yup, had to taste it. i liked the old on better, as did the old school dish dawg Mr. Watson whom i fully respect his opinion on Southern food. Oh, i also had my staple of gumbo and taters. I LOVE BEING A SAUTE CHEF!! Thursday I make the special. I am thinking jerk marinated (what ever they give me) fish served over steamed basmati rice acompnied by sundried tomatoes, pineapple slices, and one more ingrediant yet-to-be determined. All this tossed in an orange roasted garlic butter sauce w/ rosemary. I love living in N.E. Florida, not quite FL, not quite The South. Carabien food and Southern food, done right, can work so well together. Sorry, sorry. I am rambling. I will post how it comes out.

no staff meal for me since friday, due to hurricane/tropical storm Frances. but since taking care of a pregnant girlfriend during a hurricane is a job in it's-self, we drove around for 45 min. in 40-60 mile an hour winds and found an American-Itlaian joint (you know, plastic checkered table cloths) that opened just for the storm at 10:30 at night. i had manacotti and she had stuffed shells.

Stole me mashers as always. was gonna eat a wing while in the freezer, but was warned it may not be fully cooked....no wing for me. Did get to "taste" my special alot, yellow tomato marinara, roasted red peppers, artichokes, and mushrooms tossed w/ linguini. I didn't get to eat the fish though. Oh, and some over cooked steak, fries dipped in blue cheese dressing, and 1 single cocktail shrimp. post staff meal ....6 pack tall boy Busch. mmmmmmm beer

get caught eating that is

last night i had a styraphom cup of gumbo, so's not to get eating. i filled it 3 times though. and mashers in the 1/3 pan next to me.