shaunchavis

I have a GE Radiant Cooktop (believe me, my preference would have been gas, but during construction of the condo I'm in, learned there would be no gas to the building). Yesterday morning the cooktop mysteriously cracked - I just heard a loud pop and discovered it cracked across the back left corner. It hadn't been in use since the night before, and there was nothing on it. I'm curious whether that's happened to anyone else. GE won't replace it because it's 1.5 years old (just beyond warranty) but they're offering me a discount on a replacement. I'm seriously thinking about an induction cooktop. But I'm just wondering if the same thing can happen to an induction cooktop... would love to hear your experiences / opinions / expertise. Thanks, Shaun

Steven, Thanks very much for this answer... this does help clarify some things. I get disclosing a relationship if, for example, I wrote about the hotel bar where my live-in boyfriend works; or the food at the sports stadium where my "brother" (close family friend of 30+ years) runs the food service. But I was looking at privacy from another angle - as in, do I go around asking all my close friends and the people I work with (my boss?) "Hey, do you own stock in Darden Restaurants? I'm about to write a piece about Olive Garden, and I'll need to mention your relationship in my piece (don't worry, you'll be anonymous)..." I think a number of my close friends would tell me what stock they own is none of my damned business. (I'd probably tell them the same.) Why should they be obligated to tell me what stock they own because of what I'm writing? My thought about family relationships vs. friendships is where financial gain is likely to happen. It's been my understanding that the point of disclosure is for the writer to be transparent about where he or she might financially benefit from the piece they're writing (other than the payment for writing the article itself). I am more likely to benefit financially, directly or indirectly, if I write positively about a business my relatives are involved in than I am my friends. Adding to my wealth or my family's wealth is different than adding to my friend's wealth... how likely am I to have access to that money or inherit it? In my case, I would say including my live-in boyfriend in the family category is reasonable. So, as for your point about relationships that aren't recognized legally, may I suggest a change in language to the code to include "domestic partners" or "household members"? I think "close friends and associates" is too broad. (Or, maybe make that last paragraph of yours, "will it look bad?" part of the code.) I'd still like to know more about the genesis of that specific language, "close friends and associates," because I don't see it in the Codes of Ethics of SPJ, RTNDA, or NABJ. The NY Times Code of Ethics suggests discussing any potential conflicts stemming from friendships with newsroom management and making decisions on a case by case basis (Section B2, #102). I'm not in my office as I write this, so I don't have a copy of Foodspell handy, but I don't see this language in AFJ's Critics Guidelines online, either. Thanks for your patience, Steven - I hope you know I do enthusiastically support the code and think it's needed. I'm glad to see this happening. I'm seeking clarification and perhaps refinement of the eG Code. (Edited to add an 's' to the word Codes.)

I hope it is understood that a Facebook "friend" is not a friend in the conventional sense of the word. ← Doesn't that depend on how you use Facebook? Personally, most of my Facebook "friends" are my actual friends and colleagues; I'm not really interested in building a large number of Facebook casual acquaintances who are only people I've met online.

I support the idea of the code -- It is needed, and as I've been a journalist for most of my working life, these ethics are second nature to me. You've published my work before, and it's always been a pleasant experience. My one concern with the ethics guidelines for writers is the disclosure clause: "Financial and employment relationships, including those of close friends, associates..." I have no problem disclosing my personal financial & employment relationships and that of my family members and I understand why that is needed. But I think disclosing employment and financial relationships that close friends and associates have is a bit excessive -- I think it is an intrusion upon their privacy, and I don't think the reasons that justify disclosure of a relative's financial and employment relationships translate to friends and associates. And there's just the mess of trying to do that... going by my Facebook relationships, I've got over 200 friends and associates there alone! Can you explain why you extend disclosure to close friends and associates, where or how you derived that section of the code, how you define "associates" (again, that could be well over several hundred people, depending on how you look at it), and how you see this to be practical to do?

Hello all --- I've been involved with a wonderful project in Birmingham called The Table -- a volunteer, grassroots effort to feed homeless people on weekends, when some of our city's other kitchens aren't serving meals. Someone plans a meal for each weekend day, then recruits about 15 people to help buy, prepare, and serve food. We volunteers pay for the food ourselves, and feed about 100 - 120 people each day -- and for many, it's their only meal of the day. This year I've decided to help plan meals. Ideally, the founders of The Table have asked that meals be planned so each volunteer spends about $20 to $25. (Which I've blown easily, making 20-30 servings of beef stew, Mexican chicken & bean casserole, etc.) So I'm wondering if any eGullet pals cook for shelters or similar projects, and could share ideas for recipes that are inexpensive to make, great for feeding a crowd, and filling? Easy is great, too-- many volunteers are not experienced cooks and are intimidated by long lists of ingredients or steps. I have, until now, refused to open a single can of Cream of Ick Soup (mushroom, chicken, whatever) in this endeavor, and I'd like to stick to my principles Thanks for any suggestions! Shaun

I've pasted a choux recipe below. It's been a few years since I've done this, so it's off memory (someone else may have a better recollection), but for making the gnocchi, you'll need a pastry bag with a large, plain tip. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil -- it shouldn't be too vigorous. Fill the pastry bag with the choux, and have a small knife (like a sharp paring knife) on hand. Over the boiling water, give the pastry bag a steady squeeze and cut segments of dough as they come out, about 1/2 to 3/4-inch long, and let them fall into the boiling water. (You might need two people - one to squeeze the pastry bag, one to cut.) The gnocchi are done when they float to the top. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place on a baking sheet lined with a kitchen towel. Take the cooked gnocchi and put them in a buttered casserole dish with a sauce - a cheese sauce is decadent. Sprinkle with more cheese (or breadcrumbs, if you like) and bake the casserole for about 20 to 30 minutes. Good luck! (This is making me hungry!) Shaun Pate a Choux 1/2 lb. butter 2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups water 2 cups all purpose flour 8 eggs Place butter, sugar, salt, and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When liquid comes to a boil, take off the heat and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Place mixture back on the stove and stir vigorously for 1-2 minutes until mixture forms a film on the bottom of the saucepan. Take mixture off the stove and place in a mixing bowl. Beat with a paddle or by hand for a few seconds to let some of the steam escape. Slowly beat eggs in one at a time. Stop adding eggs when the mixture is shiny and holds a soft peak.

A friend and I are going to Germany to visit my sister the first two weeks of April - she's just moved to Bitburg and she's not much of a foodie. We plan to spend some time exploring wine in the Mosel region (also plan to hit Stuttgart, Strasbourg, and maybe Reims or Dijon). I could use some recommendations for restaurants in the Mosel region -- I'm interested in great cheap eats, breakfast spots / cafes, and meal-of-a-lifetime places, too. Thanks -- Shaun

Thanks everyone! This gives me a couple options for a better thermometer... Shaun

I've had it with my latest Taylor probe thermometer. (This is number four or five.) Had it. Tonight I put a pork roast in the oven, and after 15 minutes the darned thermometer is telling me the roast is done. Taylor's going in the trash and I'm not going to buy another. Seems they never last more than a year. (Is it me?) Anyone have a favorite, consistently reliable probe thermometer to recommend? Thank you, Shaun

Maggie (and some others), you asked about bees in the city or in the 'burbs. I'm not a beekeeper yet, but while researching this story I learned you can certainly do it... keeping the hive away from sidewalks & driveways (keep the flight path to the hive away from where people often walk). The other thing is education -- many people confuse bees with yellowjackets. The difference is that bees are fuzzy; yellowjackets are not. Yellowjackets are more likely to be the fellows lurking in your open can of soda at the park, though, and bees often get blamed. If you try urban beekeeping, talking to the neighbors to dispel any fears is helpful. I was actually surprised at how tame bees are. When I visited Jack Tapp, he gave me some simple instructions (no sudden movements and don't do anything to threaten the hive). He took me to one of his bee yards, where there were about a dozen hives arranged in a horseshoe. He told me there were about 50,000 bees in each hive. It hit me: "I'm surrounded by more than half a million bees with nothing to protect me!" I'm happy to say, no writers were stung during the production of this article.

I loved researching this story... I loved what I learned in the process. I'm sold now. Soon as my gypsy days are over, I'm planning to keep a hive or two myself. I'm not a big honey person, but I really like the idea of supporting the environment and the bee population... and pollinating the garden! I also talked to a wonderful man in North Carolina who has dozens of heirloom varieties of apple trees on his property. He encourages people to support native bee populations, like the orchard mason bee. These bees don't live in hives; they're solitary. They don't make honey, but they gather pollen like crazy (and thus pollinate food crops). You can <a href="http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Other/note109/note109.html" target="new">build bee boards</a> and hang them around to give them a place to nest. I also just like striking up conversations about bees when an opportunity presents itself -- a lot of people don't know how important bees are. And, of course, buy real honey! (From your friendly neighborhood beekeeper, if you can!)

Thanks for this -- I so appreciate it! I'm glad to have had a place to share this with some other food-centered folks. Y'know, I didn't give much thought to class far beyond what I wrote... John T addressed it in my conversation with him, so did Mildred Council (Mama Dip) and Ben Barker. All three of them saw class as kind of a common ground... poor white and black people choosing less expensive proteins / meats. I was just so fascinated with race, because of the 2004 SFA conference (the conference topic was "Southern Food in Black and White"). It really got my wheels churning... seeing people discuss soul vs. Southern as part of their racial identity. People expressed very strong emotions about food and racial identity, wanting credit for what their race contributed. (And while I think some acknowledgements are due, Nathalie Dupree is right -- how can you really say black people came up with this or white people came up with that? Who really knows?) I don't know that there is the same strong tie between class, food, and identity -- the tie is there, and there are a lot of foods that have roots in poverty that are now enjoyed by us food snobs. (I think of all the different takes on bread pudding, for example. And Barker excels at taking simple ingredients and making them white tablecloth.) But I haven't seen people arguing or fighting for their identity through food as a class. (Maybe there are people who do and I just haven't found them yet.) I also had a chance to meet Leah Chase, and she said, "racial reconciliation will happen through food." Wow. Such a great lady, and that is a truth, I think. Finally -- the cover of "The Gift of Southern Cooking" (Scott Peacock, Edna Lewis) was kind of a focal / meditation point for me, too -- so two very different people and the only thing that really brought them together was a love for food (and eventually love for each other). Thanks for your comment Chris!

Thanks Sandy -- I do agree, there are some things about Southern life that could be gleaned to help improve race relations... I think even something as simple as the Southern custom of saying hello as you walk past a stranger, though it is a small gesture (and one I find I miss, living in Boston), is one that at the least reminds us of each other's humanity. A number of people told me they believe racial reconciliation will happen through food (I personally think there is something so powerful about sharing a meal together) -- during my research for this story I heard about a number of multi-cultural supper clubs around the country that are seeing success toward this end. Shaun

I may have to consider this. I called Stoddard's last week and they said 7-10 days. What! I can't live that long without my chef's knife! ← Rethink Stoddard's. Yeah it's a long time... (I have two chef's knives so I can alternate)... but they do it by hand, it's $6 / knife, and it comes back WICKED sharp. It was like falling in love all over again. Shaun Chavis

Ms. Sheraton, I hope you don't mind if I give you a plug, but I'm eagerly looking forward to your visit to Boston University in November. I'm a student in BU's culinary arts & MLA Gastronomy program. Anyone in the New England area who is interested, Ms. Sheraton will talk about doing culinary research on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 6pm. More details are at the BU Metropolitan College Seminars in the Arts and Culinary Arts website.