feedmec00kies

One and the same. He also has a few small television series they show sometimes on PBS. Kind of glanced over the list... yeah, nothing "spectacular", but there are some good ideas... and I find myself collecting recipes for ideas first, instructions second.

Sounds good. But is it at 5th, or between 2nd and 3rd...? Because everything I've found online for it (wanted to find a menu, out of curiousity) said that instead...

I have a friend who is vegetarian except she'll eat hot dogs... but with the "skin" peeled off. I think bacon was one of the things for me too (besides not having an actual problem with eating animals), but there are other things that I think influenced me more; it wasn't just one thing or the other. Like those duck wings my parents would buy at the Chinese market. Mmmm. Maybe I shouldn't say this for fear of angry mobs coming after me, but I see both over-indulgence of meat and vegetarianism as they exist in the US as a result of living in an affluent nation.

Wait... 'scuse me for my laziness and ignorance (I haven't been in NYC that long, and my boyfriend hates fish)... ...but where are each of these places located exactly? I was going to look up sushi on here later, and with about the same needs/wants (though EV preferably, also WV) for tonight as well. Though time isn't as critical for me... not sure if that makes a significant difference or not. Raw fish cravings + sister who loves it = hooray, I eat sashimi!

The Powershot S5 does actually has a hotshoe connection (unfortunately, the S3 doesn't). I would like to reiterate that it is a very good overall camera for the price, even if it's "compact". Its street price is also listed on digital photography preview to be about £183, which is certainly cheaper than your spending limit. And you could probably find it for less. After mentioning something to my boyfriend, he suggests that if you buy a DSLR, to get the Canon Rebel XT plus the Canon 50mm f1.8 lens. He said the lens is less than $100, and the Rebel XT can be found online for $400 - about £250 total. He suggests the DSLR because the Powershot S3 can't really get depth of field, which could be pretty important. And I quote the boyfriend: "That said, they'll be very limited in what they can do at least in terms of zoom but they'll get beautiful pictures." You'll have to get other lenses for zoom and that stuff (you might want to consider that when thinking about your purchase, depending on how tight your budget is and if you're going to really want to use the camera for a lot of other things...). A tripod, as dougal said, is important. And you don't have to spend that much, especially if you're only using it for the cakes and won't be transporting it significantly. I don't really have any food photography to show you right now, but my boyfriend proposed that he and I set up some food this weekend and try and take pictures with our respective cameras (he has a Canon 30D, if I'm not mistaken), and let you compare.

At risk of steering things a little off-topic, I just wanted to respond to Jensen.. It did (Senate version last week), but I didn't know what the differences between the House and Senate versions are (I've been bad at finding out)... and if I remember HS political science correctly, those have to be resolved before going to the president to sign/veto. The USDA has a website devoted to the 2007 bill it seems. Clicky. And back to the topic... Patapsco Mike, you're so right.

Sorry weinoo, didn't mean to seem like I was attacking you. I get frustrated about these things and the claws come out. My frustration is that there's a big fuss for 2 seconds about E.coli when there's an outbreak, but I feel like I don't hear much about changing food production. Michael Pollan writes articles, but that makes one publication that I see those kinds of stories in semi-regularly. I feel like I hear more about young attractive white females going missing or pop-tarts with drug addictions or child custody problems than the dangers of food production in the US. The focus on China isn't specific to food, but goods in general... I feel like the news has been peppered with stories about all sorts of bad products coming from China at least since the lead-paint toy scare. We'll probably get country of origin labeling in the farm bill, but all the possibilities I've heard of for reform - the media lauding the fact that this is the first time the public has taken a stand about what is included, and might impact it for the better - seem to have fallen to the wayside. I don't know, maybe I'm missing something.

I like my Canon Powershot S3 IS very much, and will shamelessly promote it to you. It's a great overall camera. It has a good bit of zoom (which might not be important to you) and of course a macro (and super-macro) setting, which might be of more help to you in food photography. They have a new version of the camera, the Powershot S5... here's the specs and a review on digital photography review. It's not slip-in-a-pocket small, but I grew up using my dad's old Canon AE-1, and just the lens on that thing weighs more than my camera. Also, I can't imagine using manual settings on one of those tiny little things. Unfortunately, as it isn't a DSLR, ISO 400 and up tends to become extremely grainy; this is a problem for me because I hate using a flash. Good lighting is key.

Oh Jesus Christ, I almost threw up, and I just read that. I am a meat-washer. I pat it dry with paper towels to solve the wetness problem. Err, reading this thread makes me want to wash everything way more. I wasn't washing citrus fruits unless I used the peel (which for me is seldom). I haven't dealt with a watermelon myself (still living at home this past summer), but I would probably at the very least wipe it down with a damp paper towel. I think I'm going to start using the vinegar+water method.. Something said about fondled fruits... 'scuse me while I have a heart attack in the corner over there... I have to say, it really bothers me when people don't wash their fruits or vegetables, so "excessive" washing is not strange to me. I cringe at the idea of eating something that hasn't at least been under water... maybe I was a raccoon in a past life.

Hey! I was going to post on this and forgot... A variation that I find better (less likely to result in soggy bread) is to put the bread in a plain paper bag, close the bag, wet the entire outside of the bag, and then put it all in the oven. I check it when the bag gets dry, and repeat the process if necessary until the bread is "rejuvenated". Of course, caution is important... I always stay pretty close/attentive when I do this, and try and keep the bag from sitting inside the oven while dried out. My mom was the one who taught this to me, when I was younger... I have no idea where she learned it from, though.

I'm going to say it, even if no one cares: If access to (bottled) beer matters to you (you being... whoever might read this in the future, at least), I think it should be mentioned that the Bowery Whole Foods has that shiny new beer store, and it's about 2 blocks away from New Beer Distributors (their selection has been improving... something about changing distributors or something... hopefully they realize that they could lose business to the Bowery Whole Foods if they don't get their act together). And if you take the L into Williamsburg, you've also got Spuyten Duyvil Grocery... Just a thought.

This is the price paid for lower cost everything.

Not to argue that what is happening in China is right or good at all, but the gist of this paragraph sounds all too familiar... American meat production has its problems too. Where's the national outcry about that? I'm pretty sure E.coli (as an example) is still a huge problem, but I haven't seen much about dealing with that. Also, maybe boycotting will reduce the number of farms and improve the situation by reducing overcrowding, but I don't think it's going to do much otherwise. Mainly, the article states that we, as Americans, do not get the bulk of this contaminated seafood (the Chinese do themselves, and I bet no one rings a bell of alarm for them, unfortunately). Plus, seafood farming is just one of many industries the Chinese economy is benefiting from financially. Good luck making a dent. Yes, by all means, stop eating seafood from China because it's potentially deadly; I haven't actually been buying or eating that much seafood (cooking with/for a non-seafood eater), but I'll have this in mind next time I do. But I am not going to believe that a boycott will make the Chinese government take notice (well, enough to stop this), and personally would not word it as such for that reason. Sorry, but I'm frustrated because it seems to me that the focus on flawed production of food is focused on China. There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about products from China. However, I don't hear much about the fact that we source food from abroad and therefore have less control than we could/should have; you get some pieces, but they get little coverage. The bulk of the media focuses on how bad China is.

I've been happy enough with the bread at St Marks Market to not really mind the lack of bread bakeries. And it's on my way home from the R/W or 6 trains, making it even more awesome. I do agree about the Chinese food though. I'd just go down to Chinatown, but it would be nice to have something else near me. I'm not really a huge fan of Szechuan peppercorns; I grew up eating way more southern Chinese food.

I myself moved to the East Village a couple of months ago, and although I admit to not having taken advantage of all the food possibilities, it's a great location. (I'm further south than Fat Guy suggested though... St Marks Place... But no, not the tattoos-and-bongs block, thanks). It's still a few blocks to get to Union Square, but it's certainly not bad at all. I am also still surprised how close some things actually are, if you're willing to walk (and being young and having gone to school in Rochester, I can say that it's really not that bad to walk when it's cold out, because there is rarely a lot of snow covering the ground). I'm really happy with the area... although I would not want to live on that one really annoying block of St Marks (between 2nd and 3rd).

Same here - I'm a chronic hand-washer (knives, too)... ← Add me to the neurotic washing list. If I didn't have my boyfriend to try and convince to wash the dishes after I've cooked, I would wash almost everything before I was done cooking (besides the cooking vessel, the spatula/spoon/tongs/similar device, and the possible plate I used to hold vegetables while cutting everything). Therefore, sleeves must be at least rolled up. Otherwise, depends on how hot things are in the kitchen, though I tend to wear tank tops while at home pretty much all the time, with a longer-sleeved shirt on top if necessary. When I start to overheat, I sneeze. A lot.

NY Times Magazine brings us another one of Michael Pollan's critical examinations of food production. (clicky) I was until now unaware the problems caused by the bee shortage; not just the financial cost at which farms will go to get them, but the mass importation. It's interesting how it defies the strict control that our government tries to maintain on introducing foreign (ha ha) insects. I also like his criticism of the word "sustainable". I think in my last year or two of school, I probably heard some version of the word "sustainable" more than all the years prior, combined. It's the new "black" of environmentally focused food words. Move over, "non-GMO". Speaking of "sustainability", I heard the farm bill just was passed by the Senate. And of course, there wasn't as much change (ok, none really) as one would wish. Some insurance measure that (if I understand correctly,) is "supposed" to benefit any farmers in need and not just agro-corporations, which differs... maybe? Not really any of the reform people were hoping for. Maybe outside intervention will do the trick? Discuss.

I will eat less meat and more veggies again, like I was in the habit of doing only a year ago but managed to completely shift from. I will make dinner more often again (which should fulfill resolution #1), and get over the fear that my boyfriend will dislike what I make. I will find all the good tasty (and affordable) food around me in my neighborhood. I will learn to make more things, and not be scared off because it involves something I'm not used to doing (like baking). I will teach my boyfriend to cook more things and become more comfortable cooking. I will read all those darn books I have on food that I keep acquiring but not reading... Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerers (need to finish that!); The Omnivore's Dilemma; It Must've Been Something I Ate; Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World; Salt: A World History; The United States of Arugula

I have no children to create disasters yet. I do have my mother's story from many years ago when my little sister was still a wee little one (of course this has been relayed to me). My mom was getting ready to make some pork chops. She turned to do something else in the kitchen, and then turned back to the raw pork chops... Except one was no longer on the plate, because my sister had picked it up and started sucking on it. I think it goes without saying that my mom totally freaked out.

Slutty olive oil. (Sorry, I had to keep the thread derailed for a minute. )

Maybe this is a stupid suggestion (I don't know that much about caviar), but have you tried going to a Russian market in Brooklyn? There's a big supermarket right next to a stop on the Q (Neck Road) and it has a counter area in the back completely dedicated to caviar...

Yes, I see they've opened! These are friends of mine (particularly Hiroko, who is also eGullet member ankomochi, but hasn't posted lately). This is a place dedicated to sake only. These folks are very serious. Do contact them if you're not finding the sake you're looking for elsewhere. ← Oooh, passed on that info to my boyfriend. At the very least he might be able to use them if he does trades/secret santa with other people on RateBeer who rate sake...

Let us know how it is! I've drooled over that one for a while (but there is waaaaay too much chocolate lying around at home and I don't eat much of it... damn trip to Belgium...)

Endorsements. (Or else lots of poor schlubs being paid minimum wage to scrub furiously in the back.)

Amen to that, brother!