moosnsqrl

Yes, the whole "best of" schtick is out of control. I was up to my elbows in kneading the other day when a 'best of' or top 5 or whatever show came on Food TV so I didn't bother changing channels. It was the rather absurd premise of the top 5 theme parties, where the theme is a decade. They had somehow concluded that (big build-up here) a 50s diner party at Ed Debevic's was the #1. Naturally I had been talking-back to the TV throughout the half-hour (that, coupled with kneading, can be quite therapeutic ) as they mistakenly attributed various trends and fads to the wrong era (their 70s/disco decade being the worst case of anachronistic jumble - the others may have been equally bad but they pre-date me so I wouldn't know any better). OK, rambling aside (sorry), my point is how do they decide what is the best of? And when it's presented so authoritatively, where it's clearly purporting to be more than just one person's opinion, how can it be defended? Let the viewer beware, but I can see lots of people flocking to a mediocre place ("hey, Ethel, we've got to go to The Greasy Spoon when we're in Anytown - Food TV says it's THE BEST") because it was on TV so it *must* be true. There is a new periodical starting here in KC and the publisher went out of his way to state, in the first few lines of an interview I read, that they will NOT have a 'best of' because it serves only the interest of the publication (in ad revenues) and not that of the readers. Good for him.

Argh! I "don't have permission to use" this link! ← Well, silly me! I was trying to send this picture to a friend and just now noticed your reply calling to my attention that I hadn't checked the "allow others to view" box on the album. Sorry to have deprived everyone of this masterpiece of portraiture all this time http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=mo...md=si&img=62868

Sounds interesting, although I'm sure it will be disturbing. I'm reading Omnivore's Dilemma and, while none of it is really news to me, having it all laid-out in a cohesive whole is truly amazing, in the disheartening sense.

only if pork is the meat in question, I presume?

KC Media Digest for week of August 17-23, 2006 In the Kansas City Star Food Section Anne Brockhoff on the recent proliferation of baby produce. A local cook shares her recipe for lettuce rolls in Janet Majure's Come Into My Kitchen. Our resident wine expert, Doug Frost, straightens-up some sideways information about the US epicenter of pinot noir generated by Hollywood two summers ago. In Eating For Life Jill Silva prescribes a Hawaiian luau to shake the dog-day blues. In the Star's Preview Section Lauren Chapin valiantly visited a dozen area restaurants to provide a list of summer-friendly wines. (This is not available online as of this writing; I will post a link when it is available.) In the Star's FYI Section Food historians and diners celebrate the return of The Harvey House to Union Station. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit this slipped through my net (blame it on the Heartland Gathering), but the long-awaited Cellar Rat is now open. In The Pitch Charles Ferruzza lends some testosterone to help The Classic Cookie overcome its 'ladies who lunch' reputation. If you've been having trouble telling the players without a program in midtown lately, in My Big Fat Mouth Charles tries to sort out the shuffling staff and owners, and offers a glimpse at a forthcoming Briarcliff restaurant, due in November. In the Lawrence Journal World Still atoning for past sins, Robert Krause is gearing up for the bureaucratic long-haul as he seeks to again serve diners in his historic home. On KCUR-FM Friday morning The Food Critics return to The Walt Bodine Show. On your dial at 89.3 or listen online at www.kcur.org; click Listen Live. Looking for something to do this weekend? See The Heartland Events Calendar for info on KC's Ethnic Enrichment festival. <><><><><> Media Digest Notes... Updates from some area media outlets, which do not 'go to press' before we do, will be edited into each week's post as they become available. Please do not reply on this thread. For discussion of any stories which are linked here, please feel free to start a new thread or contact the forum host or digester who will be happy to do it for you. <><><><><>

Yep, that's more akin to my experience with hagglers, but I'm sure it varies from market to market. I have to say, though, that grocery stores really don't have much more room to negotiate. Mainstream groceries' margins are in single digits for the most part. When I worked for a chain of natural markets (rhymes with Mild Goats) what we were instructed to do vis a vis mark-up versus the quality of the product we received (here in the midwest, at least, where it had spent ~5 days on a truck) was pure fantasy. Although I would still agree that, as they can spread losses across departments within the store and further across many stores, they are still in a better position to offer a discount if there are extenuating circumstances (volume, quality, charitable event, etc).

definitely didn't cure long enough. that sounds like the only thing. i emailed brian. we should address ways of judging doneness, though weight is probably the best. in parma the stick needle-like bones into it and sniff--i'll bet you can smell raw vs cooked. ← speaking of ham and Ruhlman . . . did everyone see No Reservations last night? Oops, sorry. Wrong Forum.

I hadn't planned to go into the Wednesday market but now I may have to just to share the "porcelain saints" concept If you're made of porcelain (or anything softer than tempered steel), farming is probably a poor career choice. But seriously, I think of them more as an endangered species I guess; not all good, not all evil but - good or bad - I think they're critical to the overall eco system (to say nothing of my more selfish desire to be able to eat fresh, flavorful food). I guess Chard Girl's "head lice" characterization of the late-market bargain hunters is more akin to my experience than people of modest means trying to pinch pennies. Unless they intentionally dress up and borrow late-model European cars in some misguided attempt to appear prosperous. Fortunately many of the area farmers have begun donating their unsold items to food pantries and soup kitchens (if they don't have lucky goats at home, that is ).

Your market experiences and mine are worlds apart, I'm happy to say! Perhaps your use of the term "purveyers" [sic] is significant, versus the growers/farmers/producers I deal with. It implies that they are just people hawking produce the way a car dealer sells cars so maybe that's why it seems ok to haggle. The people I buy from (for the most part - a few have friends help on market day) planted, cultivated, fed, tended, babied, picked, packed and rose long before dawn to bring their crops to the city so I could eat well. And highminded, bourgeoise or not, I would not dream of trying to pay them less than they ask for the fruits of their considerable labor. Another point to consider is the hidden cost of the "cheaper" grocery store products. They are often subsidized by the government (yes, even the mass producing conglomerates receive subsidies that our taxes fund); they employ growing practices that often have affects that must be remediated (again, we foot the bill to clean up); they are hauled hundreds or thousands of miles (road wear and tear, fossil fuels, actuarial implications for insurance costs). And, speaking of taxes, most farmers do not charge sales tax yet must pay it, so it's rolled into the asking price in most cases. It's the same way I feel about restaurant prices (independent ones, anyway): the chef knows what he spent for the food, the labor, the overhead to serve it and charges what he/she must to stay in business. If people think it's a good value, they patronize it. If not, they don't. But to say it's over-priced, without knowing or considering what went into the final product, is rather unfair, IMHO.

Yes, I'm sorry I didn't post the happy results -- thanks to tammylc for rescuing my 'old friend' and I look forward to a happy reunion at your convenience!

I think what i posted earlier sounded as though I might think that everyone from a country with a haggling tradition was into extreme haggling--sorry if it seemed that I meant that --I have certainly been pressured by Americans just as severely!!! And amazingly, by Americans who clearly have plenty of dough--as my father in law always said--that's how they hold onto it!! ← Yes, sad to say but this illustrates my previous point -- most of the people who will beat a farmer up to save 25 to 50 cents on something, will then carry it to their luxury car and enjoy a chuckle all the way home. Conversely, we are very middle class (and I'm down-sized to boot) and it would never cross my mind to take advantage of someone who works sunup to sundownn. Go figure.

To Russ' point up-thread, it is true that one's motivation for shopping at the market to begin with undoubtedly affects the interaction with the farmers. I've done CSAs in the past and the main reason I'm not in one at present is that I am traveling a lot this summer (plus I just enjoy going to markets and end up with too much food if I do both). When you're in a CSA you partner with the grower and share the risk - since you pay up-front, regardless of how things turn out. One year our growers were hit by a late-spring hail storm which bascially wiped out everything. They were desperate and heartbroken and feeling terrible for their customers. Fortunately everyone was understanding, other area farmers all chipped in transplants they had intended to sell at market, some even went to help replant. We got off to a late start but we got our full 20 weeks of produce and we all came away with a heightened respect for the vicissitudes of farming. So when I go to the market, I feel the same sense of "we're all in it together." If the peaches aren't as perfect this year as they were last, I still buy some so they'll be there next year and the year after. If instead I left the market and went to the grocery to buy the mass-produced version that has been trucked across the country, they might be larger, less misshapen and spot-free, but they still wouldn't have the flavor of the local ones since they were selectively cultivated to look and travel well, rather than to taste good. I went to a couple of green markets in NYC back in May and was surprised that they weren't any pricier than ours here in KC. Since the cost of most other things there are higher than here, it seemed oddly reasonable. Maybe just a different perspective, again, but given the acres of arable land around here versus in the NE, I would expect market prices to reflect a similar % mark-up as other goods and services.

With no disrespect to other cultures where haggling is expected and normal, I cringe any time I see someone trying to get a discount from a farmer. They work so hard for so little and generally price their wares very fairly, since they are also taking valuable time away from tending their crops to drive to the city and hope to sell out each week. Most of them throw in an extra pepper or piece of fruit for their regulars or someone who has bought a good amount from them anyway. And don't forget gas prices hurt them, too, since they almost have to drive trucks rather than hybrid cars to haul produce. If I thought the hagglers were genuinely in need of a break, I guess I would feel differently. They're generally well-dressed, with hands that show no sign of hard manual labor, and often sporting a golf tan. I've actually overheard such people bragging about getting "a steal" from a farmer and it takes all of my self control not to belittle them loudly and publically. I should add that most of my farmer friends are more like blue_egg_farmer - quiet, artistic and not the type who enjoy sport-haggling, so that probably colors my judgement.

Sorry for the delay - it's not that I haven't been to the store in all this time - it's just been so bloody hot that chili was the farthest thing from my mind. Today's almost-fall-like breeze cleared the cobwebs from my memory, apparently (that and it was displayed at eye-level) so I finally got home with a brick-o-Manning's. My previous attempts to search were thwarted by having forgotten that the business is actually named Manning-Clampitt. They don't have a website but I did find reference to them in a restaurant database. The contact info is included as is another tribute to the haunting memory and power of their chili, in the form of a review written by someone who lives in Atlanta but still recalls it fondly from high school days in the 60s. I'll think of you at the dinner table tonight.

Have you ever wandered so far astray from a recipe that, when you look it up to pass it along to someone, it bears no resemblance whatsoever to the dish you fed them? That is definitely the case with the chilled tomato soup. I'm looking at the Charlie Trotter book from which this originated and, between eliminating cilantro/coriander (too many friends have the "soap" issue with it), skipping the fine-diced tomatoes which should be added in at plating (time constraints and laziness on my part at the event) and artistic license (the original calls for yellow taxi toms, so it's a monotone soup, save for the sorbet and garnish dice), it's a stretch to even attribute it back to the original. Between that and copyright laws, I am going to attempt to describe (and pare-down) what I actually did that night, rather than publish Chef Trotter's barely recognizable original. 1 medium onion, finely diced (I used a nice bottle onion from the A2 market) 2 T olive oil 3# heriloom tomatoes, chopped (if you want two-tone, obviously use different colors) salt & pepper to taste 1 ripe avocado (Haas, I can't see Fuerte or other working with this - too watery) 1-1/2 T lime juice 1-1/2 T simple syrup 1 c water Wilt onions in olive oil; add cored, chopped tomatoes (before onions can 'color'). Simmer together until most of the liquid has cooked out (~20 minutes). Blend until very smooth (I used an immersion but regular blender works as well); pass through a china cap or other fine-mesh sieve. Season to taste and chill thoroughly. Mash avocado flesh, add lime juice, simple syrup and water and blend until smooth. Season to taste with S&P (note: I swear this stuff grew saltier during churning - don't know if that's chemically or physically possible, but beware nonetheless). Freeze in an ice cream maker. Depending on time, freezer space and preference, the sorbet can be placed in the freezer until hard after churning. I prefer it softer, so it can be incorporated into the soup more easily. The original called for a 'confetti' of mixed heirlooms and tomatillos, tossed with a bit of coriander -infused oil to be added at service, as well as a chiffonade of cilantro. I suppose you could use any herb that goes well with tomatoes - as mentioned, some friends have cilantro issues. I pondered adding basil but it seems like so many meals include some combo of tomatoes and basil at this time of year, I decided to omit it. I think, if you plan to add diced tomato garnish, I would thin the soup itself a bit (either with water or tomato water/juice); as we consumed it, it was rather thick to take a chunky garnish IMHO. Anyway, that's essentially the deal. I'm glad people enjoyed it and thank our talented photographers for making it look better than I thought it did at the time - maybe Adobe products were involved? On that note, had I been doing this for a smaller group, I would have probably used squeeze bottles or the like to achieve a more yin/yang effect, and perhaps manipulated the sorbet with a toothpick. But that's just my rather pathetic attempt to compensate for complete lack of artistic ability.

Sorry to hear that's still the case. Our friends in Spain had to schlep masa harina and dried chiles back from the US with them whenever they came to visit but I would've thought, what with globalization and all, the situation would have improved. In any case, if you can track down most of the ingredients, it's worth a go. Good luck.

Damn, I fell asleep before the judging I'll have to catch a re-airing - there's nothing I like better than Steingarten when he's "on."

The talk of smokey foods and Mexican reminds me of a favorite, the recipe for which came from Red Sage in Washington, D.C. I can't find the original but this one is similar, only my old one called for smoked gouda. These are not that difficult to make, if a bit time-consuming, but they're extremely satisfying and certainly could be served to lacto-ovo/ominvores and no one would feel deprived. black bean tamales from Red Sage

You'll be happier and more successful if you continue with eggs and dairy. It takes real dedication and practice (and honestly more than 1-3 months) to be a food-loving vegan, especially if you eat out at all (eggless, cheeseless pasta at home is do-able but in a regular restaurant nearly impossible). Variety is the key. I was meatless for 14 years and really never felt deprived because I ate such a wide variety of foods. It's important to concentrate on all the things you CAN and DO eat, rather than focus on the few you don't. And never have a plate that looks like an omnivore's but has an empty spot where the meat would be - nothing will make you feel more deprived. With fall/winter coming on, roasted vegetables make good, hearty, flavorful dishes. I recommend fungi for the depth of flavor and texture you will likely miss, at some point. I particularly use dried porcini in any Italian dish where meat might be missed. They're really 'big' in both flavor and texture. If you miss 'chovies (as in caesar salad) there are vegan worcestershire sauces on the market. If you find particular challenges as you go along, feel free to PM me. I'm fairly certain I found a way to replicate almost every old favorite in my 14 years. Signed, A fairly recently 'recovering' vegetarian.

I'm late arriving at this thread and your client had his heart set on lamb but, just for the record, I really like to use [rock Cornish] game hens on such occasions. They're inexpensive, easily timed en masse, already portioned and can be 'tarted up' by simply sliding a sage (or other) leaf under the skin, stuffing with aromatics and perhaps glazing. I don't know what they cost in your area but they're rarely more than a couple of USD here and that leaves a good amount for other courses and sides.

OK, there's hate and then there's sending someone to friggin' Applebees! Jeez, monkfish, there are limits. I wouldn't wish that on you!

burrata is available here in philadelphia from either dibruno bros or claudios. i know i've gotten it at dibrunos--the problem i have with the the stuff is that it's big and very perishable, so unless i have several people over to scarf the whole thing it's a waste of money... but since it's puglia month over in the cooking through italy threads, i might have to hook it up. ← I'm not sure where you are but I have been served delicious burrata at Prune (LES) and would bet it is Pugliese, rather than a domestic replica.

Well, it's my lucky year, I guess. I just found out I have to attend a wedding in Jeff City in a couple of weeks so, despite my complete lack of interest in their restaurant scene when this thread began, it is now of utmost importance . I don't think German food really fits the bill when the temp will likely be in triple digits and, assuming that the Capitol Grille is THE Capitol Grille (as in chain) and not A grill that happens to be in the state capitol, that's out. Maybe the seafood place? Or maybe we'll drive around until we see a promising mom & pop/diner/greasy spoon. If anyone happens onto something between now and the 25th, feel free to share. If not, I'll be the guinea pig it looks like. Why don't people just elope and be done with it? Edited to make sense.

as mentioned above . . . peanuts, dirty laundry, ziplocs and (highly recommended) a generous tip to the sky caps (whether curbside or in the airport) and make sure they put the appropriate stickers on whatever the outer-most container is. We've had really good luck using those measures.

KC Media Digest for week of August 9 - 15, 2006 In the Kansas City Star Food Section Anne Brockhoff reminds us what little it takes to make a true margarita. If the summer heat has you craving that ultimate summer dessert, key lime pie, try the relatively guilt-free version in Jill Silva's Eating For Life. In the Star's Preview Section No review this week, just the 'best of' list (those receiving 3 stars or better - again bringing the oft-discussed numeric rating into play). In The Pitch The venerable Charles Ferruzza visits 39th Street newcomer Thomas with mixed but hopeful results. It's difficult to enter Thomas without getting a little misty about Cafe Allegro, so this week's My Big Fat Mouth is spent catching up with Steve Cole (whose daughter is not growing up fast enough ). ETA: This week's feature, Made in Missouri, is all about wines from the Show Me state. Thanks to Zeemanb for reminding me - I saw it in the print version but completely forgot about it when I sat down to digest. At eKC Online Lisa Waterman Gray reminds us of a midtown treasure, Napoleon Bakery. In the Lawrence Journal World For the bakers among us, Terry Rombeck publishes winning recipes from the Douglas County Fair. Tastebud I stumbled upon the premier issue of a new local monthly tabloid yesterday. It was fairly appealing graphically and I was anxious to dash home and devour it, remembering how fun it was when Fire & Knives was still alive. Sadly, the content was rather disappointing in quantity and quality but, hey, it's the first issue. Look for it on free newstands throughout the metro. They have a website but it's just a homepage/placeholder at this stage. <><><><><> Media Digest Notes... Updates from some area media outlets, which do not 'go to press' before we do, will be edited into each week's post as they become available. Please do not reply on this thread. For discussion of any stories which are linked here, please feel free to start a new thread or contact the forum host or digester who will be happy to do it for you. <><><><><>