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franklanguage

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Everything posted by franklanguage

  1. I apologize for being flippant - but I did use a smiley! As a matter of fact, I was put on a diet - by a doctor who happened to be obese himself - at the age of ten, and another at eleven, and by the time I was out of my teens I decided I was through with diets. Well, I have posted Not-milk several times on eGullet. There is also Milk Sucks!, which includes its own links page. (Hey, folks: I don't make this stuff up.) I also try to be diplomatic, and I'm well aware that my views are unpopular here. It is true that a group of humans in the Andes once were forced by circumstances to eat their frozen dead comrades just to survive, but in a world where we are often able to choose what we eat we can sometimes make educated choices. The Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine has a page entitled "Shoudln't I drink milk?" which puts a lot of commonly-held beliefs to rest. I am also the first to admit that dairy products are enjoyable, even addictive. Cheese is undeniably delicious, and most people are willing to put up with the consequences - possible discomfort or worse - of eating it. Cheese, after all, contains casomorphin, which is an opioid substance. When I say it causes respiratory distress, I mean that it causes everyone to produce varying amounts of mucus. This is established; people of Nordic backgrounds tend to metabolize dairy products better than many other ethnic/racial groups, and people of African ancestry can't metabolize dairy at all, which makes it positively criminal for the milk-mustache ads to target African-Americans the way they do. ("Hey, folks, I don't make this stuff up.") But I digress. I hope I've provided enough links.
  2. One of the several reasons I stopped eating meat and dairy was because I had been practicing yoga since the middle of last year. Although the practice of yoga doesn't require someone to be a vegetarian, I think it was a natural progression of the practice of yoga and the philosophy of non-violence to stop eating animal products. I also wouldn't be able to breathe effectively if I were still eating cheese. (Notably, I know an instructor of iyengar yoga who insists she still eats dairy "so that I'll still be able to tolerate it". All I can say is your mileage may vary.) The most dramatic thing about quitting meat and dairy - dairy especially - is that it's a very effective way to lose weight fast and keep it off. Also - and I know this is a very unpopular view - if you knew of all the blood, pus, and fecal matter that goes into a typical gallon of milk - evem "organic" milk - you probably would find it easier to quit eating dairy products. You realize, don't you, the laughable thing about this thread is that it's all fat people telling you how to lose weight. I remember in high school there was this obese and unpopular girl who would tell anyone who would listen about the diet that worked best for her. Unfortunately, she apparently wasn't able to stick to it very long at a time. Oh: but the one thing you might also keep in mind is that boosting your fiber intake will help you - if not actually lose weight - absorb fewer calories by running food through your system faster. It will also lower your risk of colon cancer.
  3. There was, and I believe still is, a Chippery on 23rd street just east of the Flatiron building. I went there once just to try their ketchup variety - but I tell you, I still prefer Herr's ketchup flavor potato chips. Bemelmans bar on Madison in the 70s reportedly has freshly-made potaro chips, although I only went in to look at the murals one time.
  4. Yeah, like how about "Pork scratchings"? And don't they have chips flavored with prawns? (Not to say they don't in Chinatown, too, but the Brits make such a deal out of it.) Although I've never been to England, Paul Theroux paints a brilliant picture of it in "The Kingdom by the Sea"; I was actually sorry to finish that book. Oh: but Kettle Chips make one variety that's "Oh-my-god" good - their "salsa and mesquite" chips. I can't believe how good they are; I bought a bag the other day, and was leaving the deli and popped one in my mouth and stopped in my tracks. I brought them back to work and my boss ate most of them.
  5. Interestingly, I've developed hayfever these past few years because the atmospheric pollen in New York has been unusually bad in the spring. In response, rather than running to my doctor for a prescription - or even trying something over-the-counter like Allerest - I've chosen to take bee pollen from an upstate farm. (I'm aware that more local pollen would probably be more effective, however.) It seems to have worked reasonably well - probably as well as anything over-the-counter I could have gotten. Notably, my symptoms were less anyway this year, and I attribute that to my cutting out dairy from my diet - although, of course, it could have something to do with variations in the pollen count from day-to-day and year-to-year. I would guess that to start with a small amount to see if you're able to tolerate it before graduating to a larger amount would be a good way to "ease in" to this. However, if you have a long-standing history of allergy, it's probably best to avoid the allergenic substance altogether; I just tried to imagine myself suggesting to someone who was allergic to nuts, "Why don't you just start with little dabs of peanut butter...?" Nah. Don't jeopardize your health in the pursuit of flavor!
  6. The meaning of Life, right? I never even saw the film, and I even know that. (I think I saw the scene, though.)
  7. Yeah, it's funny: I've almost never had a birthday party, and even this year (which will be the big 4-oh) it's likely I won't - unless you e-gulleteers throw me a surprise party. I feel awfully funny about birthdays anyway. I've actually been thinking of having a 45th birthday party this year, because people always seem to guess I'm already in my 40s; ever since I turned 35, it seems I've been on the cusp of 40. I even bought a stack of 45 RPM records (remember them?) to hang from the ceiling in the event I rent a party room with a ceiling to hang them off, but I'm already getting cold feet about that - plus I have no money to throw a party with. As for food, I generally go to some place with outstandingly good cake and get a piece to unapologetically eat all by myself. (The past couple of years it's been Ceci-Cela; if I were on Death Row and had one last wish, I'd probably ask for the chocolate cake from Ceci-Cela. With coffee, goddamnit.) And I never heard the thing about it being bad luck to bake your own cake, so in past years I've baked myself a chocolate cake, sometimes with orange or lemon icing. Sometimes I've baked myself a blackberry pie, because as luck would have it, blackberries are right in season around my birthday. I also smoke my only cigar of the year, in honor of Fidel and Alfred. I don't know if I'll do that this year, because I've been wheezing from World Trade Center syndrome, but the upshoot of all this is that, like most people, the older you get, the less you want people to acknowledge your birthday anyway; I'd just as soon celebrate alone. My perfect strategy is to lie about my age, but to lie up, so people won't say, "You're not really 38; you look much older!" but instead will say, "48? I would have guessed you were more like 40!"
  8. Beachfan, have you considered doing standup? Absolutely true: I went to a neighborhood pizza joint (Five Roses, which used to be called Rosemarie's before she incorporated her daughters) and was excited to see "Vegetarian Lasagne" on the board. I forgot that at this place, "vegetarian" means "without meat" and has nothing to do with cheese. After I had placed my order, I turned back and said, "Oh, does the lasagne have cheese on it?" "Yes, it does." 'Oh, I can't eat that." "You can take the cheese off." I guess she forgot that the ricotta filling is cheese. "No, I can't have that." I changed my order to the "straciatella siciliana", kind of a french bread pizza without cheese which I love. Eating anything these days has become a minefield; I'm forever reading ingredients labels. Is it worth it? To me, it is.
  9. franklanguage

    Buttah!

    Here's a link that probably talks about what your friend was talking about. It mainly says that the company's practices are the standard corporate-type practices - not shocking, but not very savory. My opinion - if you had asked - would be: Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread is great. Amazing - and contains no trans-fats or cholesterol. But it's just my opinion; others, of course, have also found it's great to use in cooking or baking, or even just to spread on bread. (I know: this thread is about butter; sorry.)
  10. franklanguage

    Corn

    Hey, corn is a starchy vegetable, okay? You can have jellybeans with your steak for all I care; the current line is that it's just better to have many colors on your plate - not just beige and brown. I suppose you don't even have a green salad. The link I'm adding here is called "Eat A Rainbow Every Day" and is geared to kids; it appears the Food Rainbow is replacing the Basic 4 Food Groups and even the Food Pyramid. (I always thought it sounded like a pyramid scheme anyway.)
  11. Okay, I tried the BK Veggie the other day and I liked it. It helped that it was fresh off the assembly line. Only thing I hated was the mayo; I'll definitely tell them to hold it next time. But even in spite of the white-bread bun and iceberg lettuce and pink tomato, I finished it and was thinking about it half an hour later. It may not be the healthiest burger, but it sure beats meat - in my opinion.
  12. Sounds like a bourbon sno-kone to me!
  13. Well, I don't know; NYC tap water just tastes to me like pool water. In fact, there is plenty of documentation of fluoride's hazards (not to mention chlorine, which changes chemically to become dioxins, the stuff they found in Love Canal); I think people have been hearing the warnings for so long they've tuned it out. Actually, I know one of the bottled-water companies has introduduced water with fluoride added.
  14. Puslane is a weed, and it grows like a weed; I've seen it peeking up through cracks in the sidewalk - and of course my dog peed on it. It's a highly nutritious plant, though, and last year I was able to get it all the time through my CSA (community supported agriculture). I put it through the juicer (with other veggies) as often as not.
  15. The fiddlehead is the tightly-packed young frond of the ostrich fern, and to my palate the thing it most closely resembles is pea pods, once it's cooked. I also learned the hard way that you have to blanch them even before sautéing - or however you prepare them - or you're bound to get horrible gas pains. Live and learn. I don't know if the farmers are out in force today - I'm hearing some rumblings in the sky and that may have kept some of them away today - but as soon as my hair dries I'm going out to check on the fiddleheads and other provisions at the park.
  16. See below: it is possible, although as you say, probably not practical. Depends on what market you're targeting. To their credit, Sassy's Sliders (which was originally on 10th street and 1st avenue in Manhattan, then moved up to 86th street on the east side and now I don't know if they still exist) did specify that their veggie "slider" was cooked on a separate griddle. I often had that burger, and found it to be as good as the best veggie burgers I'd ever had. (Unfortunately, they served it on a white-bread bun, which detracted from it, however.) It is absolutely true that with regard to your own dietary choices you have to be vigilant without expecting anyone else to look out for you. I'm looking forward to getting a soymilk machine in the next two weeks, because as a by-product of the milk, the machine also gives you a portion of okara, which is the fiber of the bean after the milk is pressed out. Years ago I used to buy an okara burger (made with flaxseed, chard, carrots, and such), and I'm looking forward to experimenting with making my own burger. I'll report.
  17. Hmmm...I'm not sure I want to touch that one.
  18. Well, surely we can have some sort of eGullet Morel Foray - or other hiking trip. It occurred to me when I first read the subject line that fiddleheads are just about out: or maybe they're early this year becauise it's been so warm. I'm hopeless as a coordinator - so don't ask me - but I'd be willing to help with the planning. So when do we go? (Alternately, fiddleheads can be found at a few stands at Union Square. Liza, what does Davy say about the fiddleheads this year?)
  19. I think we could have a whole thread about hashi. (Thanks for the word, Jinmyo.) I used to carry my own Japanese chopsticks; they were pink plastic and said "Happy Dog" with a little cartoon dog printed on them. Because I lost them and it was very hard to find a replacement pair, I stopped carrying my own sticks, if you will. By now, it's very common to find disposable bamboo (not those trashy balsa) sticks at most Asian places, so I still don't carry my own. At home I use better ones than I do out, though. For Japanese housewares, I like Katagiri.
  20. Actually, in the very beginning, I cooked like a maniac. For instance, I baked crazy - and often inedible - cookies in the toaster oven, using ingredients that happened to be in the house. And I generally did - and still do - pretty simple stuff. Actually, I didn't record them; when I used to watch cooking shows, I didn't have a VCR - and didn't even take notes. But I can recall a French cooking show on channel 13 I was watching one afternoon, and the woman - I think the show was called "Brigitte Cooks" or something - was doing this sea skate dish. I ran down to the fish market, but alas, they didn't have skate that day. I think I used some kind of filet, but this was over ten years ago. I still find it challenging to have several concurrent steps going, but fortunately I've learned to look at the whole picture. And I still forget ingredients, but somehow I usually manage to save the dish.
  21. Oh, cool; this is right up my alley (but shouldn't it be in "Cooking"?) Learning to cook has been cognitive therapy for me. When I was a kid, I learned kitchen basics, which often amounted to simple things like making eggs or pancakes; usually if I baked it was from a mix. When I was a kid in junior high, all students - boys and girls alike - were required to take home ec (or "home ecch", as MAD magazine would have called it), and we all learned kitchen things like fritters and applesauce there. But in 1981 I had a brain injury and gradually had to re-learn things from scratch. I had gone through one year of art school but the accident landed me right back home with my parents in Connecticut. So I spent a lot of time in the kitchen, and especially once I came back to New York and lived on my own again. By learning to follow recipes, I was able to tame my frazzled brain and also learn some useful skills; I never did know how to separate an egg before I taught myself. This was also a way of getting around the dictum handed down by a number of neuropsych "professionals" (and I use that term loosely) that I wouldn't benefit from cognitive therapy (after two years post-trauma, one is considered to be "too far gone" to receive any help, at least in terms of cognitive therapy; this, of course, has as much to do with funding as it does with the reality of the individual case). I've been called "unable to learn" and "developmentally disabled" by most professionals I've seen; once I realized that if I had been a few years younger at the time of my accident these same doctors would have labeled me "retarded", I decided to cut loose and pronounce myself "cured", instead. So cooking has been a valuable and practical way of learning sequencing: if I've forgotten a key ingredient in a recipe, it's immediately apparent. And I also learned that there was a lot of leeway in recipes for improvisation, which freed me to concentrate on the techniques of them. And naturally I've gotten a lot of inspiration and instruction from watching cooking shows - haven't we all?.
  22. I thought it was Milton Glaser, actually. But the sentiment is apt; why be constrained by a silly technicality like copyright infringement?
  23. There are many people with undiagnosed neurological disorders that may cause them to say things they don't consciously mean; Tourette's syndrome is only the most famous because certain individuals have been caused to utter profanities against their conscious will. Maybe there should be a "National Restaurant Disorders Association"; it could be founded to promote research and treatment of these disorders that seem to afflict restaurant personnel. It could be administered as a subgroup of the National Restaurant Association. (Is it just a coincidence that that's NRA for short?)
  24. When I first came to New York, two types of mustard stood out for me: the strong, sinus-searing mustard available at certain Chinese restaurants, and the equally searing mustard you could get at McSorley's Old Ale House if you ordered a cheese platter or sandwich. (I bet some people don't even know they serve food at McSorley's!) Those two remain my favorites, but I'm finding it increasingly hard to find decent mustard at Chinese restaurants - and I haven't been to McSorley's in probably fifteen years. In Chinese restaurants, it seems to be more a Cantonese thing to have the hot, hot mustard on the table - and a traditional "gringo" thing to serve a little dish of the mustard along with a dish of the cloying, fluorescent-orange duck sauce. A lot of restaurants, of course, have a little of the hot peppers in oil on the table instead; I have to admit I don't like them as well. I'd like to find out a good brand of it so I could add a jar to my cluttered shelves at home. (Although, admittedly, I rarely use mustard for anything.) And, unfortunately, jhlurie, I know nothing about black mustard. Sorry.
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