Suzanne F

Yeah, my go-to veg for seafood is spinach, which has just enough flavor to stand on its own but not to overpower anything else on the plate. But then, too, there's broccoli and its relatives. And zucchini. And peas (well, if you don't mind frozen at this time of year in the U.S.). What I can't see with that dish are: Mushrooms (too assertive) Well, maybe they're not so bad (see helenjp downthread) Corn (color ) Tomatoes (color )

Fifi, if your Chinese markets have good produce departments, they might have fresh water chestnuts. But maybe not all the time. What they look like is, well, sort of like regular tree chestnuts (brown shell), but pointy at one end, and usually pretty much covered with dirt. You have to rinse off the dirt before peeling, but the peeling can be done with a paring knife -- just cut off the brown outside and get down to the sweet, crunchy white or ivory inside. A lot like jicama but much, much smaller. Like jicama, though, they stay nice and crisp and sweet when you cook them. Mmmmmmmmmm, fresh water chestnuts. Mmmmmmmmmmmm, jicama.

Yup -- just like jellied cranberry sauce. I grew up LOVING Dromedary canned date-nut bread. Big treat with cream cheese. Haven't looked for it in ages, but I just might, now. And Pan, I'm with you in drawing the line at water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. Now that I've tasted fresh, I'd sooner do without than use canned. Mushrooms and other vegs, too. BUT: all the beans, chiles, tuna, tomatoes, corn, etc, etc. YES!!!

I like a variation of the version that comes in the KitchenAid Pastamaker (extruder)booklet in every language EXCEPT English. 250 grams all-purpose flour 250 grams semolina flour 3 large eggs 1 tablespoon olive oil Mix everything with the paddle on Speed 2 for 30 seconds; change to dough hook and knead on Speed 2 for 2 minutes. Hand knead for a minute or 2, let rest covered for about 15 minutes, then divide and roll.

The website of the Canned Food Alliance They put out a quarterly newsletter, Today's Table.

oakapple, what determines a "$150 experience," as opposed to a $225 experience, for you? What were the positives, and where and how did the experience lose $75? This is where I have trouble, trying to put an actual, objective, calculable dollar value on the (to me) highly subjective "experience" of a restaurant meal. I can have a gut feeling (our $1,000 for three lunch at Per Se was definitely NOT a 1K experience), but cannot quantify it. How do you?

The branch of Ceci-Cela near me carries breads from Sullivan Street. Not pizze, just bread. To paraphrase the prayer/song, "it IS sufficient." (And the founder is a graduate of the same culinary school I went to. Take that, FCI. )

Boudin noir = morcilla = Polish Kishka = blood sausage (all rather loose equivalents, actually) Yeah, each is different in the details, but all are goooooooooood.

It took me 2 clicks to get to this: I've been buying from them for years and years, and never found them to be dishonest in any way. Dare I suggest that you just thought you saw the inclusion of Canada?

Maybe he needed to do a bit more research before he left instead of relying on some romantic ideal of bygone days. Probably he never got over the shock that it is almost impossible to even FIND Route 66 in some areas.

Didn't a sibling to The Harrison open within the last few months, very close by? Pace, I think it's called.

Andie, that is brilliant! Because, yes, sometimes the water does leak. Thanks!!!

Gee, I'd think this is more geeky than nerdy. But I'd love to hear more about what you prepare, where you find the recipes -- and the ingredients. Of course, you'll have to be prepared for debate as to whether the dish is REALLY from wherever, how "authentic" it is or how allowable your substitution, etc. etc.

I filled the heaviest-weight plastic food storage bag I had with water and placed it on top to weight down the lemons. It conforms nicely to the odd shape. I prefer this to using plates ever since an unfortunate incident of being unable to clean the unglazed part of a plate that weighted stuffed grape leaves. Did you know that mold can grow WITHIN china??

Oh. My. Oh. Oh. Oh. I was fortunate to get a little bit of a wonderful written review of Monica's trip, but this is one case where her pictures complement it sooooooo well. I am especially fascinated by the machinery at the gola stand -- is that to crush the ice? And I wonder if we could convince the McDonald's here in "Curry Hill" to bring in their menu from home? If so, I would definitely eat there! Thank you so much, Monica, for sharing all that! (And for giving hope to this digitalcamerailliterate! )

Spackling

How many of the letter-writers -- and there were undoubtedly many more than just those three -- actually know what it costs to purchase, store, and prep the ingredients; to provide the staff to serve; to pay all the other bills; and to amortize the cost of years of training, of the building of the restaurant, etc. etc.? While I might agree with their righteous indignation at the willingness of some people to spend that much on a meal rather than use the money in ways that match the letter-writers' (or my) priorities, I cannot say that they are right in assuming that the price is "outrageous" or "obscene" in relation to the actual cost, all things considered. Two completely different issues: personal morality versus the realities of the economics of such a business. And regarding the letter suggesting that the Times showed poor judgment in timing: I believe quite the opposite. If anything, reading that review should indeed make people consider how to spend their money. But nothing can make everyone reach the same conclusion -- at least, not the one the letter-writers seem to want.

Buzz. Same reason as having music in the restaurant: they believe it makes people feel excited. Feh.

I've had Alfredo for I don't know how long -- at least 20 years? The one I have is like the Elite, but no interior light. Just toast, broil, regular bake. Very early on, while it was still under warranty, I had to have one of the heating elements replaced, but it has been just fine the whole time since. I use it for toast, melting cheese/browning gratins, baking potatoes, heating leftovers, drying bread for crumbs, roasting nuts -- small oven jobs for which it seems unnecessary to turn on the regular oven. I do NOT use it to broil anything that might spit, but that's mostly because I keep it right up at eye level. I like it just fine, and have never wished it would just die so that I could replace it. And it shows no signs of dying, even after all these years.

Latest order from Jessica's Biscuit: Cheeses of the World, Barthélemy and Sperat-Czar Think Like a Chef, Colicchio (finally remaindered, yay!) Oops, I already had this one. PM or e-mail me if you'd like my extra copy. The Cook's Essential Kitchen Dictionary, Jacques L. Rolland (I'm getting more into things Canadian) The Kitchen Hand, a miscellany of kitchen wisdom, Anthony Telford (ditto, Australian) Handy Pocket Guide to Asian Vegetables, one of the Periplus Nature Guides Kitchen Utensils: Names, Origins, and Definitions Through the Ages, Phillips V. Brooks The Cheese Companion (2nd edition), Judy Ridgway/Sara Hill Homestyle Thai and Indonesian Cooking, Sri Owen (this was the freebie) and, because I'm a good little Bourdain groupie, Hotel Bemelmans. So that's 9 more. Well, it WAS just my birthday. I'm a little disappointed in the Periplus book, but curious about some of the others in the series, one on Asian Herbs and Spices and another on Tropical Fruit. Does anyone know these books? Do they have good detail, or do they just have the same info one can get elsewhere? The only new info I can see in the vegetable book is that it gives the botanical name plus the Thai, Malay, Indonesian, and Filipino names.

Oh my. I used to live near there, 30 years ago, and have very fond memories of breakfasts there to prepare for shopping. Might have even been the first place I regularly ate grits.

Even the Food Emporium carries McCann's. Maltex!!! How could I have forgotten?? Loved it. And I may even have some Ralston in the back of the closet. And as for songs, who remembers: Watch Wilhemina Eat her farina HO Farina Cream Farina something something something Maypo was only in the house when my mother got sick of our whining. It wasn't anywhere as good as regular cereal with maple syrup (which, in our house, was homemade regular sugar syrup with maple flavoring stirred in ). Now, of course, I only have the real thing. Edited to add: is anyone keeping track of the regional differences on this thread?

Growing up in the 1950s and '60s, in addition to Cream of Wheat and its counterpart, HO Cream Farina, and oatmeal, we also sometimes had Ralston cereal, which is somewhat nuttier in flavor. All got the maple-syrup-or-brown-sugar-and-milk treatment. Sometimes raisins, too. Now we are more likely to just have oatmeal -- standard issue Quaker, never instant very chunky as made by HWOE-- or, on rare occasion, COW or Cream of Rice. HWOE likes to add dried cranberries. What I'd love to have more often is Cream of Rye (from Roman Meal) -- with salt, butter, and caraway seeds, it's like eating a really soft piece of rye bread. Mmmmm.

Most of the restaurants I worked in had a 3-ring binder with the recipes in plastic slips. (Not surprising, since I worked for the same chef at 3 different places; but a startup place did the same, once we had the recipes set.) When I arrived at the food manufacturer where I managed the kitchen, all the recipes were handwritten on 4X6 index cards, some in plastic cases but many not. Yeech, what a mess -- stains obliterating measurements, corners torn, ink faded (some had been in use for several years and showed it). One of the first things I did was to enter all the recipes into a computer file, print them out, and put them into 3-ring binders in plastic covers. I just love that system. At home, my clippings are all in file folders. When I want to use one, I make a photocopy and slip it into a clear plastic slanted sign holder. If it's small print or a 3X5 card, I enlarge it in making the copy. Ah, the advantages of having my office in my home!

Fred, what do you mean?