Megan Blocker

Hmmmm...I think it's for many of the reasons you've already mentioned: it's easier to cut breasts into regular shapes, there's less (really, no) trimming required, and so on. I also think that many recipes and cookbooks, of Chinese cuisine or no, are influenced by trends in eating - in this case, of eating leaner, lower calories meats. Chicken breasts take the cake here (if we don't think about fish, anyway), though chicken thighs and legs are still significantly lower in fat and calories than most cuts of beef or lamb. You definitely hit my nail on the head, Pontormo - I do prefer the darker meat of the chicken, though I've been known to enjoy the breasts as well (especially in quick salads at dinner or as an ingredient in one of my favorites, chicken milanese). However, when making a braised dish, I always go strictly for dark meat, and I make a beeline for it when a whole bird is involved (turkey or chicken). This is one of the reasons I love Mario Batali so much - every chance he gets, he tries to convert white meaters over to my side. I also appreciate Mark Bittman's efforts in this area - his Minimalist column frequently touts the use of the darker chicken meat. One of my favorite Bittman recipes (stir-fried chicken with ketchup - sounds weird, but is actually quite yummy) made a point of asking for skinless, boneless thighs. One small step for man...one giant leap for cooking kind (I hope). ETA: I had lunch at a rather nice French bistro here in the city the other day, and they serve a coq au vin (I've never sampled, though, as I can never resist the steak tartare). The menu actually states (discreetly): "Dark meat chicken only." I guess this is for the regular flow of society ladies who lunch who might be horrified to receive something other than their lean, mean boneless breasts! (No pun intended.)

Fabulous analysis, Pontormo!!! Yes, I do enjoy my slumming - if I'm going to go declasse, I'm going declasse all the way.

Sex sells, baby. It even sells glorified turkey basters. Um, ok, I'm stopping there.

Fair enough! Thanks for the detective work! I was at the office and unable to check my shelf to see what the actual title was...

Shalmanese, I have to tell you - when I saw your beautifully plated lamb on the Dinner! thread, I did think to myself: oh, man, that could have been really nasty-looking. You've definitely delivered. Cheers!

I just saw this one, Pontormo! It actually pushes the Chicken Selects, which, being made with "all-white breast meat," are the antithesis of everything I love about my McNuggets. However. Interestingly lame ad, though I can see how they're trying to target wannabe hipster young 'uns...I wonder if yuppies-to-be are the new McDonald's targets?

Italy - I'm going next year! Tuscany, Rome, and Emilia-Romagna. Ooooh, I can barely wait (she says, rubbing her hands together with glee)!

The issue becomes a bit stickier when one is the proprietor of an establishment traditionally frequented by the first four types you mentioned, though. When the disruption caused by a group whose spending has not yet surpassed that of the group(s) they're bothering, the owner has to decide whether or not to defend his larger group of paying customers.

I think we're talking more about a Starbucks-type, coffehouse/cafe environment - one that caters to people there mostly to sit and drink coffee, but may also serve light food. Much more that than a restaurant or diner setting. As someone pointed out above, these environments are more likely to experience these sorts of issues, due to their generally less structured nature (armchairs facing out instead of tables where chairs face in, and so on). "Coffee shop," to me, connotes more of a diner atmosphere. I agree, Tess, it does seem a bit obnoxious. Rather than asking, it's telling. Bound to ruffle anyone's feathers, no? I think the name of the neighborhood is unfortunate, too. Wasn't Andersonville the name of an infamous Civil War prison? Whoops.

IMHO, food is food - be it fine cuisine or a McNugget. I can eat at Jean-Georges and at McDonald's, and talk about both with equal enthusiasm. Is Mickey D's on the cutting edge of "cuisine?" Of course not. Does it hit the spot from time to time? Yes, indeedy. As Chris has mentioned, the beauty of eGullet is its appreciation for all things food and drink and the way it manages to embrace such huge, diverse topics. McDonald's may pollute my body (so do many other things - alcohol comes to mind), but it's yummy, and, in many ways (though some may lament this) a bastion of American food culture. What's most interesting to me is the "why" of this last bit. Is it because Americans fall for marketing campaigns like these? Or is it because they just don't care one way or the other how "healthy" something is, and just like McDonald's because it's fast, cheap, tasty and hot?

Slightly off-topic, but this reminds me of the time I caught the bouquet at my friend's wedding and the groom's little stepsister (about 8 years old) stole it out of my hands while everyone was still clapping and ran off with it. Her parents did nothing about it - I could not believe the rudeness. Running off with your handbag? TEN TIMES WORSE. Maybe things will be clearer once actual fistfights between mommies and singles start breaking out.

Courtesy of one of the Chicago moms (no dads, hmmmm...) quoted in the Times piece: Enjoy yourselves, but not at the expense of others, is what I would say. Not all children are poorly behaved; those that are (whether chronically or at that moment) do not belong in a cafe or a restaurant where other patrons are paying the same amount to enjoy a relatively peaceful environment in which to sip their coffee and eat their scones. If a child routinely behaves poorly when in restaurants, you probably just shouldn't sit in a coffee shop with them. Go in, get your coffee, and leave. Yeah, it kinda bites for the parents, who, obviously, are still real people and do deserve to relax with a cuppa joe. But that's the choice they have made, and it's why we have babysitters.* It's also why some places have kids' days. For instance, New York now has Crybaby Matiness for kids and their parents, and the otherwise young-ish coffee shop that I frequent daily has story time twice a week. Sounds like this neighborhood could use some of these things... I do agree with you, Kiliki, that some of the parents quoted in the article just seem plain clueless; it's people like these that make us single/childless folks wonder what part of being a parent causes you to lose all sense of social responsibility. However, like you, I have noticed that most kids are very well-behaved in restaurants, and am very impressed by that fact. It seems to me that this piece is an account of a neighborhood going through massive social change, and it's not surprising that it might escalate like this. Though none of the involved parties means it this way (perhaps), the parents' apparent disregard for the experience and comfort of others is perceived as a judgment of themselves as superior to the other neighborhood dwellers. Similarly, the parents may be misinterpreting the requests for well-behaved children as critiques of their child-raising abilities rather than as reminders to be courteous to other patrons. Everyone is already on edge and ready to take every little thing as an attack, and you get, well...this. *ETA: Yes, I know not everyone can afford a babysitter, but it seems to me that people who have enough time on their hands to allow this to become a hot button issue probably can.

Sigh...I miss Silver Moon! It seems a world away from my current abode on the UES. Fabulous blog, Kathleen! And talk about going out with a bang - the mussels look excellent. Well done! Say g'night to the ferrets for us.

We-ell....probably better than what might have happened had they been too sharp! Bye-bye, tip of the tongue!

Tonight was bistro night in my apartment - well, it was supposed to be! I wanted to make celeri remoulade and a real coq au vin (whole chicken, bottle of wine, fresh pearl onions, etc.), but the celery root I bought last week had something growing on it (icky!). Soooo...I improvised and made a cucumber remoulade instead, and it was pretty good! The coq au vin came out well, and should be good for a few more dinners this week, unless my little bro decides to come a-pillaging.... I'm having Image Gullet issues, but will post pics when I can! ETA: Ooooooh, gorgeous duck, Klary! The mash looks pretty freakin' good, too. Is that a little pool of butter on the top, there? Edited again: Found the pics!!! Coq au vin: "Cuke Remoulade":

Snobbery? Preference? I mean, Mickey D's fries are up there, but I've had some at bistros (though not, as has been widely noted, at Meyers' Shake Shack) that blow them out of the water. That said, I live a block from a McDonald's (which is actually odd for Manhattan - as opposed to living a block from a Starbucks or a Tasti-D-Lite), and will buy a large fries as the "frites" piece of steak frites - easier and pretty much tastier than what I can make in my kitchen without getting monstrous amounts of grease everywhere. Which, considering the size of my apartment (grease in the kitchen means, well, grease everywhere), is a big plus. I have no problem doing or admitting this. Do I think fast food is great all the time, for everyone? No. Do I think we should strive to make it the exception rather than the rule? Yes. But that doesn't mean there isn't a place for it... And, so, to each his own.

As a fellow grammar nut, I would like to point out that Eats, Shoots and Leaves was a best-seller here in the States, too! It's very exciting to see my countrymen and -women embracing their predominant tongue in this way. I just wish I saw more of it in some of the emails that fly back and forth at the office! I'll have to be on the lookout for that one, Pontormo...I've been known to get a bit cheeky myself, though not usually on the subject of McNuggets. Today is an exception.

Done and done! It's hilarious. I'm still going to eat McNuggets once in a while, but I will have to devise a way to avoid the carcinogenic antibiotics contained therein.... Here's a link!

Aaaaah, but - I can appreciate both the Applegate, beautifully dressed hot dog as well as the glorious nastiness that is the Chicken McNugget. I love all things equally. We certainly shouldn't be feeding that stuff for school lunches, but if I, a consenting adult, choose to treat myself once in a while (and, typically, when my other choices are Domino's and Chili's), I think that's ok. Is Jamie Oliver the Upton Sinclair of our time?

While joining in your lamentation of the state of grammar in the modern age, I would argue that "Zagat's" isn't so much a misuse of the apostrophe (it does, accurately, reflect a possessive, as in the "Zagat Family's Guide") as it is a perversion of the actual title ("Zagat Guide"). It's not a grammatical issue - it's a case of mistaken identity! Or something. Anyhoo...I love this thread. You would not believe the debates I have heard over this one over the years. They're very common here in New York...

It was pretty ubiquitous in my day, as well, and so far - not many sporks available in day-to-day adult life. Plenty on airplanes, though.

Great dinner, Wendy! You obviously have excellent taste in men, as well as in all things food. Those custards are gorgeous, and the veal looks positively too-licious.

Thanks, Jennifer! Those are all great ideas. I just had another slice of the tart (I also managed to unload two at the office today and one to a friend who I met for Greek food tonight), and I have to say, the crust is really good. I hadn't noticed last night (maybe too pooped from the whole thing), but it's incredibly light and flaky. Can't wait to see how it cooks up sans pie weights. Perhaps this weekend!

It's a money shot! Ahahahahahaha.... Sorry. Sleep-deprived. PatrickS, your photos are gorgeous...and the food isn't half bad, either. By which I mean, of course - wow!

I live in Nebraska. My lesbian friends take me dancing at a gay bar. Two of my military jobs are circumcisions and administering drug tests. I have seen enough meat in my life. Now if it were a bacon restaurant... ← Well, now you've gone and made things all double-entendre-y. Naughty, naughty. Mmmmm...bacon. A bacon restaurant. More .