srhcb

An important point. Sanitation and cleanliness are expensive in both time and money. We fail to appreciate that standards generally adhered to in our modern supermarkets are actually a luxury. Cleanliness may be next to Godliness, but it's a lot more expensive.

FYI: According to King Arthur Flour, that amounts to: 4 sticks of butter 2 cups of sugar 9 large eggs 4 cups of flour SB ("incredibly rich" is an understatement)

Those are interesting looking knives with a good history. I may try one. My '54 Ford had an engine turned dash panel. From the Warther site: "Warther knives have been made for many famous people including: Ronald Reagan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Gerald Ford, Nelson Mandela, George Bush Sr., George W. Bush Jr., and Perry Como." What an interesting group of "famous people". SB (Perry Como was one of my Dad's favorite singers)

FYI: The Minnesota Hisorical Society is currently developing an exhibit to coincide with the State's 150th Anniversary in 2008 of 150 special persons, places, items or ideas that originated in Minnesota. The Bundt Pan has been nominated in the Technology and Industry category. SB (BTW: I nominated it)

For Mac & Cheese I like Radiatore. They hold the most cheese!

And, on a lighter note: I've always been a kind of a "rump and thigh" man. SB

DISCLAIMER: Presented as an anthropological oddity, and in no way intened to defame or denigrate any people or culture: In The Island of the Color-blind author Oliver Sacks quotes Paul Theroux's book, The Happy Isles of Oceana, which posits the unusual popularity of Spam in certain areas of the South Pacific Islands is due to it's "approximating the porky taste of human flesh". In fact, in parts of Melanesia the word for cooked human flesh translates as "long pig". SB

Call me sentimental, but I prefer the orifginal NordicWare Bundt Pan, which celebrates its 60th Anniversay this year. SB (the "S" stands for sentimental)

It's the part about the napkin over the head I find offensive. SB

Thank you.... ← I think lowbrow entertainment is pretty much universal. (or at least global) After all, around half the population has below average brows. SB

The problem here is that pigs and goats are also pretty intelligent, ain't that right? ← Some people are pretty intelligent, but I doubt if it makes much difference in their flavor, which is reportedly rather salty, like Spam. SB (or so I've read)

How do you spell "orlatons"? SB

I remember my Dad reading that story to ME! (and I ain't young) As I recall, (with a Google assist), the Tawny Scrawny Lion's menu consisted of, "monkeys on Monday -- kangaroos on Tuesday -- zebras on Wednesday -- bears on Thursday -- camels on Friday -- and on Saturday, elephants!" But, The rabbit family (potential Sunday dinner?) ended up convincing him to become a vegetarian! SB (thinks there should been enough leftover elephant on Sunday for a Quiche or Stir Fry?)

Maybe if you put them in a shadow box on the wall and never use them. A knife will start to get dull after it's very first use and even the hardest of knives will eventually get dull. The claim of never needing sharping is a marketing ploy that has no basis of fact. All knives will eventually need to be sharpened. How hard your knives are and your mileage on them will depend on how often. ← My secret? I only cut soft stuff. SB (shhhhhh)

I was just wondering if Iron Chef America is aired in Japan? SB (dubbed into pidgin Japanese, of course!)

Chicago Cutlery makes several series of knives. They'll virtually never need sharpening if they're properly cared for. SB (sometimes you can really get your money's worth, even these days)

better hurry, though, the smithsonian is shutting down the american history museum for two years to do extensive renovations, starting with several galleries and installations this spring and ending up completely closed by sept. 5. julia's kitchen is one of the ones staying open till september, according to their site. ← I was already planning to be in Cincinnati this August, and maybe also visiting Washington DC, but now I'm more inclined to do so. My cousin has been a volunteer at the Smithsonian for many years, (she's a Trilobite expert), and has always said she can get me a "behind the scenes" tour. Maybe I could even handle some of Julia's utensils! SB

I have a couple fancy knives, but for everyday use I rely on a xyr-old set of wood handled Chicago Cutlery that work just fine. The chefs knife and shorter carver account for probably 90% of my cutting and chopping. I use the steel before using, and wash and dry them off immediately afterwards. SB (wouldn't mind a set of Kyocers ceramics though)

Canadian food = vinegar on french fries SB (80 miles south of THE border)

If your order is routed across Northern Minnesota there's a very good chance the plane could be shot down and the meat hijacked! SB (searching for his surface-to-air missiles)

Are you starting with raw or cooked potatoes? ← This is a very important question! SB (honest)

My GS Zack, (2 1/2) likes "Choo-Choo Wheels". SB (aka Rotelle)

Now if Seagrams came out with an organic whiskey we could get plastered on "Good-For-You 7 & 7's"! SB

I think Tony Bourdain in Japan is one of those instances where contrasts compliment each other. The producers apparently understood this. Very few people are as naturally irreverent as Tony, and few people are as reverent as the Japanese, especially when it comes to honoring their ancestors. The visit with the Japanese family on their special day to honor the dead, complete with a traditional meal and visit to the cemetary, was very sensitvely done, while still being entertaining and amusing in Bourdain's unique fashion. SB (would like to visit Japan)

I think it would be entirely appropriate, unless you obtained your copy via Abbie Hoffman's modus operandi. SB