Cucina

I've worked on EBay for quite a while as a seller - and if I were a buyer - I'd be *very* careful about buying anything expensive there. Robyn ← I don't consider a $20 sterling fork to be expensive. But I have bought other things out there like a set of 12 sterling goblets that might be considered expensive. You can check seller feedback which is a good indication as to whether the seller has a reputation for the goods matching the description. Many high end silver dealers use ebay including Lauren Stanley from NYC. Also, a number of highly reputable auction houses also use ebay as well. It's a great way to find things that might otherwise take a lifetime. I agree, you have to be careful but I don't think it should be a deterent.

So what are your favorite family recipies? fess up...

I agree with Mayhaw man. We need to get back on topic. Jaymes - tell us about yourself.

Do they have a website??TIA Dave s ← Nope - they don't advertise. But you can call them at 334-365-8301 or write them at 1697 County Road 10, Booth, Alabama 36008 and they will send you a list of what they make. Prices are very reasonable.

Okay - this is slightly off topic, but for those of you who don't have time to make homemade sausage but don't want to give up having any, my suggestion is Duramus Family, Booth Alabama - they don't sell to any big distributors that I know of but my family has been ordering them for years. (My Dad remembered buying from them when he was a little boy and his father was stationed at a nearby air force base and happened to be going through about 15 years ago and rediscovered that they are still in business). Second suggestion for those of you who are hunters is to find a game rendering place that will take your boar and turn it into sausage. My cousin does this and there's nothing that compares.

LOL!!!! My mother wanted a cuisinart more than anything when they first came out. It was about the time she decided to go to work because she was bored being a stay at home mom when all of her kids were in school and activities most of the day. When they first came out, the price was considered absolutely astronomical for a kitchen appliance. Since my father had always been the one to pay the bills, he said they absolutely couldn't afford one. (She would pine about it whenever the catalogues came) But he also never asked her to contribute any of her income to running the house and that's when things got interesting. My Dad likes a salad with every dinner and several vegetables with whatever meat is being served. But preparing the kind of meals she did when she stayed at home suddenly became more challenging for a working woman. So she bought the cuisinart and it made it possible for her to do both. She would get home from work, use it, wash it, and then hide it in the back part of the tupperware cabinet where my dad never looked. After about a year, she left it out on the cabinet and my Dad came home and it was the first thing he noticed. Very angrily, he said "Where did THAT come from???!!!" - my mother simply replied "Oh, we've HAD that! Why do you think you've had such good dinners and salads this year?" She then used the same strategy to slowly redecorate the house, although hiding new furniture acquisitions for a year was much more problematic than the trusty cuisinart!!!

Yes! The Relish tray!!!! We had one too!!! Dusted off for every major holiday. Same exact stuff included too! I never asked why - but it's always there without fail. We like to nibble on the various in between going back for seconds or thirds - kind of like a palate cleanser and digestif in one.

IL LATINI Via dei Palchetti 6/r, Florence, Italy Phone: 055/210916 May 2003 This is a family style restaurant that was recommended by a friend but I accidentally stumbled by it when I was shopping and had lunch. They had a fixed price lunch menu that day with various choices - all wholesome and hearty - well prepared, fairly priced. They have a magnum bottle of Chianti on the table and it's help yourself. The best part about this restaurant - especially if you are travelling by yourself or with just one other person - is that they have a community table where they seat odd numbered guests. This turned out to be the highlight of my whole trip. May is Florence's highly regarded music festival and I ended up seated across from a world famous conductor who was in town to direct Mozart's La Clemenza Di Tito. I ended up scoring tickets to the opera, seats in the President's box and an after opera dinner invitation at the French Cultural Ambassador's home. Can't guarantee you'll have the same luck, but it's certainly worth trying.

Villa San Michele Fiesole (about a 20 minute cab ride from Florence) See Villa San Michele's website May 2003 Okay folks. This is very over the top but worth every penny. You don't have to stay here (although if you can, you should because at times it's been ranked one of the top 20 hotels in the world and deservedly so). Villa San Michele is an old Monastery whose facade was designed by Michael Angelo. Dining on the terrace overlooking all of Florence is a one of a kind experience and worth every penny but if your counting them, don't go. Smart casual for lunch - jacket and tie required for evening and ladies dress to the nines. I'm not even going to begin to tell you what to order. It was all good and more artfully presented than anywhere I've been before or since. Visit the website and look at the menu - they also offer a cooking school for guests.

GILDA Via Mario de' Fiori 97 Piazza di Spagna Phone 06-678-4838 FALL 2003 If you are single and in your 30's to 40's GILDA's is an all in one experience you don't want to miss. There is a piano bar on the first floor, a restaurant that serves good but not exceptional international cuisine (not necessarily Italian) on the second floor that opens at 9:30 and then there's a disco on the top floor that opens at midnight. The real treat is honestly the disco and if you want to have a place to sit down, you have to have your concierge call and reserve a spot in advance (which I believe ran $20 euro for 2 but included one free drink) This is where you will find all of the beautiful people in Rome. We met (and no ladies, I am not kidding) two of the most beautiful Italian men I've ever seen on the planet one of whom turned out to be an actor from some Italian Police television show and ended up having dates for the next night out. Ahhh, to be in Rome again!

Ristorante Girarrosto Fiorentino 00187 Roma- Via Sicilia, 46 tel. 06 4288060 fax 06 42010078 I was in Rome over Thanksgiving 2003 and asked our concierge at the Hassler Hotel to make reservations for us at whatever he considered to be the best traditional place in town. This place lives up to the recommendation although you need to come very hungry and be prepared to order multiple courses (clearly, it's expected). They have for example, what is considered an appetizer that consists of multiple different selections ranging from a huge plate of prociutto, four large fresh buffalo mozerellas, olives and various types of vegetables both grilled and fried different ways. There were only two of us and we were full after that but felt compelled by the hovering owner to order more. The risotto with fresh white truffles was outstanding - the fish we ordered was equally good. I wish I had kept a food diary in Rome like I did in Florence so I would remember what I ate and where and how it was prepared - but alas, I did not. If exceptional food matters to you, trust your concierge to recommend where to go. We never had a disappointing meal and the concierge at our hotel was able to get us into places that were otherwise booked.

I know why but it isn't about the taste ... rather, it is because they are scavengers, bottom feeders .. which, I assume is reflected in the taste of their meat ... Thanks, Robyn, for this! ← Okay - here's my catfish story and how it relates to dying traditions. Catfish is not eaten by most natives in certain parts of South Georgia (namely Camden, Glynn and Wayne Counties) because sometime around the turn of the 20th century, a ferry that was shuttling passengers across one of the tributaries (can't remember if it was near St. Marys or along the Altamaha rivers) capsized and everyone aboard drowned. When the bodies finally started floating up to the surface, when they were fished out they had catfish all over them. My great grandmother never served catfish and none of her 8 children did either and none of the subsequent generations will either eat it or serve it. Now you can certainly FIND it in some restaurants down there, but typically only the tourists are eating it or transplants.

Tana - Gifted Gourmet graciously just turned me on to this thread. I had started another at: What Chefs/Restaurants Have the Best Websites Moderator's Note: We've merged the two threads under the more descriptive topic title and the link entered above will take you back to the merged thread you've been reading. These are all good insights. Restaurants are no different than any other business that uses the web to reach customers. I have my own PR/Marketing/Stragetic Consulting company (shameless plug) and many of my clients are in the technology sector. Tech companies - software - hardware - services - don't typically have the most beautiful websites but you learn a couple of things working with them that are valuable and applicable to other industries. First, smart ones learned a long time ago to stop using flash. What is the purpose? It wastes your prospective customer's time. Doesn't matter how "cool" it is - you should never waste your customers time. The only people who like flash are website designers because it's a fun project. Second, the load time should be fast for all pages. If you want to use video and other features, it's best to have high speed and dialup versions of the website to choose from so you don't lose the interest of prospective customers. Even for high end chefs and restaurants, it is a mistake to assume that because you are targeting a more upscale clientelle, they will naturally have high speed access. At work? Yes. At home? Not necessarily. And if you happen to be in a major city and be an international restaurant that might cater to up scale visitors from a particular country, you should be especially cognizant of the adoption rate of high speed access in that country. Third, it is all about content and communication. The website menus should be very intuitive so people can find what they're looking for fast. Useres should only have to rely on a site map as a last resort. The content should be interesting and updated often enough to attract repeat visits. Be brief whenever possible. Studies show users don't typically like to scroll down. Make sure the site is designed to be printer friendly. Many aren't. You measure a website's success in part by how many unique visitors (new) you attract in a given month, how many returning visitors, and the average number of pages they browse. It's worth it to invest in tracking software (not very expensive and typically an add on from your hosting provider) because it will tell you alot about what areas of your website are popular and which ones could be improved. Another good indicator is how many people are registering to receive information from you. If you have this feature, make sure you have a way to regularly communicate with your customers who do register. Otherwise, what's the point? And if someone uses the "contact us" or "ask the chef" feature, by all means, reply to every person - even if it's a standard reply. It's a reflection on your customer service. In terms of the design or look of the website, I agree with previous posts that it should be a reflection of the restaurant itself and the experience you're trying to create. Music is annoying - don't do it - and if you do, invest in that tracking software because I bet many people never go past the first page. Yes, do show off your architecture and interiors if they are something to write home about. Absolutely show off your food and if the chef has a personality and presence that can be captured on film, show that off as well. BUT - again, make sure the load times for all of these pictures are fast. Many architects and interior designers have moved into graphic design and branding and have extended that into website design. Same is true for graphic design and advertising shops. On the other end of the spectrum, many web design shops also tout their design capabilities. In my experience, however, these are two unique skill sets. Some are competent at both, but few excel at both. As a result, you see a lot of websites (many in this thread included) that are visually stunning but fail functionally. I advise my clients to let their designer create their brand and the rules of how to present it - and then have them collaborate with an outside website design specialist to marry form with function. If doing that isn't in the budget and you have to choose one or the other, you're better off working with a website design specialist who is competent in graphic design. It's far easier to upgrade your look down the road than it is to correct functional deficiencies. Truth in lending - last week I took on my first restaurant client so I'm not an expert in this particular industry although I am an expert in that particular chef's restaurant having been a regular for some time. My other clients are an eclectic mix including software companies, a technology trade association, a law firm and a high profile non profit. My philosophy has always been to pay attention to best practices in your own industry but to look outside of it for best practices in others that can raise the creativity bar and increase your success. Anyway, that's my two cents. What i'm curious to learn from others is what you like about certain restaurants websites and why? What content do you find useful and why? Which ones are easy and intuitive to use? Any takers?

My husband is 60 - no exceptions for him. Our fathers are in their mid-80's - and frail - so we make exceptions (lots of them). I don't think there's any particular orthodoxy about the lack of sugar in cornbread (except perhaps in the minds of some people). Bill Neal's Southern Cooking has recipes for buttermilk corn bread and spoon bread (another form of cornbread) that both call for sugar (although his dog bread - the most simple form of cornbread - does not). Times change - people change - and recipes change. The best cornbread I've eaten in years comes from the mix sold at Williams Sonoma. Cast iron skillets don't work well in coastal Florida. Unless they've been seasoned to the point where they can do double-duty as ant traps - they rust. People in Florida 75 years ago were used to sharing their most intimate spaces with most of the insect world. No reason to do that now - and no reason you can't use more suitable cookware as long as the result is satisfactory. As for bread in general - many parts of the south could be up for contention as the "White Bread Capital" of the world. What passes for bread where my husband's family in north Carolina lives is something I consider suitable only for mushing into little balls and putting on the end of a fishing hook. It is not a highlight of the cuisine. I really don't think that the issue being discussed here is peculiar to the south - or to the United States for that matter. The world has changed - and people's eating and cooking habits have changed. I'm not ready to go from good food to microwave pizza - but a lot of people are as long as they're not presented with reasonable alternatives in the middle which can accommodate their busy lifestyles. Robyn ← Ah - what a difference almost 10 years makes! I just don't like sugar in cornbread and don't understand why restaurants inevitably only serve the sweet kind. They should have both. Can't speak for the Williams Sonoma cornbread but the recipie on the back of White Lily white cornmeail mix is fool proof. I guess I'm spoiled or sheltered - honestly - I never knew that anyone would even consider using white bread in stuffing. The best non white bread in the universe (above wonderbread on the foodchain but well below artisan bread because it's mass produced and has the commercial loaf shape is a bread I've only ever found in supermarkets in South Georgia called Captain John Durst's. It's yellow. And it's amazing for pimento cheese, grilled cheese,and turns toast into an art form. The fact that it still exists in its small niche is proof in my book that southern foods will be around a while. Although I must admit, we all mourned the loss of the "pickin'" plant in Brunswick, GA that would process crabmeat. You can no longer buy fresh down there unless it's imported from Charleston or somewhere else. And one of the restaurants on St. Simons - Barbara Jean's - known for its crab cakes flies theirs in from overseas. That's a more ominous sign than just about anything.

What white bread crumbs? You bake cornbread either in a cast iron skillet or in a long pyrex dish so it's crispy - no sugar in it and very little leavening. You crumple that all up, add milk, finely chopped onions and celery (that you've briefly heated up in a little butter), salt and pepper and a bit of thyme, turkey gravy, and then bake it up again. Only use white corn meal flour and it's best if you can find a little coarse ground to mix in with it. That's when it tastes like "Mamoo's" -!!! It's simple - but it's tasty - and I've never had better. oh yes....and DON'T forget the saltine crackers or it's worthless!!! ← So, you're using saltine crackers instead of white bread crumbs. About how many saltine crumbs per, say, 3 cups of cornbread crumbs? ← I didn't even know there was such a thing as white bread crumbs until now. This is very distressing. I'm having visions of wonder bread! I suppose it's somewhere between a third and a half a pack - it's really a visual, feel and taste thing - I know what it' supposed to look like, feel like and taste like and so it's more or less what meets that test. (Know that doesn't help but god save you if I ever share Reba's biscuit recipie with you!)

What white bread crumbs? You bake cornbread either in a cast iron skillet or in a long pyrex dish so it's crispy - no sugar in it and very little leavening. You crumple that all up, add milk, finely chopped onions and celery (that you've briefly heated up in a little butter), salt and pepper and a bit of thyme, turkey gravy, and then bake it up again. Only use white corn meal flour and it's best if you can find a little coarse ground to mix in with it. That's when it tastes like "Mamoo's" -!!! It's simple - but it's tasty - and I've never had better. oh yes....and DON'T forget the saltine crackers or it's worthless!!!

Saltine Crackers..... No I'm not kidding .....and the dressing doesn't taste remotely the same unless they are crumbled into the mix.

Yeah, like there's a chance in hell we're gonna let you get away with this. What is it, girl? Fess up, y'hear? ← It's totally anti climactic.....not a spice....not a vegetable....just a very boring thing that actually traces back at least as far as my great grandmother and I don't know how far back beyond that..... And the answer is........drum roll please!!!!!!!!!

Jaymes - I'm too new to the forum to have figured out how to quote the relevant sections of your remarks but I'm not differing from you. And gosh! What a compliment to be your new EGG! This might even be better than Julia Reids desire to be Queen of the Turtle Derby! (Read the book - it's great and it's a great story about the importance of southern cooking as well). When I say that these traditions are taught, what I mean is that there is something that is done to inspire curiosity - intentional or not. Some of it is basic - like helping children develop a wide palate: See my new thread on the ethics of lying to children about the food they are eating. Mostly, it's not shooing children out of the way when they have an interest which seems like your experience. I'm proud to say that before my grandmother died, she made sure that everyone knew that I was the only one who could make Pimento Cheese as good as she did. I'm also proud to have finally - after years of disappointment on my mother and aunts part - determined the secret ingredient to our family's corn bread dressing. This came from hours of sitting with her and discussing recipies - over and over again - until she finally gave up (or remembered) that one special ingredient. In this society, we may not be able to cook they way we would like to as often as we want, but if we strive to inspire curiosity, the art won't be lost. Catfish is another subject. Remind me to tell you why it's never really caught on in parts of coastal Georgia. it's worthy of another thread.

Robyn - my Dad is 69 years old so I make exceptions for him. Other than the barbeque grill (where he excels and we enjoy often) he didn't know how to do a thing in the kitchen until my mother taught him. But unlike most other men in his generation, he was willing to learn. He can cook a full breakfast with grits, eggs and sausage (Durmas Family, Booth Alabama - highly recommend it - his discovery - they were making it when he was a little boy and his dad was stationed in Alabama and they still make it now), he can make his own lunch and he can forge around in the fridge and figure out how to put a dinner together if my mother is out - and he's not to shy to ask how to do something if he doesn't know how. This is HUGE!!! My brother and most of my cousins in their 30's and 40's on the other hand, have a very impressive repertoire - particularly with fish and game. Ironically, I was born in Miami and have a lot of roots in Florida (on my father's side of all things but there are also strong ties to Mississippi) but consider myself more of a Georgian because of the family ties on my mothers side and the fact that I lived there a number of years myself. One of the best southern cookbooks that is still in reprint is one of the Florida Junior League's called the Gasparilla Cookbook. My mother's copy is so tattered, she finally and very reluctantly asked for a replacement a few years ago. Ed Dunlap's Brunswick Stew is particularly good. This cookbook in my opinion is the definitive contribution of Florida to southern cusine. Anyway, whether you are angry or not, your post came across as very angry and I wanted to set the record straight. I don't think outdated expectations of men on women or the fact that women have entered the workforce out of either necessity or desire have anything to do with why people cook less or whether southern cooking is dying. We lose traditions because people don't take the time to teach them. People have to prioritize what's important. In my family, one of the best traditions has always been lively conversation at the dinner table over a good meal - so it's one I try hard to continue.

Robyn - You must not be from the south or maybe the men in the family were Yankee transplants. The day my grandfather (who was a lawyer) married my grandmother in the early '30's, he told her they might have to economize but she should never economize on food. My mother still has a copy of the letter he wrote to my father when they married advising him to do the same thing. The gist of it is that he would only be punishing himself. It's one of the best letters I've ever read. And I don't buy this angry feminist stuff either. While the women do most of the cooking in my family, the men are accomplished in their own right. (Albeit my dad had to call me the other night to find out how to cook a baked potato because my mother was at a business networking event - in my family, the women are equally accomplished in business). Good southern cooking and a healthy appreciation for it are family traditions that are passed down. Some parents are too lax in making their children eat vegetables when they are young and can develop a taste for them so they have no appreciation as adults of the best staples of a southern diet. Others have mothers (that rhymes) who are incredibly talented cooks but won't let anyone in their kitchen - and so the children never learn and the traditions die. Everyone I know who enjoys cooking is not back in the kitchen trying to please a man. Heck, if that was all it took, I'd have 10 husbands, a line out the door and a waiting list. They do it to please themselves and for reasons of pride, tradition and creating family bonds. My mother has had an extraordinary career and accomplishments but they were about her own intellectual fulfilment - not about some angry feminist agenda. She still managed to have a meal on the table every night no later than 7:30 (a meat, two vegetables and a salad) without fail and without hired help - not because of outdated times or expectations but because she wanted to create quality time with her family every evening. A good southern woman knows how to juggle her priorities and is certainly not a militant feminist. Hell, where I come from, if she doesn't need a man, she either shoots him or divorces him. And if she resents cooking for him, she poisons his food. Otherwise, men tend to come in handy every now and then and like it or not, we need them to help create the next generation of little foodies that will carry on the tradition of southern cooking. (Of course, there is the turkey baster but that's completely off topic).

No - I don't think so. It just kind of depends "who your people" are. My people still cook. Always have, always will. Even the men in this generation have become accomplished cooks. If you brought something store bought to a family reunion, you would either be banished or laughed at the entire time. It's never been done or rather, It's just NOT done.

Ebay is a great place for a silver collector - especially if you collect an old pattern that isn't made anymore or if you have an old pattern and want to collect unusual pieces like Cracker Spoons, individual asparagus tongs, fried oyster server, or saratoga chips server that aren't made anymore. Whether you can only afford to buy one piece at a time or a whole set, it's a great place to get a feel for prices. You do NOT have to spend 10k to 15k for a full set for 12 either. Tiffany - except the older stuff - is overrated for flatware. There is nothing more beautiful than a well prepared meal complimented by a well appointed table. Oh - for patterns - for the traditional minded, I like Gorham's Strasbourg pattern. of Steiff Repousse. For modern tastes, George Jensen is good bet but very expensive.

The place usually smells like grease and cigarettes. But the food is worth having to wash the clothes you wore there two times when you get home. Menu: http://www.madamsorgan.com/menu.html ← Okay - that's a respectable menu - but I'll be really impressed if someone can find a place that serves OKRA slimy and not fried.....

Those of you with a fear of Adams Morgan after the sun goes down are missing out on some seriously good soul food. I go to Madam's Organ regularly, just for the food. They do open at 5pm, so maybe y'all can wait until springtime and get in there before dark ← Yes, but what exactly do they serve? And if you go early, does the place smell like stale beer from the night before?