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Chris~ I was thinking the same thing and would LOVE to hear input from anyone who is in th eknow about the financial aspects of the business. It'd be nice to have one with some serious foodie input............ ← I have an interest in a lease on good location and I'm looking into a franchise with this local operation: http://www.mixitupmeals.com/index.asp I'll let you know how it goes. SB

You just about have to know somebody who does it. The extra labor involved makes selling it for what it should be worth prohibitive so those who have thier harvest hand parched usually reserve it for themselves, friends and family. The person who does the parching usually takes their fee in kind, and might sell some. You'd have to ask around. In the old days, (25-30 years ago), many Indian families derived a significant portion of their yearly income from ricing. The black, paddy raised "wild rice" from California, and consumers who don't know any better, have kept the price so low that today it's mostly done just a hobby. My friend Big Lou is an Ojibway band member, and although he doesn't live on the Reservation he is entitled to hunting, fishing and ricing rights. I get my rice from him. SB (I ply him with free coffee and donuts all year in exchange) PS: Some of the wild rice commercially processed here in MN and Canada, is not too bad. Just avoid the real small, black stuff.

When you buy wild rice try and avoid the small black shiny grains you see used in packaged foods and fancy restaurants. It's actually burnt, takes forever to cook, and really doesn't taste like much. It's used mainly for "looks". The wild rice the natives prefer, (and keep for their own use), is larger and grayish green in color. It will cook up in about 30 minutes and some of the grains will curl and explode. Even most of the hand harvested wild rice crop is commercially parched (roasted). Less than 2% of the crop is hand parched in the traditional manner. This is what you want, if you can find it. SB (has a friend who rices every year)

Gastronomica Magazine Fall 2005 • Volume 5 Number 4 Cover Un pan mas | Juan Hidalgo A photo of a small round loaf of bread caught in an old-fashioned wooden rat trap. The wood base has a cartoon rodent logo with the tail attached to the ending of the word "Jaguar" written in script. The trap lacks a trigger mechanism, which would render it useless in reality, but I suppose that's what makes this art? from the editor | Dara Goldstein A short report from the editor, Ms Goldstein, on her trip to Berlin to chair a panel on "Food Trends as a Marker of National Identity in Post-Soviet Europe" at the Seventh World Congress of the International Council for Central European Studies. borborygmus Rumblings from the World of Food A Letter to the Editor concerning an article in a previous issue concerning the Hogarth etching Gin Street and it's companion piece Beer Street, a short piece on Disney corp's decision to yield to pressure to remove sharks fin soup from it's menu, a report on a puveyor of "slow fast food" in Oregon, and a report from the Berry Health Benefits Symposium on the impact of berry consumption on various aspects of chronic disease and aging. orts and scantlings Boning Up on Language | Mark Morton Musings upon the use of food words in everyday language, including examples such as "butter up", "top banana", "goose" and, of course, "where's the beef". Amusing, and perhaps suggestive of many similarly themed eGullet threads? feast for the eye download this article Fruits and Vegetables as Sexual Metaphor in Late Renaissance Rome | John Varriano Personally, I'm a bit weary of all the food/sex-porn metaphors. Some of the examples provided here, in both description and graphic representation, are indeed quite "graphic". poem fatted | Peter O'Leary Poetry analysis isn't my forte, but I liked the line, "A candle's smoking point describes each animals uses: oils, fuels. (no, it doesn't rhyme with anything, or have meter either) memoir Envy's Sweet Origin | Karen Pepper Sort of a regular magazine feature. Authors describe the early awakenings of their interest in food as something more than mere sustenance. In this instance Ms Pepper also brings reading and writing about food and cooking into play. in memoriam Fulton Street Fish Market | Maria Finn Dominguez A little inside information about the operation of New York's famous marketplace and some of it's colorful characters, with several good color photos. seasons Small Round Things | Chitrita Banerji An interesting article about the role several small fruits and berries play in orthodox Bengali Hindu religion and culture. illustration Where Beauty Resides | Jenny Kimball Three digital prints on silk of "Salt", "Garlic Skin" and Oyster Mushroom". technology Focus on the Fridge | Margaret B. Blackman Sort of the popular history of home refrigeration, including the ubiquitous magnets and the practice of using the door to display family photos. investigations A Short History of MSG: Good Science, Bad Science, and Taste Cultures | Jordan Sand Scientific and cultural perspectives on the use of MSG, complete with one and one-half pages of foot notes. A little too much for me. Alexis Soyer's Gastronomic Symposium of All Nations | April Bullock Another fairly lenghty piece, (ten pages), on a effort to establish an enormous dining establishment in London by a French immigrant chef, Alexis Soyer, who seems to have been the Emeril Lagasse of the day. Excerpts from Punch, the timeless British humor magazine, about the project were among the most interesting parts. The Symposium project, which ended up a financial failure, reminded me of today's cities' attempts to construct expensive edifices for sports teams. {Most of you reading this already understand that Gastronomica isn't exactly the kind of light reading matter you might take on a trip into the bathroom. Most issues have at least a few articles I just can't get through, for whatever reason. I'll try and provide some idea what they might be about, but would welcome assistance from other readers more familiar with the subject matter. - SB} classics The Satyrica Concluded | Andrew Dalby As I was just saying, some articles I just don't get. I'll be the first to admit that my education in the real "Classics" is deficient, which no doubt hampered my efforts to read this. I gather the author took it upon himself to write his own ending to the Latin novel The Satyrica, and, I assume, did a fine job, since the magazine's editors decided to buy and print it? But for twelve pages, two of which are foot notes, I drew a blank. lives A Taste for Menus: Henry Voigt Touches History | Jeanne Schinto On a lighter note, this is the story of a menu collection, complete with pictures of a few examples. Menus aren't usually considered literature, but as the author points out, they often tell stories and provide us with an unusual insight into a time or place. Just picking out a few menus in the collection from a list provided; the Boston Light Infantry Association, Parker House, Boston, 1863, the Vasar College "Thanksgiving", Poughkeepsie, New York, 1894, the Cotton Club, Harlem, 1934, the Hotel Algonquin, New York, 1938, and the Flamingo Hotel, Las Vegas, 1955/ archive Frightening the Game | Charles Perry Brief discussion of the effect of premortem stress on the flavor of meat; wild game in particular. The authour cites both 6th and 10th Century Persian and Arab texts and Modern food science writer Harold McGee on the subject. interview Critter Cuisine: An Interview with Al and Mary Ann Clayton | Vivian Patterson One of three photos which accompany this interview is a hollowed out armadillo used to hold dip for a fruit platter. Another pictures Snake and Eggs, and the third a Tadpole Soup. Once again, "zoom", right over my head. community The MacDowell Recipe | Ted Weesner, Jr. The artist colony in New Hampshire has housed luminaries of American culture since its founding in 1904, including Thorten WIlder, Willa Cather, Aaron Copeland, Leonard Bernstein and Meridith Monk. How food and eating play a role in the functioning of the facility is examined, including a recipe for MacDowell Colony Whoopee Pie. working on the food chain Kamut: A New Old Grain | Gordon Sacks The future of an ancient grain. My Cousin Bob's wife is an agricultural economist. Maybe she would find this interesting, but it was too agricultural and economic for me. personal history Opa! Belly Dancing and Greek Barrel Wine | DeAnna Putnam Yes, Greeks like to drink wine and watch Belly Dancing, I already knew this, having seen Anthony Quinn in "Zorba the Greek". chef's page AKWA: Commercializing Creativity | Will Goldfarb I believe The author of this article is an eGullet reader. He emailed me about this story, asking what I thought, but I'm afraid I don't feel qualified to render an opinion. The organization referred to, the AKWA, resembles a philosophical movement of sorts. I hope either the author, or another reader, will attempt to enlighten me. I did, however, enjoy the picture of the hundred dollar bill stuck up with Bandaids! review essays Keeping a Good House | Leni Sorensen Pomp and Circumstance | Jason Sholl the bookshelf Books in Review {I can't see the point of my reviewing reviews, unless I'm already familiar with the subject of the original review, or have some particular insight into one of the subject works. Neither is the case in either the essays or books covered in this issue. I would like to point out that book reviews comprise 12-15 pages of each issue, and cover an eclectic selection of releases related to food. I've purchased several books over the years as a result of first reading about them here. - SB} lagniappe The Porcineograph The back page is typically something unusual and/or thought provoking. This issue it consists of an 1800's style map of the United States superimposed over the outline of a pig, with hog related drawings as the map borders. It's quite clever, although I doubt if residents of Oregon will be pleased to see what portion of pig anatomy their State represents?

Why is training people to use gloves properly supposed to be easier than training them to wash their hands and handle food properly? It isn't. In fact, because the plastic gloves are unnatural, workers tend to misuse them and food ends up at even more risk of contamination than before. But it makes the inspectors job easier, and that's what counts. SB (plus, the poiticians and beauracrats pretend they "solved" a problem)

No apologies needed. I'm almost sure there's a Serbian version. SB (Eastern European Existentialist)

I'll never forget "One Meat Ball!" from the Captain Kangaroo show. SB (liked the Captain)(especially Mr Moose)

According to Iron Chef, the Offcial Book, there were 297 official "Battles" between 1995-99. I can't believe all of them were translated and shown here? SB (by contrast, there were 181 Seinfeld episodes)

Up here the walleye is considered the fish of choice for eating, but I've always preferred crisp fried panfish, the crappie being the ultimate. Of course, you'd have to venture out on fairly thin ice and chop a hole to catch any right now. SB (where the season doesn't open until mid-May)

Despite some Googling, I can't find out if Julia and Jennifer ever met? I would guess they'd have had a great time! SB (would like to have been a fly on the wall) (or in the food)

Several people, including me, have already told you that you have to do it by feel. Temperature probes give an approximation, but only that. Why do you have a problem with a physical test? Jim ← I wonder if infernoo might have trouble reconciling the information provided here with their general concept of cooking? I would suggest reading Alton Brown, Shirley Corriher, Howard Hillman or similar books on cooking theory. SB (started late, and took a while to get the hang of it himself)

I know next to nothing about chocolate molding, but I suspect solid chocolate cools unevenly, and takes a lot longer to cool completely, which results in fissures and other structural defects at the more narrow spots where weight is concentrated? Perhaps there are special formulas for solid chocolate figures? The Laws of Physics and Chemistry apply whether we're talking about chocolate or concrete. SB (has an engineering background)

Ooops. Double Post. My pouring and molding experience has to do with concrete curb and gutter on state and municipal projects where everything has to be filled out in duplicate...at least! SB

The best natural cook I ever knew was my maternal grandmother. She came to this country, from Austria, when she was fifteen years old. She'd learned how to cook in a wood fueled stove without benefit of a thermostat, thermometer, or even a clock. But whether she fried bacon or roasted a whole piglet, baked pogacha (a Serbian foccacia-type bread), or made her famous apple or cheese streudel, (from hand made phyllo), she just seemed to "know" exactly when things were perfectly done. She died many years ago, before I started cooking, so I never had a chance to talk to her about it. My Mother, Sister, aunts, uncle and cousins all learned from her, and are excellent cooks in their own right. Once when we were talking about Grandma's recipes we came up with the theory that maybe she gauged cooking times using her sense of smell? I know that even I seem to be able to tell when bread approaches it's ideal internal temperature by smell regardless of how long it's been in the oven, so maybe there is something to it? SB (keeps oven and probe thermometers handy "just in case")

"Mr Green Genes" by Frank Zappa http://www.lyricsandsongs.com/song/290365.html Eat your greens Don't forget your beans & celery Don't forget to bring Your fake I.D. Eat a bunch of these MAGNIFICIENT With sauerkraut MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Sauerkraut! Eat a grape, a fig A crumpete too ... You'll pump 'em right through Doo-wee-ooo I especially like the next verse where he rhymes Even eat the box You bought 'em in with You can eat the truck That brought 'em in SB (Zappa fan)

I always felt this was the great thing about the show. Being gratious in defeat is just as important as celebrating in victory. It's kind of like Battle, for Battle's sake. SB (seems very Japanese to me) ← Graciousness is one thing. What I see on ICA is indifference. ← I meant to infer that the concept of graciousness was part of the appeal of the original Japanese version of Iron Chef. I agree that it's usually lacking in the American version. Perhaps the closest AIC comes is the spirit of good sportsmanship? Graciousness, after all, requires some degree of humility. SB (not a common quality in TV chefs)

I assume you use the knives professionally? Kyocera indicates the original blade should last for 3-5 years "normal" use. SB (of course, normal could be .....

Kyocera sells a ceramic sharpening rod for about $20. SB (just Google it)

I think you send them back to Kyocera. www.kyocera.com SB

Based on recently posted information I'm now willing to conceded that Alan Thicke is at least as talented as (P-)Diddy, Sandra Lee, or any of the Cuomos. SB (proving that technological advances are not always improvements)

I always felt this was the great thing about the show. Being gratious in defeat is just as important as celebrating in victory. It's kind of like Battle, for Battle's sake. SB (seems very Japanese to me)

Just some cash and my credit cards. A Guinea Pig and three mice traveled with me via auto and air from Minneapolis, to Albuquerque, to Los Angeles, to Spokane, and back to Minneapolis. In Albuquerque they lived in a closet at the Hilton Inn where I ordered them a salad with no dressing for dinner every night. No, but I spent an entire day going back and forth from the Hilton Inn to the Albuquerque Airport without ever being allowed to board a plane. SB (it was rodent profiling, pure and simple)

I've always thought Alan Thicke had less visible talent than anyone I ever saw on television SB (of course, that was pre-cable) PS: He must be nearly 100 years old?

So, by extrapolation, I can expect to find Mario's Official Nascar Linguica Crostini with Red Onion Marmaladed, Osso Buco with Toasted Pine Nut Gremolata and Gogonzola with Spiced Walnuts and Port Wine Syrup instead of brats, buffalo wings and string cheese available at Talledega this year? SB (mmmm mmm mmm mm mmmm)

Kudos to Mario et al, but when it come to stock car racing I'll stick with the masses. SB (some combinations just weren't meant to be)