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ChefCarey

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Posts posted by ChefCarey

    A Tour of Babel

    in The Daily Gullet

    Posted

    I loved reading this account of Dorks in Charge. Lots of people have their own Gino and Julian, I know I did. It just made me leaner and meaner, without losing my religion.

    My favourite line:

    All the waiters wore tuxes, by the way, and carried napkins over their arms. No socks or underwear, but they had tuxes.

    Sadly, it was true, too. And, yes, the babel was of Biblical proportions.

    A Tour of Babel

    in The Daily Gullet

    Posted

    "During this period I learned some Turkish. Well, one word to be precise. Baksana. I must have heard it a thousand times as Gino and Julian yelled it at each other. As the creditors circled and closed in they each would hide and if one of them was nabbed he would say that particular area fell within the other's purview. As I understand it, baksana means "look" or "see" or "pay attention."

    I almost died of laughter.  Having lived in Turkey "bak sana!" brought lots of memories backl.  bak=look and sana is a form of sen=you (in familiar form) it basically means look here!  I am going to share "baksana" as one word idiom with my Turkish friends.  :laugh:

    As soon as I stopped laughing I ordered your book from Amazon.

    You have excellent taste in books. :)

    I have a few stories from my married friends, Birsan and Bill, she Turkish and he Boston Irish. (She introduced me to Raki). They were going at it one night (may have been some Raki involved) and she got in a particularly good slam.

    From the sidelines I said, "Atta Turk!" I think she threw something at me for the bad pun. :)

    A Tour of Babel

    in The Daily Gullet

    Posted

    Joseph, Dear: I've read you long enough to get the breadth of your writing skill and the length of your history.

    May I say that I've laughed harder over this piece than anything by anyone I've read in ages? And "suburbiest" has officially entered the Maggie Lexicon.

    Thanks.

    Aw, gee, thanks. Maggie. I don't know what to say, so I'll let Hoosier do the talking:

    You're the top!

    You're a dance in Bali.

    You're the top!

    You're a hot tamale.

    You're an angel, you,

    Simply too, too, too diveen,

    You're a Boticcelli,

    You're Keats,

    You're Shelly!

    Good Morning, Spokane

    in The Daily Gullet

    Posted

    I don't know that I've completely given up, either,David. I've have one appearance on a local Portland television station - the morning show- since I moved to Oregon. I made crepes to plug a series of classes I was teaching at a cookware store.The producer said I was good and if I had any ideas for other things to let them know. We'll see...

    Good Morning, Spokane

    in The Daily Gullet

    Posted · Edited by ChefCarey (log)

    David,

    Enjoyed your piece and I can relate. Can I ever!

    I am a chef and I played one on television.

    I started by doing a half-hour cable access show in Memphis, Tennessee. (I was invited to do it).

    I did that for about a year. One day I received a call from the director of programming at the local CBS affiliate - Channel 3.

    He asked me if I'd like to do a regular segment on their local morning show. He said there would be no pay initially, but they would pay for ingredients and I could plug projects, books etc.

    The show was canceled after about six months. (The host went on to do a children's show on the local PBS station).

    But, I wasn't canceled. They asked me to do short segments for the noon news. Sent a location truck to shoot them at my school (The Memphis Culinary Academy).

    That worked well for a year or so. Then I noticed my segments were being sponsored. I asked about that and if any revenue was coming in. They said yes, and they would figure out how much of it I was entitled to. Six more months. No revenue.

    About this time in conjunction with a friend of mine who did video and had an advertising agency, we made a demo tape and sent it to the Food network at their request. Also about that time the Food Network got rid of their programming director and the focus switched from wanting a professional to wanting "home" style stuff. So, that went nowhere. My friend suggested I change channels - to the local ABC affiliate - Channel 13.

    The program director offered me a spot on the noon news with the munificent stipend of $25.00 per show. Hey, it was $25,00 more than I was getting. I took it. Then he asked me if I would do a restaurant review thing for the evening news, too. I said sure. I didn't really review them. I went in,talked to the chef, cooked with him/her and then sat down and ate.

    Then they canceled the noon news. I sensed the station might be in a wee bit of trouble. They were.

    So, he asked me if I would do a segment on their morning show. Cook a little and be part of the panel and sit around and rap. I did and enjoyed it.

    Then they canceled the morning show.

    Then they sold the station.

    Then they canceled the evening news.

    I've never been personally canceled. But, I am beginning to wonder about the coincidence of every show I've ever been a part of being canceled.

    I bathe regularly.

    Eggs Enough and Time

    in The Daily Gullet

    Posted

    Interesting subject...

    One comment I have is, all the timing is predicated on water boiling at 212º.

    Here, depending on the current barometric pressure water boils at 202º Very few folks are at sea level

    Pasta takes at least 20+minutes...

    Bud

    According to Greenpeace 70% of the world's population live on coastal plains and 11 of the world's 15 largest cities are on coasts or in estuaries.

    Seems like sea level temps will work pretty good for most folks.

    Eggs Enough and Time

    in The Daily Gullet

    Posted

    I love it, Maggie! I cook and eat soft boiled eggs at least a couple of times per week. Local, high omega brown eggs. My mother who worked and was always strapped for time made them often.

    I've settled on 3 1/2 minutes - fast technique. :)

    Good Mourning Vietnam

    in The Daily Gullet

    Posted

    I just got back on this after spending 2 years in Colombia (sometimes reminded me of my '68 senior trip) and I still can't eat a lima bean.  I think I met you while I was there, having spent all my time in the 1/27.  I try not to think about it, but when you're being coptered into drilling sites, you automatically look to see where the patches on the bullet holes are located so you know whether to wear the flak jacket or sit on it.

    Well, we may have met, I did spend a lot of time with the 1/27 - and the 2/27.

    I always sat on my flak jacket. :wacko:

    I always try to nab a second - I notice the pilots do the same. I still think the junk we're flying around in in Colombia is Viet surplus - old 212's. I must say though, the camp food on these drilling rigs is fantastic as long as you don't eat beef. Seafood stew with baby squid, baby octopus, clams and shrimp in a nice creamy sauce over rice can't be beat. Goat chops are pretty good also. But you can't get me to try another hamburger because I don't have that many teeth I want to lose.

    C-212's? They have to fly pretty low, don't they?

    Gorillas in Our Midst

    in The Daily Gullet

    Posted

    Excellent piece!

    My older son - who worked for many years as a bouncer/doorman, has a tattoo on his shoulder, too. A large multi-hued one.

    Here's how it came about...

    He had just finished his shift one evening and walked out the front door. Two drunk thugs were pounding on a little guy.

    He stepped in and kicked some ass. They ran off.

    Guy said he didn't have any money, but he'd like to thank my son.

    Guy did tattoos.

    My son now sports a large tattoo that covers his entire shoulder.

    Appropriately, it is Pandora opening her box.

    Good Mourning Vietnam

    in The Daily Gullet

    Posted

    I just got back on this after spending 2 years in Colombia (sometimes reminded me of my '68 senior trip) and I still can't eat a lima bean.  I think I met you while I was there, having spent all my time in the 1/27.  I try not to think about it, but when you're being coptered into drilling sites, you automatically look to see where the patches on the bullet holes are located so you know whether to wear the flak jacket or sit on it.

    Well, we may have met, I did spend a lot of time with the 1/27 - and the 2/27.

    I always sat on my flak jacket. :wacko:

    Good Mourning Vietnam

    in The Daily Gullet

    Posted

    Chef Carey, you're our culinary Dickens for the best of times, and the worst. Many thanks.

    Thanks for the lovely words, Maggie. Thank you and Dave for the opportunity to publish here.

    I apologize for my very tardy thanks.

    I have been incredibly busy - I've completed writing one culinary novel (mystery, with a chef as the protagonist) - editing going on now - and am halfway through another.

    I hope the new year is good to you and yours.

    Good Mourning Vietnam

    in The Daily Gullet

    Posted

    Nice stuff, Chef. Very nice. As with Squids upthread, I finally got a chance to read your material. Brought back a lot of memories. Some good. Some, not so. As you, I was there in '67 and '68. MACV-SOG. Interesting times.

    Ah, you were there during Tet, too, then.

    I spent Tet trapped in a MACV compound in Bao Trai - with CRIP.

    Yea, I was there for the Tet festivities, sort of. Happened to be "Over The Fence" with a few friends for a short visit at the outset. Shortly afterwards, we were extracted and returned to Da Nang.

    Interesting indeed. To steer this back to food, after eating largely out of cans my wife sent from Zabars et al to Binh Hoa/Long Binh, I was due to fly into Sai Gon the day after Tet eve and had it all planned to stay in a villa, eat a Chinese chef's fresh food from the market and Dalat and wine and dine beautiful French women, the wine coming from their fabled cellars. Well, all hell broke loose of course, the Ammo Dump blew, and I was stuck as well, although after some pleading my chopper buddies agreed to fly me into town where they were still dive-bombing the Phu Tho Racetrack and the beautiful women and fabled cellers were no more; but the Chinese chef was and the chow was very fine.

    Let's hear more Chef.

    Thanks, John. Here is where I was right before Tet began. I am sitting a few feet from a trench - dug by a backhoe - oh, about 100 yards long.

    The trench cut across one of the larger tunnel complexes discovered in the Cu Chi area. Yep, there was American rice in there.

    Two Camera Guy

    Good Mourning Vietnam

    in The Daily Gullet

    Posted

    Dear Chef,

    I've been reading your blog, not totally loyally, but I suspect there are lots of us out here/there who were in Viet Nam who resonate with your account.  I trust you'll turn this into a book.

    For me writing about Viet Nam has been a real struggle, ever since I started taking notes in 1967. 

    Do write more,

    John

    Thanks, John. And thanks for the encouragement, too.

    You might be interested in this site.

    http://www.sirnosir.com/

    If you check the "GI Archives" section I have some photos in "Treatment of the Vietnamese." And I was on the board of the first pro-GI/antiwar newspaper, Vietnam GI.

    Good Mourning Vietnam

    in The Daily Gullet

    Posted

    Nice stuff, Chef. Very nice. As with Squids upthread, I finally got a chance to read your material. Brought back a lot of memories. Some good. Some, not so. As you, I was there in '67 and '68. MACV-SOG. Interesting times.

    Ah, you were there during Tet, too, then.

    I spent Tet trapped in a MACV compound in Bao Trai - with CRIP.

    Good Mourning Vietnam

    in The Daily Gullet

    Posted

    Chef C -- Thank you so much for these terrific piece(s).  Having been born in the early 60s, my main Vietnam memories are of the newscasts, which I remember as showing (1) body counts, if my recollection serves me at all well, and (2) the return of POWs.  Even now, I can remember the ferocity of the joy of those families on the tarmac.  I appreciate very much your on-the-ground, daily life perspective, but I am sorry you had to be there at all.  Thank you for your service.

    Thanks for taking the time to read my pieces here, Virginia.

    I do appreciate Dave and Maggie publishing this piece although it is, at best, tangentially food-related.

    I thought in light of our current quagmire halfway around the world it might at least provide some "food for thought."

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