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France Vissez! It's Bastille Day, I have somebody eles's brand new red Mustang GT convertible, (the dealer kindly pointed out the switch to shut off the traction control), it's in the mid 70's without a cloud in the sky, and I'm going to storm something! SB (hopefully won't end up in the local "bastille")

Don't judge a book by it's cover, nor a tv show by it's blurb. Mario Batali v Todd English, Secret Inedient Pizza Dough, was probaby he best IC episode ever? At least it was the first one where I actually would like to have tasted all the dishes. Anyone can make something fancy using foie gras or squab or Kobi Beef. To really see a great chef's creativity at work, give them the most mundane and basic ingredient to work with. Remember, it was "Pizza Dough Battle", not Pizza Battle. SB (didn't even want to see who "prevailed")

They didn't have vomitoria? Then what about all those long bone things exhibited in museums as devices to draw vomit? Purely curative? I don't know about the bone things; I've never seen one. But "vomitorium" meaning "a place to vomit" is a joke. A vomitorium was a passageway that spectators used to leave a theater (the term's still used sometimes). 19th century schoolboys intentionally misinterpreted the term, because, hey, vomit. ← Considering the quality of current Hollywood fare, this would be a useful addition to modern theatres. SB

I meant, of course, zero deaths in the US. The UK had a problem, which they dealt with at considerable expense. Of course, even the 40 deaths there pale in comparison to the number of Brits who succumbed to virtually any other manner of demise during the same time period, but so be it. Say what you will about the governments and agribusinesses, but they've actually done a pretty good job the way they've handled this matter. The New Yorker magazine had one of the first, and still one of the best, series of articles on this subject many years ago. If you want a well reasoned, non-inflamitory, factual account it's worth a trip to the library. (It wasn't available on- line the last time I checked) SB (Yikes! I nearly just got hit by a meteor!)

That brings the total number of people killed by this to ...... none? Not that it isn't a serious matter worthy of attention, but just to keep things in perspective, how many are killed every year by drunk drivers? And that's 100% preventable for $0! SB (or, for that matter, how many are killed by lightning?)

I expect that by 2008 celebrity chefs will follow in the footsteps of hollywood icons and rockstars and enlighted us with their "learned" opinions on political matters? SB (can harldy wait)

RE: "the memoir about dealing with food shortages during the war in Bosnia by Alma Marin is, in my estimation, maybe one of the best pieces ever published by the magazine" Further along in this issue, "Sadie's Tomatoes", by Jack Foster, is even better! It's so elegantly written I found myself imagining the story had a musical score accompanying it. Has that ever had that happen to any of you? SB (whose garden is growng it's 97th consequtive crop of tomatoes this year)

. While not strictly accurate, I used the term "surplus food" as a generic expression for the commodities the government makes available to school lunch programs, reservations, and certain aid agencies. Regardless of motives and politics, these programs do deliver food to people who need help, albeit very inefficiently. ("I'm from the Government, and I'm hear to feed you".) Some restaurants are happy to buy blocks of processed cheese for cash, which is easily converted into drugs. There are a lot of intertwined issues here, and lots of different opinions, many of which depend on perspective. Probably the best tack is for each of us to just do a little bit more than we already do to help? SB (working on a recipes series using USDA commodities for publication in regional Reservation newspapers)

What we have here is a delima rather than a problem in that problems have solutions while dilemas can only be dealt with as well as possible. There are hungry children, which is inexcusable since good food is available. The statistics only serve to scew the argument which ever way you want, and should be disregarded for purpose of useful discussion. I just think it's a shame that so much food must be misappropriated and go to waste because of the inefficient system we have for administering programs and delivering the goods. So there is no solution per se, except to keep the current system working as well as possible in order to continue to provide at least the current level of support. SB

If children are malnourished in this country it's not for the lack of well intentioned government and privately funded sources of affordable good quality food. The amount of "surplus" foods and commodities that go to waste every day in school lunch programs and through USDA distribution programs is more than enough to solve the problem on the supply side. Too much of the assistance intended for feeding children ends up being sold or traded for drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and junk food. Besides that, lots of perfectly good food that requires some minimal preparation ends up in the dumps. I sure don't know what to do about it? SB

mouse shaped?

I couldn't say without seeing her feet. SB

Does the Campbells Vegetable Soup with alphabet noodles sold in China use have little pasta characers? Does the soup in Russia use the Cyrillic Alphabet? Did Campbell's Ancient Egyptian Vegtable Soup use pasta hieroglyphics? SB (just wondering)

A pretty lame bunch overall, but I guess I'd have to vote for Harmony, the foot model from New York, http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_nf_vo...6_32081,00.html because she has really a nice pair of .... .... FEET! Yeah! Of course. Nice feet. SB (afterall, she's a foot model)

I hate to dis "grandmas" twice in two day in the same forum, but I prefer Brer Rabbit brand too. Usually items using molasses tend to be fairly full flavored in other respects to, so I think any brand or strength would work alright in most recipes. SB

Here's one recipe I developed for using surplus commodities based on a quick bread named "Vi's Brown Bread", (after her MIL), from Betsy Oppeneer's "The Bread Book": RESERVATION BREAD * indicates USDA Commodity 1 Cup Raisins * 2 1/4 Cups Hot Coffee 1 1/2 Cups Sugar 3 Tbl Butter (room temp) 4 Tbl Egg Powder * 2 Tbl Molasses 1/4 Cup Dried Milk Powder* 2/3 Cup + 6 Tbl Water 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla 2 1/2 Cups AP Flour* 3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour* 1/2 Cup Corn Meal* 1 1/2 tsp Salt 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 2 Cups USDA Trail Mix (or any dried fruit and nut mixture)* In a Large Bowl, Soak Raisins in Hot Coffee about 30 min, until lukewarm Preheat Oven to 350, Grease two 8.5 x 4.25 Pans Add Sugar, Butter, Molasses, Water and Vanilla with Raisin/Coffee mixture. Mix Well. In Medium Bowl Whisk together Flours, Corn Meal, Egg and Milk Powder, Salt, Baking Soda and Trail Mix. Add Flour mixture to Raisin Mixture all at once and Stir until just combined. Spoon Batter into Prepared Pans. Bake for 1 - 1 hr 15 min. (toothpick test or 190 degrees) Cool in Pans for 10 min. Remove from Pans and wrap in Foil, let steam for 2 hours until cool. SB (a VERY hearty bread)

My friend Big Lou qualifys for many rights as a band member although he doesn't live on the Reservation. Whenever he visits relatives they always insist he take USDA commodities because they get so much they can't use it all. They have white and whole wheat flour, the baking mix, corn meal, oats, dried milk, dried eggs (which work real well in baked goods), potato flakes, canned fruit, raisins and prunes, and who knows what else. Lou also has Rez hunting and fishing rights, and can harvest wild rice. Lots (most?) of the food gets illegally sold or traded away to restaurants and retail grocery stores for other food, and too often for liquor and cigarettes. As such, I feel that by sharing anything I make using the food with him entails the spirit, if not the letter, of the law. We have talked about putting together some recipes using the USDA commodities, and I've developed and adapted several recipes utilizing as many ingredients as possible, mostly yeast and quick breads. We'll submit these to the Rez's newspaper. The residents of the reservations certainly don't need anyone else taking advantage of them. Between the federal beauracracies and their own home-grown organized criminals they have a bleak enough existence as it is. SB (some of Lou's friends and relatives are on the Red Lake Reservation, which was in the news recently concerning a school shooting)

With due deference to anybody's grandma, I had the best biscuits I ever made last night, and it was amazingly easy! I hade a five pound bag of commercial baking mix, (think of the industrial equivalent of Bisquik), my friend Big Lou gave me which he had obtained from relatives through the USDA's distribution program to Indian Reservations. The only trick was downsizing the instructions, which called for using the entire five pound bag to make one batch. Since I didn't plan on 30-50 guest for dinner, (at 2-3 biscuits each), I decided one pound/4 cups of the baking mix would be about right. I weighed that out into my food processor, and instead of adding the calculated 9.6 ounces of milk I substituted 1/2 cup of dried milk powder, (also courtesy of USDA via Big Lou), and 1 cup of water. I mixed it in the processor for about 45 seconds, patted out and folded the dough 5 times, rolled it to about 1/2" thick, and cut out 20 2" biscuits which I brushed with butter and baked for 11 minutes, until they were starting to brown. The resulting buscuits were light but not crumbly, and very tastey! SB (I saved four biscuits for Big Lou, thus fulfilling, at least in spirit, the USDA program's mission)

My first word was "bite". SB (my Mom will swear to it)

You have to give Campbell's credit. In the face of declining soup sales they at least keep trying to come up with new ideas. SB (would give them a try)

Anyone who loves tomatoes, (or grandmothers, or good food writing), owes it to themselves to read "Sadies Tomatoes" , by Jack Foster, in the Spring 2005 issue of Gastronomica magazine. SB

Food/cooking/eating as a metaphor for sex is overwrought. SB (although a seperate entities they're still fine by me)

I opened my latest issue of Gastronomica yesterday hoping maybe to find a new article by my favorite (living) food writer, (known of these boards as ChocoKitty), and what do I espy instead? Something by my second favorite (living) food writer me, albeit just a Letter to the Editor. But, what fun! My Letter concerned an article in the Summer 2004 issue by John Edge, titled "Black Magic", which included a recipe for a Coca Cola Cake. I tried baking the cake with somewhat less than satisfactory results, which prompted me to write to Gastro. I'd also like to point out that John Edge's published reply supports my contention that he never tried the recipe for Coca Cola Cake he provided in his article. If he had, either in the first place or after I pointed out the problem to him, he would have known that using the recipe produces a syrup rather than a frosting for the cake in a quantity great enough to literally drown it! Anyway, I'd also like to mention that the memoir about dealing with food shortages during the war in Bosnia by Alma Marin is, in my estimation, maybe one of the best pieces ever published by the magazine I couldn't help but note that the editor allowed Ms Marin great leeway with her punctuation and liberal use of parenthetical phrases, (which I heartily approved of). My favorite was the "(?!)" interjection in the first sentence of the Food and Vegetables chapter on page 34. I haven't had the chance to read any more of the issue yet. (I'm so enthralled with re-reading my own modest contribution over and over), but I hope this liberalization of grammatical rules applies to the entire magazine and, indeed, that the practice quickly spreads throughout the publishing world. SB

That's all I need to know .... .... NOT to watch. SB

I guess I just have little faith in (any) government(s) "standards". Wal-Mart is more responsive to its consumers than the government is to its taxpayers. SB