Carolyn Tillie

Unrelated to the labels, but belonging to the Institute also entitles you to a pretty fabulous deal on Federal Express. Because FedEx is promoting the shipping of wine, they made a deal with the WI where members can ship with a savings of over 40%. It is worth your $200 right there! Sorry, I don't have any label stories -- our's is pretty generic and non-controversial. All have flown through approval with no bumps.

Hathor's got it exactly right. Hard and bitter. The point where they become slightly edible is the beginning of verasion -- where it starts converting what its got inside to juice. That is when we start worrying about the birds... Don't worry, dear friends! You'll see pictures.

Damn you all. Must make Yorkshire Pudding (WITH beef fat, thankyouverymuch).

Ah, the glassy-winged sharpshooter. U.C. Davis has a large website devoted to educating folks about the bug. If you look at the picture, it is hard to tell that he is smaller than a dime. According to the Sacramento Bee, the agricultural department has started spraying to keep the bug from getting into the valley. If you look at the UC Davis site, you can see a map of California and where the previous infestation and the warning: While it is not something that any single Napa or Sonoma winery can do anything about, there does exist a huge awareness for workers in the valley to look for the bug and notify appropriate authorities of its existence. I guess the best analogy might be the threat of the Black Plague in Europe's early history. You knew it was in a neighboring county, knew it could wipe out an entire hamlet, and knew there was little one could do about it except hope it would bypass your particular village...

I'm having to stand outside the row of vines to try and get the whole thing in a single shot -- it still isn't working. We've been planting a new block and Gabriel really wants to finish planting it before setting the guys back into the fields to sucker (he's hoping by this Friday, we'll be done). I'm going to start getting close-ups of the grapes so you can see how much bigger they are getting:

indeed. the prices range from 1 dollar to thousands. perhaps i need some more specifics on this particular samovar. I know -- a quick search right now shows some as cheap as $1.00 (but you pay a lot of shipping charges from the Middle East) to a cool, antique one that has 23 bids and is already over $1,500. There are the ones with the plugs.... (ugh!)

Gads, I've been coveting them on eBay for years, but keep seeing too many variations in them; need the coals/don't need the coals, with trays/without trays, with teapots/without teapots.... But I still want one, just 'cuz they are so darned pretty!

Rdaily, did you have any wine pairings?

First off, I think this is a fabulous idea and I hope it eventually warrants its own header and section. I hope you will consider doing this with a book that more of us might be able to acquire. Secondly, are you getting anything really juicy addressed to me that you wanna share???? You could always send some of those duplicate books in my direction!!! I could especially use an El Bulli...

Been discussed in previous threads: Wine Price Margins Wine Without Food Painfully Priced Wine Lists World's Best Priced Wine Lists High Prices for Wine by the Glass BYO There are more, actually.... this is just a start.

I second Sabg's suggestion. Creamy, smooth goat cheese (not the kind that chunks apart), if you can find it. Serve with Port. Yum.

Shawn and I (two of us!) survived on $15.00 a week for a LONG time. We had the advantage of a good Farmer's Market. My budget there was $8.00 to $10.00 a week with the rest going to dairy products (milk and butter). As previously suggested, we would buy a lot of beans and rice in bulk so they would last a long, long time. The Farmer's Market bounty usually provided enough to make various forms of vegetable soups or stews which, when supplemented with the rice and beans, were very nutritious and filling. Find the local 'cheap' markets -- every town has them and you can get ham hocks and other pork products that make beans more substantial. I've become quite proficient with Black Beans and Rice (Moors et Christianos) and Red Beans and Rice. The chicken is an okay idea, but seriously, if you only have $10.00 a week, it seems like a luxury. We were occasionally lucky to get a chicken a month and that felt like splurging. Find the bulk stores -- beans, rice, pasta, and flour in bulk is much, much cheaper. Best of luck -- but chin up! It is possible and don't be surprised if you look back on the time of need with some admiration at your resourcefulness and ability to adapt.

Water ice is kind of like a sorbet, but it doesn't hold its form as much. It's like a sno-cone, only it actually tastes and has the texture of something much much more than chopped ice and sugar water. They're generally found in streetside stands, which are generally only open in the summer, although there are a couple of chains which may stay open in the winter. Fascinating.... thank you! My mom's from Pittsburgh - I'll have to ask about these (although I'm not sure they go back THAT far)!

Okay, someone's got to 'splain to the Californian what a Water Ice is... I'm imagining something like a Sno-Cone, only more elegant? And that they are actually found in stores vs. country fairs?

Pick up this month's Food & WIne -- Paula Wolfert wrote an article about an amazing Turkish chef, Musa Dağdeviren whose culinary concoctions are truly amazing. Granted, not a full cookbook, but a handful of remarkable recipes!

Wednesday evenings.

Yep - did they have a good happy hour?

Pretty interesting discussion. When I lived in San Diego, I would frequent some of the bars (now lost to bad memory and too many drinks) in Ocean Beach, Carlsbad, and Encinitas. In my later life, living in Redondo Beach, there were a number of bars in Hermosa and Manhattan Beaches that had *okay* happy hours, but I think I got a bit jaded in the culinary habits and found the food pretty mediocre. I've heard good things about the Happy Hours at McCormick & Schmicks and regretted never hitting one before heading up north...

Fall 2003, Volume 3, Number 4 Cover Girl with a Pumpkin (detail) by Fausto Zonaro (1854-1929). Courtesy of Sakip Sabanci Museum, Sabanci University, Istanbul. editor’s note – You know I always try to find out about the art that is reproduced in Gastronomica and I found this cover quite interesting. It is a painting, almost in the pre-Raphaelite style, depicting a young girl, obviously walking in a garden, with dress slipping from one shoulder, clutching a large pumpkin. Quite beautiful. From a Turkish website:” Born in 1854 in Masi, a village near Padua. He started his working life as an apprentice bricklayer. His need to earn money eventually came second to his artistic tendencies, and the young artist studied design in Lendinara. He then studied at the Accademia Cignora in Verona for a time, and then graduated from the Rome Academy of Art. The artist displayed his paintings in Italy in the late 1800s. he then went to Paris, and rented a studio at 36 Boulevard, Cilehy. Zonaro adopted the Bohemian artist life until 1891. He and his wife then moved to Istanbul from Venice in 1891, and settled down in a wooden house in Taksim. His most interesting works emerged during this period, with the paintings he made in central neighbourhoods of the city. During the Trablusgarp War in 1891, he moved to San Remo from Istanbul with his family. The artist died in 1929 in San Remo, and some of his works can be seen in some state and private collections in Turkey.” From the Editor Transitory Pleasure by Darra Goldstein “Food ranks among the transitory pleasure: a fine meal is arguably the most fleeting art form.” Contributors – Mini-biographies. Borborygmus To the Editor by Martha Hopkins. Advising them that she loves the covers and not to worry about those who complain. The Polynesian Big Mac by Korey Capozza Small account of a little-known Polynesian delicacy colloquially known as lu-sipi, which means “taro-lamb” in Tongan but is actually a hodgepodge of bone and fatty meat from New Zealand Lamb. La vie en verte by Cassandra Purdy The rise of vegetarian restaurants in Paris. Comer o no comer by Jane Canova Description and review of an art exhibit in Salamanca. Includes a half-page, full-color photograph of an installation piece by Wolf Vostell entitled Energia, 1973 where an old car (older than 1973) is surrounded by stacks of loaves of bread, wrapped in newspapers. A cartoon by Sipress showing two women in a kitchen; one is using a food process, the other is looking at a Buddhist-like shrine with a figure surrounded by candles and flowers, installed over the stove. The one cooking says, “It’s not a saint, exactly. It’s Marcella Hazan.” Cambodia: The Next Coffee Frontier? by Merry White How the rise of the Cambodian Catimor (a hybrid of Robusta and Arabica beans) is turning Nescafé drinkers into “real” coffee connoisseurs. Orts and Scantlings Coffins, Pipkins, and Pottles by Mark Morton A teasing article about words and phrases from A New Booke of Cookerie, published in 1615. Teasing because the author does not indicate if the book is available in reprint form or not. However, your editor has done a quick search and found it in PDF form for you here? http://www.harvestfields.netfirms.com/food...erie%201625.pdf With a half-page, vertical engraving of Spinach, from John Gerard, “The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes” (London: John Norton, 1597) A Feast For The Eye A Persian Banquet by Katie M. Ziglar History and background into the art form of the miniature painting from Medieval, Middle Eastern texts. With a full-page, full-color reproduction of ”Yusuf Gives a Royal Banquet in Honor of His Marriage” from a manuscript of the “Haft Awrang by Jami.” Iran, 1556-1565. Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper; 34. 2x 23.2 cm. Also, a full-page, full-color reproduction of Riza Abbasi, ”A Barefoot Youth.” Iran, ca. 1600. Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper; 30.0 x 18.0 cm. Art and History Trust. Poetry There Is No Fat in Heaven by Caroline Banks In a paper grocery bag she places torn images of her mother, the photos she took of her in the casket at the funer. Continues for 23 lines. Rather Baudelaire-like Hunger The Fine Art of Feeding the Hungry by Dianne Jacob Ms. Jacob is on the board of directors of the Alameda County Community Food Bank and extensively discusses the trials, tribulations, and politics of feeding the hungry. With a full-page, black-and-white photograph shows John Jackson sorts food and other grocery items in the Food Bank’s warehouse. He is one of hundreds of volunteers the Food Bank depends on to get the food onto warehouse shelves. Two, half-page, black-and-white photographs showing various recipients of donated food. One is captioned, Every day, families in need sit down to a hot lunch at Oakland’s St. Vincent de Paul Free Dining Room, one of the Food Bank’s member agencies. The other, a husband and wife with two children is captioned, Vivian Hain and her nine-year-old daughter Jasmine regularly speak out on hunger issues on behalf of the Food Bank. Earlier this year, jasmine traveled to a press conference in Washington D.C., where she spoke about the importance of school meal programs. Investigation The Baptism of Wine by A. Lynn Martin Fascinating analysis of the tradition of diluting wine with water – mostly from the 1300s to the 1700s. Extremely well-annotated. With a full-page, black-and-white engraving by Jacques Lagniet depicting one man pouring from a pitcher into a wine barrel (we assume water into the wine) while a woman, standing next to him, is embracing another man who appears to be approaching. It is captioned, ”Il est bien sage, il met de leau dans son vin” (“He is quite wise, he puts water in his wine”). Another half-page, black-and-white engraving by Pieter van der Heyden (ca. 1530-1572) after Pieter Bruegel the Elder depicts ”Gula (Gluttony)” from the Seven Deadly Sins”. 1558. Lastly, another half-page, black-and-white engraving from the Bibliotheque Nationale, Cabinet des Estampes shows a mythical wine press. The Sweet Seduction of Sin – Food, Sexual Desire, and Ideological Purity in Alexander Tarasov-Rodionov’s “Shokolad” by Ronald D. LeBlanc ”Schokolad” is Chocolate in Russian and it is also the title of a novella written by a Bolshevik in 1922. This article is an analysis of this book and the author intends “to show how this work of proletarian literature provides an edifying example of what Eric Naiman has called the “ideological poetics” that would come to dominate Soviet fiction during the decade immediately following the Bolshevik Revolution, when food, sex, and the body figured prominently in discourses about War Communism, NEP, and socialist construction.” With a half-page, full-color chocolate wrapper pictured with the portrait of Lenin. Also reproduced are “four in a series of eleven candy wrappers designed by the great Russian poet Vladimir Mayokovsky and produced by the Red Army Star Candy Factory, Moscow, 1924. The wrappers depict victories by the Red Army during the Civil War, with verses by Mayokovsky urging citizens to defend the new nation.” The Senses Notes from a Wine-Tasting, Being an Inquiry into Sensation by Matthew Latkiewicz An investigation into how to taste wine with an overview of the much-debated Wine Aroma Wheel, developed by UC Davis professor Ann Noble. With a two-thirds page, full-color reproduction of The Wine Aroma Wheel. ©ACNOBLE 1990. Colored laminated copies of the wine aroma wheel may be obtained by A.C. Noble, acnoble@ucdavis.edu. Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California, CA 95616, USA. www.winearomawheel.com The Media ’La grande bouffe’ – Cooking Shows as Pornography by Andrew Chan The title somewhat tells it all – how producers are lighting, editing, and producing food cooking shows and Chan, as the author, manages to draw the parallels between them and pornography, complete with innuendo and suggestive vocabulary. Digester’s Notes on Illustrations: There is a very interesting, lengthy comment by Gastronomica editor Jane Canova on their attempt to procure rights to pictures from TVFN for this article. These two comments are ‘illustrated’ within ornate, full-color gothic frames. One is a full-page in size while the other is one-half page in size. Fascinating. Photography Home Cooks by Lynda Banzi A series of six, full-color photographs depicting the simple act of people cooking for themselves, family, or pets, within their home. With commentary by the subjects. • Full-page shot of a black woman (Tasha), with a pan of sautéed meat in one pan, but with her reaching over and stirring a pan of greens, with whom we suppose is her daughter, looking on. • Two-thirds size, close-up of Tasha’s hands, cutting up the meat while still on the stove, in the pan. Her comment: Some people cook just because they are hungry, but they don’t put their heart into the food. They don’t care what they make. I think it is important to pay attention to what you are doing and put love into a meal. When I cook, I get into it. I listen to gospel music and feel like I am in the presence of God. • One-half page depiction of a man (Joel), blending food in a Cuisinart, with his dog standing behind him. • One-half page floor shot of same dog, eating out of a large stock pot. Joel’s comment: I started cooking for my dogs about two years ago. A friend encouraged me to try making their food and my vet had always recommended it. When I saw how much the dogs enjoyed it, that was argument enough to keep making it. It’s still more time and energy than feeding them off-the-shelf dog food, but they health benefits are worth it. • Full-page close-up of a woman’s hands (Maggy), pulling pasta through a hand-crank pasta roller, with a man (Ed), looking on. • Half-page overview shot of same couple, rolling tortellini together. Couple’s comment: When we make tortellini, it’s an all-day project – cooking the filling, rolling the dough, and shaping the pasta. I learned from my parents and picked up a few tips from a cook in an Italian restaurant. You can’t buy anything in the store that tastes as good. It’s worth the effort. Taste Vegemite, Soldiers, and Rosy Cheeks by Kay Richardson The history and sociology of the inimitable condiment. With a one-third page, full color photograph of Vegemite in a jar, tube, and individual serving packet. Vegemite as a Marker of National Identity by Paul Rozin and Michael Siegal. Scientific analysis on the sociological influence of Vegemite, complete with Mean, Standard Deviation, and Correlation tables. Origins Argan Oil – A Moroccan Flavor Rediscovered by Kitty Morse A young girl’s memories, as well as historical use, cultivation, production, and sale of argan oil. With a one-third page, sepia-tone photograph of the author and “and her brother near argan trees in the Essaouira region of Morocco, 1957.” Community Starbucks and Rootless Cosmopolitanism by Benjamin Aldes Wurgaft How some local coffee houses are fighting the influx of Starbucks into local neighborhoods. With two one-third-page, full-color photographs, one internal and one exterior, of The Diesel Café in Davis Square, Somerville, Massachusettes. Personal History Binge by Anna M. Shih A one-page, personal account of ‘how to binge.’ Slightly painful to read. Libations Grüner Veltliner by Karen King A beautifully-written account of the slightly rare Austrian grape, and the wine from which is produced. Americana The First Thanksgiving by Andrew F. Smith Surprisingly, this article was not under the Origins sub-heading, an historical account of the true and actual beginnings of America’s Thanksgiving celebration. With a half page, full-color reproduction of Jean Leon Gerome Ferris’ painting The First Thanksgiving, 1621, painted in 1919. Two, one-third size, full-color reproduction from Puck magazine by J. Keppler, “Thanksgiving Day, 1885” and “Greetings of Thanksgiving.” Pastimes Matsutake Gari – Hunting for Mushrooms in a New West by Jessica MacMurray Great article, complete with mythological references, on the hunting of this mushroom. With a one-third page, black-and-white woodcut of an early description of matsutake and their ecology, published in an 1834 edition of KINFU (Fungal Notes, Ohara, 1994: 23). The original text of KINFU is held by the National Diet Library, Tokyo, call number 22. A one-third page, full-color photograph showing an American white matsutake. Chef’s Page Chez Henri – Cambridge, Massachusettes by Paul O’Connell Another in the series of articles from chefs on how they got into the business and established themselves. In this case, Paul O’Connell tells how he added a Latin flair to an established French restaurant. With a one-third page, full-color photograph of the author In the kitchen with the chef, Nancy at Havana’s La Fontana Paladar. Notes on Vintage Volumes 10 Ways to Cook Oyster Crabs and 9990 Other Recipes by Jan Longone An historical look at a several series of cookbooks offered in the late 19th and early 20th centuries including “The Thomas J[efferson] Murray Series,” “The ‘365’ Series,” “The ‘Dame Curtsey’ Series,” “The Simple Directions Series,” and the “The Olive Green Series: Ten Thousand Early-Twentiety-Century Recipes for American Housewives.” With a full-page, full color reproduction of 365 Foreign Dishes depicting a Chef Boyardee-like chef, twirling his up-turned moustache. A two-thirds page, full-color reproduction of ”How To Cook Shell Fish,” by Olive Green. Review Essay The Obesity Epidemic by Susan Allport A review/comparison of two books: The Hungry Gene: The Science of Fat and The Future of Thin by Ellen Ruppel Shell and Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World by Greg Critser. Chinese Food Culture Today by Chris Berry A review/comparison of two books: Appetites: Food and Sex in Post-Socialist China by Judith Farquhar and Between Mecca and Beijing: Modernization and Consumption Among Urban Chinese Muslims by Maris Boyd Gillette. With a two-thirds page, full color photograph showing male mourners preparing to eat ‘meirimei’ funeral soup in the deceased’s home. Xi’an Muslim district, 1995. The Bookshelf Books in Review The Wilder Shores of Gastronomy: Twenty Years of Food Writing from the Journal Petits Propos Culinaires Edited by Alan Davidson With Helen Saberi Apples of Gold in Settings of Silver: Stories of Dinner as a Work of Art by Carolin C. Young Caviar : The Strange History and Uncertain Future of the World's Most Coveted Delicacy by Inga Saffron The Apprentice : My Life in the Kitchen by Jacques Pepin The Amish Cook: Recollections and Recipes from an Old Order Amish Family by Elizabeth Coblentz with Kevin Williams Reel Meals, Set Meals: Food in Film and Theatre: Food in Film and Theatre by Gaye Pool Food in the USA: A Reader Edited by Carole M. Counihan The Magic of Fire: Hearth Cooking: One Hundred Recipes for the Fireplace or Campfire by William Rubel Four Seasons in Five Senses: Things Worth Savoring by David Mas Masumoto Leah Chase: Listen, I Say Like This by Carol Allen Bookends Saké Pure + Simple : Facts, Tips, Lore, Libation by Griffith Frost and John Gauntner with a Foreword by Andrew Weil, M.D. But Wait! There's More! : The Irresistible Appeal and Spiel of Ronco and Popeil by Timothy Samuelson Lagniappe A Diner Slang Quiz Your editor likes word games – in this case, a list of twelve slang words are given and the reader is set to match them against their real culinary phrase. Who knew Shivering Liz in the hay was really a bowl of strawberry gelatin?

Ice wine has to be the most successful fraud ever pulled off in Canada. Are you saying it's not just me?! If so, thank you!!!!! I've been so shunned............ Except that the Canadians didn't originate it -- they just capitalized on it. I believe it was a German invention -- hence the word eiswein. BTW, I love it.

It is entirely a climate and varietal-based decision. Because of California's really weird hot Spring, I image DoverCanyon's weather has been abnormally hot (she did ask me earlier about a lack of water, so it is a reasonable assumption to make). Also, because we are on a mountain, we have had milder temperatures so more slower, even growing this season. Yes, it has been hot -- but we are consistently 10 degrees cooler up here than on the valley floor, a mere 4 mile ascent.

How ironic this topic has just come up... I just brought up several bottles from the company from whom we get bottles waxed (the same one Dunn uses). The stuff used here in Napa is very thick and hard and, yes, a pain to get off. It is rarely soft enough to cut through and I think warming it is the cleanest method.

Ahem, I had to step in to provide a little inside perspective that might help all the UNI haters. I wish I could like it as well -- but I'm in Stone's camp. I had Uni at Matsuhisa's in Los Angeles so one would assume no one would get it fresher. However, having grown up on the beaches in Southern California, I couldn't get past the fact that Uni was too reminscent of wiping out on a gnarly wave while body surfing... You know, that taste one gets when being tumbled along the bottom floor of the ocean by a huge wave that almost knocks you out. THAT is what Uni tastes like to me.

I realized when I first showed you the winery, it was winter. The trees were bare and the flowers had died. It is stunning up here now and I'm just sorry I couldn't get the whole range of flowers in the picture... I also can't stand far enough way from our vine to get it all in the shot: Gabriel said he wasn't going to have these vines suckered for another week or so as they are still growing. Don't worry, though! I'll shoot it for all you to see!

I watched Karen -- what she does next is SMELL the vodka. These corks have been soaking in the vodka for at least 48 hours and if there is the fear of taint, it often comes from the cork itself. She had me smell one that was a potential concern and indeed, the musty smell of taint (and, oddly, mint) was detectable in the vodka. Her analysis in smelling the left-over liquid (the corks are just thrown away), is methodical and done in wine glasses where she can swirl the liquid (just like a wine) to expand the aromas. Vodka is a milder form of the alcohol needed to extract out any of the potential impurities from the cork. Rubbing or denatured alcohol could potentially be too brutal on our wine maker's nostrils for this task. Consider that you can smell vodka without a burning sensation, but chemical alcohols are too strong to be smelled.