ChefSwartz

make sure you freeze it first.

" There is a greater exchange of communication, a shared labor pool, interest in product providence...[in durham/ch hill]" i have to agree somewhat, but the exchange of communication usually means, "what kinda dope you got?", and shared labor usually means , "i cant work for this guy anymore!" . I think there is an equally shared interest in product providence. and the community is smaller, thus closer together.

Phoebe!? is that you? u HAVE to remember me, Mike. Heaven Hill? you came to a birthday party at my house. I know we never exchanged last names or internet handles. Congrats on your baby, I heard just the other week when i was at the grill.

What is your name phlawless? Maybe you remember me? still working at the grill? p.s. i am not crediting ben for the thing just turning me on to it.

Who's to say? Origination of idea is completely disputable. Genius is commonplace these days, ideas coordinate from across the globe without communication. Just because one man has an idea doesn't mean another doesn't have the same idea. I have come up with hundreds of concepts, only to be thwarted by the publication of it somewhere. So is it still MY idea? In all honesty who cares, who gets the credit? I derive great satisfaction from reading my best works, without even writing them.

bloomsbury bistro, the cosmopolitan, elaines on franklin, nanas, four square, fearrington. fosters market is cool, no produce, sarah(owner) is good friends with martha stewart (i dont know if this is good or bad,15-501), new market at cameron vill too called figs(produce). there is a new gourmet salad rest. in durham called green tango(semi-fast food). there is a cool new joint in lochmere pavilion(kildaire) called blue notes.(live jazz) there menu looked pretty good(fusion) but i havent eaten there. pretty new place. There is a place looked pretty good next to sushi blues, i cant remember the name. deitel & something? (fusion), also a hip new tapas place called underground, under charlie goodnights. Hey off the path. You GOTTA try the buffalo burgers at dakota grill(raleigh/cary) and Maximillian's on 54(cary,fusion) is good and reasonably priced!

Numbers breed Competition, we just need MORE of what we already have. Southeastern Fusion is a brilliant concept. Cheese Grits souffles, fried softshell crabs, NIMAN ranch pork(sweet tea brine), my favorites(Thanks Ben!!!) ShabuShabu is cool. There are numerous joints i haven't had the time or duckets to eat at. Were getting there. your temperament is fueled by your impatience. EVERYTHING moves slower in the south.

mmm... i LOVE lettuce wraps with, oh yeah, peanut sauce I wonder where i can get some of those:hmmm: We face the facts of trendiness, and accept their role. Truth of the matter is somewhere, sometime the lettuce wrap was invented, then perfected, then bastardized by the American public. Doesn't anyone see a pattern here. (pizza, sushi, hamburgers, etc) It's part of our culture. For me being a Culinarian is embracing ALL types of food and levels of creativity. For me a hamburger can be just as gratifying as eating the finest of cuisine. But you cannot put your self above these things, or you classify yourself in a heiarchy of loneliness. And that goes against exactly what food does, bring people together.

dadgumit, huh? sounds awfully roy williams-ish I dont think im the only one that would put the angus barn in the "rip-off" category. Less than inventive food, and prices that rival even NY's most expensive restaurants. come-on man!

O.K., so maybe our ethnic diversity isn't concentrated in a stereotypical, tourist trap like chinatown or whatever else. But I see quite a few asian markets, tanquerias, and indian stores springing up left and right. Education is definitely important. The broadcasting of the food net. to our remote towns has helped. But if you look at the trends of the market, people want consistency. The best restaurants in the world, not only serve the best quality experience possible, but they also do it consistently. The guys here just dont meet those standards, whether its "southern charm" or whatever, they just dont seem to push that much. Does that make their food any worse of quality, no, just less consistent. I have been in and worked in some of Chicago's finest (TRU,charlie trotters,topolobampo) and the quality of ingredients is EQUAL. Besides they ship in most of their stuff from around the US, anyway. The competition up there is fierce. Instead of 10 guys competing for a job they have 100. I really feel we have that same capacity already, except it is for technical jobs and .com's and pharmecueticals. Not for culinary jobs, yet, because noone has raised the bar. We have a brand new Johnson and Wales in Charlotte that is cranking out future bad-ass chefs left and right, and we send a ton of people out of state to the CIA. And when ALL of them get to their externship where do they want to go? A select few get homesick, but the majority want to go to NY,CHI, CALI because noone recongnizes any talent here in the TRI(except ben). It does not mean its not here it just hasn't blossomed yet. I consider it just a matter of time, 5-10 years before we have another JAMES BEARD award winner. or not, who knows. I get myself down when I think about the evil of the big city, I think the workaholism is poisonous, the cutthroat antics absurd, and the environment treachorous. Do we really even want this kind of progression? I guess everytime I make a point I could counter it myself, sorry didn't mean to cut anyone off. When I see the people lining up for the corp. rest's in this area, I cant get angry, they just dont know any better. In fact very few people in this world really appreciate the diversity of food. They are here, there is just a larger number of them in the NY's and CHI's of the world. Independent's Best Restaurant 2005 is: drumroll,drumrolll,drumroll,drumroll,... ?!!?!?!?!?!?!?Angus Barn?!?!?!!?!?!?!!?

Please tell me this is a joke. If there is ANY region in the world ready for a Culinary Explosion it is the Triangle! The per capita income/price of living is higher than 75% of the country, not to mention the highest # of PHD's/capita in any area in the world! What makes you think they aren't ready? I have worked at 2nd empire, magnolia, nana'a, vin and not to mention countless other chefs in this area. This area is ready noone has stepped up yet to take the responibility and put this place on the map. The money is here. The demand is here. We have some of the countries best produce, livestock, fisheries, etc. The resources, market, and talent are here. It's just a matter of time.

exactly, couldn't have put it better myself. I guess it comes to roughly 98%? Lets also define the reasearch as a whole to "limited" on this matter. i dont think they have exactly cracked the code on this one. Thanks for the links sl.

sources: "To zap or not to zap?" kevin keener dept. of food science NCSU Public Citizen.org "FAQ'S about food irradiation: Registered Dietitian, Karen Graham answers some question" "effect of electron beam irradiation on the bacterial load and sensorial quality of sliced canteloupe" Journal of Food Science Vol.69 Nr.9 2004. The NY times "Questions on irradiated food" Oct 15, 2003 pgF6 "The olfactory receptors in our noses can differentiate among thousands of different odors and contribute to an estimated 80% of flavor" Wolke,robert "What einstein told his cook" I have read an estimation of "98%" on at least 2 occasions and I will quote them when I run back across my library.

ben barker is brilliant, the king of the triangle, the fearrington house has changed so I am not sure of what they serve and how. But i can say Scott howell at nana's doesn't even cook. and he can't hold any talent, same thing for daniel and second empire. Ashley at vin is just a great person so if you want to smile go talk to her. All the others are mean.i agree though, this town needs something cutting edge...

ivan, i wish not to be rude. Taste is 98% smell according to wolke, mcgee, and any number of other scientists. I will bite my tongue if this info is incorrect. and to be honest you only "sense", sweet,sour,salty,bitter,msg with your tongue. all other components are sensed by the olfactory receptors in your nasal cavity. they work together to form "taste". I am not a bad guy here and maybe I come off the wrong way but lets just say that my thesis started with that irradiation was bad and i wanted to prove such. However upon scrupulous research I have found out otherwise. except for the effects on flavor, nutrient levels, and texture. These are facts indisputable from mounds of scientific data. (e.g. My HOMEWORK!) i set to find out how much these deplete in the process. flavor and texture are most important to me(as a cook). Are they enough to warrant me slamming the process? Slamming ignorance ( ivan, your last 3 comments) however, i will with great vigilance and furious anger. Tasting one or two is not enough evidence for me to make a decent opinion on it, maybe for others, but not myself. i set out to find as much negative press as i could because I am a simplist and purist cook who loves organics, and freshness as much as anyone. But on what i have found the process is "no more dangerous to us or our enviroment than the invention of electricity itself"(wolke). I want everyone to know your inputs are greatly appreciated, and I am sorry for discrediting anyone in my mind who feels they are knowledgable.

ivan, The taste comes from the act of chewing and swallowing, the water soluble particles are released into the nasal cavity through the back of your throat. Sarcasm is cute at first but in a real discussion its just annoying. I know I backed you into a corner. But way to fight back the only way you know how. I am no expert on tasting the difference I have researched quite in depth though. but, how clever, I made the assumption none of you were, without even knowing. Huh cat got your tounge? i specifically asked for educated opinions, and most of what Ive read has been bleeding heart, and back in the day, nonsense. Dont get me wrong you are entitled to your opinion, just not in an EDUCATED forum. -peace

slkinsey, No actually I meant what I said, It DOES. When the fruit or vegetable or meat or whatever is bombarded with the radiation it breaks compounds. It is meant to break the bad ones( the DNA of pathogens, spoilage organisms, etc) but it has no way to cipher the difference. So inheirently it destroyes the good ones as well( vitamins, etc). And what holds all these things up cell walls. also,I hardly think andiesenji is a TASTING EXPERT on this matter. If you lined up 10 tomatoes and bombarded one with 10 million times the amount of radiation it takes for one X-ray(that is the MINIMUM dosage), and youre friend cant tell the difference, then they need to find another career choice or hobby. The taste becomes familiar so the public doesn't know the difference. Not that the public chooses to train or use their palate to its maximum ability anyway. On Strawberries, how much do they actually change in taste? Are we talking AROMA here or taste, because i have had straw's that are not sweet but still taste like straws. We just add a little sugar, eh? Aroma and ripeness are mostly unrelated in taste. taste is 98% smell. Yes its glorious to take a perfectly ripe Georgia peach off the tree and eat it without additional substance, but once you cook with it it becomes moot. the products we use are NEVER consistant and it is up to the chef to acknowledge through taste and compensate for these facts.

Everything you said EXCEPT these two things are correct, and these two pieces of information are COMPLETELY FALSE. Irradiation does destroy anti-oxidants and vitamins and it does reduce texture and produce an "off" flavor. I suggest you check your source on that info. Irradiation DOES not necessarily produce radioactive materials, you can irradiate with an electron beam or x-ray which works with an on-off switch. Irradiation with gamma-rays from radiactive materials, mainly cesium-137 or cobalt-60, does however. But there is more than one way to radiate. There are millions of things EVERYONE OF YOU eat on a regular basis that are irradiated mainly spices( since 1986) but the government has allowed this process since 1957. There have been amendments to the food,drug,cosmetic act of 1957 since then but you have been eating irradiated food since you were ALL babies. How do you like that? The government is not required to label the food as much as you would think. anthing made with less than %10 irradiated product does NOT have to be labeled. Finally I have to point yall back to an article in "What Einstein told his cook" , Robert Wolke makes some great points defending the process. How do you define SAFETY? Is anything completely safe? No, it is matter of risk vs. reward and after thousands of scientists(not me or any of you!) have done experiments they have condoned it. Will it have side effects that we will have to deal with at a later time? ABSOLUTELY, I want someone to name a single advancement in any field that does not have negative consequences. I want a link to ONE scientific study that shows hazard. I dont think it exists. The real question we should be trying to answer is how as foodies do we bring these foods back to the level they should be at. There has to be a way. There is no stopping this train. So you might as well climb aboard. It was very hard for me to defend this process, I am JUST as sensitive as anyone of you. I Love my fresh local organics, my heirlooms, etc. But if they can irradiate and save the quality, while saving someones life, WHO CARE'S? Alot of you have uneducated opinions on this topic which is a bit disturbing. RESEARCH, weigh both sides, then make up your mind. I know its innate to think with your heart but god gave us a mind as well. You dont have to give up your food ethics, just ADAPT!

spices have been irradiated for a LONG TIME, as well as many other foods, mainly for the space program. My question is , if the process is supposed to extend shelf life and make food safer why does it cost more for the product?(7-10 cents) Also, how do these newly approved methods cut down on over-production? The problem with most of it is they cant get rid of before it goes bad. It can save roughly 30 million lbs. of meat each year because of pathogens, but what about the fresh stuff? Isnt the surplus the problem there?

why dont we just irradiate the planet, then well have nothing to worry about

I am doing a cause and effect paper on the effects of irradiation on food safety and quality. I have a lot of inconclusive information and I was wondering if there are any experts that could comment or point me in the right direction?

TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT AND/OR NEED ME TO DO Write a letter sign a petition, call someone, what?

ahem, i must say ben is the king right now, but there is definetly an uprising, the king will soon fall...

no they just TOAST the cumin

fennell flavor is already mainstream they just call it TWIZZLERS the real funny thing is alot of people won't try something new unless there favorite movie star does or until the exec's come up with a catchy commercial. and THEN it would be cool. im not one but there are some people who just dont care about variety in flavor and or cuisine at all.(ahemm, midwest) now dont go crying you midwesterners im just making an general observation about a region. but meat and potatoes satisfies alot of people, somehow, someway. just the idea of eating something different has always interested me.i've never not tried anything, and i cant say i dislike any food. i dislike certain preparations, (meaning some people just dont know what he or she is doing) but not any cuisine. my point is that resources will soon be abundant enough to where all cuisines will be considered and the places it will start will be the largest cities(NY,LA,MIA). probably not for 100 years or so but you will see an equalization in diversity from the world. another observation, the US does NOT have the most diverse culinary scene in the world. i was looking at a show on the country of UAE(united arab emirates?) and they looked more open to diversity than us. those damn conserva-liberals scared of everyone that comes in the country. i wish they would GROW up and realize the walls they try and constuct will never stand.