wingding

Point well taken;I was thinking of local cooking that is not Michelin star stuff,in places that where there is a lot of good local cooking and ingredients ,but they don't have a thriving restaurant economy-some corner of Turkey or even upstate New York-I talk to a lot of produce and livestock purveyors from upstate,who lament the lack of good restaurants in the Hudson valley,but admit that there aren't enough potential diners to support them[esp. during the winter].Getting back to India,during my one month traveling there,the one home cooked meal that I had was the best,and it was very simple.The concept of European service,and cooking and plating a dish per order,to a large extent, don't really exist;your expectations of dining as you've known it have to go out the door,which seems to be easier said than done for a lot of travelers...

First,I'd like to thank egullet for adding the India site;I look forward to learning more.I have to disagree about home cooking not being better then restaurant cooking in the western world.The genius stuff that goes on at 4 star restaurants may not happen in many homes,and there are loads of people who don't cook at home anymore. BUT, having eaten in homes in Europe,and here in New York, cooked with love and good ingredients,I wouldn't paint the western world with such a broad brush.I've also worked in restaurants,and there are a lot of people who really don't cook all that well working in them-come eat 'family meal' sometime.

Yow!what happened to my spelling?[maybe it was a longer day than I thought].When I use grannysmiths at all,it's usually an herb scented green apple sorbet-rosemary,basil/citrus.I haven't used asian pears much-I used to find tasty ones in Chinatown,but feel that their flavor has also become deleted.While I'm on that topic;what the #### has happened to mangoes imported into the U.S.?They all seem to be picked way underipe,are available at all times of the year,and are a mere shadow of the wonderfulness that they can be.The demand for all varieties of fruit,all the time,looking shiny and pretty,but having no flavor,is accelerating;who's buying all this tasteless junk?,and what a waste....

The commonly available,'mass grown' grannysmiths have become increasingly horrid over the past few years;in fact they often seem to have an odd chemical taste to me.Truly good grannysmiths arediiicult to find at all,especially at this time of the year.Look for a local fruit disributor who has kept some god varietals in storage,that's your best bet [in February,anyway].

It depends on where you live...on the east coast most local apples have now been in storage for a few months,and their texture isn't as crisp,and the flavor is flatter,as they were in the fall.I use golden delicious early in the season,then move on to mutsus,and grannysmiths in the early winter.Flavoring is up to you-if the apples are delicious,vanilla,lemon,and a little spice are sufficient.Tart tatin is wonderful for apples that don't collapse into mush.In general,the tartest most densely textured apples are best for pie[in my opinion].

Tom Valenti does a really delicious and different take on this dish at Ouest,with sturgeon.Raouls' in Soho did a good traditional version awhile back,but they've changed chefs,so I can't recommend it unconditionally,but it's still on the menu.

I've worked in about 8 different restaurants in N.Y.,and with one exception,roaches and mice were pretty rare-I've been lucky,and have heard my share of stories. I personally draw the line with rats-if that's a problem,I'm outta there.When we've seen evidence of infestation,we address it quickly,and any problem usually gets eradicated.Conscientious cooks don't like working in the middle of a mess,and hopefully that's reflected in your dining experience.

Not to be splitting hairs here,but I think that the health laws allow for a certain proportion of rodent hairs,not droppings.Cheerful news,to be sure.Re your Barcelona tapas story;A few years ago while traveling in northern India,and staying in a small hotel in Siliguri,I had to restrain staffers from bombing my room with killer insect repellent twice a day.It made breathing very difficult,and my choice seemed to be death by repellent or being bitten by really persistent mosquitos,which was preferable in the short run.

'A certain amount of mouse droppings are acceptable in a loaf of bread'??I don't think so...if you are cooking in your own home,does this rule follow?Keeping up with all kinds of infestation is a never ending struggle,but if you are seeing filth with no attempt to disguise it,then the owners don't care,and far worse conditions could exist where you don't see..If the health department closes an establishment at the end of a visit,it usually means that they have made a prior visit,noted violations,and gave the proprietors a certain amount of time to take care of noted conditions.Improper storage of food probably results in more sickness than mouse turds in the long run,but yuck...

I finally made it over to Craft for dinner,and didn't find it dull,or too much work to figure out the menu.Maybe I'm not as jaded as some of you,but preparing foods in ways that really bring out their essence, when it is done well, is a craft,and a test of a truly good cook.We had a lot of food,and I won't go into exhaustive detail,but some of the standouts were roasted foie gras,marinated arctic char,roasted skate,a wonderful plate of lightly dressed arugula,pain perdu with roasted bananas,and warm cups of hot chocolate...I often leave restaurants disgusted with oversalted,badly cooked food,and this was a welcome change.

I'm about halfway through the book,and there is a lot of drinking and gonzo behavior a la Bourdain,but that's his shtick,and most people on the food network have one.A lot of the partying seems to be tied in with the hospitality of the peole he encounters;so be it-it wears on me a little,but there are interesting,if bleary,perceptive moments from the author.Every book about eating and traveling doesn't have to be scholarly and sober-that ain't all that's real....

A few weeks ago,I had a dish at Grand Szechuan uptown called sizzling rice with pork.I think that the cooked rice must have been deep fried very quickly in really hot oil,and brought right to table,with pork in a brown sauce.It was delicious,and not too greasy.I also love the dumplings in red chili oil.

Blackcurrants[cassis]are an excellent foil for desserts with white chocolate.Frozen berries,or puree are available from various suppliers.Kumquats work well too.

Marichu.on east 46th street,serves good Spanish food,especially fish dishes.