MissAmy

I was taught that things like tea, coffee, soda, etc could never count as water as they have caffiene added, and also sugar negates the "counting as water." However since Crystal Light is caffiene free and sugar free, it could kind of count as water.

What are "loose meat" hamburgers? Oh, and I'll take your share of the horchata. Nectar of the gods, that is! YUM!

You know what? I'm so glad someone else finally said this. I've gone my whole life listening to people go on and on about how FABULOUS Chicago pizza is, and every time I've tried it's been... blech! Too thick and oozy and chewy. Gimme crispy wood-fired thin crust any day! I used to hate red-bean flavored Chinese desserts, but I've eaten them enough times that now I ADORE them! Mmmm! Sweet pasty red bean goodness! I don't understand why people don't like okra, but I guess it really is one of those things you have to have grown up eating. And this thread is the first I've heard of people not liking root beer or root beer floats. Interesting. I've tried many times to appreciate gefiltefish, but I just can't. Oh, I'll eat it if it's served to me, and I'll make polite noises, but the likelihood of my getting seconds is nil. I just don't get why anyone would grind up perfectly good fish and form it into weird little balls and poach it.

never mind.

Personally I think the way chickens and pigs are raised in a factory is extremely inhumane. I would be overjoyed if 20% of the attention given to the fois production and its "issues" were directed towards Purdue or Tyson where I think it would have a much bigger impact on people given the number of people that eat chickens versus fois. ← Foie gras is a much easier target than Tyson and Purdue, although I do agree with you on both counts. It is completely and utterly hypocritical to ban foie gras for cruelty and not try to get Tyson Chicken out of operation. The whole thing is ridiculous.

I was sent to find lunch for my boss, her husband and myself yesterday. I ended up at Central Market, grabbing salads, when I recieved a phone call: "Amy, honey, don't get my husband a salad. He said he needs something Manly." We laughed. I found a hogie stuffed with all manner of cheese and meat and salami, no veggies. I passed the test.

Yup. That was part of my interview when going out for my current job. The interview was at my employer's home, and when I walked in the door she handed me a pan, a spatula, showed me where the refrigerator was, and said, "Please make me breakfast. I want an omlette." I was TERRIFIED. But I clearly pulled it off as I sit here today an employeed member of society.

I'm really apalled about the meat loaf thing. I don't know... I normally am very gracious in restaurants and try my hardest not to be a pain, but at those prices, and basing what it was versus what the menu said, I would have been really tempted to send that crap back. I'm actually a little horrified, really. I have never eaten at Jefferey's, mainly because now that it is somewhat in my budget for special occasions, all reports I've heard are like yours - disappointing. There are other places I'd rather spend that kind of cash.

Be able to chop an onion. Seriously. You'd be AMAZED how many people I have had to teach this simple task. Also, know how to use a knife, and know how to keep a knife sharp.

That "sickness" you speak of is basically a requirement to be a member of my family. If we're serving, say, four people, we will invariably make enough food for ten. If we are serving ten, watch out! There will be enough food on that table for the entire University of Texas football team to have seconds AND bring their mamas some leftovers. It's something that is pretty much impossible to overcome. I've stopped trying. Everytime I've cooked for my friends, they will at some point comment, "You made SO MUCH!" I can't help it. It's in my blood. I've been eating pasta with bacon/tomato sauce for the past three days. Yeah, it's really good. Yeah, I'm really sick of it.

Why is the only character I'm coming up with Hannibal Lecter?

I prefer the Oyster po-boy, from Acme. Although, the muffaletta from Central Grocery is a close second. ← Yeah, oyster is good too. I still LOVE the shrimp ones for some reason. Maybe it's because my grandfather drilled into me from a very early age that oysters are meant to be eaten RAW. The muffaletta from Centra Grocery is good. I was a little disappointed, though, because it had been so hyped up and when I finally tried one it was good, but not mind-blowing.

As a kid, I loved those funnel cake things. I hadn't had one in years and years, and last year, I went to the fair here in Austin. I saw the funnel cake stand and couldn't help myself, remembering how much I had loved them as a child. And it... was terrible. Horrible, actually. I took one bite, was confused over how bad it was, took another bite, decided, yup, this is really terrible, and threw it out. The bratwurst on buns with saurkraut they had weren't too bad, though.

Ooh red velvet cake! We Southern girls love our red velvet cake! It's my sister's favorite, and we use an old recipe of my great-grandmother's. I disagree that it is dry. Maybe if it's a bad recipe it is. Ours isn't. It's moist and rich and had just a slight tang that counteracts the cream cheese icing really well. It's to die for. The Red Door Bakery in Arlington, TX, does an excellent version. They also have red velvet cupcakes so you can just get a little fix every now and then.

No one in my immediate family is a bad cook. However. After my grandmother died, my grandfather remarried to this horrible, dispicable woman whom I despise with a bleeding passion to this day. To explain what a nasty person she is would take too much space and be WAY too off topic. That said, in addition to her many short-comings, the woman can't cook her way out of a paper bag. The first time we met her, at her home, she was making dinner, and went into the kitchen to whip up some "appetizers." What she came out with haunts my dreams to this day. It looked like tiny little weiners floating in maroon snot. My mother, in a very polite manner asked what it was. We were told, "Oh this is just the best thing! See, I take a package of L'il Smokies, mix together a jar of grape jelly and a can of Wolf brand chili, throw it all in a pot, and heat it up!" Oh. My. God. Wolf brand chili, grape jelly, and Li'l Smokies. Mixed together. And this was our introduction to our future step-grandmother. The woman also puts green peppers in her cornbread dressing, sugar in her cornbread, and all meats must be cooked until they resemble the stuff on the bottom of tennis shoes.

I agree. It's revolting. If I ever get married, it's happening in the dead of winter as I refuse, refuse, REFUSE to have a fondant-covered cake. I want my guests to LIKE the cake. Hense, I shall use buttercream.

This was great. I have also gone back and forth on the ethical issues of eating meat, although I know that I could never be a vegan. I also know that I feel my best when eating meat. Maybe it's different for everyone? I have known many, many vegetarians, some of them very healthy, and some of them in terrible shape. The most unhealthy individual I have ever known was a self-proclaimed vegan, whos diet consisted primarily of french fries and fried tofu. Ick! She was horribly overweight, had terrible skin, was sick all the time, and couldn't figure out why the vegan thing wasn't working for her. All rambling aside, I really enjoyed your piece. I totally envy your childhood among such a remarkable bounty of wonderful food.

I like the idea of the pate choux. Who doesn't love cream puffs? What about homemade doughnuts? That's something a lot of people don't know how to do, and it's fun! It's also fun to fry things. I think a chocolate mousse is a nice idea. You could also teach them how to temper chocolate and make cute little bowls by dipping inflated ballons into the tempered chocolate. I think that was one of the most fun days back in Pastry class at school. Or do they want to learn to decorate and pipe icing and what-not? A carrot cake would be fun for that, and you could make little carrots out of marzipan. This is a really fun idea!

I believe it's less glutinous. Sushi rice would probably make a sticker risotto, but I could be wrong. Anyone on eGullet experimented with this? When really craving risotto in odd hours of the morning, I've made it with regular short grain and once time medium grain in a pinch. I've found that these other rices don't obtain the al dente quality as well as aborrio, and are mushier. It was still tasty, just not really risotto. Megan, that risotto you made looks fabulous! So nice and summery!

Risotto is made from a short-grain rice called aborrio. The traditional method invloves sauteing some garlic and little onion in olive oil, then sauting the rice like you would for a pilaf. The liquid is added a little bit at a time, stirring constantly until it's absorbed, then adding more liquid, repeat ad infinitum until rice is aldente. Cheese, cream, etc is added for flavor. The result is creamy and thick, more like a pudding than regular rice. It's popular because it's good! Although labor intensive, it is not difficult to make yourself.

Ok, I just got back from Tony's. I'm so full I feel like I'm about to go into a coma, but anyway. We had the seasoned fries for appetizer. Really, really good. Disks of potato, battered, then fried in bacon grease. How could you go wrong? They were cripy, spicy and delicious. Some other people ordered nachos, which looked good but I didn't try. I had the chicken fried chicken with maccaroni and cheese and fried okra. The chicken had wonderful flavor, but was a bit over cooked and a little tough. The girl sitting across from me got the fried pork chops, and they looked amazing but she said they were a bit tough and overcooked. The chicken fried steaks looked great. Just classic chicken fried steak. The okra was ok. I found the breading too think and too tough for my tastes. For fried okra, I like a simple dusting of cornmeal rather than thick breading, but that's the way my grandmother made it, so I'm biased. The mac & cheese was SLAMMIN'. I mean, it rocked. It was some of the best I've had in years. Creamy, rich, and really cheesy with little bits of the baked cheesyness still on top. Slammin. It's not on the menu, but you can order chicken & waffles at Tony's, which is what my boss had. I wish that's what I had ordered. The waffle was thick and crispy around the edges, and the chicken drumettes were to die for. I wanted to try the peach cobbler, but was too full to even contemplate bringing one home. Next time. All in all, not bad. Not better than Hoover's. However, it is much more vegetarian-friendly than Hoover's and not as expensive. The vegetarians in our party ate well and left as full as the rest of us. The vegetables at Tony's are cooked without pork added, but are still quite good. I would definitely go back. The people working there are friendly, the prices are right, and the food is tasty.

Oh I always forget about The Frisco Shop. It's such an old timey kind of place. I like to go there for the nostalgia aspect of it all. Interestingly, it's one of Kinky Friedman's favorite restaurants.

What about the necks? My great-grandmother's greatest pleasure in life was to eat chicken necks. I swear to god. For me, I LOVE fried shrimp tails! Crunchy goodness! I ate them in front of a boyfriend once and he was horrified. Until I made him try them, then I had a convert. Mwah hahaha!

What about Lemon and Thyme. Ok, I know it sounds weird. But I had a lemon and thyme gelato recently, and thought the combination tasted amazing. Strange, but delicious.

FFB, my aunts travel to Belize just about every year, and they NEVER take malaria meds! That's silly. Why never swim barefoot? How else are supposed to swim?