Andrea Dodge

I loved this when I was growing up--well. I still do. My mom from southern Indiana also called it Egg-in-Toast.

Just a quick point, in Boston we don't call public transit the Metro (that would be Paris or DC). I'm enjoying the travelogue (dininglogue?). I hope you had a wonderful trip.

My experiences with CI have been mixed. It's fabulous that there's an organization out there that can bring that level of attention to detail. I tend to really enjoy (and reuse) their savory recipes, but the desserts I've made have left me cold. I'm not much of a baker so from the gorgeous photos upthread I have to believe their baking chemistry is first-rate. The easier dessert recipes I've tried haven't been as successful. I made their cherry cobbler and found it absurdly, distractingly sweet. I made the lemon meringue pie for a group of friends and they liked it, but I thought it was dull in flavor, too-sweet, and with too much corn starch. I realize that I just have to translate the test kitchen's desired sweetness to mine, but I don't have the interest in most desserts to bother. That being said, CI is my go-to source on any technique that I want to try for the first time.

Could you explain what you mean by refined and which traditional dishes you found crude? Mexico is a large country with distinct culinary regions.

This loss of taste happens to me occasionally when I have a cold. I find myself desperately seeking intensely flavored foods (olives, spicy Thai, blue cheese--anything really intense) in the pathetic hope that some taste will make it through. It's never successful, but for the four to seven days my cold, I keep trying. I wonder if, for me, it's like denial. I wonder if I had a longer-lasting condition if I would proceed through the next stages of grief. My heart goes out to anyone who faces this on any kind of long-term basis.

If you want baking soda, ask for Natron. You should be able to find it. Good luck!

I like slices of jicama with lime juice, ancho chili powder, and salt. I think I remember reading somewhere that jicama was a good substitute for fresh water chestnuts. Mmm, now I'm craving jicama.