foodie52

Get it at Fiesta in a can.....

Having traveled in the Far East and been a guest at a number of banquets, I'm just wondering why the most honored guest is offered the fish eyes from the whole fish?

When I was growing up, roast goose was mandatory on Christmas Day. My grandmother served it with red cabbage and boiled potatoes. The best part of it, though, was the goose fat! She saved the fat and the cracklins and put it all in a crock. We got to eat it for supper, on black bread with a sprinking of salt, until it was all gone ( usually only a matter of days). I don't think there is anything better than that....

Meowwww..... I've only skimmed this thread, but ( I don't think ) anybody has mentioned the fact that CP has been open over 30 years, and that when it FIRST opened, 30 years ago, it was cutting edge. One of a kind. Isn't CP all about being at the forefront of the organic food movement THIRTY YEARS AGO?? When I went there to eat, I considered it as a kind of pilgrimage. I guess I didn't care so much about what I was being served, but more about being grateful that I had the opportunity to experience what was, THIRTY YEARS AGO, an immensely moving experience for people in the food world. I feel the same way about visiting shrines. So bash away at Alice. Maybe she's not the woman she was when she started, but at least she's hung in there. And she's still doing cool things.

Thank you so much: that was wonderful!

The Agrumato line is excellent: my favorite is the tangerine ( pressed with OO). Of course this isn't a kitchen necessity, but rather a lovely indulgence. Drizzled over salad, these oils add another level of flavor. They ARE different from olive oils where you add some zest, or use lemon juice instead of vinegar as your acid in salads. They don't come cheap. We sell the orange, lemon , tangerine and herb oils.

Pick up a Guide Michelin first thing when you get there!

Nothing wrong with Velveeta: how the hell do you make queso without it??? Most embarrassing thing? My husband's industrial-size jar of minced garlic in the fridge for when he smokes chickens and stuff.

Motel coffee. Those old , old packets that have been bought in cases of 200,000 , one of which is put in your room in the alcove area next to the sink. You rip the silvery packet open in the morning, brew it in the muchkin machine and then drink it with powdered white stuff in styrofoam, stirring with your finger because you can't find the stirstick. Barely warm, barely brewed...sipped dejectedly while sitting on the underside of a neon orange and pink bedspread , watching the local news on TV, which is being drowned out by the ancient AC unit whose controls have been so overused that they don't really function anymore.

claire brought me some of her wonderful pecan sables today....they are buttery and fresh and melt-in-your-mouth. I shared them with a few select people: everyone agreed that they were perfect. Whatever you used, it worked. Thanks for sharing!

I'll be happy to taste test those for you.

I'm actually fantasizing about Paul Newman while I nibble on his Oreos. That's why I love them so.

I work in an amazing grocery store ( check out centralmarket.com). I wear an apron that says "foodie" on it. A coworker and I invented the foodie position 6 years ago. Our job is to educate our customers on the products they buy. I can help you choose: a marinade for sea bass, an olive oil to drizzle over your bean soup, a wheat-free tamari, a salad dressing for spinach salad, a vegetarian option for a dinner party, a glaze for pork tenderloin....I can find you a recipe for potato soup, tell you how to use mole, cuitlacoche, rosti, and garlic juice...I can help you organize a dinner party for 12 ....find "foreign" foods for your 12 year old's social studies project... To us, foodie denotes "food expert". I'm not embarrassed to wear the apron.

McVities Plain Chocolate Digestives Paul Newman's version of Oreos. ( They are coming out with a new cookie, similar to their Oreo, but with gingersnaps instead of the chocolate cookie.) Lady Waltons ( two waffle cookies with thick, thick creamy chocolate in the middle.....put one on top of your coffee cup , let it warm up....) Bahlsen Chocolate Leibniz cookies. Crisp butter cookie with a really thick coating on one side only, of dark chocolate.

What is "virgin vegetable oil"?

For 75 bucks, I can fly to Vegas.....

Another option is what I enjoy doing. Go to your local Goodwills and shop there .Who says that every plate has to match? As long as they are all the same size, it's kind of fun to have different patterns going. And if one breaks, replacing it isn't a problem! I've done that with great results. A white table cloth ( or none, depending on your table ) and mixed china. It's kinda charming.

My daughter brought me a bag from San Francisco Chinatown last week.

My CEO-rejection Ben and Jerry's letter. At the top is a photo of the two of them wearing tall Uncle Sam-style hats, but with icecream labels on them. Both of them are pointing their finger at me. Next to them is a stamp that says, "Official Rejection Letter"The heading of the letter says: "WE ALMOST WANTED YOU, ( then my name) TO BE OUR CEO Congratulations! You did a great job on your application for the position of CEO of Ben and Jerry's. It warms our hearts - and blows our minds - that someone of your high caliber would even consider a career with us. Your impassioned eloquence, remarkable qualifications, and astonishing ability to consume premium ice cream and frozen yogurt convinced the search team to put your name near the top of our long short list. What a rich, fulfilling life you've lead! And what an appetite! That said, it is with mixed ingredients that we give you the bad news and the good news. The bad news is that you didn't get the CEO job. The good news, however, is that you didn't get the CEO job. Whew! But now you can tell your children and grandchildren you came this close to running our company ( picture of two fingers a little apart..) To say you are over-qualified might seem like a cheap kiss-off. (And it might tick off the new CEO, and who needs that?)So let's just say that your talents and potential convinced us that a much higher calling awaits you. Yo! Go, and follow your destiny! You're just too valuable to the world to be peddling ice cream. Be happy, go lucky, Ben & Jerry " Along with the letter came a certificate for a free pint...this letter is one of my favorite possessions!!!

Wavy Gravy... I have their Wavy Gravy t-shirt. In fact, my family had a portrait taken of the 4 of us wearing Wavy Gravy t's. I applied to be CEO years ago but didn't make the cut, even though I sent them a photo of us wearing the t-shirts... but I got a great rejection letter whichI framed ( and is now hanging in the guest bathroom .) Beat THAT, you Ben and Jerry afficionados!!!!

Sack lunches...... that's the only way to go. My kids bought school lunches probably.....a dozen times in as many years.

I loved the "happy bits of brown cheese" part of your review, fitz.

Sweaters? That's probably because they forgot to shear the lambs before they cooked them.

You don't like what I serve? Forget about being invited back! That goes for the relatives, too. Pearls before swine....

I lOVE the Morningstar corn dogs. Taste like the real thing When I was pregnant, in my 5th month I had cravings for Hostess Cupcakes. My car would drive itself into the grocery store parking lot every day after work. I would eat the 2-pack ( sometimes two 2-packs) between the store and home ( a 2 minute drive ), and throw the wrapper in the back seat of my VW Bug. By the 6th month, I had curbed the craving. My husband likes to tell how one day he opened the door to the car and a pile of Hostess wrappers fell out.( There were only about 30, but he tends to exaggerate....) That was 23 years ago..... sigh...and I still love those cupcakes.