Katie Meadow

I. Don't. Think. So.

The only way I ever eat cottage cheese is exactly the way my father ate it: mixed with a small amount of sour cream (I use Fage or Mexican crema which I have on hand more often) and combined with sliced radishes and cubed cukes. With salt and pepper.

Just as there are some mysteries best not solved, asking me to elaborate on why I think pimento cheese is a deep down bad idea is a pointless endeavor. On a slightly different note, I've never understood the idea of "trying to like something." Yes, some things are an acquired taste, some things not so much, and some food quirks are just not gonna suffer analysis. I'm extremely happy with my dislike of pimento cheese, banana bread, brussels sprouts, corn nuts and a few other things. As my dad used to mispronounce, chacun a son gout. Cheers!

I've been on a southern food kick for a couple of years now (Paula Dean style ain't mine, just so you know.) Last year in Atlanta visiting my daughter we went to a great bar. Most of the bar-food there was pretty decent, and since neither my husband or myself or our daughter had ever had pimento cheese we ordered it. We all hated it. After looking at a variety of recipes--more or less standard--I don't think there is any way on earth that I could tweak it that would make it appetizing. It's just plain weird. It is the one thing southerners have a ferocious dedication to that is completely incomprehensible to me!

Wow, Prawn, that's sneaky. I would be mad if someone plucked and hid the oyster from of my thigh. I would want a plate of spicy chicken oysters as reparation.

Seems to me that whatever types of foods this thread implies (and I'm still not sure of the context) we are most of us talking about refrigerator-ready supplies, not esoteric groceries. I might have dills, I might have sweet chips, but the secret of cheese and pickle sandwiches is to use whatever you have on hand, which is usually what you prefer. Along the same vein, I've been known to eat a sandwich of cukes and radishes on almost any kind of bread but subbing butter for mayo. I don't grow my own chiles, but here in northern CA the hotter ones tend to be found at Latino markets, like Mi Pueblo, the one I shop at often. Although these too vary. In the spring I often found there were some very hot jalapenos mixed in with a medium-hot batch. But just this week I bought a bunch and they were all very mild. I lived in New Mexico for several years, and the variety and heat of chiles were much more dependable there. In CA it's a crapshoot, and most of the fresh green types are mild, including serranos. In the late summer and fall I can often get some spicy poblanos from a Latino vendor at the Berkeley farmers market, but the same vendor will have milder one's earlier in the season. So this time of year I try to roast and freeze small batches to use during the winter. When feeling flush one year I did send away to a NM farm for Hatch and Big Jims, which were very good, but the reality is that mail-ordering chiles is an expensive proposition.

gfweb: in fact, my tuna salad always includes chopped pickled jalapenos. Since acquiring The Homesick Texan cookbook I have started making my own. Her recipe is great, but my best source for jalapenos varies considerably when it comes to heat level, so some batches are mild and some have been so scary hot only my husband can eat them. So it goes. Sylvia, cheese and pickle sandwiches can run the gamut low to haute. I like mine simple, but with a good quality cheddar. When I was little I must have paid zero attention to what my mother stocked, but it could easily have been processed slices and wonderbread. Starter food, yeah? Truth be known my mother was a dreadful cook and there are few foods I had growing up that I remember with nostalgia or want to recreate. She did, however, eat one thing that was remarkable and yummy: cooked bone marrow on rye bread. That's pretty country, but some other country.

Okay, the most country meal I can think of is plain store-bought white bread with sliced farm-grown tomato still warm from the sun and mayo. A close second is a basic cheese and pickle and mayo sandwich, also on plain white bread. I don't even know why these seem country, except that they are the kind of sandwiches I associate with bare feet and sandy summers on Long Island, not with the school year in NYC. Must be accompanied by Squirt grapefruit soda or cream soda. Hmm, I can almost imagine potato chips in a tuna salad sandwich. Maybe next year.

Like cdh above I have no clue what this thread about. However, I do have strong feelings about meatloaf sandwiches. Despite the fact that my meatloaf has a very slight amount of tomato paste mixed into it and a tomato based spicy glaze, I never ever put ketchup on meatloaf. When it is hot, I just like it with a little of the pan juice. When it is cold, in a sandwich or just sliced on a plate, no ketchup touches it: I prefer dijon mustard. And I don't see the need to break up a slice of meatloaf or to slice it thinly, which, at least with the meatloaf I make isn't easily done since it tends to be coarse rather than mousse-like. One thick slice for a sandwich works quite well. More out of curiosity than anything else, this idea of adding potato chips to a sandwich is alien to me. How or where did that habit come about? I grew up in NY and no one ever did it that I remember.

I have absolutely nothing scientific to contribute, but my experiences with fresh squeezed citrus juice have led me to the conviction that the fresher it is the better, and even an hour or two can make for a an off flavor or just less brightness in the taste. Since I am no bartender here and all citrus juices squeezed for cocktails are used immediately, I'm really talking about juice that is for drinking straight or in "ades" or for cooking or sauces. In fact, ever since a couple of very obvious deteriorations several years ago, I'm practically phobic about not letting citrus juice sit around. Pledge. Eww.

The following paragraph appears in the website referred to by the original post. Need anything be said? If the author is correct, they seem to be making a bit of extra work for themselves, no? "Chick-Fil-A's got quite a bit in common with California burger chain In-N-Out burger. Both serve reasonably priced tasty food of a markedly better quality than your typical fast food establishment. Both harbor a cult-like following of zealots. Both hire and retain extremely upbeat and friendly staff—you can't help but feel just a little more gay after stepping into a Chick-Fil-A. And of course, both restaurants were started by families with extremely conservative Christian principles." I've never had Chick fil-A, but there must be a lot of ways to make a fried chicken sandwich. Bakesale Betty's works for me, but of course that's not exactly fast food, (although they are fast given the line down the street during lunchtime) nor is it available except in the East Bay, but all it takes is a good bread roll you like, your favorite fried chicken and your favorite non-mayo slaw. David, your idea of pickle brine is interesting. You might try going on line and searching out Betty's cole slaw recipe, which really makes a super sandwich. My daughter is in Atlanta and claims Chick Fil-A is good. Personally I would prefer to see her on the picket line.

Growing up in NY a burger (and I'm taxing my memory here, since when I come to NY a burger isn't on my to-do list) was composed of nothing more than a bun, lightly toasted if you were lucky, ketchup, the meat patty and some pickle chips. Or you could add cheese--yellow in those days. How do you put Irish on it? So what exactly is a west coast burger, at least from an east coast perspective? When we make burgers at home here we use mustard, mayo, ketchup and have a plate with sliced red onion, tomatoes and lettuce, and either pickles or roasted green chillies. I've abandoned the traditional bun for toasted slices of good quality batarde or rustic french style white bread.

Mmmm that looks yummy, soba. How do you make boozy french toast?

So far I've bought corn about five times this season (it has only appeared at the farmers' market the last week or so) and it has been hit or miss. The first corn I saw was at Mi Pueblo, the giant Mexican supermercado, and that a few weeks ago. It was surprisingly good and reasonably priced at 3 ears for a dollar. The last few purchases have been from the Berkeley farmers market, but the corn from the vendor I preferred for the last couple of years wasn't as good as previously, and not as good as someone else's corn. Yesterday I bought corn from two different vendors. One batch, a milk and honey variety, was excellent--a nine out of ten. The other batch seems okay but not supersweet. We ate the bicolor corn right away for a late lunch, and today I will see how the less good corn is in fritters. Total crap shoot here!

Flour tortillas are an excellent suggestion; if you have the equipment to make them yourself, so much the better. When I go away for a week one of the things I need almost daily is bread, and getting good bread isn't always easy, or means a drive, which kinda defeats the idea of staying somewhere out of the way. In addition, the family vacation house we stay at has the worst stove on earth with a really low output, so the easiest meal at home, such as spaghetti with sauce, turns out to the most frustrating, since it takes about an hour to heat up a pot of water. Of course you will likely have some great meals planned, and it sounds like getting fresh seafood won't be a problem. But I like to have easy fixings around for fill-ins and lunches. I take frozen sauces and frozen roasted chillies and often plan on some large type of protein that can be roasted or prepared ahead and used as needed. Roast turkey is always appreciated for several days, and so is pulled pork, especially if you have tortillas and the makings for salsa etc. I always take a couple heads of cabbage; it keeps well and coleslaw is a great emergency vegetable or salad and requires no cooking. If you have access to good tomatoes a fresh uncooked tomato sauce for pasta or rice is an easy fix.

Tabasco sauce contributes to my long marriage: my husband and I both agree that when there is no food in the house a complete emergency meal can be composed of a bloody mary and stove popped corn. You've got your vegetables, carbs, fiber and protein. Okay, not so much protein. But at least the solid portion of the meal is home cooked and fresh from the pot. What gets old in my fridge and then gets replaced every ten years or so is a jar of capers. I think they are essential but in fact I don't really like them, so I avoid using them.

Hungry C I'm with you. Supporting the printing and book industry is a great thing, whether you can afford to buy books or, like me, you are a heavy library user. I try to find a cookbook I'm interested in at the library; if I like just a few recipes I use my copier. If I find the book readable and fun and full of stuff I like, I try to buy a used copy. One thing about most cookbooks: they are relatively well made, decently bound, meant to take some abuse. Sources such as Bookfinders makes buying cookbooks affordable; condition of used books is described pretty honestly at most sites that participate. Many used cookbooks are in very good condition since most people don't get rid of a cookbook they use heavily. So far I don't have an e-reader. Most of what I read is fiction, and I can see how it would be a lot easier than what I do, which is take at least two hard-bound library books to NY every time I fly, which is frequently. But I no longer feel a need to "own" fiction, and I read enough so that it would be a good chunk of money to buy my books, even at only $9.99 a shot. When it comes to cookbooks I love owning them, but I recently got rid of a lot of them that I rarely use, and that felt good. I donated them to the library.

Yo, Margaret, wish I had something like that so close. But that's why a Banh Mi is such a great sandwich: you can make a very "authentic" and delicious one without having to go to Chinatown or even an Asian market. For those without easy access to Asian products, between hispanic markets, a deli and your favorite protein source, you could probably get what's needed. If you don't want to make some type of bbq pork, any grilled shrimp or chicken with an Asian flavor works well. Crispy pork or chicken skin is always a plus, but for friends who only eat seafood, quick sauteed marinated prawns cooked in a skillet make a very worthwhile Banh Mi. On the subject of authenticity....well, I just can't get too worked up about it. Creativity and cultural mash-up is the heart of this sandwich. As for bread, if you love those Viet rolls and they are easy to come by, by all means. I'm extremely happy with an Acme rustic baguette. I know people who sub the Mexican bolillos rolls. When it comes to the pate, recipes I've seen appear equally distributed between chicken liver and pork liver. I agree that a smooth spreadable pate works better in a Banh Mi than a chunky country-style, but franky I find a smooth chicken liver mousse to be more appealing than a smooth pork liver spread. If I were ever to make a more traditional chopped chicken liver spread I wouldn't be above trying a Bahn Mi with the leftovers. The deli I frequent sells a basic chicken liver mousse pate, and a truffled one. I did splurge once and use the truffled on a sandwich, but since the price is about double and there are so many strong flavors in the sandwich already it doesn't seem like an important upgrade. It was very good, though.

David, your pork belly looks fantastic if not traditional. And yes, I have used roast duck purchased in Chinatown for banh mi as well as home made char siu, the red BBQ pork stuff from Chinatown, grilled chicken and grilled shrimp. I have found that buying roast duck necessitates a little labor, since the meat (and some crispy skin) really does need to be pulled off the bones before assembly. I suppose one could make one's own roast or grilled duck breast and solve that problem, but I am far too lazy to do that, and besides, it is easy for me to get to Chinatown Oakland. And I'm guessing it's cheaper than purchasing raw duck breast from your butcher. As for the carrot daikon pickle, Andrea's recipe has never failed me. After experimenting with the coarse vs. fine graters on my processor I definitely think coarse is better, and it retains its crunchy texture quite well. Thanks Bruce for elaborating your grilling process. I will take your advice and make sure I have a generous amount of the marinade when I get it together to make my sandwiches. Oh, just a note about pate. I like to use a simple relatively smooth chicken liver pate, french style. There's one my gourmet market sells that I like very much, and, honestly, it wouldn't occur to me to look for it in Chinatown. If you are willing to use a regular baguette or a mexican roll and make your own Asian style grilled meat a terrific and traditional banh mi can be made without the need for a Chinatown or even an Asian grocery.

C. Sap: That looks beautiful. I have made Andrea's Char Siu in the oven, but never thought to grill it. How long did you marinate it before grilling? And then you dipped or basted every ten minutes? Did you have the meat over direct heat the whole time grilling?

What does "wrong" mean? Personally I find excessive attention to plating a turn-off. First of all, I don't like the idea of someone playing with my food. Second, if I order food that I expect to be hot, I don't want to discover that recreating a freshly dug bed of root vegetables or "casually perfect" seascape on my plate has resulted in lukewarm food. There's a lot of difference between a plate that looks delicious and a plate that looks like someone consulted a blueprint. On the other hand, really good food rarely looks like a train wreck.

If I have no tomato sauce I prefer some type of cauliflower curry. If I have some tomato sauce available (and I like a simple Batali style vegetarian sauce) my favorite way to eat cauliflower is with a red-sauced pasta. Cut cauliflower into bite-size florets. Sautee over moderate heat in butter or olive oil, adding salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes halfway through, and some minced garlic for the last few minutes until the cauliflower starts to turn golden but is still toothsome, not too soft. Remove from the heat. Have some spaghetti sauce heating on the stove. When the cauliflower is to your liking, rewarm it for a few minutes in the hot sauce and then top your favorite pasta, sprinkle on grated pecorino or whatever hard cheese you like. I used to garnish it with crispy carmelized onions, which is yummy, but this is what I usually consider a pretty lazy meal, so often I don't bother with that. Excellent dish if you have vegans or anti-cholesterol people to feed, since cheese is on the side, or if you just don't want anything rich. And if I am really lazy I don't even make a salad, although something green along with makes a perfect meal.

If making one or two sandwiches I just sprinkle a bit on top of the mayo. If I'm being efficient and making a number of sandwiches I might just put some mayo in a bowl, drizzle in the Maggi and swirl it in, then apply. I don't use a lot of either, just a thin layer on both top and bottom halves of baguette. If you just taste a drop of undiluted Maggi you can guess just how much you think you will like on your sandwich; you wouldn't really want the end result to taste like Maggi. It packs a wallop and yep, is mighty salty. Since I have not found any other use for Maggi besides banh mi, I'm still on my first little bottle. With all the crap (and I don't really want to know what) that's in it I assume it's preserved for life.

No doubt my experience with banh mi is peculiar: these sandwiches have become a staple in our house, but weirdly, and despite the fact that some great places (by reputation) abound here in Oakland, I've never even once eaten one out. If you have never made or eaten one, I suggest a good place to start is with Andrea Nguyen's Viet World Kitchen website. Recipes are given for the carrot-daikon pickle and for roasted pork as well as a master recipe for putting the sandwich together. The essentials as far as I know them are: pate, roast meat, sliced cucumbers, a source of heat, such as fresh sliced jalapenos or sriracha, fresh cilantro, a mild fresh pickle such as carrot-daikon and a good baguette-type bread. I do use mayo and I take Andrea's advice and spike it with a drizzle of Maggi sauce. I have made banh mi with various kinds of meats; my own char siu pork roast (Andrea's recipe) or if I am lazy, roast pork purchased in Chinatown. I've done it with grilled leftover chicken and with grilled or broiled prawns. I'm a big fan of using some type of pate as well as roasted meat. I have used the Viet rolls that can be bought in Chinatown but honestly I am partial to an Acme baguette, which I can get easily at the places I usually shop. I don't make my own mayo or my own pate. I've used a variety of pates that can be purchased and find that a relatively smooth chicken liver pate works really well and is a good foil for roast pork. Once I used a fabulous coarse duck pate but I'm not sure it's the best use of expensive charcuterie. Nor have I ever used pork belly, but I'm sure that would be heavenly.

Of all the cheeses on your list, by far my favorite is Stilton. A great lunch or light dinner when pears are in season is Stilton on a plain cracker, a juicy pear and a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale or some other medium-dark beer. And for a decadent treat, try spreading a little sweet butter underneath the Stilton. Heavenly. I'm not big on cheese for dessert, but Stilton drizzled with honey and a scatter of toasted hazelnuts is pretty yummy. And with that I would want a nice cup of tea.