nibor

Don't buy a cheap one. Be gentle with it.

The video of the Mission Hill jello earthquake is too cool.

Halifax! I visited and was impressed with both the recycling effort and the pride everyone took in it. I thought, flying in, that the Halifax dump would be a good place to see bears. My cab driver proudly told me otherwise - he said they didn't send food to their dump. My hotel room even had bags for recycling. Very cool. However, I live in condo-world in southern California, and would probably be reported and fined by my condo association if I tried to compost. Don't have a yard anyway...so yeah, I love my garbage disposal.

Little crackers or butter cookies with salt and pepper?

A pork chop. I would almost fly to Europe for a pork chop that has fat and taste and doesn't leak water all over when cooked. You could give them some butter to eat...or eggs....water...so many simple staples taste better there.

Cheese.

Absolutely. Hash makes everything wonderful.

Make a nice sauce, heat it in a wide pan. Thin slice the meat, immerse it in the sauce just long enough to warm it up a bit. Eat.

Has anyone tried it?

Fat Guy, this average but curious user wonders what happens in the world of eG anonymity. .........?Also, I wonder how the Doc stays so slim while living the good life.. I am sure I am not the only one who would like to know the answer.

Do you know why your counts are so low? I hope your doctor is taking a look.

Interesting! It would never have occurred to me to wear gloves while cooking. But then I don't wear shoes in the kitchen either. Is there a correlation? Are you gloved people also shod?

Please stick around Doc. We enjoy your company!

You nailed it. I have been "forced" to convert twice, each time upon moving from the US to Europe for a year. At first I was converting units for money, gas and distance, but I got a feel for things like what gas cost so quickly that I stopped converting without realizing I had done so. After a while I didn't even remember what the dollar/euro/SF exchange rates were - it didn't matter. But as for cooking, I never made the transition. After reading your post I clearly see it was because I had brought my American cookbooks. I finally got so sick of converting (and throwing out strange baked goods) that I quit cooking anything complicated.

Sorry, I remember them well. They taste like chemicals.

We experienced this several times in a row at a favorite restaurant. In this case it is after-work get-togethers of screaming women. We talked to the management; they hate these people, but they are local business types and the restaurant doesn't want to lose both their work and personal business. Instead, they lost us.

Vitamins are good. So are steak, beer, you know, the stuff guys eat....

When I did physical work outside in the midwest I ate whatever I wanted, was skinny, and looked great. Now I sit in front of a computer, am overweight, and can't eat anything without it turning to lard. Sounds like you are healthy now, no?

I can see it now: FatWare! An exciting new designer series of drinking glasses for the very thirsty.

The conspiracy is beverage-wide. What use is a little coffee cup?

Most animals would eat us in a second if we were not so large and crafty. I know my cat would...yet I love him dearly. Go figure the animal world!

Anyone interested in learning about recent outbreaks of Campylobacteriosis in Kansas due to consumption of raw milk and cheese can go to http://www.promedmail.org and type archive number 20071205.3922 into the "Quick Archive Search" box in the lower left part of the page. The outbreak report is followed by the CDC outbreak report, with references.

Even when eating out in Europe I found that my younger European friends would often order only appetizers and skip the main. They asked me how Americans can eat so much, and why we would want to...

I wouldn't even advise that you take advice (except mine, to go slow), because different people have really different usage habits. When I am away for long periods of time I rent my house out, furnished. And in turn I live in a furnished home or apartment elsewhere. I consider my kitchen well stocked, but each new renter wonders why I don't have X (X in one case was lots of little saucepans, another apparently couldn't live without a non-stick bundt pan). And similarly, I find myself living in places that lack something I use all the time at home. One apartment did not have a mixing bowl. Another didn't come with a casserole dish or anything you could put in the oven except a huge roasting pan.

Make sure you taste it before you buy... old chopped liver can be pretty icky.