ScoopKW

I just use it in pancakes -- with decades-old sourdough starter that has been going strong since the Nixon administration.

I have about 200 cases of Imperial IPA that is about 1 year old. The hop profile has disappeared, leaving it a strong American Ale. It's pleasantly sweet. Anyone who'd like to buy a case, and will be in the Las Vegas area, get in touch.

A generator is great for some things. It's a creature comfort at best. But for a catastrophe -- like a tsunami, major earthquake, asteroid strike, nuclear blast -- what's it REALLY going to do? I'd rather have a satellite phone in my earthquake survival kit than a generator. I'd also want a means of water filtration -- although sand and a bucket will work in a pinch. I'd also want antibiotics, wound dressing supplies, survival food bars, etc.

I drink at work every day. Then again, when *I* drink at work, it's called "quality assurance." Then again, the most I'll drink in a given work day is about 16 ounces of beer -- anywhere from 4% to 9.5%, depending on what's fermenting, aging or being packaged.

I disagree with generators and inverters -- it's not going to help much for the basic necessities which are: 1) Breathable atmosphere 2) Water 3) Shelter 4) Food I'm not going to worry about Facebook updates if I have nothing to drink. Phones would be useful, provided the cellular network is up and running -- and in a catastrophe, I have my doubts. For those interested in honing survival skills, the SAS Survival Guide by John Wiseman is the book to read. He says that it basically comes down to: 1) Will to live 2) Knowledge 3) Kit (survival supplies) Put a survival kit in place, for sure. But knowing how to make potable water from contaminated water is better than having a few days supply.

Seriously, 90 percent. That's Las Vegas for you. The parents have this "Whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" attitude, as their holy terrors ruin the dining experiences for dozens, nee, hundreds of diners. We don't call them "ankle biters" for no reason, dontchaknow. Maybe, Munchymom, your child/children are beatific. Unfortunately, most children I come across in fine-dining venues in Las Vegas are NOT beatific. They're in need of a good beating. Hyperbole? Yes. But barely.

I think it would be even better to go completely over the top with the porn music. Add whip-pans of the chef throwing things into a pot. Use the "24" multiple video streams of various things happening at once -- AND, do it with a smirk, knowing that they're lampooning every show on FoodTV.

Where to start... (Trying to avoid duplication....) 1) Servers who reek of cigarettes. 2) Patrons seated next to me who take cell phone calls. And then have loud, long, animated conversations about their colonoscopy. 3) Precious people who bring their miserable little rat dogs into restaurants. Leave the damned dog at home. Even worse are the precious people who have their miserable little rat dogs certified as guide animals so they can bring them into restaurants/airplanes/etc. when they have no reason whatsoever for doing so. I'm not talking about guide dogs for the sightless and the dogs that warn owners about impending seizures. I'm talking about the misbehaving teacup "pocket dogs" that Paris Hilton wannabees bring to restaurants. The yappy, biting, piss-over-everything curs that have no business at the table next to mine. 4) Patrons who have no clue what a dress code implies. We get this in Vegas all the time -- morons who dress like Larry the Cable Guy at a Michelin-starred restaurant. I don't want to see hairy armpits and tattoos that read "Born to Lose" while I'm trying to enjoy my meal. 5) Couples who decide to have the "big pre-divorce blowout" in the restaurant. 6) The parents of 90% of the children in restaurants. Can't get a hyper, spoiled, loud, shrieking miserable whelp to sit still for two hours? Take the little bastard to Chuck-E-Cheese. 7) Elderly men who loudly insist to their mistresses that, "Ten percent is a perfectly acceptable tip. I'm not tipping a dime more." Yeah, buddy, last time 10% was acceptable, the tip WAS a dime. The Great Depression has been over for a very long time. 8) Drunkard cheapskates who drink 3/4 of a bottle of wine, then try to send it back as "corked." 9) Groups of six or more who arrive completely blotto and shriek and howl during the entire meal.

Has anyone slapped a meat-cutting blade on a wood-working band saw? I don't see why that wouldn't work. But it would probably be hell to clean.

How about the argument that it's simple common courtesy to wash hands before offering a guest food with said hands? Regardless whether we can find the definitive web-based health report on hand washing -- if someone coughs into their hands, handles money, handles a telephone, or anything else for that matter; they should damned-well wash their paws before handing me food. Not doing so is rude. It says to me, "Your health isn't worth me spending 30 seconds to properly wash my hands." Anyone trying to pull this either gets corrected or doesn't get my business.

The George Carlin Show took place almost exclusively in a bar -- at least the few episodes I watched before the series was canceled were.

Trek: Ten Forward and Quark's

I make it at home often enough. It is an easy sauce that goes with so many dishes. I've seen it at Andre's in Las Vegas, and that's about it. I agree, it should be on more menus. To paraphrase diva Ina, "Stock and roux, how good is that?"

There's always the "Pound the head onto a stake in your front yard, hang a 'Lord of the Flies' sign on it, and scare the hell out of your neighbors" angle, too. Kidding aside, I had pig's head in Taiwan. It was unbelievably good.

I regularly make tagines of chicken and lamb. Ras al Hanout combines with stock, squashes, onions, root vegetables and dates to make a lovely sauce. Dose it over couscous and serve with wine.

Dip the corn-starched protein into a light tempura batter (freshly made, minutes prior to frying) and then fry. The tempura will stay crispier longer, and takes sauce better in my experience.

I think Americans are still the target market -- that explains the new grilled chicken and the double-down sandwich. I don't think the US is buying as much as they once did. I hardly ever visit KFC. Maybe once every two years. When I lived in Florida, my local gas station made MUCH better chicken than the Colonel. I'm still looking for a good chicken stand here in Vegas. KFC is just OK. I'll probably end up buying some fried chicken tonight. I have a super early morning tomorrow -- that fried chicken means a good hot dinner, and a solid cold breakfast.

Time for a national chain of fried chicken on waffles.

I don't have a recipe, but I do have a procedure -- fried meats of that nature are marinated in soy sauce with some green onions, ginger, sesame oil, etc. added. Then the excess liquid is drained and enough corn starch is added to coat. Shake off, dip in a tempura batter and fry. Drain then toss with sauce.

I rarely drink milk. That is because I live in the United States, where milk tastes like a mixture of chalk and library paste dissolved in water. First thing I do when I go to Europe is drink a tall glass of milk. (The last thing I drink is usually beer, waiting at the airport bar.) But I make sure I get plenty of milk. Because I won't drink it here.

Just about anything with an electric motor is better now than before. Just about anything with nickel chromium wire is worse than what our grandparents had.

I'll eat anything from roadside, dockside and beachside stands. I've been doing it for years and years and have never once been sick. Caveats: 1) I won't buy if I notice the proprietor touching money and then food. Same goes for touching hair, scratching, etc. 2) The cart/shack/etc. can be old and run down, but it must be clean. 3) I smell all fish and seafood prior to purchase. I also keep an eye on how food is stored. If the veg is on the bottom shelf, beneath the raw chicken, I pass.

I don't know squat about what you like to eat. But I wholeheartedly recommend Freedom Fighter's Ital Shack on Bush Road. It's vegan. And it's damned good food. I consider it the must-do restaurant in SXM. Other than that, try to find seafood joints where you're the only tourist. http://www.sxmfreedomfighters.com/restaurant Whenever I'm in SXM, I head to Le Grande Marche for French and Dutch provisions. I like to cook on vacation. I also like to head over to Anguilla and find a beach shack at Shoal Bay. Since you have "some favorite places to eat" already, how about sharing them so we can get a better idea of what you have and have not done?

Epoxy grout. Use a grout saw to remove 1/4" of your current grout. Then re-grout with epoxy grout. The next-generation epoxies spread as easily as regular grout. Once cured, it is 100% non-porous. It will not stain or bleach. It is stronger than the surrounding tile. The only down side is the price -- about $1 per square foot. Easily 20 times the price of regular grout. I have a tile floor, and I LOVE it. It is next to no maintenance. But I spent almost as much on grout as I did on the tile.

Even vegetarian food requires animals to die -- millions of small ground animals are going to end up in combines, harvesters and threshers so that vegetarians can eat "meatless." I see no difference in raising an animal for slaughter and killing animals as a byproduct of harvesting plants. The only way to ensure no animals die is to hand-pick the food personally. Anyone who does that has my respect for being hard-core.