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Ingrid, Thanks for the tip and write up. That's pretty close to where I work. Have you ever tried them for lunch? By the By, it's a little more expensive than the usual cheap middle eastern places; but, Taboun at Stanyon and Parnassus has my current favorite Shwarma in the area. -Erik

Really? Is Chinese foxglove different from American Foxglove? It's my understanding that it is fairly poisonous. Foxglove at Botanical.com

I've seen but not tried Boord's Old Tom Gin at a couple stores around town.

I'm hoping to learn more about Rum this year and want to plan a tasting of a dozen or so "sipping" rums next spring with some friends. We had an abortive and badly conceived first try this last year with a half dozen or so we had lying aroud and found the only one of the (very motley) group we really liked for sipping was a Bacardi 8 year that my friend's brother brought back from somewhere in the Caribbean (I forget if it was Cuba or Puerto Rico). If possible, I'd like to keep most of the bottles under or around approx $30 US, with maybe one "special" bottle. Suggestions for menus or literature are also welcome. Thanks!

Linda, In my opinion, the best book about rolling your own cocktails is David Embury's The "Fine Art of Mixing Drinks". Sadly, it's out of print and copies often fetch ridiculous prices on eBay. I think Gary Regan's "Joy of Mixology" would come in a close second, at least in breaking down drink families and giving you suggestions. There's a thread about cocktail books with lots of suggestions. RE: Figgy-ness I recently traveled to Boston for work, and there they had a pretty nice fig infused bourbon there called Diabolique. Not really sweet at all, just figgy tasting. Makes a very tasty old fashioned. Might try replicating it at home. Don't try muddling fresh figs in cocktails. I can tell you from experience, it just makes a big seedy pudding-like mess.

Meatpacker sues U.S. for right to do mad cow tests Following layoffs earlier this year claimed to be related to lost business, "Meatpacker John Stewart has sued the U.S. government to provide it with cattle testing kits so his Kansas company can prove to customers, especially in mad cow-leery Japan, that its beef is safe."

BTW, if it's available in your area, Massenez' Creme de Griotte (Morello Cherry Liqueur), is pretty amazing. I'm never quite sure what to substitute in the US for the more esoteric fruits. I guess I might try sour pie cherries.

Over in the Eau de Vie thread Sam informed me that the true cherry brandies are seldom called for in drinks. So, unless it specifically sez, "kirsch", "kirschwasser", or "cherry eau de vie" you're safe using cherry flavored brandy like Cherry Heering.

It's important to distinguish between cherry flavored brandies and liqueurs and true cherry brandy. It's pretty hard, and illegal in the US, to make any distilled spirit without permission from the ATA. You would have to do this to make true cherry brandy (aka kirsch, kirschwasser, eau de vie...) On the other hand, there's nothing stopping you from macerating cherries in some sort of spirit with spices, filtering, and sweetening it to taste. A lot of times in the US the homemade version of this is called "Cherry Bounce". As with any homemade liqueur, your results may vary from "down the drain" to "delicious". I was going to make cherry liqueur last summer; but, put it off until cherry season was over, so now it will have to wait until next season. BTW, most people consider the flavor of the whole fruit important to liqueur making, so leave those pits in there. Some recipes even recommend leaving a portion of the stems attached.

As far as I know, Guinness no longer makes a porter. From the Guinness wikipedia entry, "Guinness started brewing porters and ales, initially in Leixlip, but at the St. James's Gate Brewery, Dublin, Ireland since 1759, when Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease at £45 per annum for the unused brewery. Ten years later in 1769 Guinness exported their product for the first time, when six and a half barrels were shipped to England. Guinness brewed their last porter in 1974." edit - added wikipedia info.

I like cheesecloth because you can pick it up and squeeze out every last drop. I tend to use cheesecloth in a strainer first, and then a coffee filter, if I need something filtered finer. Paper towels have an unpleasant tendency to rupture. Plus, I am not convinced 100% on their food safe-ness.

Raw!? It can be pretty hard to tell the various "Elephant Ear" plants apart, especially when they are just tubers. Well, even after they grow up, they can be some of the toughest plants to differentiate. The "malanga" name can also be confusing because it can be used for different plants depending on the second word. "malanga blanca" and "malanga lila" are different species of Xanthosoma. Malanga can also sometimes refer to taro. Click for a round up of many of the names various edible relatives of Taro go by in different cultures. BTW, your tuber looks like Taro (Colocasia esculenta) to me. -Erik edit - fix some stuff.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, March 16, 2006 Cheese and sherry marry: Dairy's wine-defying flavors find soul mates in Spanish sherries, Janet Fletcher Recommended sherries "These tasting notes come from Chronicle contributor Doug Frost, a Master Sommelier and Master of Wine based in Kansas City, Mo." Commentary: Coppola in Sonoma: There goes the neighborhood, Linda Murphy Letters to Wine Pairings: Hunter's-style braised chicken thighs draw sighs with fruity, earthy Merlot, Joyce Goldstein Recipe: Chicken alla Cacciatora The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Sonoma County Merlot, Linda Murphy The Cheese Course: Cotija puts the accent on Mexican foods, Janet Fletcher Books: A Goode wi-sci read for the rest of us, W. Blake Gray

In the Norwegian immigrant community I grew up in, one version of the traditional potato dumplings (blood klub) was made with meat from pig trotters and pigs blood. I keep trying to think of some politic way to put this; but, I think in any culture a little closer to the bone than modern America, out of necessity, you will find less squeamishness about what animals or parts of animals food comes from. Certainly, in America, you don't have to look too hard to find recipes for squirrel, rabbit, possum, raccoon, deer, etcetera.

Ah, I figured as much. It's a drive for me; but, I usually go to Drewe's for my lamb and beef as well. Speaking of high prices, I visited the Tower Market/Mollie Stones for the first time recently. While they do have nice looking meat, the prices are the highest I've seen in San Francisco. PS. The Mollie Stones may still have what could be the last bottle of Duckhorn King Eider vermouth on the shelf in their liquor department. edit - snip picture.

MelissaH, I'll have to try it when I get home; but, I don't think the switch on the non-fuzzy zojirushi will stick in "cook" position unless the rice maker is receiving power. I always thought it was some sort of safety feature; but, now that you mention the timer option, I'm seeing another reason why it might work that way. -Erik

I did not mean to imply that at all. I just meant it "plays well with others" in mixed drinks, especially those with fruit and citrus flavors. In my experience, if you mix the same cocktail with MdO cachaca and la favorite blanc and give each to someone to try, they will tell you the cachaca cocktail is delicious and ask for another. Of course they will probably also ask, "If it is made with sugar cane, what is the difference between cachaca and rum?" I need to work on my answer to that one. Got any hints for snappy patter? When they try the La Favorite cocktail, they will make a funny face, ask what is in it, and tell you it tastes like soap, bananas, "industrial solvent. Or perhaps an engine de-greaser," to quote VoodooDog in the Ti Punch thread. -Erik

I have only had the chance to try two rhum agricoles so far, La Favorite Blanc and St. James Amber. While the Saint James Amber mixes OK, standing in for "character" rums in drinks, I have had little luck mixing the La Favorite Blanc. Its flavor is just too distinctive. Compare a capirinha with Fazenda Mae de Ouro to a capirinha made with La Favorite Blanc, and you will see what I mean. My only experience with cachaca is with MdO, so that is also a bit limited. However, while it is a cane spirit, I find in mixing, it has more in common with blanco tequilas or Piscos. It mixes well with just about any fruit and does not take over a cocktail like the La Favorite Blanc. There is also the cost issue. At least in the US, you can find MdO for about $10 less than the least expensive rhum agricole blanc. edit - grammar

I thought the neuro fuzzy was too expensive and got the regular zojirushi 5 cup for my wife and I. I regret it now, since the neuro has a timer and can make porridge. I really wish I could use the timer and have steaming hot steel cut oats waiting for me in the morning. Mine also has a tendency to spit up when I try to make brown rice in it. Not sure if this is common to all 5 cup zojirushi or a fluke with my model. That said, it does a great job with the Thai Jasmine rice I make 90% of the time, so there's no real reason I can justify replacing it.

Anyone have opinions on the Brennan's irish whiskey? It is quite reasonable and from what I understand distilled by the nice folks at Cooley. Don't find many reviews online, however.

I've got a couple normal wooden muddlers. Since I find mine a little short for muddling drinks in the cocktail shaker, I really wish I had one of David Nepove's Mr. Mojito Muddlers, which come in several lovely hardwoods and Food Safe Plastic! Mr. Mojito Muddlers If you buy a laquered muddler, you will need to sand off the laqueur and treat it with mineral oil (or whatever you normally use on your other wooden kitchen utensils.) Been making a lot of caipirinhas and caipirinha variations lately, myself. Pretending I'm somewhere tropical seems to make this long rainy winter a little more tolerable.

Sorry, wrong governmental agency and I think my numbers were previous to the enactment of the enhanced screening. BSE Test Results The number of tests currently seems to average around 8,000 tests a week. Previous to 2004 the number was much smaller. Surveillance: NVSL Bovine Brain Submissions FY 93–04 (through 4/30/04) -Erik

Oh, fun. I look forward to reading more. I made a version of the lamb ragout from Julia Child's "The Way To Cook", (added celery root, rutabagas, and potatoes,) last weekend. I've never thought of fennel and beans. Sounds good. I'm sure you'll say; but, I'll be interested to know where you got your lamb. Was drinking Rogue's Mocha Porter, myself; but, that Racer 5 looks tasty!

Kristen, Cool! Yes, I believe that is it. I can't belive how fast you found it. I'll have to investigate, some of the websites call it "rape" or "rapeseed". I guess it must just be a different variety than I am used to. Thanks! -Erik

There is an estimated 95 million head of cattle living in the US, and around 30 million slaughtered per year*. The FDA currently tests about 20,000** of those 30 million cows slaughtered. I've seen estimates that the FDA has tested about 650,000 cows total.*** *In 2005, There were 32.4 million head of cattle slaughtered, down one per cent. **Agencies Work to Corral Mad Cow Disease ***Possible U.S. Mad Cow Case Investigated edit - grammar and sources