TAPrice

That's great, and a tremendous amount of work. Far more than you indicate in the small print of the FAQ. Why not indicate on the database with some small symbol what data has been checked? That would be a great addition.

I'm not familiar with the incident so I can't comment on it. ← Right here.Headline writing is a different story, at least at the Washington Post. Headlines are not written by the authors - there's a separate staff to write headlines. At least once a year there is a dustup about a ridiculous headline and the author is forced to remind everyone of that. Not sure about other newspapers, but lazy pop-culture references are epidemic here. ← How is this plagarism? Here is your earlier post: The language is completely different. You reference 10 places and the Post writer list 8. The order is different. You both observe that a small strip mall has many dining options, but you can't copyright an idea. Even if the writer had seen your post, it's an easily verifiable fact. It's perfectly legitimate to read something, verify it, and then present it as your own. The only coincidence is that you put IHOP at the end of the list. The copy editors, who also write the headlines, would probably automatically move a long phrase like "International House of Pancakes" to the end of a list. Plagiarism is a serious offense that has ended many careers. It's not a charge to be tossed around lightly.

Many universities have stopped using TurnItIn over concerns that it violates the intellectual property rights of students. Every submitted paper is collected and recorded in TurnItIn's database. I suppose all students could sign a waiver surrendering copyright at the start of the semester. And on the Pim site, I would say definitely not plagiarism. I am amused that in comments Pim calls "The Little Engine that Could" a "rather obscure cultural reference."

Again, George, sorry if I offended you. I really didn't mean to. Let me see if I can dig myself out of this hole. You're right that I never asked whether you verified all the information. The FAQ says that you don't check most information, and I took that at face value. Here is what you state on your FAQ: Fact checking every piece of information would be a full time job, and I wouldn't expect a site without a full time staff to carry that out. That's fine. I think it's a really cool site. I don't see this information available anywhere else. The interface is really well though out. On the other, I would place more trust in a reference work produced by a professional company. There is no guarantee that they would check and verify information, but it would be more likely given industry standards. Just because I might give more weight to a professional publication, however, doesn't mean that I might not find other resources useful. All reference works are tools, and all tools have limitations. And if you sense some frustration from me throughout, it's because I teach undergrads. I'm afraid we're raising a generation that believes all information on the web is equally valid and is more likely to trust the most professional looking site.

I apologize for that. It came out harsher than I meant. I edited my comment above. I still think anything on the internet should be double checked. Actually, anything anywhere should be double checked.

I'm not saying it's bad idea, but it highlights why anything on the internet should always be confirmed. Too many hobbyists with good ideas but without the resources or time to implement them well. Edit: As I said below, apologies for harsh tone of the above comment. What I should have said is that there is difference between a great idea and great implementation. The internet makes it relatively easy for a couple of guys to create a framework for information that spans the globe. It doesn't, however, make it all that much easier for two people to sift through a massive amount of information and verify that information. For that reason, I'm more likely to trust a professionally published reference work, because I know that they have the resources, staff and procedures to check information. On the other hand, a database of chefs might be too much of a niche publication to warrant a commercial reference work. What's the solution? I don't know. Wiki puts the burden of collecting and verifying data on the users, which is one solution. Does it work? I'm still not sure if I trust wikipedia. I wonder if some sort of private wiki wouldn't work better? What if the database were actually a wiki site, but open only to members of eGullet? That would screen slightly who was submitting information. Sure, there would still be some bad info, but it would be more likely that someone in the know would see the bad info and correct it.

An interesting idea, but it's woefully out of date in my town. Is this a wiki project, where users can update information?

Central Market is certainly back. I don't think Mat and Naddie's is doing dinner yet. If you end up at Domilise's, send me a PM. I live down the street.

I just had to google "al pastor." ← Me too ← Yankees. The review sounds awful. On the other hand, I'm sure I've written some howlers. Hopefully not that bad, but it's part of the job.

For cocktails, I wouldn't overlook the Swizzle Stick Bar in the Loews Hotel. It may not be the most traditional spot, but they are serious mixologists.

I haven't heard a firm date on Commander's, and even if I did I wouldn't believe it. My guess is that they will open in early October. Personally, I would go with Ralph's over Commander's. Commander's was a little uneven before Katrina, no guarantee that it won't be the same when it reopens.

I don't think this describes the auction I saw at the Texas State Fair, but I could be wrong.

Reading over this thread, it's easy to see why Whole Foods has such a great business model. People are clearly willing to pay more for reasons that have nothing to do with the greater value of the product. Personally, I don't haggle at the farmers market. It's just not worth the trouble to save a few dollars. If I were buying a large quantity, then I would certainly ask for a discount. The difference between the farmers market and the grocery store is that you are dealing directly with the owner/producer/seller. When more money is involved, I haggle all the time in similar situation. I haggle for cars, homes, etc. I'd love to hear a small farmer's reaction to all this (and not the kind who casts themselves as an artisan). It seems like haggling is a way of life for farmers. Ever been to a state fair? What would you call what's taking place at the livestock auctions? In fact, the children of farmers that I know would haggle at a retail store. I'm a few generations from the farming life (and my grandpa was a sharecropper), so I don't have a lot of first hand knowledge.

How odd the basic rules of economics don't apply at farmers markets. That example of the $3 tomatoes that don't sell at that price but might at $2 seems like a textbook example of how prices are determined in a market system. What is going on in farmers markets that makes basic economics break down?

I refuse to believe that those hip models would ever hang out with the old man. There are some nice photos in this issue, but the clutter of ads kills any visual impact. You can't blame the magazine, though, for wanting to make money.

At least according to this Wikipedia entry, a traditional Chicago-style dog is: "a steamed or boiled all-beef, natural-casing hot dog on a poppy seed bun, topped with mustard, onion, sweet pickle relish in fluorescent green, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices or wedges, cucumber slices or wedges, sport peppers and a dash of celery salt — but no ketchup." ← they forgot the sauerkraut and, personally, i don't agree with the cucumber. i think if it has lettuce on it, it certainly is NOT a Chicago style dog. If a pizza has sauce, cheese and lettuce, is it still a Neopolitana? ← Freshherbs, The beauty of wikipedia is that you can edit that entry (adding the sauerkraut and deleting the cucumbers), and then Steven no longer has his evidence.

I can't say that I've ever ordered blind. I do normally narrow my choices down to two items and go with the waiter's recommendation. When I'm reviewing restaurants, it's a good way to test the staff. The one thing I won't tolerate at a good restaurant is a staff that doesn't know the food.

Yeah, I agree. F**K THAT SH*T!

You're right. There really isn't a debate if we cast the net that wide. Personally, I don't see why profanity is a problem in food, or any other, kind of writing. It seems like a lot of the responses actually address whether profanity has a place in food writing for newspaper, or mass market magazines, etc. I'm not sure, however, that any of these arguments apply specifically to food writing. Some argue that chefs are unique in their use of obscenities. I doubt it. My experience has been that lots of professionals curse, they just keep their mouths clean in front of the customers. Chefs are the same. I've never had a chef visit my table and start cursing. They are always polite and well-behaved in the front of the house. I bet even Tony had good manners when he visited a VIP table.

Maybe I still need more coffee, but does this paragraph from the Chow.com article make any sense? There are other sentences that make me think the copy desk was in the Hamptons. The Chow.com article is clearly a filler piece. It reads like it was cribbed off a PR release. Maybe something else got spiked at the last minute and they had to publish it a week early? Edit: The comma splice is killing me in that second sentence. Edit again: I am glad that Ms. Goldman has filled her test kitchen with the dancers from the "Some Like It Hot" video. Those girls haven't had much work since the 80s.

With the caveat that I haven't read today's section (and that I like the Times food coverage in general), that Chow.com article is just badly timed. Covering a website a week before it launches is odd. It shows a certain disconnect with the way people treat the internet. If a site is mentioned, you want to see it now.

What's wrong with "Tex-Mex"? It refers to a specific, regional American cuisine. I noticed in Dallas that some restaurants advertised "Mex-Mex" when the food served was closed the real Mexican. I hate the use of "tapas" for anything but Spanish tapas (Asian tapas, etc.). I'm not much fonder of "small plates," although I'm more tired of the trend than the term.

I'll confess to being the editor who gave Jason this info. If you don't get your free copy after publication, PM me and I'll make sure it gets to you. Honestly, I doubt that it would come to that. Zagat is the most professional organization I've ever worked for. I hope that people do complete the survey. National attention is important for New Orleans (I'm completely biased, I know). Eric, I wouldn't feel to bad about not making the cut. It's not just about being witty. The blurbs have to match the numerical score given to each restaurant or venue.

Of course. Eat them all!

Early Modern can also encompass the 17th century. Are you suggesting that Early Modern and Modern could be synonymous? I would have to take issue with that. I would say that the Modern period begins with the Enlightenment.