feedmec00kies

Yeah, the NYT had an article about dietary cholesterol, particularly in eggs, only a week or so ago as well (I'm not sure if someone mentioned it here). I think my favorite part is the historical context that they're going through to explain why people believe what they do. Hooray for these kinds of articles! I hope there are more! Oh yeah, and to answer your question: yes, I'm sure we are.

Do you keep certain kinds of foods in certain regions of your fridge/freezer? I've found that always helps. When there's little bits and pieces of things, I'd try and group them in little bins that I can pull out and search through without digging for 20 minutes...

Wouldn't matter anyway. The USDA can't really force a recall on meat; it's actually up to the company to decide how much, if anything, is recalled. Also, what does eventually get recalled is never a very large percentage of what could actually be contaminated... If I were you, I'd send them your fecal matter just to make a point though.

In my own experience, a desire to eat McDonald's was about being "American." Both my parents are immigrants, (Mom from Hong Kong, and Dad from former USSR/modern-day Ukraine) and I was biracial, and I always found myself eating differently from my peers. I remember when I first brought in food to celebrate my birthday in first grade (I had a summer birthday, and I don't think my kindergarten teacher had auxiliary birthdays for us summer babies), my mom baked some sort of plum cake or something. I still remember my teacher seemed really thrilled and interested... and my classmates? Well, let's just say they were hoping for the usual Munchkins... (I don't remember at all, but I actually suspect I came home upset about it, because I don't ever remember bringing anything like that for that sort of event ever again...) Besides the fact that my parents weren't accustomed to eating fast food like McDonald's, my mother was very conscientious about what my sister and I ate. She rarely gave us junk food, candy, or cold cuts. There was also an element of class/socio-economic status in the whole thing as well, because when I was young my family was on a very tight budget, and my mom felt that those things just weren't a good value nutritionally; she'd only buy those things "once in a blue moon", and only on sale with coupons. So, when I was younger, race and class and first-generation status (as well as my unpopularity) all came into play with food and I wanted to eat McDonald's like everyone else around me in north shore Long Island. I never pushed my parents for it (I was an obedient child who never really asked for anything, even when I pined for it), but I was always happy when I got to get McDonald's, Burger King, Gushers, Fruit-by-the-Foot, etc. To me, it made me feel like I fit in a little better. However, I have to say that it definitely had something to do with conspicuous consumption (dun-dun DUN!!!). I was, while wishing to eat like everyone else in public (particularly the lunch room), also an extremely adventurous eater since I was a child. I loved the spicy beef tendons my parents would buy regularly at an Asian market near me, and loved when my parents made liver, and would be excited to try frogs legs, escargot, duck tongue, beef tongue, tripe, etc. I actually don't think there was much I wouldn't eat then that I wouldn't or don't eat now... I just wouldn't want to eat it in front of anyone else. I didn't even want to eat the well-seasoned chicken cutlet my mom put on bread for my sandwich, wrapped in a fold-top sandwich bag in front of other people, which smelled and looked different from the baloney on potato bread or turkey on white that everyone else pulled out of their zip-lock bags. Damn, I wanted to have my sandwich in a zip-lock bag like the other children.. (unfortunately, that is only partly a joke). I only came out of my shell eating "strange" foods in front of people (who weren't family) this past year or so, because a friend/housemate would eat canned sardines and beef liver like I would, and I felt more comfortable about who I was and my tastes for food. I ate some spicy Korean soup with beef intestine, tripe, tendon and tofu in front of an old high school friend a few weeks ago, and I would never have contemplated doing that a few years ago. So, of course, the point of my long-winded story is... maybe that could give you some insight on what's happening with your nephews and nieces?

"We're on a quest to make everything taste like bacon" As much as I feel that making everything taste like bacon is a little one-dimensional and all, bacon is tasty. It's also good that their product is, among other things, vegetarian. Being a former pseudo-vegetarian (a "pescatarian"), it always helps to have something that can substitute for things like bacon that aren't just crispy and delicious, but are sometimes used to flavor food that could be otherwise vegetarian-friendly. Some things just need that certain je ne sais quoi flavor-wise that animal flesh/fat provides, so if this stuff tastes as good as it claims to be, that's great... as long as you aren't one of those people who became vegetarian because the flavor of meat or meat substitutes makes you nauseous. Then I think this stuff won't help. Mmmmm, bacon... I think I'm going to have to eat some bacon now...

For what it's worth, I've read that the best way to store extra spices (like, more than you'll use in 6 mo-1yr) is to vacuum seal and freeze them. Everything I've read about spices state that they certainly change after that 1 yr mark at kitchen shelf conditions. This is new though.. I've never known of McCormick educating its customer base on the age of its spices. Although that handy date code checker on the side definitely means that you spend more time on their website and they can advertise more to you!

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale - Also not sure about shipping though... (Weyerbacher is in Pennsylvania and distributes to many Northeast States) Info here: http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer/weyerbacher-i...pkin-ale/51099/ I did a search on Ratebeer for "pumpkin ale" and there are probably 150-200 beers there (although only the first 100 show up in a search). Of course not all of them are going to be accessible to you... It might help to know what region you are in, b/c you might be able to pick up a case from a beer store with a decent selection...

My mom likes to tell my sister and I that she was fed crickets when she had whooping cough as a little girl as a Chinese medicinal cure. She's never commented on the taste, however. Never read it. My childhood food-related standby was Judi Barrett's Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs! Something about gigantic pancakes raining down from the sky was so heavenly to me when I was young.

Also, since I suggested the yogurt cucumber salad, I'd grill the fish, but I guess that's just because I think yogurt, cucumber, and simply grilled fish go well together I don't think you need to do anything too crazy, especially since it sounds like you're pretty burnt out; if I were you I'd just grill a few whole fish (like trout?) with just some salt, pepper, and oil. No need to over-complicate things. Maybe throw onto the grill some other veggies, with just salt, pepper and oil, along with the fish: zucchini, peppers (you could also roast and peel them, and toss with some balsamic and oil), onions, tomatoes... That meal is lunch, so I don't think you'd need much more than that. Maybe if you wanted some sort of dessert, you could just grill some fruit (like these figs if you're feelin' fancy), too! Hooray for fire! As for the soup... I don't have any recipes I've used yet, but with some research on the 'net I found at least these two that sound viable (there are a lot out there)... you might want to make some adjustments though: #1: Cucumber Yogurt Soup from http://www.jewish-food.org/recipes/cukesou2.htm #2: Cold Cucumber and Yogurt Soup from http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1925,155185-242206,00.html (edited to address copyright issues)

I can't think of much at the moment, but for a cold soup in the second meal, how about a yogurt cucumber soup?

I don't think I would have guessed insect, because.. well, I don't really expect them to be that color on the inside (though I suppose cooked flesh and raw flesh are two different things). I wonder what it tastes like. It's certainly a little more palatable a presentation, for those who might be squeamish about sticking a whole bug in their mouth (crunch crunch!). The owner of Sunrise Land Shrimp says on his website that there is a relation between crustaceans and insects, so I wonder if it translates at all to a similarity in texture or taste. Thinking about them like crustaceans makes the idea of eating them a little easier. I have to say, though, that this is significantly less appealing to me... Cicada bread. (picture found here) I think the biggest problem for me bug-wise is the idea of the chitinous shell being in the flour (even if he claims it's barely perceptible)... That and the bread looks waaaaay too dense for my taste. Oh, and scottie, some more perusing on the Sunrise Land Shrimp site found this: "A trio of Maengda - okay, Lethocerus indicus, the Giant Water Bug, but I just love the word "Maengda" - in the pan. Though they might look a bit like cockroaches, they're not related. Not that there's anything wrong with cooking up some cockroaches for supper, provided that they've been raised in sanitary conditions."

I'm not sure that an environment high in sodium can kill a virus, because a virus is little more than some protein and DNA, so there's not much to kill by, say, osmosis... But don't quote me on that either... I'm not sure if salt can do some crazy denaturing stuff to DNA that I'm unaware of... Well, how reputable is your salted duck egg dealer?

I might be able to help you out. I'm presumably moving in to the city by the end of the week, and I can probably steal a box and some things to wrap the bottles from the aforementioned boyfriend. Plus he already has an account through FedEx or some other shipping carrier, so it'll be easier to get it labeled and shipped. I won't make any promises ATM, but PM me with what you need and I'll see what I can do.

Actually, my mom bought one of those! I'm actually not a huge fan of it because of the requirement of force (my thumbs ain't that strong!) as well as your other complaints. It's a good idea, but the execution doesn't pan out quite as well. I agree, though, that it's best feature is it's one-handed operation, which is great for those situations where you can't keep both hands clean/sanitary. Actually, I want to find a good one-handed peppermills. I looked in the thread on peppermills, but none of them (or at least the good one) appeared to be one-handed, but maybe I have to review the thread again.

Maybe eGulleters need to start doing food trades, like the beer trades my boyfriend participates in on Ratebeer.com. Is it too expensive (ie. more expensive than it would to have things shipped by an online merchant) to just stop by a post office and ship some bottles to yourself before you leave NY?

Those veggies have an awfully audible crunch for frozen microwaved vegetables... I do see your point, Peter the eater. Although I honestly wasn't so bothered by the advertisement itself (though I could make an argument about gender stereotypes there, hehe), in combination with the name of the brand it's a little ridiculous. It definitely has some overtones about the superiority of Europe, particularly Western Europe I think (hence Vivaldi and not, say, Tchaikovsky or Dvorak). Also, the "Made in China" label brings to attention the fact that many Western brands are sourced from elsewhere, even if they can maintain a certain "je ne sais quoi" based solely on the fact that they seem to be from the mostly Caucasian parts of the Western Hemisphere. "Asia's Best" or "Africa's Best" doesn't really have the same ring to it.

Unfortunately food handling really needs an overhaul across the board, but who knows when it's going to happen. Although my mom eats raw vegetables, she tends not to eat most of them raw except in salad. She is not in the habit of eating them uncooked; she says that Chinese people don't believe that it's healthy, so she didn't eat them raw when she was younger. I'm sure that the risk of illness (whether or not they understood exactly why) is a reason for this.

I have to admit... when I saw the title of this, I thought it was a challenge to her, not the name of a contest... "So, Rachel Ray... So you think you can cook, ehhh?? Let's see it!" :laugh: Carry on!

Yes, do! I've always been intrigued by doing something like that; you know, going through the process of slaughtering and butchering an animal, since I, like so many of us in the US (at least us "city folk" ) are so far removed from the whole thing. (Although I won't say I probably would find myself squeamish if it came down to it. I can't even kill a fly! Literally!) This somehow randomly brought to mind something my mom said once about making soup (broth?) from chicken ovaries. I'm pretty sure she said she had it before, and declared it tasty. I also think she said something about pregnant Chinese women (or women who have recently given birth?) drinking it as one of those herbal-medicine-type-things. Hmmm. Can anyone confirm this? Google doesn't help much except for mention of eating grilled chicken ovaries in Japan on this blog. But yes! Documentation!!

I'm surprised they're playing old commercials then! I didn't know about this, but I don't usually go to McDonalds and I don't think I ever saw them upstate. Actually, I hadn't heard about this stupid Angus craziness until my cousin came in late to a casual family gathering with my mom's side in Chinatown. His mom, being as crazy and overbearing as all my mom's side is, asked him if he ate and he said, "Yeah, I had some Angus Burger at McDonalds." Someone (my dad?) asked, "So, how was it?" He was unimpressed. Then I started seeing those stupid commercials. He he he he... anus turd.

From the TV commercials, I think we're to understand that NY is a test market. It's got this guy in Texas with his wife on the porch of their house (suspension of disbelief! hooray!). He tells us that NY is a test market and we better eat up and like it, because he wants them down there too. And then, he plays a little guitar/ukelele-type instrument and warbles about it a bit, and then his wife plays the kazoo through the bridge. And then the announcer tell us our beef-lovin' nation needs us to step up to the plate. Not that plate. No way, no how. Nuh-uh. (BTW, the website seems to say that SoCal was the first test market. Interesting...)

mead! dockhl, that rib recipe suggestion you gave sounds amazing! and i don't even usually like sweet "savory" (non-dessert) dishes!

Well, see, if she gets to sue the cop I wouldn't consider that frivolous (for all the reasons you pointed out, divalasvegas)!

Yay for America, land of the frivolous lawsuit! (I know this isn't a lawsuit, but you get my drift. ) I wonder what those lab tests will show... probably that the meat - like probably all their meat - was really sketchy anyway.

Make a carrot salad! We used to eat it a lot more when I was younger. My dad would shred lots of carrots, and crush lots of garlic, and put just enough mayonnaise to combat any dryness and have it bind somewhat. Add some salt and pepper, and voila! Simple and tasty. Well, of course, I don't know how much you'll be able to eat. Around sophomore year (3 years ago?) I went to Abundance Co-op in Rochester a bit (cheap tofu! but hard to get to without a bike or car) and I think they were selling Byrne Dairy milk in glass bottles, but that was the only place I ever saw it. Their website doesn't have any glass bottles in the picture either.