violetfox

an update - 3 weeks in and I absolutely love this job - making people happy every day, and learning how much I don't know yet!

I'm still not at all sure that rhubarb doesn't meet the chemical or olfactory requirements of a "bittering agent" - have you chomped on a stalk of raw, unsugared rhubarb? You can call it sour if you like, but to me it is also bitter, which is one of the main reasons I like it so much.

Gosh, just asked if anyone tried the recipe, which whether technically a "bitters" or not, sounded tasty and interesting. I'm completely baffled by why anyone wouldn't try a recipe because it didn't meet the technical description - it ain't precisely buidling rocket ships. Anyway, I presume by the ensuing little diatribe that no one has tried the recipe. I shudder to mention that I think I'll try it anyway and see if it tastes good.

...but I really like the butter - and buy it in quarters.

There's an intriguing recipe for rhubarb bitters in Imbibe magazine - anybody tried this yet?

I must have been about 7 when I first had this style "shrub" at the Williamsburg Inn breakfast buffet - fresh orange juice and lemon sherbet, with a sprig of mint. It was lovely.

I totally agree - no contest!

I'll miss Good Eats very much, and hope for new and exciting shows from Alton!

Seriously? You make a HABIT out of going back to the kitchen? You don't even try to discuss it with the server? You might want to consider disguises when dining out.

Thanks for this useful thread. One of my biggest questions in my new job at the wine shop is "do I need ALL new glasses? how many?" - this is good news! I'm anxious to try them.

It depends on the occasion for me - a simple wine in a enamel cup or a Picardie-type tumbler by the campfire can be fine. I do usually prefer a finer rim, and find a heavy rim distracting. I don't think a different glass for every style makes sense, but that's just not my thing.

I very much agree, but mostly for drinking alone, just enjoying the wine. I often find these wines too big to enjoy with food.

I'm not generally crazy about Pinot Noir, but I really enjoy it with a lot of salmon preparations. I DON'T enjoy whites with salmon.

Congratulations to Dexter and Phlox and thanks to chezcherie and all! Having started to read a bunch of wine books, it really is a bit daunting to realize how little I know! It is all absolutely fascinating, though.

Thank you very much, John! I think it will be a fun journey!

Seriously? I never heard of such a thing, but I'm literally running home to try it now, with tips from my 60' tree!

I will be working in a wine retail shop, but I'm very interested in becoming a sommelier in a restaurant. Thanks!

Thank you, Lisa! I just saw on the Master Sommeliers site that there are NO master sommeliers listed for New England! I would like to work at being the first!

Good afternoon. After a long career as a wine enthusiast employed in a series of jobs that haven't always delighted me, I'm happy and terrified to find myself in the position of selling wines to a pretty educated clientele. How do I make the leap from enthusiast to professional - without going broke or becoming an alcoholic? I'm being a little facetious, but it is a serious question - I want to be GREAT at this job, it is a long-held dream career change! Thanks in advance for your responses!

I sure hope that age is just a number. I've got a few years on you - 29 to be precise - and I'm just now entering the food world, hopefully as a prep cook. I'm hoping that my other life experience will serve me well. I work really hard and efficiently and I learn fast. I'm ignoring the likelihood that I'm crazy!

Is anyone familiar with the Elmira Stove Works stoves and appliances? They look great, but does anyone know how they work? Thanks. I'm renovating a 50's kitchen that was added onto a 1790 Cape.

The tomato "filet" - seeds and jelly - is absolutely delicious. I'd never discard it. There are very few times when I skin a tomato.

As I understand it, both refrigerating and freezing will introduce moisture - the last thing we want. I buy small quantities and keep them in an airtight canister on the counter. Yeah, I keep a package of beans in the freezer for emergencies ("OMG! there's no COFFEE!!!"), but only for that.

Right. However, anyone telling me what I MAY and MAY NOT eat does concern me, quite a bit. It's politically correct (sort of) to eat factory farmed chicken, beef and pork, but it's NOT OK to eat foie gras? Nonsense. While I'm on the subject, I'm baffled that anyone gives a goose's behind about celebrity pronouncements of this kind. Alicia Silverstone's "Kind Diet" - pffft.

Thanks!