ChocoKitty

So true. And let's not forget coney dogs and gyros. Sometimes it seems like every block in metro Detroit has a coney/Greek place.

"The Making of a Cook" by Madeline Kamman. I'm a glutton for punishment, I know.

I just love guys with hard evidence.

I dont think its forgotten its roots or gone down the wrong path. I just think some of its shows suck. Didn't TVFN start shifting toward more "infotainment" after it was purchased by Scripps-Howard?

Interesting analogy, but I think that the backbiting in law firms is closer to the restaurant model than we might think (again, I personally think that sniping about "going commercial" happens in all industries because it's human nature). From what I've seen, when a partner lands a new client there will be squabbling among the other partners saying, "I found that client first." To add to the mix, younger lawyers will disparage older lawyers for not doing real work anymore. Even at the law student level, I've seen new attorneys working in government and public interest jobs branding their law firm colleagues as sellouts, interested in only money while representing "bad guy" corporations. So back to this topic, I think it's human nature to envy and trash talk other people, no matter what the profession. Even among vocations that make no money, such as independent zine publishing, writers who manage to get some commercial success are branded as sellouts. But using this logic, I suppose critics of commercial success would claim that the ultimate measure of success is when no one wants to read (or eat) your work. At least that way, you can claim that you're a misunderstood genius. I personally think that increased marketing and awareness of food is a GOOD thing. Even 15 years ago, it was hard to find bok choy and other Oriental goods at the local grocery store. Now there's an entire aisle of Oriental foodstuffs because more people are aware of them and demand them. Even if people aren't make risotto once a month right now, the nice thing is that they could. The ingredients are there. Heck, the fact that more people KNOW what risotto is is an improvement. When I look back to the cookbooks of the 1960's and 1970's and compare them to what's available today, I'm happy that better food has been more commercialized. Not everyone can afford, or wants, to eat at the high-end restaurants that we seem so fond of here. But if someone chooses a Wolfgang Puck frozen pizza over a Tombstone one because of savvy marketing, well, isn't that an improvement? Or would the food elite rather keep the chefs to themselves and use food consumption habits as a way to separate themselves from "the masses"?

"Bangkok Hung," a Thai place in metro Detroit. I dunno, it just sounds like a name for a male porn star. "The Moose Preserve" is another name I don't care for.

I'm not sure what the "real" distinction is, but from what I can tell paczkis are bigger and have more filling than normal jelly doughnuts. And the dough seems denser, heavier. Seriously, these things feel like they weigh a ton. Now I'm trying to digest this thing. Time to hit the gym at lunch today, I guess!

Well, I had my one requisite paczki for the year. Anyone else live in an area where paczki are a big deal today? Whaddya mean, 425 calories and 30g of fat??

I hated my KitchenAid so much I gave it away. The gasket on the lid never sealed right, and that removable bottom was responsible for more than one major spill when I twisted my wrist just the wrong way. So that's why I'm looking for a new one. Thanks to all for the advice so far!

I'm looking to purchase a blender with my tax refund. I don't use blenders enough to warrant dropping the dough on a Vita-Mix (much as I'd like one!), so what are your recommendations? Oster? Waring? Thanks!

I am with you on this one. I sat there with my mouth open, thinking these 2 just blew the oppurtunity of a lifetime and it seemed as if they did not even care. I do not know if that is reflective of youth today or just those 2 but it was amazing. Did they know it was an opportunity of a lifetime? I don't know. I am pretty sure, however, that the folks on that show are not as up on what's hot/what's not on the restaurant scene as the people on this board are. From what I understand, C-CAP is a non-profit program to help inner city students get training for the culinary field (someone please confirm if they know for sure?). So no, I don't expect them to view this as a "touch your dream" event or even know that this is an opportunity that other culinary students would kill for. Hey, at 18/19 I thought I knew everything too! Oh well. It's easy for us to second-guess everything from the comfort of our sofas and from the vantage point of our *cough* extra years. More on C-CAP: C-CAP info

I wonder whether this is a function of the relative "newness" of American cuisine with respect to, say French or Italian cuisine. When compared with other cuisines around the world, American cuisine reminds me of a teenager going through an identity crisis. At the risk of sounding like a philosophy major, I think we first have to ask, "what IS American cooking?" American cuisine hasn't been codified like French cuisine (I guess we need our own version of Escoffier?), and with the constant influx of immigrants in our history, I'm not sure we CAN freeze-frame a time when we can say "Yes, THIS is American cuisine." James Beard's "American Cookery" is probably the closest thing we have to a fixed definition for now. I really enjoyed "Serious Pig," though, because from my vantage point it highlighted an interesting perspective of what American cuisine is. I'm from the Midwest and my parents are Chinese immigrants, so interestingly anything that's not Chinese is, to them, "American". Has anyone read "American Appetite" by Leslie Brenner?

Why does it seem weird? I use a slow cooker/Crock Pot often. As Bittman pointed out, it doesn't do everything well, but with a little care you can make some tasty soups, stews, and braises with it. Heck, even Jeffrey Steingarten used a slow cooker to make coq au vin and vowed not to make fun of slow cookers anymore in "It Must Have Been Something I Ate".

The Costcos where I am (metro Detroit) are pretty laid-back when it comes to samples. No pushing or shoving or anything like that (although I think it would be quite a sight!). The Costco where I usually shop is known as a seen-and-be-seen kind of location. A bit strange, I know. Every time I go, I can count on seeing at least two women wearing fur coats. The local paper even wrote an article about it: Clickie I'm sure there are plenty of other Costcos in the country like this?

Atlantic Monthly about food with photos. This is really intriguing. Please elaborate? I'm curious about the details of your thoughts on this....

Was it in the most recent issue of Saveur? I was skimming my copy and saw and article on Costco and first growths.

Dumb question, but what's the difference between caramel popcorn and toffee popcorn? In my mind, the toffee popcorn is golden, while caramel popcorn is more brown. Or am I completely off? I'm starting to do a little Googling myself. You're all making me hungry.

Food safety. No, you really shouldn't leave the stuffing in the bird when you refrigerate it. On a side note: I found this funny story about a nightmare Thanksgiving. Some people just shouldn't cook: http://www.fool.com/community/pod/2002/021127.htm

maggiethecat, I *love* your idea of dining elegantly at home every night with your hubby! I'm convinced that it was a major contributor to your long, happy marriage. I love to cook, but I hate cooking under time pressures (so don't expect to see me on Iron Chef anytime soon ). It's a great way to get back in touch with the physical world after sitting at a computer all day. Baking is especially therapeutic for me -- after 9/11, I made a bakery's worth of cookies and muffins. And bread baking got me through the stresses of law school. But boy, I wish I had more time so I could shop and cook more. And I need a robot or something to help me clean up.

My favorite: Garden Fresh Salsa (made in the Metro Detroit area). They make 15 different kinds of salsa (haven't tried them all yet) and wonderfully hefty, crunchy chips that make normal chips seem wimpy. Here's their website: Garden Fresh Salsa Munch munch....

Wilfrid -- thanks for clarifying.

You have some, um, interesting friends. If I told my friends I was having fondue, they'd think, "Cool, we don't have to cook!" If I had a "friend" who felt compelled to judge me on whether I was serving the "right" food at a dinner party, I'd find a new friend. Life's too short to try entertaining people who can't be entertained. But then, I'm just a Midwestern oaf. Jaymes: ditto!

I have a fondue cookbook by Rick Rodgers and everything I've made from it has been a hit. He has some variations on plain ol' classic cheese fondues, such as cheddar fondue with curry and mango chutney or with roasted garlic and zinfandel. Yummy! When I want something less heavy, I go for a broth-type fondue (think shabu-shabu, hot pot, etc.). And frankly, I'm always delighted if someone serves fondue, fashionable or not. It's tons of fun -- how can that be a bad thing?

Coffee Crisp hard to find in Ottawa? You can find them pretty much anywhere in Ottawa that sells candy bars. You can get them by the case at Costco. There's also three different versions of them. There's regular, orange and something like an extra chocolate version available. Orange Coffee Crisps?? How long have those been out? I've seen the regular and the extra chocolate one, but the orange (which sound heavenly, by the way). I buy bags of Coffee Crisps and Canadian Kit Kats every time I go to Windsor (I'm in the Detroit area). BTW, whatever happened to Coffee Kit Kats? I saw them a few times, and now I can't find them anywhere. Any leads?

Malawry, I just went from mildly jealous to positively green! Thanks for posting those pictures. Now I have to go back and read your diary entries with those pictures in my head.