cnpark3

That's so funny that you called tea an affordable luxury. I was bitching to someone about this green tea that he was raving about because i thought it was so expensive at 30 dollars a box. But he explained to me that it was one of the finest green teas from Japan and that at 30 dollars it was a steal of a deal for being the best of its kind. He actually used the phrase "affordable luxury"... I love coffee and tea but Coffee will always be more costly because you use so much more ground coffee to brew a cup and the grounds are so much heavier than the tea leaves. And that's when you make it at home. When you pay someone else to make it, you may as well just give them your wallet. I figured out one time than if I went to a coffee house for coffee or tea 5 days a week it ranged from 40-100 bucks a month. Imagine how much amazing coffee and tea that would buy!

a trend in home cooking? "home cooking" in restaurants... see devour.tv. also,more advanced techniques in the kitchen. i used to work in a restaurant where i got to interact with the guests a ton (even though I was a cook) and i was astounded at how sophisticated the home cook has become. with the huge variety of cooking magazines, shows, books, etc people are more likely to try something at home that they wouldn't have 20 years ago. this guy told me that he made foie gras torchon every Christmas. another customer told me that he wanted to buy a low end immersion circulator so that he could do sous vide cooking at home. craziness... a lot of chefs are also launching their own line of products so people can buy hydrocolloids and other substances associated with "molecular gastronomy". i think david burke has his own line of salt.

love that you guys highlighted a trip to a korean restaurant! it's been my favorite for a llifetime! -cp

11-13 bucks an hour? that's funny money. my first kitchen gig in san francisco paid 9.50 an hour, i had to get a second job to survive...

there's also www.devour.tv, www.uncooked.tv, www.foodtube.net

he's doing a bunch of things on www.devour.tv

most cooks that i have cooked with are not in it for the money. they are there to learn a craft--the craft of cooking. it's not surprising that the bigger the name of the chef the less money the cooks get paid. think of it like going to school. i am going to learn so much from such and such and so i can justify the 28 grand i am going to make this year ...that's the way i saw it. that being said, i have worked at 2 restaurants where cooks got tips. one in new york and one in napa valley. both places paid me the best i have ever been paid as a cook and i learned a ton but they were both extremely special situations. if you want to make money, get out of the kitchen and become a server. if you want to become a better cook, go work for the genius that makes you come in 2 hours before your shift (unpaid) and teaches you how to really cook. there was a great article in the san francisco chronicle about why cooks get paid what they do and how much the prices on menus would go up if cooks were paid better. if you want to make the kitchen's day, bring in a a six pack or two of good beer and send it back to the kitchen. you'll be the hero of the night.