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johnsmith45678

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Posts posted by johnsmith45678

  1. “Is he so jaded,” Ramsay asked me, “that a truffle is ordinary?”

    That was a great quote. I guess so many critics/people are so accustomed to their extravagant lifestyle that they become jaded and bored. I'm sure Joe Public would find GR's food amazing. I've always loved how GR dismisses critics.

  2. Pretty good and interesting article, if a bit long. I guess it's nice to know GR isn't going soft -- reminded me of Boiling Point, and make me both nostalgic and glad I don't work in restaurants anymore. I was surprised GR didn't mentioned anything about his bad blood with MPW. The article made me think of GR as more of a craftsman than an artist -- he's interested in making good food rather than showing off on a plate ala WD-40, et al.

  3. Damn, I've got a lot of movies to see!

    My faves:

    - Sideways: hilarious

    - Supersize Me

    - Waiting: Well, not really a fave, but it so accurately captured working in a dead-end restaurant job that I felt like I was back working in one and depression set in!

    - Cocktail: Not a very good movie, but I always enjoy it.

    - Charlie & The Chocolate Factory (with Gene Wilder)

    Haven't seen Big Night yet. I just requested it from my library. I first heard about it in A Cook's Tour where Bourdain meets Tony Schaloub.

    Great restaurant/food scenes in movies:

    - Goodfellas: where they're meticulously preparing an Italian feast in prison.

    - Hannibal: Brains anyone? One of the most disturbing scenes I've ever seen -- hell Silence of the Lambs is kind of about food too as a lot of people now associate fava beans and (a nice) chianti with it.

    - Better Off Dead: Boiled bacon? It's got raisins in it... you like raisins.

    - Caddyshack: DOG FOOD?!?

    - A Fish Called Wanda: Don't eat the green ones -- they're not ripe yet!

    I didn't like Chocolat -- found it slow and boring. I didn't care for Delicatessen either -- too weird.

    Since my favorite food films have already been mentioned, I offer an obscure one: Motel Hell (1980), a horror film starring Rory Calhoun as a sausage-making tycoon a la Jimmy Dean.

    Oh man...I think I remember seeing that one!

    Clerks 2 is kind of a food movie...

    Nobody's mentioned Fast Food Nation. I started watching it, got bored and scanned through the rest. Didn't look that interesting.

    And on TV, I really enjoyed Kitchen Confidential.

  4. I recently tried quinoa and I like it! What's an easy way to wash it before cooking? My colanders, strainers, etc. all have holes/slots too big that they let the quinoa through. I'm thinking about washing it in a big pot then straining it through a coffee filter.

  5. as I was signing the ATM card receipt another waitress came up with our food, appetizer together with everything else. I told her "No thank you. We've waited an hour." I left no tip on my $3.21 check and we walk out.

    Does anyone think we made a mistake leaving?

    I do -- I would've eaten the food! Then complained about the wait.

  6. I think I agree with you on all points.

    On the last one about food safety, I watch Good Eats and I think Alton goes overboard, boarding on OC. I'm careful with meat -- getting it to temp, keeping it separate, etc. And I generally try to keep things clean, but that's about it. I also don't pay much attention to expiration dates, unless it can go rancid or the flavor is adversely affected -- if it doesn't smell or look funny, it's okay. In all my years of cooking for myself and for others in restaurants, I've never poisoned anybody. I don't think I'd eat food I left out overnight though :shock: (what did you leave out?).

  7. The article says they don't use toilet paper either. I wonder how they're dealing with that -- just spend extra time washing their hands afterwards, like in some parts of some middle-eastern countries? :shock:

    PS - love the responses here! These enviros make no sense to me either.

  8. QUESTION: Why isn't it okay to keep food in its can after opening it? Just open it, use what you need, put wrap on it, and stick it in the fridge -- just like a bottle, etc. Somebody somewhere told me it was bad to leave food in its can, and I can't really remember any place I ever worked leaving food in its can -- the food was always transferred to another container (plastic, glass, etc.) for storage. I suspect this may be a myth.

    What I've heard is that this used to be true, back when cans were actually made from tin, but that it's no longer a problem, but that people still are afraid to do it. Of course, this may also just be a myth :raz: .

    Kim

    That was a thought I had -- that oxygen would react with the inside of the can, forming rust (presuming all oxygen gets removed from the can in the canning process?). I think (guess) cans nowadays are treated on the inside to protect against rust or otherwise reacting with the food. Anyhow, I stored an opened can of pineapple in the fridge for a couple days and subsequently ate it and I'm still here feeling fine! :shock:

  9. QUESTION: Why isn't it okay to keep food in its can after opening it? Just open it, use what you need, put wrap on it, and stick it in the fridge -- just like a bottle, etc. Somebody somewhere told me it was bad to leave food in its can, and I can't really remember any place I ever worked leaving food in its can -- the food was always transferred to another container (plastic, glass, etc.) for storage. I suspect this may be a myth.

  10. I am entertained by the instruction that appears to be saying you can use these as a hammer..  :wink:

    What does that hammer instruction *really* show?  :laugh:

    I don't know what to make of that either. Staking vampires? :raz: Or maybe it's to pound the handle further onto the blade, if it's loose, and if that's how they're constructed. Otherwise, beats me.

  11. And veal-- I don't like the taste, the texture, anything... It's been awhile since I've tried it, so I'd be willing to try it again, but no guarantees.

    I don't dislike veal, but I ate it many times when I worked at an Italian restaurant and found it overrated. It didn't have any flavor, compared to beef. It was just much more tender -- sort of like fillet mignon, which I also find overrated. It also seemed ridiculously cruel to subject calves to the conditions at the time for such an end result.

  12. I read this here:

    Matcha (MAH-cha)  When you drink a cuppa matcha (also spelled maccha), you're getting green tea's powerful antioxidants to the max, because you're actually consuming the whole green tea leaf in powdered form. In Japan, slightly bitter matcha is traditionally served syrupy thick. But in the US, you'll find matcha stirred into lattes, sprinkled on ice cream, and used to bolster energy drinks and turn smoothies into pick-me-ups (it's said to boost alertness). Just be respectful of matcha if you're caffeine sensitive: Ounce for ounce, it has almost as much caffeine as coffee.

    I've check Vitamin Cottage (the local chain of health food stores) and searched online. Looks like Matcha is pretty hard to come by -- I was only able to find VitaLife offering it and/or some Japanese brand of tea. Anybody know where to get matcha?

  13. I don't think anybody's mentioned these foods we're supposed to find delicious:

    - The vast majority of food sold that is loaded with sugars, HFCS, etc.

    - Same, but loaded with salt.

    - Same, but loaded with grease.

    I starting reducing my sugar intake a few months ago and I kind of find sugary foods disgusting now (same with salty and greasy foods, but longer ago). Mass-market foods have overloaded our taste buds with sugars and salt, to the exclusion of everything else.

  14. Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola--any blue cheese. It's really too bad. I keep looking for a cheese that has a similar amount of fat and tanginess, to substitute in recipes. I love all sorts of really stinky cheeses, but I just can't get past the moldy taste of the blues.

    Same here -- I can't eat more than a taste of blue cheese. Blue cheese dressing ruins a salad for me. I suspect maybe it'll possible for me to someday acquire a taste for blue cheese, but I dunno.

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