tommy

aside from the one or two times that every american has had "good" "produce", who is buying all of that crappy stuff at the thousands of supermarkets across the nation day in and day out? yes, of course if everyone in the country has had a good tomato once (and clearly that can't be proven, and i don't believe it). and if more than half have had a good tomato once (which i also don't believe), then craig's comment is out and out wrong. but i don't think he really meant that. i think he was employing hyperbole to make a point. and perhaps that point is that most americans chose the roundest tomatoes from Shop Rite, rather than traveling to the roadside stand (although it wasn't that simple). i agree with this assumption.

yet another reason to bring your own glasses! i call most restaurants' glasses "shot glasses", as you can only get about 1 oz or 2 of wine in them if you want any room whatsoever at the top of the glass.

years of analysis has shown, among other things, that the shape of the glass directs the aroma of certain wines a certain way, thereby enhancing the drinking experience. there are other issues involved as well, such as surface area, etc. but all you need to know is that they've already figured it out, so... an all-purpose red glass , and an all-purpose white glass, would certainly be sufficient for the casual drinker.

Tommy. Someone here said that "MOST AMERICANS HAVE NEVER TASTED" a good tomato (edit: okay, 'produce'). Do you honestly believe that? Never? i suppose if you're splitting hairs, then yes, you might be correct. but i don't know if the tale of our families' gardens holds up very much. actually, i don't even know if more than 50% of americans ("most") have had really good tomatoes. one theory is that if you put the average american in front of an heirloom tomato, and a nice red round one, they'll pick the red round one. i suppose this would hold true for most produce.

jaymes, if so many people have access to these tomatoes from family gardens, who's buying all of those nasty things at the thousands of supermarkets across the nation?

you're an exception.

Again, this hasn't been my experience at all. agreed. how could it be a "dis" to the restaurant? you're simply providing yourself with a service that the restaurant is clearly incapable of providing on its own. if anything, you're doing them a favor by bringing your own glasses: they might take the hint. and bringing stemware need not be a big production any more than bringing your own bottle is a big production. again, if it's something that will enhance your experience, especially considering that you're bringing a wine that you really want to enjoy in the best possible manner, i don't see any reason to feel awkward.

breakage falls under "cost". clueless falls under "ignorance". :wink: you suggest another interesting thought: better glasses are bigger, and are therefore more difficult to wash/store.

drink it? i can't even eat dishes that use it. although perhaps those dishes have some pretty crappy marsala in them.

i suppose it's hard to say why so many restaurants offer such poor stemware. it would be even harder to make a case that they're all doing it for the same reasons. the reason that makes the most sense to me is cost. and perhaps ignorance in many cases. i've been to restaurants where the customers are clearly bringing better wines than 2 buck chuck. this hasn't seemed to change the restaurant's stemware, unfortunately. additionally, i'm not sure these restaurants (the owners? the managers?) necessarily know "good wine." and i don't think they're surveying the room saying "yup, they're still all bringing kendall jackson. let's keep the shit glasses. they won't know." (although that's a good theory and probably the case in some restaurants - which, to me, falls under the "ignorance" mentioned above).

My Cup of Tea, in Allendale, used to have decent glasses. i think they've closed now. as far as people bringing "bad" wine, well, i suppose they're simply bringing what they like.

there have been several, um, "spirited" discussions on this in the past. i dare not dig them up.

i don't think anyone is suggesting otherwise. my comments were made in the context of this thread, and robyn's earlier comment about how one would have to wear a "suit and tie" to the restaurants listed by fat guy (i think it was fat guy).

hank, if people aren't interested in red sauce threads, there are plenty of others to read. and yes, a few of them discuss "serious" food.

this is a fun pissing-match. edited for clarity.

start a new thread, silly. or search one "wine glasses". the short answer is: you should have both red and white glasses. bloomingdales and william sonoma have decent enough stemware at decent enough prices (although you can surely find them for less elsewhere).

But the US is still a free country (in most states) i do think there are certain laws regarding giving away drinks in several states.

sam, you'd just *love* my non-stick "wok" from circulon. i love it.

rachael rules. as mrs. tommy says, she does and says stuff that you'd do and say in the shower, but she's doing it on TV.

my guess is much fewer than those who want to teach the world about that hidden r. oh, and martha stewart pronounces that r.

and we have no time for people with such low tolerance to diversity.

i'm with ya. i should dig up that old thread on BYOG. ok, i just did. it didn't seem to get off the ground. but yeah, i don't know why restaurants don't provide decent stemware. it should be standard. however, since it's not, it's one of those things that makes me remember and respect a restaurant. the restaurants who don't care enough to spend the extra coupla bucks on decent stemware are making it real easy for their competitors to shine. their loss, on many levels.

but we're not concerned with feeling uncomfortable when "dressed up" in this particular discussion as far as i can tell.

yer smart. as i recall, the other bartenders did in fact have a go at him, as he was clearly having a very bad day. and i *still* bust his balls about that particular night...although i never bust his balls about not throwing me a buy-back.

one of my favorite dishes. so subtle. so wonderful. i enjoy it with shrimp as well, even though they're the little shrimp that i generally hate. this dish shouldn't be eaten after anything really spicy, though, as it loses some nuance. knowing jason, you probably had it after the spicy capsicum noodles.