Lilija
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Posts posted by Lilija
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We used to frequent a diner, and there was a waiter there who fawned over my son, when he was an infant, much the same way. Even when we weren't in his area, or like you said, if they were busy. He was extra tuned in to our "eating with a baby" needs, too. One day, I commented to him that he's really good with kids. I mean, we thought the attention was pleasant, he was nice to chat with, and all. He said "I work two jobs, and I have a son the exact same age, I hardly see him." So...maybe your waiter has a background story?
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Just drank a bottle of Dogfish Head Olde School, their barleywine. It's extremely boozy, like pure whiskey, lots of burn. It's not as complex as some barleywines, but it doesn't suffer from that. As soon as I tasted it, I made up my mind to get another bottle and cellar it. I'm pretty sure it can only get better.
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Well, he thought he hated yogurt, till I informed him that the "sour cream" he's been eating for two years has been Greek yogurt. Now he's ok with it, and I can serve it right from the carton on the table, instead of putting it into a little crock.
When we met, he hated anything guacamole-green, like guacamole, avocado, pea soup...till I hounded, shamed and berated him enough to at least TRY my pea soup, and now he's ok with it. He even eats guacamole. I think he realized that even that one was stupid.
I think, as far as my husband goes, we've gotten over most of our issues. I have close friends, on the other hand... Her husband thinks he's lactose intolerant, and he just might be, but it applies across the board. He will turn something down if there's even a rumor of cheese or any kind of dairy. Except if you don't tell him. My key lime pie is his favorite dessert. With his wife's consent, I omitted the fact that I use condensed milk. Bologonese sauce was another one, he loves tomato sauce, but will refuse it if there's cheese at all. She said "tell him you made some special, without cheese, he'll be fine." I shrugged, and served it up. He loved it. There's cheese AND heavy cream. She does it to him all the time, because she knows what will affect him, and what's ok, hell, we're all lactose intolerant, only we don't suspend our issues for stuff we like. He ate homemade ice cream at my house, and I asked, "are you going to be alright?" He was like...."I think I'll manage. I can handle this, there's not a lot of lactose here, probably" as he was nomming away on my French style vanilla custard. So, now we sort of giggle about it. (obviously, if it was an honest to God allergy, I'd take it quite seriously)
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I know that funky taste, sun tea gets it within 12 hours, if it's not refrigerated right away, and even if it is, still goes weird in 24 hours. What I'm wondering is with that slightly off flavor, it tastes a little fermenty to me, but is it safe? I don't really mind that twangy fermented flavor, if it's very light.
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I may be alone here, but cheese and barbecue. It ain't right, be it brisket, pulled pork, or chicken. There's a very well known barbecue joint in KC that sells a lot of sandwiches with brisket, cheese, and an onion ring. It ain't right, I tell you. Other than this abomination, the place is great.
+ one on this
at least for me
I think you both are arguing this combo from a standpoint that barbecue is hallowed ground and Thou Shalt Not Adulterate It. I get it; I see the point. But I guarantee you could take a bite of, say, the Texas Cheese Steak made by the local BBQ Joint in my town and ... um ... not gag. Whether you think brisket "should" or "shouldn't" be topped with gooey cheese as judged by the Sacred Keepers of BBQ is one thing; whether the two flavors -- delicious on their own -- combine into a wretched taste (which is the subject of this thread) is another.
I feel the same way about barbecue and cheese. It's not so much that it's sacred hallowed ground, it's the sauce. The rich sweet thick sauce, with a rich sharp or creamy gooey bite of cheese. The flavor combo doesn't make me gag as much as it makes my palate say "AGH TOO MUCH" There's just way too much going on, there. I dislike the barbecue flavor and cheese, because they're both quite enough on their own, and this goes from slow smoked brisket and good cheese, all the way to the ubiquitous barbecue sauce, bacon, fried onion, cheddar burger. It's like...umami overload.
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I'd start by asking if he likes apples. And celery. And walnuts. Separately.
If not, I don't see much hope for you.
But if he does like apples, and celery, and walnuts, then perhaps a lighter, less-obtrusive dressing, and not much of it.
If he does like the ingredients separately, then I'd suggest that you have him sample some various dressings - some a little tarter, some sweeter, some thinner, some less "mayonnaisey," etc. Does he like cole slaw? Most Waldorf dressings have some things in common with mayonnaise-based cole slaws. If he can't stand that either, you've undoubtedly got your work cut out for you.
Good luck.
Good ideas. He does like the components separately, in fact I often put nuts, raisins, craisins, or grapes, and apples in regular salads. He's not huge into mayonnaise, and I'm aware of that, though he does like mayo based salads, otherwise. The other thing is he won't eat raw celery by itself. He'll eat it in salads, if it's fine, or cooked in dishes. I recently found a recipe for a autumnal style using craisins, and a gingery spicy vinagrette. It might be the middle ground I'm looking for, if I dice the celery up finer than usual. It would be nice to find a middle ground and serve it sometimes with dinner, or hell, even as dinner. Maybe it's just the celery... My gears are turning now. Thanks!
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I really love a good plain Waldorf, apples, celery, walnuts, raisins, and just mayo and a pinch of salt as dressing. I mean, I really love it. One of my favorite comfort foods. When I'm feeling energetic, I'll make it for myself for lunch. My husband hates it, though, and he won't budge. Normally, if there's something he dislikes, I'll interview him about it, like breaking down the elements, to see if there's any way I can fix it, and normally we can reach an accord. On Waldorf salad, he says "I just hate it. The texture, the mayo, the mix of flavors. Nothing is going to save it."
Hope springs eternal. I'm reading through this thread, and getting ideas, and I think I'm going to spring different versions on him, NOT call it Waldorf salad, and hope for the best.
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Oh... if there is, I'm in a little trouble. I went on a weird alternate grain spree last year, buying lots of buckwheat, quinoa, wheat berries, couscous, polenta, hmm...and a few others that I forget right this second... I also went and bought really nice locking containers for all these bulk grains. Then I made a meal or two from each, leaving like not-quite enough in each big container for another meal's worth, and not going to the bulk store to replace them. So, now I have like 7 containers with an inch of weird grains taking up acres of space in my pantry. It's been like this for over a year.
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deep fried pickled jalapeños from my favorite diner (they use peanut oil, which might have been the most depressing discovery EVER)
The peanut oil that is used in fryers shouldn't give you any trouble. The only peanut oils that should get you are the cold or expeller pressed oils, not the super refined fryolator versions. Some people are sensitive to them however, although it is rare.
They keep insisting that their oil is a "vegetable shortening blend", so you could be right, it might not be the oil.
But it never fails, anything deep fried from there makes my throat close up, and gives me serious breathing issues. Like, instant severe asthma attack. One of the employees suggested that their might be peanut flour or something in some of the various breadings. You've given me hope, though, it's worth checking into more deeply.
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They're dangerously good. I warn you, do not dip them in hot Chinese mustard. I repeat, do not dip them in hot mustard. You'll wake up two days later covered in shrimp dust, wondering where the hell you went wrong. Very addictive.
I've been eating these since I was a kid. My family would go out for the day, and I'd feign sickness, or headache, to stay home and read. I'd lay across the futon in the cool of the living room, and devour both a huge bag of these, and whatever book I was into. Great snacky, and great memories. And I don't even like shrimp.
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I'm sorta going through this now. I hadn't really thought about it, but I often leaf through cookbooks during meals, discussing stuff with the family. When nothing pops, I dig out a cookbook of a cuisine that I don't make often, haven't tried yet, haven't made in years. Something REALLY different. Like, something I don't even have the staples for, laying around, which will then spark a special grocery trip for different seasonings or whatnot, and everything seems to fall into place after that. It's funny, because this very minute there's a huge colorful book of Spanish and Portuguese cuisine laying on my table, and I think that's where I'm going next.
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Yes, this post is depressing, and a little naive. The numbers of people who suffer from a wide variety of illnesses that are affected by foods is huge. Having a food allergy runs the gamut from annoying to life threatening. Being allergic to one or two foods may seem like a picnic to those people who have to give up one or more whole categories of foods. I would venture that there are many of us here on eG who have one of the following conditions and don't post about it beause it's too personal or they don't want to gross anyone out:
IBS, IBD, GERD, Lactose intolerance, Ulcerative Colitis, Celiac, Crohns, Candida, Interstitial Cystitis, Sjogrens, diabetes, pancreatitis and kidney disease. And I'm sure there are plenty more, I just can't think of them or haven't heard about them yet.
The people who suffer from any conditions affected by food or drink are just as likely to love cooking and eating as those lucky enough to have no food-related issues. In fact, there is every reason to believe that many eGers are here because they can find fresh ideas for foods they can actually eat. I'm sorry if I seem preachy and don't at all mean to minimize anyone's deprivation.
You're definitely on to something, there. As I was typing up my reply, it brought me to two conclusions: Part of the reason I come here is to ogle pictures, recipes, experiences, and descriptions of foods I can't eat, cultures I'm unfamiliar with, places I can't get to, stuff I don't even like, but like learning about (I'm one of the most obsessive oglers on the breakfast thread. I hate eggs, but the pictures are incredible!). That fits into this allergy thing, because here I can sort of enjoy those insanely ripe tomato salads that I've come to miss, through your accounts, and that provides comfort, now that my garden threatens to kill me.
The second thing, after thinking about salsa, I'm tempted to make a post in Cooking asking for recipes and suggestions for a killer tomato free salsa, maybe one built on roasted peppers or something.
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Well, this is timely! I recently developed allergies to both peanuts and tomatoes. The tomato allergy really kicked in around late spring, and the peanut thing I've been coping with for most of the year. It's been rough, especially tomatoes.
I've been craving fresh salsa, a fat peanut butter mayonnaise and banana sandwich (almond butter seems to work well, for all applications besides this), proper pad thai, deep fried pickled jalapeños from my favorite diner (they use peanut oil, which might have been the most depressing discovery EVER), and good pizza.
This whole post is sort of depressing.
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Since finding out I was diabetic last year, I've switched to mostly vegetables. Lunch and dinner are at least 3/4 vegetables, a little starch, and sometimes meat, sometimes not. It was a wakeup call, and we reevaluated everything we were eating. It's not as hard as all that, for people that cook, just a bit of advance planning. As far as going out? I eat lunch at a diner maybe three times a week. It's not hard to say "hey, what's the veg today, can I get it instead of fries?" I haven't had an order of French fries in about 10 years. Nowadays, even fast food places have so many options, that you aren't relegated to fries and a burger.
Winter is a little tougher, we rely on frozen, a lot. By March, we're getting tired of heavy winter greens, squash and turnips, stuff that holds up well, year round. Do beans count? We eat a lot of legumes, just about every day.
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Had Southern Tier Big Red recently, and it was a great example. Malty, creamy, caramel notes, balanced.
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When I lived on Guam, I'd go to the Navy base to do my shopping, and at the caf there, they served really outstanding food. Half of it seemed institutional, the usual cafeteria offerings like some sort of generic pasta or protein in gravy thing. But there was always some Filipino cuisine on hand, and I think the old ladies that ran the place made it from scratch. It was one of the best places around to get a huge takeout box of pancit or a giant plate of adobo. Even the lumpia were hand rolled. From a cafeteria!
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I just thought of another one. Canned Hormel chili (no beans, please) + Velveeta + tortilla chips = party staple when I was growing up. I still crave it about once a year. I grab the smallest thing of chili, the smallest thing of Velveeta, and bite-size Tostitos and have that for a snack for a few days. Yes, it is super ghetto, but delicious in this really horrible way that I can't describe.
A few years ago, we had a "retro" themed New Years Eve party, with cocktails and snacks that were popular in the 70's and 80's. I took a poll, what were some of the things that were at EVERY party, when my friends were kids? That was one of those things. I'd never had it before, but after that party, I developed a slight obsession... I don't even have the "but it was comfort food, when I was a kid" argument. I just really liked it!
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Besides the obvious suspects (the not quite sealed space between stove and cabinets, the inch between the fridge and wall, under the stove, etc)I have a real issue with the wall on the far side of my dishwasher. My dishwasher is about 6" away from the wall, separated by "spice drawers" which are really junk drawers. The wall. Is. Funkeh. I clean it every time I notice it, which is about once a week (ok...month), but you would not BELIEVE what all gets splattered there. I don't believe it myself. Dried beans fused, vegetable peelings, sauces, dough bits. It's worse than the wall by the garbage can. Every time I go over it with cleaner and a rough cloth, I utter silent prayers of thanks for the deep red high gloss finish. Cleans like a dream, doesn't show much abuse. It's almost comical, I'll be cleaning the kitchen for company, or something, and I happen across this wall area, which is a three foot square section, really, and every time, I launch into hysterics "OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL IS ALL THIS"
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I've tasted it in off beer. I'm not sure if it actually happens to spirits, as a chemical reaction, or a process, or if some notes in spirits might mimic something that's been truly oxidized. Some other descriptors for oxidized that I can think of are rusty, or coppery. Metallic, but not the typical idea of it.
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Oxidized is one I deal with a lot, at work. Think pencil shavings, papery, off taste, wet paper, flat. Ever taste a bottle of soda that's been sitting in the sun for a few days?
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Beer descriptors are just as nutty, too. This very evening, we were sampling a red ale, that my friend described as "heavy on the chocolate syrup and peanut butter." I said "nutty/malty?" He's like "No, sticky sweet peanut butter."
I like the language, and the adventure in trying to describe something complex. Trying to navigate through other people's descriptions, and figure out where they're coming from is a fascinating element of tasting.
Lots of times, it's not necessarily about the actual factual scent, like the wet cement comparison, but it's more in how you remember that scent, how it's categorized in your brain. Often, if you taste or smell the two things like cement and tequila together, it doesn't gel. In my line of work, we're constantly getting trained and re-calibrated to smell and taste factually, not with our own whacked out perceptions. I find that in my group of tasters, we can get really far and wide, with the connotations.
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INFP today
My food interests? They mostly lie in cultures, lately. Currently, I've been going out of my way to learn how to cook authentic Brazilian food, Korean, Middle Eastern, and different regional American (like Pennsylvania Dutch). In past years, it was Moroccan, Greek, Thai, Japanese, Polish, German, South African, Northern Border Mexican, Jamaican. My cooking interests, the types of cookbooks I read for pleasure, the articles that capture my imagination, all have to do with traditions, cultures, and stuff I wouldn't normally know anything about. I love learning about the food, the people, the history of the food, and cooking stuff for loved ones that they'd never be exposed to, otherwise. I have some weird food quirks, mostly centered around textures, like there's certain textures that I can't handle, but besides that, as far as flavors go, the more exotic the better.
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A simple salt water brine is my go-to answer. It's not much harder than a bottled marinade, and it makes for pretty foolproof grilled chicken breasts every time. That, combined with some pounding for evenness, and if you're feeling all fancy, some sort of dry seasoning after you take them out of the brine, and they go from "meh" to something I even look forward to.
My standard is a garlic and black pepper brine, for about 2 to 4 hours, then they're pounded some, coated in a little oil, and graced with more garlic and black pepper, plus cayenne, and maybe some onion powder or something. Super basic. It's how I make all my salad chicken breasts.
I think the sugary marinade might be tripping you up, here, along with a cool grill. Maybe try using the marinade as a baste, while they're on the grill, or something?
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I love the honeyed sort of wild profile that golden delicious apple brings, with white wine. It's something I've had in a dessert, once, a long time ago, and haven't forgotten it. It's gotta be golden delicious, none of the other apple varietals have the same sort of sunny honey/fruit flavor.
Worst Thing You've Eaten All Day
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
Hmm. I had a reasonably virtuous day. Although, before dinner, I was sitting on the floor of the pantry cleaning up a huge spilled container of cereal, when my husband walked by and stuffed a "jalapeño popper" flavored cheese puff thing into my mouth.