Peter the eater

I would rather see a few dark spots on the peel that the green hue if I am eating them as is out of the peel. However, a close friend from Minas Gerais, Brazil once fed me a non-cavendish variety that was slightly starchy and a bit green and it was marvelous! It was smaller than a "regular" banana but nowhere near plantain size and bigger than the reds. Maybe the context contributed but the memory of taste I'll never forget that banana.

Oops, I got a little excited and missed an important detail. I'll go with a food I give my kids called President's Choice Mini Chef Zippy Fruit. I have tasted them after extreme thermal abuse and must say the quality was undiminished.

Okay, I now know what I would probably order for my last supper on death row. Is there a little crunchy something going on with the outside surface of the lamb?

On bicycle touring trips through the desert I've packed stuff like raisins, marshmallows, nuts and seeds. We had some very hot days with frosty nights in between. Dry pasta also travels well - I would go with small units like orzo or ditali and avoid big noodles like lasagna and cannelloni. A box of Kraft dinner also works. I'll bet that orange cheese dust would be stable from a couple degrees Kelvin up to whatever temperature fusion takes place.

Here's 10 from this thread started by Rosie about food jokes: Strictly speaking not a joke, but here are my top ten favourite food quotes from "The Simpsons": 10. Moe: “I just made a Cornish game hen with chestnut stuffing. . . Would you believe a pigeon stuffed with Spam? . . . Would you believe a rat filled with cough drops?” 9. Cletus: “Look Brandene, it's Wolfgang Puck! Mr. Puck, you make the only grub what satisfies my gut worm. I swear.” 8. Marge: “I'd like to see the Japanese take on the club sandwich. I bet it's smaller and more efficient.” 7. Comic Book Guy: “Oh, loneliness and cheeseburgers are a dangerous mix.” 6. Troy McClure: “Don't kid yourself, Jimmy. If a cow ever got the chance, he'd eat you and everyone you care about!” 5. Ralph: “When I grow up I'm going to Bovine University” 4. Lunch Lady Doris: “More testicles mean more iron.” 3. Apu: “These hotdogs are now nearly rectum-free” 2. Homer: “Olive oil? Asparagus? If your mother wasn't so fancy, we could shop at the gas station like normal people.” And finally my personal favourite: 1. Homer: “I’m so hungry I could a steak the size of a toilet seat.”

Oh my, what a bold thread to start. I'm guessing the men and women of eG won't let you down . . . My answer is: No way, not a chance, gender has nothing to do with it - unless the preparer wants it to.

I worked one summer in rural Vermont doing bicycle tours. I ate a lot of cheese, maple products and Ben & Jerry's. Mmmmm.

Do you cook them with their little white bonnets on or off? (sorry Susan) I'm also counting on the on-line Amish community to be very small.

I have never made sauerkraut primarily because the nearby German community in Lunenburg does it better than I ever will: I have been thinking (fantasizing, really) about pickling some mussels. Anybody try that?

Those look fantastic! I regard eggplant as an ideal pickling food. I've had long strips of spicy pickled eggplant, feels like pasta in the mouth. I'll look forward to your taste test.

Isn't this the heart of the matter? Almost all these confessions are time and/or energy savers. Life is too short for . . . lots of things. I once made a passable puff pastry which was a big deal for me since its beyond my normal culinary comfort zone. Now I have no problems buying the frozen stuff. If I had to make all the mayo and ketchup I eat from scratch, well, that would be a problem. Anna N, I'm buying some canned potatoes this week!

There's nothing wrong with a little canned corn, especially when it is February. Canned potatoes however is a different story - who buys those things? There should be some form of punishment for purchasing the ideal storeable food in can form - some kind of grocery jail. Mind you I've never had them - they're probably delicious.

I have a fancy tin of high-end instant coffee which I keep refilling with the jumbo-sized generic stuff. When its time for instant coffee (eg. rushing into the car at 7am) I see my travel mug as purely a caffeine delivery device.

Went to the Ikea in Ottawa and picked up 12 colourful prep bowls for $4. Microwave/dishwasher safe, too - unlike melamine which seems to be everywhere.

Nice looking dinners, as usual. C. sapidus your soup looks irresistible. Last week, tonight's dinner looked like this: Tonight, it looked like this: Slow-roasted turkey (raised by in-laws), small local potatoes, brussel(s?) sprouts, turnip mash, sweet potatoes with nutmeg and molasses, homegrown leek and onion stuffing. I feel sleepy . . .

I'm pretty sure I have a Chaenomeles hybrid. There are a bunch here in my neighborhood and people have been long been using them for preserves. One "village elder" says as a kid she ate them in jam form with rose hips. "Loaded with vitamin C" she says.

Grocery shopping is one of my favorite activities, I'll go several times a week. Usually its the supermarket, sometimes specialty shops and when possible from the farmer' market. We used to do the Costco thing but found we came home with too many things we didn't need. If I go too long without a grocery shopping trip my primal hunter-gatherer urges overwhelm me.

I'm considering raising some boneless chickens, and wondering if it can be done hydroponically. ← Hydroponic chickens - brilliant!

I would serve deep fried chicken "scrumsticks" with "flanker steak" and a Muscovy "ruck confit" accompanied by large mugs of "maulled cider". "Props" to you if you forgo the "hookers". (I'm sorry, that was really hard to type. My old coach Mr. Jones is rolling over in his grave)

Yes, I read that this morning, thanks for sharing online. Makes total sense to me. I cannot believe people eat 220 lbs of meat each year - that's practically my target weight!

This brings to my mind Canadian author (and national treasure) Margaret Atwood and her dystopic vision of engineered poultry in her book "Oryx and Crake". I can't find the quote and I lent my copy but here's the idea in her own words from this site: "ChickieNobs are chickens that only grow the most desirable chicken parts, for example drumsticks and breasts. They have no beak, eyes, or brain functions other than digestion, assimilation and growth." I highly recommend the book, it may be her best, and it is full of black humor regarding GMO's among other things.

We celebrated Thanksgiving last weekend and had a big turkey. Although my mother-in-law strongly discouraged me from making stock (it was her house) from the roasted carcass I defied the esteemed elder and went ahead with it anyway. I understand her POV - there must have been a dozen frozen bulging plastic containers of stock in the deep freeze. Half of the new stock went into pumpkin soup and the other half became turkey pot pie. No recipe from me, just don't throw it out. If you make it, they will eat.

Growing up in Toronto, Canada I had some close friends with mothers and/or grandmothers who grew up in the Caribbean and always had some goat meat in the freezer if not on the stove. I fondly remember sweet and spicy goat recipes from Kingston, Jamaica.

Well that sounds like an eGullet test kitchen challenge to me! I happen to have a medium-sized whole chicken defrosting in the fridge as we speak, and I now feel compelled (and just a little excited) to do do the surgery with the scale by my side. I will post my findings as they become available. Next to whole birds, a big tray of quarters/thighs/drumsticks/wings is the way to go around here. The skinless/boneless breasts are probably twice the price, but they go on sale for 50% at least once a month.

Now that is interesting. I maintain that most pickled eggs are only pickly-tasting on the outside. I'll bet the albumen pin-prick technique mentioned earlier would help quite a lot. I have always associated pickled eggs with English pubs. I wonder what the story there is . . . how they came to be on a rack at the bar . . . anybody?