Jaymes

For the main course, how about Huachinango a la Veracruzana? Easy to do and fabulous. One of the most famous and classic dishes in all of Mexico. You'd need one whole red snapper, which might be a little pricey, but the rest of the ingredients are not particularly expensive and the presentation is stunning. And I'd definitely do rajas with onions and creme as a side. Everybody loves it and it always surprises people that are not accustomed to authentic Mexican. A pork shoulder isn't costly. Along with the snapper, you could do carnitas. As for your tortillas, everybody in Mexico serves them as the bread along with the main course, no matter what else they're serving. So certainly you should serve your tortillas, and they won't be "for tacos." I know you've already got your soups planned, but if you're still considering, I've got a terrific recipe for Sopa Tarasca, the best soup I've ever had in Mexico. And it's bean-based, so it's not expensive. ________________________

We have several other "Pot Lucks" threads, and they are absolutely full of great ideas and recipes. Actually, I refer to them quite often. You might do a search for other threads with "Pot Luck" in the title. ____________________

I don't know much about it, but certainly know someone that probably does. Rachel Laudan, who posts here as "caroline," is a food historian currently living and working in Mexico. I'd suggest you pm her. And here's a link to her blog: Rachel Laudan

I do the can of tuna thing, too. Try to get canned tuna imported from Italy. But for simplicity itself, toss hot pasta with some butter. Salt & pepper and eat.

You are probably thinking about Gerik's Ole Czech Smokehouse and Bakery. I stopped there last Saturday on my way down to Lockhart and Luling for some BBQ. Here is a pic of the cherry kolache I bought I thought this was better than the cherry kolache I got at Czech Stop on the way back home on Sunday. Most notably, the filling was better. Doing a search for kolaches, and came up with this old thread. And no, I wasn't thinking of Gerik's. I was thinking of a place actually in town, north on Main Street, next to the Czech butcher shop. But just came through there a week or so ago, and the place I liked has closed. The typical story - bought out by new owners, quality went down, had to close. I do go to Gerik's now. Or Village Bakery, also in town on Main, but you turn right, about a block south. Czech Stop is okay, but really pretty mediocre compared with other bakeries in town. Of course, in their defense, they don't have to be as good because they've got the best location and that's where all the "rubber tire tourists" stop. So, whatever works... Right? ________________

I'll add that I usually toast them before adding, a la Indian cooking. I've never read anywhere that one should do that for American-style soups, stews, etc., but it works so well in Indian cooking that I figured it had to be a good idea across the board. And as far as I'm concerned, it is.

If you haven't made it already, or did and are still looking for something wonderful, here's a recipe I've been making to great success for many years: PEACH SANGRIA A particularly prudent choice of Sangria to serve when entertaining guests upon one's brand new light-colored carpeting. * 2 ripe peaches, peeled & sliced (in winter, I use frozen) * 1 lemon, sliced thinly, seeds removed * 1 orange, sliced thinly, seeds removed * 3 T sugar (or to taste, depending on size of lemon) * 1/4 c Peach Schnaaps * 750 ml dry white wine (about the size of one standard bottle) Combine all and chill well, at least one hour. Serves two very jovial people at two generous glasses each. As is immediately apparent, there is no brandy, so this is a pleasant, light, fresh-tasting summertime drink. And on occasion I have, at the end of the evening, fished out any remaining peaches (now wonderfully marinated) and served them over pound cake and ice cream for dessert.

We have a thread on eG somewhere about recipes using Coke and it went on for several pages, including snacks, mains, salads, desserts. Everything, really. A personal favorite in my house is to saute onions for hot dogs with Coke. They wind up sweet and caramelized. But as far as drinks go, in back in the 50's & 60's, if one was at all fashionable, one always ordered "chocolate Coke" at the soda fountain. Fizzy Coke with chocolate syrup. Really very, very good.

I've never found it here. I think you have to get over to Indian territory - New Mexico, Arizona, etc. But you do know you can make it, right? It's not that difficult.

"Red beer" - some mixture of beer and a tomato-based juice or sauce - remains pretty popular in many parts of the US; although, as others have said, the once equally-popular raw egg thing largely has died out due to the fears of salmonella. But the red beer remains ubiquitous. In the southwest, many bars with a largely Hispanic clientele offer the Michelada - a kind of catch-all term for beer-based drinks. Almost everybody squeezes in some fresh lime juice, and then adds an assortment of other condiments, most often including some sort of salsa or hot sauce, turning the beer red. Michelada

To appreciate White Castle it must be after 1am and you must be plastered/high. Cheap steamed meat on a little bun. Indeed they are like sliders. And if you want to get at least an idea, you probably can buy them frozen at your grocery store. They're not as good as buying a half-dozen or so fresh, but they're not bad. We always have a box or two in our freezer for impulsive snacking. White Castle frozen burgers

Phoenix in August will be utterly miserable. There's no way around that. The only saving grace is that everything is air-conditioned, but when you're outside, it's like a blast furnace. As far as how conservative are the locals when it comes to food, that's impossible to say. Phoenix is a large, cosmopolitan, sophisticated city, and I don't think you can lump its residents into any sort of culinary adventuresome or unadventuresome group. You'll find plenty of both types. I would keep in mind that Arizona is home to a great many Hispanics, and they are accustomed to spicy food. I'd advise your son to just cook what he likes best, and I'm sure the family will like it, too.

And I have to say that's one great thing about Houston. I didn't really plan to come here, but as long as I am here, I certainly must say I'm enjoying the inexhaustible variety of restaurants that the US's fourth-largest city provides. Houston seems to be an immigrant mecca. Very large populations from every country on the planet. The Vietnamese community here is second-largest in the nation; only California's Orange County is larger. Every nation is represented, along with at least four or five restaurants specializing in their indigenous cuisine. All that and terrific barbecue and Mexican food, too. Now, if it were just not for these blasted, infernal summers...

How does that work? Presumably, each time after you move you no longer have the thing you previously moved for down the street from you. I foresee an (almost) endless loop of food moves. Actually.... it could be an endless loop if i let it. At some point i am just going to have to decide what it is i cant live without.... and stay in that one place. Its been about about 7 years since i have lived in Arizona and i am still dreaming about the little hole in the wall place where i get my tortillas. I know that sounds silly but trust me.....THESE tortillas are like no other i have encountered. AND.... they make the most SUBLIME burritos. SO fabulous in fact...... its been a toss up on going to Texas or back to Arizona. But... after much thought i have hope that i will find equally GREAT tortillas in Texas at some point. So... Its Texas i am going to. And of course...... i could actually get burnt out on what it is that i am moving for. LOL who knows? That did happen to one food item in Louisiana. And as far as cooking some of these things i love so much..... i am a rotten cook. I am Italian so making good pasta comes easily to me. LOL learned from my parents.... but thats all i am good at. So..... when the time comes to pack up and move on to the next desired place.... i am always ready to go. LOL I have great hopes for Texas.... i have been thinking about it for so many years..... i might just wind up stayin there. I'm with you on the Texas barbecue. The thing is, most stuff I could make myself. Like pasta, for example. And tortillas, too, for that matter - although Texas indeed does have tortillas equally fabulous to the ones I routinely got when we lived in Tucson. But unless I really up my 'smoked-meats' game, not to mention invest in some sort of costly proper smoker or pit, I simply cannot replicate the best of Texas 'cue, like what they serve up at Lockhart, Luling, Lexington, Giddings, Gonzales, etc. I know lots of folks that have tried, but it's just about impossible to turn out that ambrosial brisket unless you're a meat smokin' hobbyist devoting untold hours and hours to your craft. Which I ain't, and which I'm not going to become at this late date. I live in Texas now. Didn't move here for the food. But as I contemplate where to live the rest of my life, can't leave Texas. And that actually means Central Texas. And it's all thanks to the barbecue. ___________________

Who knows why. But a better question, I think, is as soon as you were pointed toward the first unsatisfactory table, why did you not point at one that better suited you and say, "Would it be all right if we sat here?"

In some Polish restaurants, when you first arrive, they put a basket of various Polish breads on the table, along with two small pots. One is clearly and obviously butter. As for the second, the first time I saw one, I had no idea. I inspected it very closely and was puzzled to see that it looked like nothing more than a small pot of congealed sausage grease. Which turned out to be exactly what it was. I don't recall the exact Polish name, but it was just sausage grease, congealed, with a few bits of sausage in it. The idea was that you smear it onto your bread, just like you would butter. At first, I was somewhat repulsed. But it turned out to be pretty darn tasty. And, after all, fat is fat is fat. I certainly have no such repulsion about butter. So, once I got over my initial surprise and disdain, I really enjoyed it.

When I was young, and helping my grandmother peel tomatoes for various reasons, she taught me a technique that works well for peeling just a few tomatoes, not really enough to blanch. Take your sharp knife and turn it over, then run the back of the blade along the skin a time or two. That loosens the skin enough to just pull it off. She also was the one that told me when I'm putting tomatoes into a salad, or other "non-cooking" use, to always be sure to drain them first. "I know people think that they're full of tomato 'juice,'" she said, "but that's not 'juice.' It's water. And it will ruin your salad." Wise advice, in my opinion, and it's never failed me. I've often noticed others' tossed salads to be watery, the dressing seemingly diluted. Invariably, that's why. If you don't want to drain your chopped tomatoes for a tossed salad, then use cherry tomatoes. ______________________

Joiei, what's the name of that Asian/Thai place I like so much? It's still around, isn't it?

Yes, but not so far from South Carolina and Florida, both of which currently have Del Taco.

First, congratulations on your success. You've really worked hard and you deserve it! And second, will Ms. Wolfert be available to sign books? Will there be some sort of stipulation that you must buy the book there, or can I bring in some books that I already have?

I always de-seed for salads, and dips and salsas that call for chopped fresh tomatoes. Otherwise, they make everything way too watery. I do have a few recipes that call for skinning the tomatoes that I definitely think are improved by skinning. But for the vast majority of recipes, I don't bother. ______________________________

There are pros and cons about sending drinks to the kitchen. I can think of a few obvious pitfalls, like the assumption that everybody on the staff that one wishes to thank actually consumes alcohol. Here's a previous thread discussing it: "Sending drinks to the kitchen." ______________________

Agreed. Completely.

You use an ad hominem argument here. Instead of addressing the point being discussed, you attack the speaker in some way on personal grounds. It is the sign of a weak argument on your part or just bad manners. In fact I usually tip greater than 20% and said so to the waitress in both cases. And to me, anyway, the "point being discussed" is not whether or not the server deserves 18% (because sometimes they deserve less and sometimes they deserve more) - it's the policy of automatically adding that percentage onto the bill, even for a single diner. I don't think it is a "good idea." I resent it, and I'll "argue with it." I am a good tipper. I usually tip more than the 18% for myriad reasons. I definitely see justification for adding a service charge for groups, for all the reasons given. On more than one occasion, I've been the one that noticed the tip was really low for the server and added substantially more from my own pocket. But I do not like the idea of automatically adding 18% to my bill when I'm dining alone. Even when I'm going to tip more than that, I don't like the idea of feeling forced to.

Did you pay it without giving thought to whether or not the service warranted it? I have on several occasions over the last five years or so refused to pay the "automatic" tip that was "added for your convenience" after receiving dreadful service.