Jaymes

So I'm quoting myself, here, but want to add that I also owned a business - a travel agency - for about 8 years. There does come a time when a customer/client just ain't worth it. In all that time, I only had two. But on both occasions, after trying everything to come up with a more congenial and mutually beneficial professional relationship, I finally stood up and said, "I'm sorry, but it appears that we are unable to offer you the service you require. You'll have to find another agency that suits you better." In my case, it was easy to come up with something to say. I wonder, gfron1, what exactly you'd say to this customer by way of an explanation if you decided to ban him. Trying to come up with an appropriate reason could give you a clue as to whether it's a good idea or not. "Um, people like you from....." .

You're in a small town and, thanks to your excellence, have developed such an outstanding reputation that you've become a "destination restaurant." I think you could get away with things other restaurants could not. I definitely would advise you to consider the "no tipping required" policy. Would probably just add to your considerable cache. And people that are good tippers would undoubtedly add a little more anyway for excellent service. That said, I think I'd remind your server that there ain't a job in the world that doesn't have some great aspects and some unpleasant aspects. If you're going to work anywhere in this human world, you're going to have to deal with both, and take the bad with the good, and stop whining and just get on with it.

Soba, thanks for reminding me about that Tunisian potato salad. I recall thinking that it looked very good. For one thing, I'm a big fan of capers so I'm pretty sure I'd love this version. Potato salad season is here again. This time I'm going to be certain to give this a try. Think I might try adding some good-quality Italian tuna to make a nice lunch.

Anyone else watching this? Didn't recognize Graham Elliot. Kudos to him. And the last episode featured a terrific cooking tip that I've never seen. Gordon Ramsay needed to steep some aromatics in broth. So he got a French press, put the aromatics into it, brought some broth to a boil in a pot on the stove, then poured it into the French press and let it sit. After the proper amount of time, he pushed down the plunger to remove as much of the flavor as possible before continuing with the recipe. Smart. I see lots of tricks, tips, techniques on these cooking shows, many of which I'll probably never remember to do. But this one? I'm on it.

Here's my personal Do Not Miss: http://www.pragerport.com/ And I never do. Also never miss a stop at Rancho Gordo's terrific store on Yajome St in Napa: http://www.ranchogordo.com/html/rg_market_schedule.htm

Are you old enough to remember this little ditty, popular at the time: I eat my peas with honey I've done it all my life They do taste kind of funny But it keeps them on my knife

Count me as another fan of this wonderful thread. And I have a couple of cucumber questions. Are they using any special sort of cucumber? And, assuming they are not a variety of seedless cucumbers, are they most-often seeded? How about peeled?

Just a note of caution, and it might not pertain to everyone, but still... I have the complete set. Because I've moved a lot, the books were packed away in a box. After reading this thread, got very interested and eager again about these wonderful books, so I opened the box and started pulling them out. Unfortunately, the covers and backs had stuck to one another. So, as I pulled them apart, they tore. Wish I had put some sort of wax or parchment paper between them when I packed them away. And I'd suggest that all y'all consider that if you need to store them for some reason.

Do you roll them, then microwave? Works for me every time. Even with really old dried up lemons and limes.

Just to add, regarding bringing spices back into the US from Istanbul, I visited there a short time ago and brought back quite a few spices, which received no special interest whatsoever from the US customs officials.

I also welcome you. Your avatar looks like a gorgeous meal, for sure, so I know we'll all be very happy you're here! In what part of Spain are you currently living?

Speaking of dates and bacon, I like to stick a chunk of good parmesan into a date, then wrap with bacon, then bake at 450 until bacon is done. Wonderful.

I realize, of course, that my comments will be nothing of any help whatsoever to Shel_B so, Shel, let me point out in advance of you saying so, that I understand that. However, this might be of use to others seeking to improve their banana bread. For many years I have used the Cook's Illustrated Ultimate Banana Bread recipe. You can find it online. The part of the recipe pertinent to this thread is that it calls for five bananas in the bread (and another to decorate the top, but that doesn't relate to this conversation). You are supposed to get them to the so-mushy-they're-liquid stage. You can do that either by allowing them to get that old, or freezing them, or putting them in the microwave. Then, when they're sopping and dripping liquid, you put them into a strainer, allowing them to drain into a bowl, and then mashing them in the strainer until you've got as much of the liquid out as possible. You should wind up with about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of liquid. Then you boil down the liquid, concentrating it to 1/4 cup. Then you proceed as usual. This makes what is, by far, the best and most intensely-flavored banana bread that anyone in my personal circle of family and friends has ever had. Like I say, I realize this will be of no help to Shel. It's not what he asked about and not what he wants to know. And I apologize for cluttering up his thread with such hopelessly useless information as this. But I posted it anyway because of the possibility that perhaps jmacnaughtan and a few others might find it of some value.

I don't really adhere to this totally, but I will say that I prefer to use a Korean soy sauce when I'm making bulgogi, or other Korean dishes.

And just to add... Do they even grow lemons in Ecuador? I never see them in Mexico.

Excellent suggestion. Yes, we'd love to have them and the jobs they provide. Besides, us Texicans ain't afraid of a little ol' hot chile aroma.

eGullet went online in August 2001, thanks to Steven Shaw and Jason Perlow. I joined as soon as I read about it in the Austin newspaper, in May of 2002. It would be absolutely impossible for me to delineate all the ways that eGullet has made my life richer and more wonderful over these past twelve years. I am in great debt to Fat Guy & the Squirrel. I cannot imagine the devastation of Ellen, PJ, and the rest of his immediate family. Words fail me. Godspeed.

I do keep a close eye on them. For example, my kefir lime has something, so I took the leaves to my local nursery and bought the recommended remedy. As for wishing for citrus and thinking you have to live in the South, that's not true. My citrus trees are all in pots - large pots to be sure, but pots nevertheless. I've had them in every climate imaginable (including the middle of Alaska), but when I'm in an area with harsh winters, I just bring them in for the winter. Everybody's favorite know-it-all, Martha Stewart, has talked about how she has lemon trees in pots on her estate in the Northeast. True that she has an actual greenhouse to put them in during the winter months, but I never did. I had things like back-porches, and large living-room windows. http://www.themarthablog.com/2011/02/my-thriving-citrus-collection.html Seriously, if you'd like to try a citrus, I'd suggest you start with a small calamansi. They're so easy to grow and the blossoms are beautiful and aromatic and the fruit is tasty and versatile. http://www.examiner.com/article/calamansi-a-great-citrus-fruit-to-know-and-grow

Thank goodness my lime tree is blooming its little heart out. I've had great luck with citrus. Got two calamansi, one Meyer lemon, one kaffir lime, and one Mexican lime. They're all making me very happy.

In fact, I remember that when I lived in the Philippines, some of my friends chopped up just one tiny piece of that chile and put it in another friend's rice pilaf as a joke. It was really brutal. I've never forgotten it.

I don't know where the poster is but, if it's in the US, Colorado is currently considered by many to be producing the best lamb: http://www.denverpost.com/food/ci_5682099 That's where my butcher has been getting it for me.

Well, actually New Mexico has been mentioned several times, initially by me back in post #5; and I'm sure I read something about Carolina BBQ. As for Florida, I haven't read back over the whole thread, but I'm sure more than one of us said something about Key Lime Pie. And I offered up conch.

Actually, I wasn't trying to make any sort of point, positive or negative, about "artificial" ingredients. I suppose what I was trying to say was that perhaps the soy sauce in those packets doesn't have as much soy; therefore, more to your liking. That perhaps it isn't just what kind of soy you don't like, but the strength of it. So, if those packets need caramel coloring to make up for reduced levels of soy, that could be part of your answer.

Also, those packets all seem to have some sort of artificial "caramel color," which none of my bottled, brewed soy sauces do. I always assumed they have to add the color to the packets because there's not enough soy to make them brown.

Speaking of garbage plates, anyone else here ever hear of the "St. Louis Sling"? It's a breakfast delicacy popular in St. Louis diners. You order whatever it is you like for breakfast - eggs however you like them, bacon or sausage or ham or whatever meat you like, hash browns or biscuits or whatever starch you want... And then they sling a big ladle of chili over the whole thing.