blue_dolphin

Wow, I could have written so much of your post, although I don't share the irony of working in the food industry. I also lost my sense of smell about 7 years ago. Other weird symptoms and lots of frightening hypothetical diagnoses and tests which I bailed out of after visiting an oral surgeon, a head and neck surgeon, an ear, nose and throat specialist, infectious diseases guy, a rheumatologist and a neurologist. The synergy of wonderful wine and food pairings is something I miss greatly. Friends still turn to me to choose wines at restaurants, but like you, I'm not sure I could spot a corked bottle. I used to love trying new recipes but now I'm much more inclined to choose an old favorite so I can trigger those old olfactory memories! I always loved contrasts - sweet:sour, crisp:chewy, hot:cool - that I can still enjoy. Chili peppers still add spice although I can eat wasabi by the spoonful as a party trick! Every now and then I think I've perceived a little whiff of something but it's probably just an olfactory halucination.

Thanks so much for taking the time to share with us! I visited Beijing last year. The um, beige air and endless traffic sort of put me off as compared with Shanghai where I had more time for pedestrian exploration so I appreciate getting your view of Beijing and your life there.

My favorites change all the time! After looking through my cupboards, I'll pick two that evoke strong, early sensory memories, perhaps because they were used in holiday dishes. Spice - I was tempted to choose pepper but I'll go with cloves. When I was little, I loved helping poke them into the Easter ham and the oranges and lemons we hung from the Christmas tree. It's another spice that goes into both sweet and savory dishes from spicy garbanzo beans to pumpkin smoothies. Herb - Sage is my pick. A crucial ingredient in the Thanksgiving stuffing when I was a kid. Now, the roasted onions with sage and balsamic vinegar from Deborah Madison's Savory Way are a staple in my kitchen. I love the way the piney flavor of the fresh sage leaves complements the sweet-hot roasted onions.

Oh my, this sounds very handy. Reheating the bathwater would be lovely and I've often wished I could summon someone to re-fill my champagne glass! I'm very much enjoying your blog!

Ahh, after being out of town all week, I've just sipped my way through an entire pot of coffee catching up with your blog on a rainy Sunday morning. A slice of toast topped with Nutella (inspired by your daughter's pancakes!) accompanied the last cup. What a delight to visit the markets with you - its one of my favorite things to do when traveling. Thank you so much for sharing, in words and pictures, the tastes, smells, sights and sounds of your area!

I worked at Mickey D's in the late 70s, which was certainly a "fast few years" ago ! I don't know what's current, but during the time I worked there, they went from mixing up the tartar sauce fresh daily to opening a big can and manually re-filling the "caulking-gun" tubes each day to getting the sauce as pre-filled, disposable tubes ready for loading in the guns.

Foodie can sound a little too cute so I don't care use it myself, but it doesn't make me cringe if I hear someone else use it. I was thinking exactly the same thing. As a scientist, gastro = stomach to me and reflects no appreciation or savoring of what ends up as "gastric contents"

Munich has some nice options including a Dallmayr outpost for gift shopping. Back home, I'm a fan of Vino Volo and enjoy the civilized opportunity to sit down and sample a flight of wines in the midst of the security screening/ID scrutiny/liquid segregation/shoe removal carnival that our airports are today. I've only tried the food a few times. The cheese plate at the IAD location has been lovely on all 4 times I've ordered it. The same menu choice ordered at SEA was lame. Wines were enjoyable at both locations. I'm hoping to see them expand. I agree that SEA has come a long way and I especially appreciate the fact that prices are held to non-airport norms so I don't feel gouged. Jason mentioned options outside of security. Airside, in the Central Marketplace, there's a sit-down Anthony's with a bar, Vino Volo, Kathy Casey's Dish D'Lish (sandwiches are pre-made and look rather unpleasant in the deli case but on 5 of my 6 tries they toasted up quite nicely in what ever sort of convection contraption they use) and take out options from Anthony's, Ivar's Seafood Bar, Pallino, Dilettante Chocolates Café and others that can be consumed in the "food-court" area with vast windows overlooking the runways or carried on board. Airport gift shops Discover Puget Sound, Made in Washington as well as Vino Volo sell local wines that can be carried on board for those last minute gifts. Last week I picked up a bottle of 2005 Murray Cuvee from Hightower Cellars, named after their winery dog. Who could resist a wine with such a friendly face!

Just tried the Bicyclette that eje linked to above. Very tasty. My current bottle (purchased 2-3 months ago) does not list ingredients but "ARTIFICIALLY COLORED" appears below the US Govt warning for alcoholic beverages. Don't know how that compares to CA labeling.

Another manuka honey fan here - for its delicious flavor. I brought some back from a trip to New Zealand and have continued to purchase it here. I also love to bring honey back from a trip and remember my travels with a cup of honey-sweetened tea.

Did I miss it or are we going to hear more about this? I visited Santa Fe in Feb 2001, for a business meeting. It was cold and gray. A fair bit of snow, but frozen into icy gray mounds. I promised myself that I'd come back in another season and now realize that I have yet to do so. Thank you for blogging. Like the blogs that that drew me to eGullet, you have brought to this one your own special sense of time and place.

I have no menu suggestions, but you must read Malawry's wonderful eGullet foodblog about her time cooking for a sorority.

Pille - Thank you so much for doing this blog. I visited Tallin briefly in 2004 and found it lovely. You lead such a busy life that I'm amazed that you found the time to fill your blog here with photos and descriptions that really capture a special sense of place. I've been reading along all week and enjoyed this opportunity to learn more about the area. I've looked at Nami-Nami too and I've got to try the beetroot and blue cheese tarts and the red onion and feta tart. The pear and blue cheese quiche you mentioned in the post I've quoted sounds really interesting. Any chance you'll be sharing the recipe for that one?