Ron Johnson

Thank you Professor. Now, that is what I call a good answer. Unbelievable that someone did research on this very thing.

On another thread, which was about stocking up for earthquakes or something , there was raised the issue of having sufficient fluids to keep one hydrated. After one runs out of water, can one survive on wine alone? I know that alcohol is a diuretic (sp?) and causes loss of water in the body, but wine generally has less than 13% alcohol and the remainder is water. So, would the 87% water in wine outweigh the amount that you expelled due to the diuretic effect of the remaining 13% alcohol and thus keep you from dying of dehydration? I know of no reason why this would ever come into play in my life, but as I keep significantly more wine about the house than I do water, I just wondered. edit: Input from smug scientific bastards is encouraged.

which? by varietal or progressive?

Craig, this might be a good question for the Andrea Immer Q&A. I believe she is an advocate of wine lists divided by varietal. A concept I find a little odd when one could have a Rosemount Shiraz on the same page as a Jasmin Cote Rotie.

I find it very interesting that Amazon says that customers who bought this book also bought books from the Harry Potter series. Confirms many of my suspicions.

Who makes the best Hanger Steak in Manhattan?

There is a lot of talk these days about the divergent styles of winemaking. There are the "Old World" wines which rely on terroir and are made without a lot of technology or exposure to new oak, and then there are the "New World" or "International Style" wines where the winemaker's influence dominates terroir and fining, reverse osmosis, and exposure to new oak are de rigeur. What are your thoughts on this dischotomy? Do you recognize this as a useful distinction? Do you have a preference for either style? Thanks.

How does Smith & Wollensky's stack up as far as those steakhouses "in Manhattan"?

What an extraordinarily fortunate turn of events for the very hot people.

Isn't there also a theory that hot and spicy cuisine is consumed in warmer climates because it induces perspiration, which makes a person feel cooler?

Yep, he was a real dude. He had the balls to say, "let's see how much more quickly we can deep fry chicken if we do it in a pressure cooker." Sadly, he sold the rights of his name and method of frying chicken to John Y. Brown, Jr. for a pittance. John Y. then promptly turned around and sold it for hundreds of millions, which he used to finance his successful campaign for governor and to woo former Miss America Phyllis George to marry him. Phyllis divorced John Y. came up with her own line of skinless, boneless, tasteless, marinated chicken breasts for supermarkets called "Chicken by George". (I am not making this up) She made her own millions, briefly did sports coverage for ABC, and now sells insanely over-priced quilts from Kentucky in Manhattan.

I think they spell it "Ah So". I have never had much luck with those.

Interestingly, KFC, and its parent corporation, YUM!, is headquartered in my hometown. Not to mention that I met the Colonel himself when I was a kid. That being said, KFC may use 11 herbs and spices, but they are in such minute quantity as to be barely noticeable. There are some fast food chicken chains that make a spicy chicken, but they stem from the cajun influence of Louisiana. Altnough, it has been a while since I last dined there, I would consider KFC to be pretty bland.

The most recent issue of Saveur has a source for mail ordering some authentic Tasso ham. I think its in the back of the issue.

Tommy, I do find that many Alsatians often have a stinky nose when first opened, especially when they are young. This merde smell usually blows off after a few hours of being open or some aggresive swirling. I do not think that these wines have a higher rate of TCA taint but I could be persuaded to change my mind in the face of some overwhelming statistical data to the contrary.

Given the proliferation of chain restaurants in the United States that seem to specialize in extraordinarily bland food, I would say that most Americans do not like spices in their food. Maybe this is Emeril's contribution to American culture, to like spices. Bam!

yes, Bonny Doon and several New Zealand wineries are going to screw tops. I believe we have a thread on that somewhere.

Click the word "here" in my post for the link.

I think there is an existing thread on this topic. edit: well kind of, its here

I do not subscribe to this theory of making an airtight seal by transfering to another smaller container, pouring gas on top, or any other trick UNLESS you need to the wine to stay good for 4 or more days. If you are going to drink it with dinner the following night or the night after, just stick the cork back in and set it somewhere cool and dark. The fridge is fine as long as you let it come back up to temp before you drink. As many have said in this thread, a lot of wines will be better the second day.

Man those pies look good. Great photos Ellen. Its hard to believe that I would travel somewhere just for the pizza, but perhaps a trip to New Haven is in order . . .

I shall, but I just can't imagine scotch with sugar, orange, and cherries. Now a Rob Roy I have had, but its not quite as extreme.

Scotch Old Fashioned? Oh Holly, say it ain't so.

If I had a serius food allergy, I would not expect anything. No, strike that, I would expect the worst. So I would always ask. I know what I am allergic to, the restaurant does not.

The unfrosted are better than the frosted. The frosted are just too damn sweet.