Katie Meadow

Black bean sauce clams seemed very common when I grew up in NY and also frequently on menus in SF. Maybe I'm delusional, but I see them less often these days, at least in the Bay Area. It's also true that I go our far less often than I used to, and don't find the Chinese restaurants here in the East Bay very compelling. But black bean sauce clams along with hot and sour soup and sizzling rice soup were our standard orders on Sunday nights out on the upper west side, along with egg rolls and ever- present duck sauce and hot mustard packets.

There are plenty of loquat trees in back yards and front yards in the Bay Area. Every once in a while there's one that produces large juicy fruit. Maybe most of the trees get ignored and so they seem to have smaller mediocre fruit. When you come across a good one it is indeed a treat.

Elizabeth David is a personal favorite: her writing, her sensibility and her unique place as an influencer. Although she is British as can be, her recipes and techniques bring in a lot of Italian and Mediterranean flavors. I guess I am as susceptible as others when it comes to British culinary stereotypes so I don't think of her as being in a classic British tradition.

When it comes to beans on toast you can't do better (imho) than RG's Marcella beans on toasted buttered Italian bread.

@kaybThanks for the recommendation. It's unlikely we will stray that far from the Decatur/ Avondale area. My daughter is about to give birth to twins and I expect leisurely destination restaurants are not part of this visit! They live a few minutes from that fabulous gigantic multi cultural emporium known as the Dekalb Farmers Market, so I'm expecting that to be our major source of supplies. Any suggestion for coffee shops, breakfast, bakery and good take out in the Decatur. area is welcome! Looking forward to watermelon of all colors, which have a later season here in the Bay Area, and green tomatoes, which are not available here at all in any season unless you grow them yourself. One of my very favorite treats is a fried green tomato BLT. I am assuming that my daughter and her husband will be needing a lot of calories.

I'm unclear what Mare of Easttown and Uno's pizza have in common. However I am really loving the word MISERABILISM!

About pre-cooking: who likes to roast the beets and who likes to boil? Or microwave, as @heidihdoes? I've never boiled or microwaved fresh beets. Do you peel the beets first? What about pickling golden beets instead of red? Are they less flavorful? I'm not putting hard boiled eggs in, so color isn't a factor. I tried beet pickled eggs and found that by the time they were colored the eggs seemed rubbery. Pretty, though.

I read that book years ago and remember really liking it. But then I like almost everything McPhee writes

Okay. Spam ice cream. I'll climb out on a limb and say that's disgusting. At the very least it's a waste of bacon, although Hormel bacon ("real Hormel bacon!") isn't exactly something to write home about. However, @Duvel, if you are serious, I suggest you make a video of the little one (btw he's not so little anymore!) along with his own commentary reviewing the dessert. Oh, wait, will it be dessert or breakfast? If he likes it I'm going to call child services. Just crossed the Kentucky State Fair off my bucket list and added a year to my life.

Where do I find this butter chicken recipe? Thanks

I've always found V8 unappetizing. Standard canned tomato juice I've also grown to dislike. They both have an over processed taste that isn't really tomato like. For Bloody Mary's I'm a big fan of Knudson's organic tomato juice. It's less thick and less salty and actually has a pleasant tomato flavor. It even makes a Virgin Mary that's okay. I did try making my own juice once, using really good farmers' market tomatoes, and that was tasty, but way more trouble than I care to repeat.

I use three tools for stir fry in the wok. First I make a spicy oil with garlic, ginger and dry red chiles, so I need a slotted spoon strainer similar to the one @liuzhou shows above to remove and toss the sizzling crispies before the garlic colors. Then I use a large utility spoon to put some of the oil into a small bowl to be added as needed. The real work is done by the long handled scoop/shovel. I don't have a ladle for the wok. It seems like that would be most useful for large quantities that are portioned out. Since we are only two people it's easy enough to pour/ slide/push the finished dish into a serving bowl.

You mean a bushel of mint is a bit much for you?

I'm not a fan of mint juleps, but it's not because of the mint. I just don't like bourbon. I'm very happy with mint in my G&T with lime juice and I'm also fond of Israeli lemonade and mint chocolate brownies. So if you make a mojito, cheers! I won't tell, and the horses won't either.

@Shelby let's hope Soup and Sandwich finishes well. Otherwise I fear for his future.

Why not? What's wrong with your dining room?

Yes. Whatever cows do, they produce way more methane than pigs, and that's the problem. The second worst meat as far as climate goes is lamb. We don't eat that much lamb here in the US, but other countries do.

I don't know where you got that idea about toasting bagels. I grew up toasting them, and I always do it still. Untoasted bagels are good for teething kids, or kids who need distraction. Lightly toasted, open face everything or onion bagel with good cream cheese and lox is my comfort food.

From an article in the NYT: "What about the environmental argument? Almost 30 percent of the world’s ice-free land is used to raise livestock. We grow a lot of crops to feed animals, and we cut down a lot of forests to do that. But beef, far more than pork or chicken, contributes to environmental harm, in part because it requires much more land. The greenhouse gas production per serving of chicken or pork is about 20 percent that of a serving of beef. Cows also put out an enormous amount of methane, causing almost 10 percent of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and contributing to climate change." Really, there's plenty of evidence about the impact of beef production on the environment, it isn't news. Although the move by Epicurious is kind of amazing.

And you have actually seen this in SF? I can't imagine a restaurant in the Bay Area giving out different menus.

A. Assorted organ meats with accompanying pictures of the animals B. Tilapia on a bed of sand C. Vegetarian Meatloaf D. Savory King Cake E. Six live jumbo crawfish and a candle F. Foam

The first time we were in the south I learned that a side of cooked apples was common. Mostly they were bland and too soft, but once in a while they were cut in proper wedges and sautéed in butter until....well, until they were cooked right. Awfully good with ham. Also probably nice alongside green beans, perfectly cooked of course, or long-cooked southern style with bacon and simmered in ham broth. It's clearly time to get out of bed and go down for breakfast. Waiting for me is press-pot coffee with chicory. Not waiting for me is warm apple pie, which is really sad.

Perfectly cooked is only half the trick. Note that Jacques tosses off the words "fresh from the garden" as if we all have our plot just outside the kitchen screen door. Getting fresh tender and tasty beans is at least half the battle. Mediocre beans do better the long-cooked southern way with something porky and ripe tomatoes. One thing I didn't know: beans no longer have strings. No wonder my husband is so fast at string bean prep.

Sorry, but after seeing Alex the therapy bunny who went to the Giants game a few days ago I've sworn off rabbit. If you haven't seen pix yet I'm sure it's all over the place by now.

It is quite possible that some of us smell the fish while others do not, just a genetic thing like asparagus pee or cilantro tasting like soap.