cathrynapple

I have the opposite problem, in a way. My guy will never, ever day he dislikes a food. Ask him if he likes any food at all, and his answer is always, "if it's good." I suppose I should be glad, but it's a lot of pressure! Sister and brother in-law hate anything "from the water." Recently I've developed a theory that the girl has just taken on her husband's immature tastes over the years to please him. We've started having her try stuff when he's not around. It's weird to see someone secretly enjoying crawfish and oysters and crab, and then downplaying her enjoyment level as soon as he enters the room. I'd say that's an unhealthy relationship.

I dunno. Whenever he "casually" mentioned outrageous cooking experiences (he pretty much claimed to have cooked for most of the kings and queens in the world) I was very skeptical. "Yeah, I had this problem once when I was cooking for Chairman Mao." Right.

I haven't done it myself, but I've had one of those Bertolli frozen skillet dinner things that had individually frozen pasta pieces in it. I think the key to freezing it would be to not cook it all the way and freeze it on a sheet so the pieces are separate. (then transfer to bags or something.) My next guess would be to cook a sauce and dump the pasta right into it. It will thaw and finish cooking.

I can't find the place where he apologizes for his inappropriate kitchen tantrums and trite appetizers.

It seems that so many food dislikes have to do with texture. Does anyone agree that most western pallets, particularly American ones, are not used to and don't enjoy gelatinous, gooey, squishy and/or rubbery foods? As a child I always ordered es cargot. For some reason the texture grosses me out these days.

I think they're best with just a bit of lemon and dipped in melted butter. Nothing to be weary of!

Those donuts are cute.

I don't really see the point, unless you don't have any in the house and you do have cream of tartar and baking soda. If you're really a stickler about preservatives and don't want the tiny amount in baking powder, than I guess it's a personal choice.

No Reservations has never claimed to be a show exclusively about food. It's about culture. The New Orleans culture has changed drastically and importantly in the past few years. Anthony makes political statements on every show. What about his statements about the spanish invaders in Peru? Comments about Tibet and monks while in Shang Hai? We simply don't notice the politics in teh show when we're unfamiliar with it. No Reservations merely encourages viewers to embrace the world's cultural offerings, and politics affects culture. Helll, politics affects food, too. Deal with it.

I highly recommend igourmet.com. we order reggiano from there, as well as other things that can be cheaper in bulk.

south africa? australia?

I guess I have a problem with someone so much praise for doing something simply because he or she is not of the traditional gender role for an activity. Being able to feed yourself is great. But I think oohing and aahing over over a cook because of the cook's gender is silly. This also brings to mind some articles I've read about female chefs gaining respect in professional kitchens, even though historically women have been expected to be "in the kitchen" at home.

I don't understand the article primarily becuase feminism and womens' liberation are based on the ability to make choices according to one's own preferences and lifestyle. I have never seen any feminist statement that one choise is "better" than another. A man or woman who embraces what he or she loves is sexy. Srom a female perspective, a man who is willing to share household duties without seeingthem as "male" or "female" roles is attractive.

I see. I enjoy mixed herb dishes, but for some reason it's been drilled into my head that eggs can only "handle" certain herbs. (primarily dill, parsley, chives.) I suppose if the rosemary was muted by the inclusion of ther herbs and was used sparingly it would be ok. I'll try it out sometime this week.

I am curious about rosemary with eggs, as I have always been told that rosemary is far too resinous to be pairs with eggs. Do you enjoy the flavor combination? I have never tried it.

In Indiana, at least, buspersons earn a normal minimum wage, as do water boys and other employees. Servers get the two something an hour and tips. In most restaurants the buspersons and sometimes dishwashers will get, say, ten percent of the servers' tips. Believe me, all that is accounted for. The system works. MiamiDanny, I agree with you. This policy was always printed on the menu and if someone called for reservations we reminded them over the phone. I do see the needed for pre-included tips. And no one complained because everyone seemed to understand this need.

The restaurants in which I've worked generally had a 15 or 20 percent gratuity added on parties of eight or more for that reason. I can understand frustration at not getting to choose how much you tip, though. I have mixed feelings about added tips. The only "issue" we seemed to have, though, was that of peoepo wanted to add more tip to the included one.

I also think a roux-thickened dish has a rounder, richer taste. A cornstarch-thickened dish will be almost gelatinous.

Cornstarch has more thickening power than flour. It also allows your thickened liquid to stay transparent. It won't be cloudy like a roux-based liquid. You can also use cornstarch if you're conserving calories. If you're adding cornstarch, mix it with some cold water and pour it into an almost boiling liquid. Let it bubble for a minute or two to thicken properly.

That steak salad looks incredible. Especially with the inclusion of the avacado!

My fantastic bf and I are having sea scallops with lemongrass sauce, dungeoness crab, some nice cheese, and smoked salmon with creme fraiche and caviar. (all items chosen by him) I actually think this meal is kind of corny, but it will be delicious nonetheless.

I had one the other day, but I really didn't enjoy it. When I took the first bite, hot oil spewed out of the weird, overly crunchy breading and burned my tongue. I also didn't like the flavor. Maybe an off day?

Servers make very little money. Tax evasion? Having worked as a server, I can tell you that though I took my tips home each day, they were recorded accurately by our accountant, and the withheld tax from the tips was removed from my biweekly check. Tips are taxed HEAVILY.

The minimum wage for a server in most states is well, well below the minimum wage for other kinds of work. This is because tipping is an official means of income for servers. At $2.30 and hour, servers are working for tips. Their hourly wage is negligible. By refusing to tip, you're not in any way helping to change the system. You may be making a spiteful, self-righteous "point," but the result hurts only your server. I think most people here would agree that a server can make or break a restaurant experience.

I'm super excited! Thanks for the info...I'll be travelling back home in a couple of months (Cape Town/Frankschoek area) and I'll have to try some of those!