NeroW

Haven't we had problems around here with the use of the word "Nazi"? Is there a different word we could use? Like, for instance, "asshole"?

I don't know, dude . . . It seems a little too "Martha" for me.

Sacre Bleu!

I think I would draw the line at improper touching. Proper touching, however, is--well, proper.

No, he wasn't. And is it just me, or . . . is he really not *that* cute? What I did like was the line cooks sitting around the bar, after their shift, with *no* drinks. Those weren't cooks, they were waitstaff. And no drinks is ludicrous....they drank nonstop! I must agree, we pretty much drank non-stop after the shift. Oh, good. I must have missed that part! I'm relieved.

No, he wasn't. And is it just me, or . . . is he really not *that* cute? I keep thinking that Rocco and Jimmy Fallon (of SNL) are separated at birth. That's scary.

No, he wasn't. And is it just me, or . . . is he really not *that* cute? What I did like was the line cooks sitting around the bar, after their shift, with *no* drinks.

That is pretty weird, my friend. Let me ask around school today.

Starchy? Starchy, steamy, sweet, mellow... Clean, almost. I always thought it smelled a little bit like line-dried laundry. Warm. Yep, I was right: that sounds crazy.

Starchy?

The Bloody Mary. My old boss used to call it the "Meal-Replacement Shake." As you probably know, I'll drink whatever, but if I had my druthers, I like the Snakebite mix. My old boss used to bring crates of it back from Saugatuck, MI, but I've never seen it in stores myself. It doesn't mix too well--it's very thick. But it's a kicker. There's a seafood joint in Wicker Park (Nola's), that serves their Bloodies with the Chef's homemade beef jerky as a garnish. I also like it when they are garnished with shrimp. I like them best with Tanqueray Silver Vodka, a little Triple Sec, dill sauce, Worsty, cracked pepper, and a squeeze of lime. Pickles/jalapeno/3 green olives/celery (and shrimp!) garnish. No celery salt on the rim for me. No damn steak sauce. Nothing ruins a Bloody faster than steak sauce. I also like those tom-olive thingies (pickled green tomatoes that look like olives) and pickled asparagus. And, of course, they're great with a shot or so of Guinness Stout in them. Aw, Fritz, have one for me this morning. Cheers.

I see. Sounds yummy, just as you described it. Right now: Doublemint Gum. But the Garde Manger class is finishing up downstairs. Maybe I'll go and join the line of hungry students outside Kitchen 9, and see what they have to offer.

Word. And nam pla/fish sauce. The first time I ever used fish sauce was to make fried rice for some friends after the bars closed. The smell almost knocked me off my feet, and one of my friends took a whiff, turned rather pale, and disappeared for the rest of the night. Now that I'm used to it, it isn't so bad. I like the smell of rice cooking.

I watched this show last night. After the first five minutes I wanted to turn it off, go hide in the kitchen, and eat the cold fried chicken left over from dinner, but we left it on. Just to . . . see what the fuss was all about? My favorite thing was the stripey shirt that Rocco had on under his Chef's coat. And his big old watch. And his B-Boys airbrushed ROCCO'S baseball cap. Where can I get me one of those stripey shirts? Between that, and the one girl who said making sure her customers had forks was "too much work", this show was cracking me up. Long may it run.

fifi, Great story. Thank you!

Dude, are you being for real? They're not going to know who you are!

The Boy brought over Taco Bell on Thursday night. He didn't finish it all. One of the leftover items was a bean burrito. Even Fritz Brenner didn't eat it. And that's a freakin' miracle.

Aw, hell. I'm gonna' go out on a limb here, and tell you all: I pour it down the drain. You only live once.

Whassat? Little mint-flavored chocolate chips with sprinkles on them, wrapped in a piece of gauze, leftover from a wedding shower earlier today. Water.

Yep. That's a good one. It was in the magazine.

Yes. A "snake stick." That's mise en place for you right there. What the heck is a snake stick?

Chick-Fil-A? Huh?

Damn. Is that why there's not a mechanical bull in every bar? Those bastards. I'm going in the backyard to smoke a cigarette.

Did I already say this? SALT AND VINEGAR.

A spoonful of still-hot, homemade pastry cream. Uh, and a Corona.