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I thought the site was fun. I even entered my Meatloaf #400 and Tickle Me Cake in their Recipe Contest! SB (in favor of anything that get people interested in cooking )

Dave, the aforementioned One-Eyed, Left-Handed, Former Rodeo Bull-Riding Butcher, (retired), would wrap cold cuts and cheese loosely in thin waxed paper and then again in taped kraft (aka "butchers") paper. If I was going to use the meat/cheese within two or three days I just left it in this original wrapping, which seemed to allow it to "breathe", and thus maintain a fresher flavor than if it was tightly wrapped or bagged in plastic. Dave also had "freezer paper", which is polyethylene coated on one side, he would use if you told him you intended to freeze your purchase. SB (prefers plastic/foil combo for freezing)

All I can tell you for sure is that back in the 60-70's every hippie in the world had an empty one used as a candle holder. SB (was there, did that)

I hadn't thought about this until I read this thread. Dave, my One-Eyed, Left-Handed, Former Rodeo Bull-Riding Butcher, (retired), used to occassionally invite me behind his counter to show me something in the walk-in or a new piece of equipment. Once I noticed that he had pieces of masking tape marked with little + and - signs on the shelves holding the deli meats and cheeses. When asked he explained that these marks corresponded to adjustments on his slicer(s) to cut thicker or thinner than his default setting. Every item in the case had an optimal thickness. Dave developed his settings over 35+ years in the business. Hard salami was sliced very thin, smoked turkey breast thick. Hard cheeses had to be cut so the slices wouldn't crumble and soft cheeses so the slices wouldn't melt together. The marks on the tape was so the young guys who worked the later shift would know how to set the slicers. SB (Really misses Dave )

I've always enjoyed the threads and posts from Japan here on eGullet. The shopping experience, especially the combini, interests me as much as the cooking and eating. Please take us along on some of your shopping trips. SB (who also wishes to compliment you on your English )

Thanks for all the great ideas! It hadn't occured to me that the problem might lie with the Earl Grey. Many years ago when I used to drink tea I enjoyed the smokey Lapsang Souchong. (of course, I also used to enjoy smoking cigarettes with my tea) I forgot to mention that I live in an area where a good selection of teas is not easy to come by, but the next time I travel to Minneapolis I'll print out this thread to take with me. SB (will be sure to visit a good chocolate shop too! )

Coffee and chocolate is, of course, one of the great flavor pairings of all time, and one of my personal favorite treats. Lately I've begun drinking tea occassionally in place of coffee, and this afternoon decided to try a bit of chocolate with it. Neither was a very exotic variety, Earl Greys and Baronie Bittersweet, but they certainly didn't enhance each other. Is this just a peculiarity of mine, a general rule of thumb, or are there some tea-chocolate combinations that work well? SB

I get it! SB (was there, did that)

Yes "potentially" scary. * <grain of salt

You can't copyright a title. SB (currently at work on "The Bible" )

Thanks for the tip! I don't know how I missed this thread originally? Maybe I was out of the Country with my private jet with my staff (chef incl) in South America or something? SB (would hire a private chef on the basis of their storytelling rather than their cooking )

I was going to sugest the Dirt Cake too. Maybe you could make them as cupcakes? SB

I'm glad to learn it isn't just me. When I compare an older issue to a more recent one I don't notice any obvious difference in the content. I'd be real interested in hearing the opinions of other Gastro readers. SB

If the establishment lost the same item you lost, why should they be liable and you not? SB (Devils Advocate)

I'll admit that when I tuned into the show during a lull in the ESPN telecast of the Dodgers Padres game, I could only bear to watch a couple of minutes before acute embarrassment for the "presenters", (Nigella and some guy I didn't recognize), caused me to hit the Return button on my remote. Still, I doubt if the show actually rent the very fabric of our civilization, and having Tony Bourdain review it was like using a sledge hammer to squash an ant. SB

BTW: For a good basic white bread with clear instructions go to King Arthur Flour's Web Site and enter "white Bread 101" in the Search Box.

You might say that's how the salt controls the yeast action. That's why you want to have the correct ratio of yeast and salt to other ingredients, and incorporate then according to the recipe instructions.

Well it was at least 15 years ago, and it was Northern Minnesota, where tastes were not particularily refined. A steak and a baked potato would have been the epitomy of luxury for most people. I did notice quite a few guests had ordered "surf and turf", or even just "turf", despite the restaurants reputation for seafood. (My personal favorite was their Lobster Newburg. ) The bar bill was rather reasonable too, since beer was overwhelmingly the preferred beverage. A few highballs and glasses of wine, but nobody was in the custom of drinking wine with their meal. My sentiments exactly! My Dad, (somewhat reluctently), and his old partner, my Brother, my Cousin, and other employees, (quite enthusiastically), did a good job of covering for me. In those days, coffee and cigarettes sufficed. SB (still drinks a lot of coffee)

I've added both books to my (very long) Amazon Wish List. Anybody who reads them .... please write a review? SB (for whom there's no such thing as too much Julia )

NO SAUERKRAUT! I've had a Kielbasa dish with beans and tomatos, similar to this recipe, but .... SB (no sauerkraut, what next?)

Kielbasa, Saurkraut & Apples! Woof! SB (remembers his Gramda's admonishment for somebody acting like a big shot; "You think maybe you're some kind of special Cevapchici?", a Serbian version of Kielbasa)

An offhand remark on another thread got me thinking about this subject, and I decided to start a new topic. About fifteen years ago my family still owned a civil engineering company. About 90% of our business consisted of designing infrastructure improvements for local municipalities, so we had to stay abreast of local political machinations in order to maintain good public realations with our client cities. Every year the Minnesota League of Cities held a convention, usually in Minneapolis/St Paul, and our firm had a display booth and held a reception at one of the convention hotels for delegates from out client cities and other business associates. One year the convention was held in Duluth, which is only eighty miles away compared to two hundred miles to the Twin Cities, so attendence from our region was up considerably. To take advantage of this we decided to host a sit down dinner at one of Duluth's oldest and best quality restaurants, which happened to feature sea food. I spent the entire day at the restaurant making sure everything was properly arranged. I've never been one for large gatherings, especially involving politicians and beauracrats, so about the time our guests started to arrive for the free Happy Hour before dinner I was able to sneak out, and drove home for dinner. Now Nothern Minnesota's small town officials' normal idea of "sea food" might have been beer battered fresh water fish from local lakes, frozen breaded shrimp, and maybe those little smoked oysters that came in cans on New Years Eve. Turned loose on a broader menu they were only too happy to partake of more exotic fare like shrimp cocktaill and lobster tail. Thankfully they were still provincial enough that they were afraid to order caviar or raw oysters. (There were a couple orders of oysters on the tab, but I traced those to my Dad's old partner and our most recent PE hire!) Around 120 people had eaten diner, and probably another 100 had passed through the bar on their way to other engagements. The total tab came close enough to $5,000 that it exceeded that figure once the gratuity was added on. And I didn't even get an hors d'oeuvre, or a Doggy Bag. SB (maybe from a sea food restaurant a Kitty Bag would be more appropriate? )

Actually, although I use one knife for probably 90% of my general kitchen tasks, (my carbon steel 7" chef's knife, which is rugged and easy to keep sharp), I use five or six of my different whisks on a regular basis. In fact, I have two medium sized balloon whisks which appear identical, but have a completely different feel. I use one for blending dry ingredients and the other for beating eggs or making emulsions. SB (keeps them in separate drawers to tell them apart)

I believe that whisks to a cook are like brushes to a painter. Even those that may look the same can have a different feel, and thus, use. From the Smithsonian's Julia Child's Kitchen Exhibit: "Julia introduced a French tool, the whisk, to a public that had heretofore only known various versions of "egg beaters." SB (has maybe half a dozen or so)

Your Post inspires me to start a Topic called "The Most Expensive Meal I Never Ate", which I shall endeavor to get to later today. How about a haiku? Bunny in the home, Emblematic of Spring Time, Spay or eat, you choose. SB (is the "pain medication" for the bunny, or you?)