Dante

Oh, my- Peppers. My Sister-in-Law's husband took me to dinner at Starboard restaurant in lieu of giving me a batchelor party. We stopped there afterwards. Hmm...I can't decide which Half Moon Bay/Iguana sauce to recommend, as I love them all so much. All have an excellent blend of heat and flavour...tho I've become partial to their Bee Sting of late, but the Gold Island is nice too. Scorned Woman, the original, especially if you're serving red meat- the flavours work nicely together. Sriracha- can't do Asian without Hot Raspberry Thunder by Robert Rothchild Farm- good flavour, good tecture, nice heat level without being intrusive. and, if you must have one nuclear-intensity sauce, bypass Dave's Gourmet (not to knock them, mind you) and go for Pepper's own "You Can't Handle this Sauce"- heat, flavour, and spice. Does anyone know if Captain Sleepy's is still available? Haven't seen it in ages. Sincerely, Dante

One of my housemates, whose father is a sommelier, suggested another... "The Meaning of Life" Speaking of Python and wine- anyone here seen John Cleese's "Wine For The Confused""Wine For The Confused"? Sincerely, Dante

Well, on a non-professional level, one of my housemates is the house wine-buyer (his dad was a sommelier until he retired). He does the expensive buy but also seeks out good bargain wines too, both thoroughly researched. One of his mottoes is "Anyone can find good expensive wine, it takes talent to find good cheap wines". So he kind of combines both approaches, if i read you correctly. Sinerely, Dante

Agreed. I've got the gear (oyster, clam knives), but only minimal hands-on experience, and that about 15 years ago. But at this stage, this is early recon- I prolly won't be doing it in fact for a while. In the meantime, I'm going to be down in New Orleans for a bit this December (my S.O. finally took the raw-oyster plunge for the first time when we had our 10th anniversary dinner at Pascal Manale's last October), and I've got a few buddies down there who could re-teach me -about one-third of the Mardi Gras Marching Krewe I'm in are either current- or ex-Industry. Sincerely, Dante

Oh yeah- I understand that part, plus of course it's nice for presentation purposes too. A necessity. Sounds like a nice way to spend the day. Good point. Oh yeah. I've been through the NIFI sanitation course, I know the drill. Which sounds nice enough as is. FTR- I'm not doing this as a commercial enterprise. I'm not in the industry any more, but my household hosts events periodically, so I'm looking more at the private end of things. Sincerely, Dante

Thank you. Very nice to hear. Always good to hear other people say things like that. (hm- and we both seem to have attended our respective schools around the same time.) I was quite pleased with my education there and, in fact, when I did a brief (unofficial) stint as a teaching assistant at one of the area vo-techs I took a group of students on a series of trips to several of the cooking schools in the area and it only validated my opinion that I'd made the correct choice in choosing ACA, and all of the students agreed that, if they wanted to continue their education at an area school, that ACA was the choice that they would make. It was very interesting to see how my little community-college training stacked up against the other places. I've heard a few good things about the Atlantic Culinary Academy up here in Dover, NH. Yeah- we did visit one place like that- I was listening to high-school-age vo-tech students whispering to each other about the mistakes they'd spotted second-year professional culinary-school students making. I wholeheartedly second that. Sincerely, Dante

yeah- I'd second that- physical activity of that sort does help- when I started doing Yoga and Wushu, it really helped me build myself up. of course taking a fall and destroying my right knee (ripped under kneecap) kind of sidelined me for the long haul, so far as professional restaurant cooking goes, but continuing my physical regimen at least rehabilitated me enough that I can move around normally, even if I can't stand for long periods of time. sincerely, Dante

I'd already assumed as much. Yeah- I've got Professional Chef, plus the other books from my days at ACA in NJ, so I have familiarity with that one. (and I'll admit that I have the CIA book companion to their "Cooking Secrets of the CIA" PBS series) Yep. Familiar with that too. I was just wondering if it would prove worth it to get the LCB book if I already have Professional Chef (in terms of financial expenditure and also in terms of increasing the chances of my housemate doing bad things to me for further taxing our already-limited kitchen-bookshelf space). Sincerely, Dante

It's late here and I'm currently doing prep work for low-temp roast chicken because I started too late but I'll share one off of the top of my head. If you clean your spice-grinder by running pieces of bread through it, save the crumbs and you'll have a perpetually-renewing source of interestingly-flavoured bread crumbs. another- if you buy bunches of fresh herbs, snip the bottom stems and keep them in a glass of water- they keep longer and can make for an attractive display in your kitchen. (why do I feel like I should be in "Hints From Heloise"?) Sincerely, Dante

The Alton Brown approach, eh? "Think like MacGyver!" 'kay, that sounds strangely viable (expecially as we have most of that right here already). thanx for the concept... So, what about the food itself? What sort of things besides the obvious bivalves would work nicely? I'll make the addumption that I'd be going through the range of sashimi and ceviche, but are there other things I could take in to account and possibly incorporate? Sincerely, Dante

Certianly that would be a factor. Last Summer, slightly more than a year ago, the housemate of mine that I share cooking duties with had to undergo treatment for thyroid cancer, so I ended up taking on all of the cooking (and cleaning) in addition to working full-time for a couple of months, plus I had to hammer together a low-iodine diet plan for this period in preparation for her radioiodine treatment. It was pretty intense and I did approach burnout towards the end of it. Her son undergoing surgery for pectus excavatum and my S.O. having to go to counseling and go on psych meds for anxiety-related maladies didn't help to reduce the overall stress levels for any of us either. But everyone's doing much better now, I've gotten back in to the swing of things more than ever and it's inspired me to consider looking in to going back to school to become a dietitian. Perversely, burnout can sometimes act as a catalyst, or incubation phase, for something new- an evolution of sorts. Sincerely, Dante

Nope- I've a vague notion involving oysters but beyond that my ignorance extends even to what else to add. oh yeah- know that. I've gone through the NIFI sanitation course and such so things like that aren't alien to me. and the co-op where I do almost all of my shopping is really good about such things too, and they always keep an eye to sourceing from good, local producers (I live in New Hampshire) Gotcha. and that was the area I mainly wanted to know about, but your reply helped too, as it made me think more consciously about the purchase- storage-and-handling end of things. Thank you! Sincerely, Dante

Ironically, it would be me tuna casserole. I make it with linguine and add home-made curry powder and tarragon to the cheese sauce. It's become my most-requested dish of all time. I invented it right off the top of my head about 11 years ago. Sincerely, Dante

You will want to cook when you want to cook. that's pretty much it. Something that's that much of a part of you isn't something you can "lose", it's just that some times your psyche has to prioritize and redirect the energy that goes in to one thing in to another for a while. You obviously just need to pour a lot in to the grieving process, but you'll feel it returning (small comfort now, I know). Sincerely, Dante

[chilaquiles] Hm. there's something I haven't tried before. I think that may need to happen some time in the near future. Thank you very much for sharing this! Sincerely, Dante

So, if one were to, say, set up a small-scale raw bar for an event in one’s home, how would one go about doing it? Does anybody have any nice tips and/or tricks? I’ll admit that my knowledge on this topic is next to nil. Sincerely, Dante

Seeking opinions on “Le Cordon Bleu’s Complete Cooking Techniques” vs. CIA’s “The Professional Chef”. How do you see the two comparing against each other. If one has one, would one needs the other? If you see one as superior to the other, in what way(s) do you see that? What does one have that the other lacks? How do they compare? How do they contract? Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Dante

oh- how wonderful! I've wanted to find info on a lot of these techniques for some time now. Thank you so very much for sharing this! Sincerely, Dante

No one complains that they can't eat Doritos because they're sensitive to MSG... ::grumblegrumble:: Yeah- I do find that rather annoying. Jeffrey Steingarten’s “It Must Have Been Something I Ate” has a nice chapter that largely debunks the MSG sensitivity myths. Rather like lactose-intolerance (the “in” food-related malady some years ago), many more people claim it than actually have it. The studies hardly ever get presented in full context because the scary stuff sells better. Ok, so I've had to really think about the gourmet/artisanal movement because I wrote a paper on the commodification and "artisanization" of beer in the United States for a final for one of my classes last semester. What a delightful topic! (I dont know how it is in other countries; Im only speaking from my experience and minor research). Always good to keep within your range of actual knowledge. Much of food has gone through a process of "democratization". This term, as used by Michael Schudson in Advertising, the Uneasy Persuasion, refers to the process by which these products become standardized, reliable, and easy to ingest (sometimes termed as McDonaldized). In essence, spreading to the Masses rather than staying within the purview of the few. Demos = “people”. Ideally, a product should require less expertise or skill on the part of the user <snip further details for space> Indeed so. Making things less intimidating lies at the heart of most advertising. A less kind person would say that you have to dumb-down, or water-down things in order to make them have broader appeal. Hence, in food, for example, watered-down versions of ethnic cuisine have more mass-appeal than more authentic variations. Not necessarily a criticism, there are some aspects of certain ethnic cuisines (in particular, certain {but not all} forms of offal) that I find shuddersome by my own wimpy American standards. However, it is important to note that while such traits make products democratized in terms of its consumers, they often lose the traits that differentiate themselves from each other, leading to an un-democratized market. This is where the gourmet movement comes in. Exactly. Almost paradoxically, that market then tends to develop more appeal due to its perceived exclusivity, so it gets progressively democratized, leading to further developments and new frontiers that are later assimilated themselves. (I could toss in some blither extrapolated from the ideas of Guy DeBord re: the Spectacle’s need to assimilate new material in order to perpetuate itself and stave off stagnation, but that would wander a bit too far off topic, methinks) I think the increased movement of people, such as military service personnel, business travelers, etc, has an effect because people are introduced to foods and products especially the same kinds of foods, but produced at different levels (macro vs. micro) that were to them in the United States. Indeed. The military was one of the primary sources of this phenomenon in the past, but easier, more convenient (ie:”democratized”) transit has sped things up and broadened them considerably. The media also plays a role in this as well. These people come back and start to demand these products at home. Its relatable to the kind of response of dissatisfaction towards standardized, commodified products that have become familiar. (see above re:”Spectacle” blither) In a weblog post from November 2006, anthropologist-cum-economist An interesting combination, two fields more related than one may initially think. Grant McCracken outlines the reasons he sees for the artisanal movement. Among his suggestions are a preference for things that are human scale or hand made, unbranded, personalized and authentic, as well as a preference for the new connosieurship. Itself a natural reaction brought about by the perceived stagnation caused by commoditization- the overly-familiar. We get bored, and through that, standards get raised a bit. Of course, there’s also the self-perceived prestige gained by partaking of such exclusive products. Either way, its still homo faber Wow…there’s a term you normally don’t see used in everyday conversation… for those in a service economy; its easier to conflate meaning in gourmet goods than commodities. As such have more of a mystique around them. To a certain extent, the producers are themselves able to be the ones who build relationships with retailers, bartenders, and consumers Yeah, I’ve also seen a shift to more one-on-one, consumer/producer relationships on both private consumer {ie- shopper} and professional consumer {ie- restaurant} levels - more desire to know where one’s food comes from and to interact with its producer. I have to say, though, that my own perceptions may be skewed due to a shift from a major metropolitan area (Washington DC Metro Area) to a more comparatively-rural area (New Hampshire), so my conclusions there aren’t to be trusted because my data are skewed. He states that it is a roomy connosieurship. Unlike French wine, there are no rules and regs[sic] that constrain how something is served, how long it must breath[sic], or the food with which it may be eaten. Rules and regs that really owe more to tradition than reality (except maybe for that asparagus thing…), and which have fallen by the wayside in some circles. But yes, I know what you mean. It owes more to intimidation-factor due to perception of rules. In a way, these resources lower the threshold for connoisseurship, effectively democratizing beer in an alternative way; instead of making beer milder to appeal to the masses, connoisseurship has been made milder to help bridge the gap by helping to alleviate any lack of skill or knowledge. Everyone wins! Which, IMHO, is the way to go. One can do this progressively, in stages, with one’s audience, gradually bringing them deeper and deeper in to connoisseurship and thereby raising the standards of the industry itself in stages as well (which helps the industry out not only in the raising of standards of product but also, let’s not deny it, in terms of profits gained). Some people might just think you're crazy or stuck up or European! I remember talking to my mother on the phone a year or two ago and her saying “Do you realize that we’re food snobs?” to which I replied “Well, yes, did it take you this long to figure it out?” Ok, I hope that informative and not too confusing. Not in the least. All makes perfect sense to me… Sincerely, Dante

Name: Murcia al Vino (Drunken Goat) splendid! one of my faves. Name: St. Andre this one I can't recall having had before...must seek out. Name: Morbier and Morbier is one of my all-time faves. I tend to default towards it, which has led me to intentionally avoid it of late in order to keep from cofusing too heavily on it. When I do cheese boards I don't want to repeat myself too often, you see. Sincerely, Dante

, it went when I got home with the groceries to find Mummy dead in the living room. We called the doctor, got tubes unplugged, called the undertakers ... maybe an hour. you need time to move through the grieving process (you're in a major metropolitan area, yes? Doubtless you've probably got grief-counciling groups out there {of you feel the need for such}- the best ones tend to be run by Hospice programmes). But you're going to be out of sorts, and for all intents and purposes you're going to be running like someone else is in the driver's seat- that's just the way it tends to go. You need time to move through it and process when necessary. If cooking is truly a part of you, you can't lose it- more than likely its just on hold for a while because that's not where you need to be right now. Sincerely, Dante

My question is, how do other cooks (male ) feel about woman in the kitchen? Now, my, personally, I've never had any issues with the general idea of women in professional kitchens (I've only had issues with one before, and that was a professional/personality clash, nothing to do with gender on my part). I've never seen anything in the way of babying or harassment, and i've worked in a few mosh-pit-esque kitchens (when I read "Kitchen Confidential", I spent most of the time nodding my head in agreement). Granted, it might have had something to do with most of the women I've worked with being much much scarier than the men, but I had a number of women in my class in school and personally, I had no issues, tho I'll admit that perhaps a few of my male classmates did (something that I found incomprehensible). Dunno, me, I'm gender-blind in such areas (and in pretty much all others, except for...preference). Sincerely, Dante

And if anyones gone to community college for a degree in culinary arts whats your suggestion? I went to the Academy of Culinary Arts in Mays Landing, NJ, which is part of Atlantic Community College. I like to think I got a good education out of it. When I was at the Vo-Tech in the area I used to live in, I took a couple of groups of students to some of other cooking schools in the area, and everyone (myself included) found themselves more impressed with ACA than with the others. But perhaps my experience was atypical? Sincerely, Dante

quite lovely! Thank you for sharing! Every so often, I find myself seized with the urge to make an entire Mexican meal from scratch. We have wonderful local sources for tortillas and salsa, so a lot of the time I "cheat" and buy those rather than make them myself, but once in a while I like to do it all from the straight ingredients. Sincerely, Dante

I've occasionally recharged by going to a food festival (seeing what the area has to offer always inspires me). Farmer's Markets can be nice inspirations too. Try just going out somewhere and basking in what resources you have available to you. My other recharges in the past have been largely accidental- stumbling on to some new paradigm that drags me in and veritably forces me to explore it. Sincerely, Dante