Megan Blocker

Rut roh...just saw this article on NYTimes.com about the NY health departments concerns over sous vide. I'm thinking more temporary setback/annoyance than real problem. Thoughts?

What an amazing heirloom, Kathy...I made a similar find while helping to clean out my grandparents' CT house when it sold last fall. My grandmother's recipe box was such a treat - the one I found seemed to date from the '60's, and was full of casseroles (LOTS of cream of mushroom) and salads...not a lot that I'll actually use from that batch, but such a neat slice of her life.

Yes - a "Ling Goes Pro" thread!

Go Ling!!! That's awesome...I also love the idea of a cream-filled madeleine...Speaking of which, guess what I made for dessert last night? I'm in a madeleine rut, but it hurts so good, I don't want out!

Oh, yeah, of course! I know plenty of people who've developed allergies over time. I just remember hearing that this was very common amongst medical professionals, far more common than developing, say, food allergies. Anyhoo, I suppose it's OT.

It's tiiiime...the Times is running a piece on the new Manhattan Trader Joe's in today's Dining and Wine section.

Just saw this article on NYTimes.com...looks like there's a group of ladies calling themselves the Dames of Beef (les Dames du Boeuf) who make the rounds of some of the city's most established establishments.

Not exactly true. Some are allergic to different chemicals within the peanut, which are also present in peas themselves. I know there are unrelated botanically, but there are at least similar substances in both. It can be enough to cause a reaction. In my experience, I wore latex gloves at work every day for several years. I ended up with a reaction to them after that time. The sensitivity built up over the course of time, and though it wasn't throat-closing, get a clear airway started, I did develop hives. Since I got out of the medical biz, I can wear them on occasion now, but I have had reactions since, once while having an IV started. It's nothing to fool around with, folks. Even if they are just a picky eater, you still want them to enjoy your food, right? Edited cos I cant tipe ← This is pretty common in the medical profession, isn't it? Developing an allergy to latex? I feel like I read that somewhere once...

Hey, there's green stuff. I'm allergic!

That is so frustrating, Marlene! When it comes to Houston's, my recommendation is to stick to the spinach dip, burgers, fries, and coleslaw. I've rarely enjoyed a whole lot else there...

Oh my god. My inner WASP cries for you. That must be tough, though I'm glad to hear it doesn't affect your dessert enjoyment!

I completely agree with this. I don't understand the downright fiery lengths some people will go to to get people to eat foods they claim not to like. If someone has tried something and didn't like it, that's it - they tried, end of story. I never force my food on someone else, and I don't like it when it's done back. If my friend who dislikes beef is coming for dinner, I'm not going to make it just to spite her. Why would I? I'm her hostess, and I want her to feel welcome. ← I wouldnt just go and throw Lamb in it if they dont like it. I probe and find out why they dont like it, Cooked the wrong way, got sick once while eating it, the best one Ive heard is "I ate oatmeal every day I was pregnant and heard this song on the radio every morning and got morning sickness, so if I hear that song or see oatmeal i get sick right there" After i know why they dont like said item that lets me know if i can get away with trying to get them to retry it. You dont like fish why? Because we always had fried catfish. So along with dinner I have a bit of grilled salmon or make some tuna burgers. An outright ambush I agree is wrong, but a calculated attempt to broaden someones taste horizons with the multitude of food available has got to be worth it. I hope... ← Absolutely - I do the same thing. My point is much more directed at people who insist that you should like something, even when you've given the food a fair shake. Drives me bonkers. BONKERS! Of course, picky eaters drive me bonkers, too. I'm lucky enough not to have many of them amongst my friends and family, so I rarely have to stare these issues in the face.

I think that the simplest explanation is most likely, if you know what I mean. Interesting to read about the Austrian/Hungarian crepe tortes, I wasn't aware of them. Megan, it's too bad that they are so publicity shy, I was going to request a photo blog! ← I know, it's totally annoying! Here're some shots of the outside, taken during my blog... That's the mille crepes, right down in front...you can just make it out as a smudge of gold...

Correction duly noted! Sorry if I offended anyone. The CEO sounded a bit coy to me in his response, when in fact a milles crepes is probably familiar to anyone who has grown up or spent time in Japan (just like baumkuchen). It would not surprise me at all if it were first done in France and took off in Japan. Either way, it is French inspired. I'd be interested in knowing if you find anything in your research. BTW, do you happen to know if the pastry chefs at Lady M are Japanese? ← No offense! Hmmmm...not sure about the pastry chefs. As Hesser noted in the article, they are incredibly publicity-coy. I went there for my blog and was not allowed to take any photographs, either of the "tasting salon" or of my slice of cake and cup of tea. The pastry chefs work in LIC, and so I haven't had an opportunity to check, but the woman making the lunch items in the back was European (had a slight, soft accent - maybe French). I sense an excuse for pulling out my cat-burglar outfit.

Sometimes it is more of a texture thing rather than a taste issue. I never liked asparagus as a child - but then we only had that awful stuff out of a can. The flavor was ok, but I couldn't stand the texture. I won't re-try canned asparagus - ever! The first time I had crisp-cooked asparagus - I was hooked - and will have fresh asparagus in just about anything now. ← Definitely - there are all sorts of reasons for liking things now I didn't like then. I grew up in a house where artichokes were steamed and served with lemon butter, and where asaparagus were served crisp and with a lovely vinaigrette. I didn't like them then, but I love them now. So, for me, a lot of it has just been maturing taste buds. Avocado is another example of this - I hated it as a child, but really enjoy it now. That said, for a kid, I was an adventurous eater. My mom made me try everything once, and it helped me find things I really loved. But she never forced me to eat things I didn't like, as long as I'd given them a real shot.

I completely agree with this. I don't understand the downright fiery lengths some people will go to to get people to eat foods they claim not to like. If someone has tried something and didn't like it, that's it - they tried, end of story. I never force my food on someone else, and I don't like it when it's done back. If my friend who dislikes beef is coming for dinner, I'm not going to make it just to spite her. Why would I? I'm her hostess, and I want her to feel welcome. I get frustrated by people who won't try things, but, beyond that, it's a matter of personal preference. Maybe this is left over from a childhood of enduring pizza at every party - I HATED pizza, and it's all there was to eat, and people acted like I was crazy for not liking it. Drove me bonkers, and still does. My friend Cristin has a great saying - "don't yuck someone else's yum." I also think the reverse is true - don't spend energy yumming someone else's yuck. You're not going to convert someone to loving organ meat by taunting them about it or shoving it in their face.

Cookman, I've never tried their gateau au chocolat, because I'm forever distracted by the mille crepes cake. However, in the name of research and helping out a fellow eGulleteer...I promise to try it this weekend. ← Megan, thanks for sacrificing yourself and doing the research. ← Any time, baby!

Interesting read. The writer should have done his homework, though. The inspiration for the Lady M mille crepes obviously comes via Japan, where the exact same dessert is widely available. (The owner of Lady M is Japanese.) I look forward to a review of the gateau au chocolat. ← Ummmm, her homework...the author is Amanda Hesser. This was the article that first moved me to check out Lady M last year - thanks for finding it! The Japanese CEO himself likens Lady M to La Maison du Chocolat...I know Lady M is backed by Japanese investors and headed by a Japanese CEO, and cakes like the mille crepes may be hugely popular in Japan, but that doesn't mean it's not inspired, at least originally, by a French pastry. But, then, I don't know. I'd have to do some research and trace the cake's origins, perhaps further back than Larousse!

Food allergies are a delicate subject...there are those who cook them up in order to avoid foods they dislike (and we all have things we dislike - or, at least, most of us do), and then there are those with genuine allergies. It's hard to know the difference. I had a friend in college who claimed to be allergic to garlic. Not onions, not shallots, just garlic. Oddly enough, he ate tons of foods with garlic in them, but avoided things like garlic hummus, roasted garlic (which was hugely in vogue then as a pre-dinner spread for bread and the like), and so on. I think he just didn't enjoy a really strong garlic flavor. But, no, he insisted he was allergic. What can you do? Most people I know will try anything at least once, which is really all you can ask for, in my opinion. I try to re-taste things I don't like every now and again (this list includes many cheeses, for what it's worth), just to see if things have changed. After all, growing up I disliked artichokes, asparagus, all cheeses, onions...the list goes on and on. I like these things now, but would never know that if I hadn't given them a second (and, in some cases, third or fourth) try.

That is a great idea...though the video in itself is pretty hilarious...I love the Batman-esque callouts at the bottom of the screen, and the fast-action 10-second countdown.

Cookman, I've never tried their gateau au chocolat, because I'm forever distracted by the mille crepes cake. However, in the name of research and helping out a fellow eGulleteer...I promise to try it this weekend.

It is an entire sheep's head, surrounded by the feet. The white piece sticking out is the nose cartilage, which I ate. It tasted like very crunchy lamb. Perhaps you'd like to see the first course: <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b60/sazji/serupepik.jpg" border="0" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket"></a> ← That looks like what came out of that guy's stomach in Alien.

I loved Tender at the Bone and Comfort me with Apples so it's likely to be a real treat. Her books sadden me though - they're a constant reminder of how the US continues to take foodwriting seriously while we seem to have turned it into a branch of lightweight celebrity/lifestyle journalism. ← That's is a very interesting point re. food journalism. Perhaps its something to do with the dumbing down as we lurch further and further in to a celebrity obsessed reality show based culture. I'm not too familiar with US foodwriting - any notable examples I should look at? ← Depends on how far back you want to go! I highly recommend M.F.K. Fisher...an incredible starting point, and if you like Reichl, I think you'll probably like Fisher as well. Another fun one is Jeffrey Steingarten...he is Vogue's food critic, and many of his essays are collected into two books (The Man Who Ate Everything and It Must Have Been Something I Ate), both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. For a drop-kick introduction, check out the "Best American Food Writing" collections, edited by Holly Hughes. Those tend to give an overview of what's been written in a given year.

If the food thing is important, stay away from Stamford. That is precisely why I moved away from CT and to Manhattan. ← Well, obviously the food scene is more compact and vibrant in Manhattan, but that doesn't mean Connecticut is a wasteland. For home cooks, it's a pretty decent spot.

And here, too! There's a bar in my block that routinely hosts families with strollers (not a lot of older kids in the neighborhood, really), especially in warmer months. This is pretty much exclusively a weekend afternoon phenomenon, though.