Dave the Cook

Like maybe an, um, lessee...an apron?

OK, I'll admit it: I didn't know that St. Emilion was merlot. But a St. Emilion was the first non-pop wine I ever had. I picked it at random out of the storeroom of the restaurant where I worked, took it home, and drank it with a roast chicken dinner. It was wonderful. Thanks, Mark.

Exactly! My parents always dumped a big pile of red, red, red boiled lobsters on the middle of the table, with a platter of yellow corn, a butterdish, and a bottle of Puissy-Fume at each end of the table. The only other accompaniment was a baguette. (Not in the USA. In Dalhousie, NB, Montreal, Trois-Rivieres and Ottawa.) Yes, bib and hands and buttah! Sounds perfect, Lily, and pretty universal. I really want a lobster now. But that's not what Lochina is making. Based on the recipe she referenced, I'd serve grilled asparagus dressed in a little lemon and butter.

Whaa!! I don't get it. Could one/both of you guys PM me and enlighten me... No, post it please. I have no idea either. ivan wanted a word to use instead of "flesh" to describe the kishkes of the melon. Pixelchef suggested the word "Egypt." See? It's not funny if you have to explain it. Either you spit on your keyboard or you don't.

i'd like to see watermelon in the shape of other fruit. like pears. that would be cool. I'd like that, too. Or one you could peel and eat like a banana.

I didn't really disagree with his description of Merlot, nor with his characterization of it as a grape that tends to produce a wine with relatively neutral character. It was a just sloppy writing -- trying to substitute fervor for facts. I also don't think there's anything inherently wrong with a neutral wine. What you like is what you like. Please carry on. Edit: my own sloppy writing.

I'm sorry, but this is just plain silly: How can a "melange" of anything plus chocolate flavored oak be one-dimensional? You may not like the combination, but it sounds like it's got some depth to me. And that wouldn't even be my description.

I'll bet Meow-Mix likes my answer better.

Well, it does cost thirty bucks. For that money, I think you could buy at least two of any other manual can opener mentioned here. Now, if it came with a holster...

It's a victim of its own success, like REM after "Losing my Religion," or Chef Lagasse after "Emeril Live." But there's nothing inherently unhip about Merlot. If you like it, drink it. The hippest people I know are the ones who don't give a flying f*** whether something's hip or not. Besides, you're an eGull, now. By definition, everything you do is hip. Welcome.

Chablis. Tavel. Sancerre. Too much acidity? Tavel. Muscadet. I could do that. Shoot! You gave up before I got to drop Puligny-Montrachet. White Bordeaux (Lynch-Bages?). Trust me. er...have you guys looked at the recipe? How about a dry Albarino or "classic" Riesling?

This is, of course, the sort of rarefied discussion for which Maggie and I were hoping.

Trust me. It is very serious, though probably not as serious as huskyfarts.

Interesting, but the site does not actually indicate how you could order the opener, nor does it list a price. Sur La Table

That is the coolest-looking can opener I've ever seen.

I just checked this out, and the pricing astounds me. They are thirty dollars a dozen? If so, my Christmas list is um, handled. Or are they thirty dollars the each if I buy 1-3 dozen? I think that's per-dozen pricing. If you go to Home Depot or Lowe's, they'll cost $5 to $8 a pair. They come lined and unlined. The lined ones are preferable.

They might not be as refined as you like, but you can't beat the selection at Libbey. The on-line catalog is amazing just for the number of shapes and sizes it shows -- 900, they claim. Libbey Glass

A towel if I'm in a hurry. But if dexterity is required, you can't beat welding gloves, available in a variety of colors and styles for any occasion. I have the orange ones for every day use, and pull out the black or gray ones when company's coming. Seriously, it's amazing how much more easily things are accomplished when you have the use of your fingers.

Thanks for reading. Not to screw eGullet out of a hefty Amazon commission, but before giving up your Plum, go to alibris.com. Last time I checked, they had at least twenty Wolfe titles in paperback (used) for $2.95 each.

Thanks, fresco. Personally, I think she's jealous. I've got my inning coming on this one. Feral?

Please pay attention. The correct spelling is: Froot Loops® Hence my ambivalence. Obviously we're dealing with a store-brand knock-off.

I'm not going to argue over their pricing, and I'm ambivalent regarding Fruit Loops. But I'm pretty sure most people buy toilet paper.

Like you, I'm hoping she'll tell me. And thank you.

Unfortunately, I don't have inside information on anything. I have a creaky mid-term memory that gets worse under the stress of a deadline. As an example, the only way I can keep John and Ross MacDonald straight is to remember that the Travis McGee novels have colors in the titles. Why this works, and why it's easier than any number of more memory techniques is beyond me. Another example: when I typed the name "Meyer Meyer," for a minute I was sure that he was a character not in John, or Ross, or Ed, but in Catch 22. But that was Major Major. Wasn't it? Thanks for the vote of confidence, fresco -- unless you know something, and I've stumbled onto it accidentally?