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Arianna

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Posts posted by Arianna

  1. I find this very disheartening. Animal rights are something that we should all be talking about and supporting. They are not something that we can even argue about. When you are part of an ecosystem, you cannot disregard that ecosystem and live how you want. This is the problem with America and it's excesses. We have invaded and taken over an entire planet. What makes this planet our space, and allows us to treat it's creatures as if we are the best one? Lobsters, be they insects or creatures lower on the food chain or whatever they are in relation to us, still deserve at least a thought about how they are going to be treated.

    Of course, if Whole Foods was serious about this whole sustainability pitch that they constantly trumpet, they would only sell lobsters in Maine or off the coast of Newfoundland and other places where they actually catch lobsters. Of course this is a marketing ploy, Whole Foods is a guilt assuager for yuppies.

  2. You know, if you die and are reincarnated as a lobster, wouldn't you want to be humanely treated?

    Respect for all things, animal and vegetable, is not an apprehensible characteristic in humans. Even if you are going to eat the "insect of the sea" you might as well be thankful for it's feeding of you, and treat it well before it gets in your stomach.

    I'm not a bleeding heart, and I am a pesca-vegetarian, but it is not idiocy to respect animals.

  3. Umm, my total comfort foods are anything salty right out of the jars. I can demolish a can of olives in no time, and pickles are almost worse.

    I also like to do this:

    Take some canned or boxed broth and heat it in a pan. Drop in a packet of ramen noodles, throw away flavoring packet, toss in some frozen broccoli and stir in an egg. Delicious and totally ghetto. Everything except the egg is processed.

    I also like those boxed rice pilafs. Yum!

  4. being a current vegetarian and former vegan, here are some things that i think are good Dos and Don'ts for having vegan guests:

    Dos

    Do remember that grains and beans are vegan, and that they are super amazingly delicious. Often times people seem to think that vegans only eat vegetables. This is not true, of course! There are simple vegan dishes, like pasta with tomato sauce and roasted vegetables. Also, in a true human diet, grains and legumes are supposed to be the base of your entire diet.

    Do remember that vegans often times don't only abstain from eating meat and dairy, they also abstain from processed foods as well. The reasons for being vegan are multitudinous, but one of the major ones is a rebellion away from the food society that Americans have built, namely food in a box being good.

    Don'ts

    Don't serve something with tofu or other meat substitutes if you don't have any experience in cooking them. Tofu can be terrible if cooked the wrong way, so if you've never tried it, save your experimenting for yourself. Also, the same can be said for other meat substitutes like seitan, TVP, or tempeh. Those aren't neccessary. And those weird packaged meat substitutes- remember the second do above. Processed things aren't usually the provenance of a lot of vegans.

    Don't serve broiled portobello mushrooms. I swear, in my six+ years of being a vegetarian, whenever you go to someone's house who has no idea what to serve a vegetarian person, you always get a broiled or grilled portobello mushroom. Also, roasted vegetables in general, just by themselves, fall into this category. People just seem to think that vegans like vegetables that have been cooked this way, but it's not the easiest or best thing you can do.

    You should check out Deborah Madison's <i>Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone</i>. It has a lot of quality recipes and most of it is vegan.

  5. My wife gave me a spatzle maker for Christmas this year. She loves these little noodles so I guess it si a hint to try making them at home. So what are the things I should watch out for in making them? Do you have any flavorings that you like to add? Can they be frozen (after cooking or before)?

    Thanks

    Dan

    I've never used a spaetzle maker, but i love those little buggers! One thing I always have to watch out for is making them too big so they get a little tough, but I think with the maker that wouldn't be a problem. I always just drip them from a spoon. Anyhow, as for flavorings go, I always put nutmeg in there, but I've been thinking lately that I might want to put a little mustard powder (or if they are dryer, a little prepared mustard) maybe just to give them a little deepness. The other thing I do is cook them in stock, and then use a little bit of the stock to moisten them when i fry them with butter and breadcrumbs.

    Oh man, I know what I am making with dinner tonight.

  6. I too got a stand mixer for Christmas- joy!

    I recommend making marshmallows!  I made nightscotsman's strawberry marshmallows, right after making some egg nog that is.

    I really enjoyed them and being a marshmallow pusher...

    Marshmallows would be cool, but I am a vegetarian, so I don't eat gelatin. A vegetarian recipe for marshmallows would be really cool, though!

    How did you make egg nog, though? Is that a vegetarian recipe?

  7. When I was in sixth grade I won a science fair by molding a whole strawberry into a brain shaped Jello mold and writing out an essay on how it represented a brain tumor and brain tumors were BAD!

    But I think I won because I let everyone have a piece at the end of the fair. :rolleyes:

    Also, while everyone is being mean to Jello, I definately don't think there have been enough props given to Jello shots. I saw a mention upthread, but come on guys! Jello shots are one of the things that make America great! :biggrin:

  8. If it's still in the recipe book that comes from KitchenAid, try the English Muffin Bread. 

    SB (makes great toast) :smile:

    bread is scary! i think i want to start with something simpler than that!

    The English Muffin Bread is a good one to start with. It's like a batter bread in that it only has one rise in the bread pan.

    SB (all you have to do is read and measure!) :raz:

    hmm, that sounds easy. when i get home from work, i'll have to check to see if it's in the book that came with the mixer. if not, would you mind sending it to me?

  9. Hey all you wonderful people! I have not posted much in the baking forum, as I have never really been a baker. But- I made a New Years Resolution to have something in the oven at least twice a week, since I work from home and need to have reasons to get up from my desk. My resolution was heard by my family, who presented me with a KitchenAid Stand Mixer!

    I already made a batch of Orange Marmalade Cookies from the Joy of Cooking. They were good, and everything is so much easier with the mixer!

    What I am asking for are good, simple recipes for me to begin baking with. I desire tutelage, basically.

    May I ask what you made?

    p.s. I also poached my first egg ever this weekend. I am on a roll!

  10. The food culture of America is far too much of a dichotomy for any such characterization of eliteness. Although it is a cliche, we are indeed a "melting pot" of cultures, income levels, and food preferences.

    One thing that contributes to the low cost of dining out in a place with a more pronounced cuisine is the economics of competition. If there are two hundred dumpling stands in Bangkok, the price wil drop due to the availability and compensation. This happens in America, as well. In Seattle, where I live, probably the most commonly obtained foods in little shops are teriyaki and pho. As a consequence, these are almost never over $5 a serving.

    America has less of this competition as there are so many different varieties of things to be had, a shop selling pho rarely competes with one selling burgers or pasta or vegan pan-asian, so their prices exist independently of one another, with different market shares. The dumpling stands will compete almost uniformly with the roti stands, the noodle stands, and whatever else, because they are all street food, and often with street food, people are going for what's cheapest and closest.

    I think there is a cultural aspect to this observation of food being elitist, but a lot of it is the economics of density (Thailand is the 59th densest country in the world- the United States ranks at 143) and competition.

  11. I have alternate shopping personas-

    When I am at my local Safeway, I enter from the left hand side (it's the side closer to my apartment, and I walk) and beeline pretty much straight to the things I buy at Safeway- past the produce to the canned tomatoes (i see no increase in quality with fancy types), to the big bulk bags of rice, to the frozen vegetables that I use in quick dinners, and so on.

    When I am at my co-op, it's totally different. The Madison Market on Capitol Hill in Seattle is one of the most sublime co-ops ever. It's not too big, but they carry a ton of stuff and have beautiful produce and seafood and meat (if you are into that stuff). I spend way too much time there, wandering around, inspecting labels. Shopping there is way fun compared to Safeway.

    I shop at both of them each week.

  12. Quorn is definately the best one for Chicken, and I enjoy the "Gimme Lean" sausage rounds for anything that requires ground beef- meatballs, chili, tacos. It is really tasty when you brown it on the outside.

    I would suggest not trying to use tofu as a meat subject. It always is treated the wrong way in that context. It's such an amazing and versatile ingredient on it's own.

  13. I have small hands and love my classic Wusthof Santoku.

    That being said, I think you should maybe go down to the knife shop and find your <i>perfect</i> knife. Don't worry about style. Just go down and handle every larger knife they have and learn what fits you and your needs perfectly.

  14. Today I went to the Red Line Cafe on Capitol Hill, across from the Coffee Messiah on Denny and Olive. I must say that they are distinguishing themselves in my great, cheap food list pretty quick.

    I got a sandwich called "The Goodness." The name is not incorrect. It was a grilled panini with artichoke hearts, pesto sauce, a little red onion, and yummy melted mozzerella. It was terrific. I also got a cup of delicious lentil soup. The soup was unusual because I find that restaurants usually take the "mushy lentil" approach, where the lentils have been cooked and the soup is more like a thick puree, which I like. But I liked this even better. The lentils were distinct and flavorful. This says to me that the soup was somehow stored and cooked to order. Delicious.

    I also had half an espresso brownie, which was rich and the frosting was sugary and crispy, in that good way.

    They also serve fair trade coffee. I don't know how their meat products are, since I don't eat meat, but they have a fair number of them.

    Hooray, new places!

  15. What exactly are we talking about with salads here?  I generally think of the definition of salad including a lighter green vegetable base with some add ins, if neccessary, but i don't know if i would consider something weird like jello salad or different like pasta salad a salad in this sense of the word. . .

    That's just saladist....nothing says 'salad' like a big jiggly mass of lime jello, green peas and cottage cheese on a lettuce leaf. :laugh: Unless of course it's orange jelly with crushed pineapple and grated carrots...now THAT is a salad!! :wub:

    you are of course forgetting canned fruit with coconut grated on top and marshmallows, all sculpted by a rather large ice cream scoop into a ball resembling epcot center. :blink:

  16. Rachel, you reminded me of us.  When we lived up north we grilled all year too, even when it was snowing.  :smile: Your description of the ribs had me drooling!

    Yup, us too! My mom always had a path shoveled to the grill all winter long...

    My dad bought these giant outdoor flood lights to light up the area where the grill is so he can cook after 4pm in the winter time...They are like stadium lights, you can't look right at them. Sigh, boys...

  17. What exactly are we talking about with salads here? I generally think of the definition of salad including a lighter green vegetable base with some add ins, if neccessary, but i don't know if i would consider something weird like jello salad or different like pasta salad a salad in this sense of the word. . .

  18. Here's my list if we include vegetarianism and poorness:

    1. The Dirt Burger from the Honeyhole

    2. Tofu Banh Mi from Saigon Deli (12th and Jackson)

    3. Vegete "Meatball" Sub, you used to be able to get them fresh in their deli but now you have to buy them at the market

    4. Tofu Sandwich from Baguette Box

    5. Veggie "B"LT from the Honeyhole

    If you've never had that Dirt Burger, you totally have to check it out. Don't be afraid of the meatlessness it's unbelievably rich.

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