Mjx

'Typo's'... clever touch!

??? Ooookay... I admit my first thought was 'WHAT?! Don't they have special clubs for that? I don't mean dinner, clubs, either...' I'm not seeing this statement in its original context, and have no way of knowing precisely how the word 'submission' was intended, but although I'm perfectly willing to do my homework on the restaurant beforehand, repect the efforts of the kitchen and dining-room staff, and be politepolitepolite if it kills me, submission seems out of place. If you aren't actively engaged in the dining experience, but instead submit to it, I think you lose out on part of what the chef has done, you miss the elements of dialogue, of exploration. Even if you go to a restaurant that offers a single, set menu on any given night, the decision to eat there is an active one. My mind boggles a bit at the idea that I might have to consider and consent to a tacit power dynamic between diner and food/chef, which, to be honest, goes a bit beyond my idea of 'dining experience', but I imagine everyone feels differently about this, and I suppose that's entering a whole philosophical area related to how one approaches food, which might be considered a bit off-topic.

Although I'm willing to take reasonable measures, and not eat like a fool, this doesn't attract me any more than Norman Walker's all raw veg. diet. Mind you, I tried that, and felt unbelievable, but all I could think about was the sort of food I wasn't eating... I could walk past a construction site at lunch time, and not really hear the pervy comments, because I was wondering whether any of them would part with one of their sandwiches (my experiment with raw foods lasted not quite a month, before I fell victim to a chocolate cake). I figure that my genetics make me likely to live well into my 80s or 90s anyway, which is pretty good innings.

Tortellini and beans. This can actually be produced for about $5/two good sized servings, and is amazingly good. I prefer borlotti, but kidney beans are pretty good, too. When I was at my most broke, I could still manage this about once a week, and for a couple of extra bucks I could get really good tortellini from places that made them fresh. Sometimes, I make it more of a soup, with a bit of reduced chicken broth, and other times I build a sauce around the beans, but regardless, it comes out well, and can even be made on a hot plate, with the tortellini being cooked last in the beans.

Dessert topping/sirup? I've never tried the one by Johan Bülow (towards the bottom of the page), but it looks rather good, and I imagine it would be fairly easy to make something of this sort. In Denmark, it's used over ice cream, among other things.

The thread discussing the accommodation of special requests led my to hunt up this thread. Children who are not inherently inclined to behave in restaurants, and cannot be bribed or threatened to do so, have no business being there, and I applaud restaurants that take a firm line with this. People go to restaurants to relax, and kids (and adults, for that matter) who cannot be reasonably restrained in restaurants ruin it for everybody (and are probably not having much fun themselves). And no, I don't hate kids. I was one of those kids who was generally in perpetual motion (my brother and I fought like particularly ill-tempered animals... at home). However, notwithstanding my fundamentally unpleasant disposition, fondness for combat, and urge for self expression (read: good luck shutting me up), at restaurants, I behaved. My grandparents loved taking me to restaurants when I was as young as three, because my particular form of public showing-off involved being almost nauseatingly well-mannered. I was quiet, stayed in my seat, did not eat as though raised by wolves, was able to hold up my end of a conversation if someone at table spoke to me without monopolizing the conversation (not at three: then I mostly ate), and my relatives did not annoy kitchen and waitstaff by requesting special foods for me; they ordered the simpler dishes they knew I could manage. I had a blast, too (in fact, everybody did), and the self-imposed discipline in no way crushed my budding personality, or stifled my self expression. If I could behave in a restarant setting, any normal child can. I also appluad parents who do manage to control (or otherwise deal with, I know how difficult it can be with babies) their kids at restaurants; among other things, they're giving their kids something important too.

I think the right attitude really helps negotiate this sort of situation. Both the customer and the chef have rights, but the question of whose rights should prevail can get ugly, fast. If everyone keeps in mind that every 'right' is implicitly and inescapably tied to a responsibility of some sort, and people manage to at least act like they respect one another, the level of accommodation is often higher than might be expected. I'm not comfortable requesting significant changes, but do sometimes ask questions about basic ingredients (in which case I order last, so the others don't have to wait, and I keep my questions few and simple), and the waiter has more often than not come back from the kitchen with not only an answer, but an offer from the chef to make an adjustment, if some ingredient is a problem. I'm profuse as hell in my thanks, regardless of whether or not I go with the offer; most people, including chefs, like to feel that what they're doing is appreciated, and others are trusting them to be in control of the situation.

This made me curious, so, although I don't have access to either product where I am, the websites for Fage and Stonyfield Farms (which mystifyingly list 6oz, rather than 8oz servings) give the following breakdowns of macronutrients: Fage (90 kcal. per 6 oz/170g): 15g protein, 7g carbs, 0g fat (contains only milk) S.F. (80 kcal. per 6 oz/170g): 8g protein, 11g carbs, 0g fat (contains pectin, as well as nonfat milk). If I remember correctly, both protein and carbohydrates have 4 kcal/gram (actualy giving them, respectively, 88 and 76 kcal/6 oz/170g); the difference seems to be due to the concentration of solids. My guess is that the consistency of Greek yogurt is due to milk solid concentration and less water, while other yogurts contain pectin, which can hold more water in suspension without making the product liquidy.

Wasn't the original point of this entire discussion the marketing aspect of gluten-free foods, rather than the validity of people's claims of gluten sensitivity? I'm not indifferent to this subject of food sensitivities, by the way: I handle many starches poorly--wheat is a real offender--and unless I actively choose to go on wheat/starch bender, I don't want pointless wheat in my food (I don't actually know what the offending element is, since getting tested is out of my price range, but if it is gluten, it is unlikely to be due to celiac disease, since the problems aren't of a digestive nature). Still, for the majority of people, gluten is not an issue, and for marketers to push the idea that gluten-free food is implicitly healthier, regardless of whether you are sensitive to it, is misleading and unethical (after all, something without gluten in it can still have plenty of other things in it that aren't that great, from insane amounts of sugar, to chemical contaminants and the random rat dropping).

But ma 'n pa establishments specialize in being accomodating, at least within given parameters; it's pretty much their 'thing', whether the food they make is terrififc, or frankly lousy. And if someone were to go in to such a place and harangue them if they couldn't or wouldn't rustle up a home-made mayonnaise, or Pommes Anna (even if they had the ingredients; I'm speaking of a place where the chef/cook isn't familiar with these things), any regulars present would probably strongly resent the rude interloper. And they'd be right. While I agree that an arrogant or smug refusal to accommodate certain requests is unacceptable, it's the attitude, in my opinion, not the refusal itself that is the problem. After all, who would go to Chanel and ask them to whip them up something Thierry Mugler-ish?

No idea of the status the shark species that are hunted for their fins, but if their numbers are declining alarmingly, it makes sense to take a break from hunting them, even if it's simply to ensure that future generations can avail themselves of what is clearly an important traditional dish; 'eat 'em all now' is short-sighted, no matter how you look at it. On the other hand, to characterize environmental consciousness and indifference as generational phenomena seems uninformed and needlessly insulting.

There are a number of things I tolerate poorly, and a few things that I find positively disgusting in food. So, if I eat out somewhere, I look at the menu first; if it doesn't work for me, I go elsewhere; if I'm in doubt, I ask (phone, ask waitstaff if it's looking quiet). True, restaurants are service industry, and I expect restaurants to be sanitary, deliver what they promise, and have courteous (which includes being polite about saying 'No, we aren't able to accommodate that request', as long as the customer is being polite, too) and hard-working staff. I don't expect them to jump through hoops as though they exist in my (or anyone else's) private Sims universe. Am I pleased if they offer me options? Certainly. But every business does try to perform within certain parameters, and if they end up trying to accomodate requests that stretch their time and other resources, it's going to affect what they're actually trying to do.

That's a real problem, maybe THE real problem. Most people in the Western world want to believe they have scientific, rather then superstitious (in the broader, scientific sense of the word) minds, when the reverse is actually true, which makes the line between empiricism and hypochondria very fine for some. This also makes life frustrating for those who are actually exploring some mystery condition that plagues them, in a way that is consistent with scientific method. Once you actually do look at things from a scientific perspective, and studying existing scientific research, you realize that medical science openly acknowledges that very little is certain, and most medical findings are being actively explored and revised on an ongoing basis. I have no doubt that in a hundred years people will smirk as much over our certainties, as people today do, when discussing humour-based illnesses, bleeding, and 'brain fever'. It comes back to 'a little knowledge is a dangerous thing', which in this sort of situation means not that one shouldn't seek to know, but that instead of stopping with the article in the Enquirer, one should bite the bullet, and hunt up and read the original study on which it is allegedly based (and keep accurate track of any observations related to what may be an authentic problem).

What?! There are the dictionary.com, and Merriam Webster sites, all online. And many others, too, some hilariously inaccurate. And I nearly forgot: In bars, I sort of hate it when I get the curling lip and hairy eyeball if I request a sweet liqueur. I know, I know, it's considered sort of gauche/tacky, but it's not as though I'm asking the bartender to drink the Mozart liqueur or Creme de Violette. And it's sort of freaky to be watched by bar/waitstaff while drinking, it too, as though I were a particularly unwholesome-looking vagrant drinking cheap cologne straight from the bottle.

I'm not in any place long enough to really be a regular anywhere anymore, and most of the places in NYC where I was a regular have closed. I still go to City Bakery on Eighteenth often enough to be recognized by the owner, however (I believe he suspects me of keeping a male harem, as it's my go-to meeting place--sometimes two or three times in a single day--and he always looks faintly perplexed when he sees me with yet another guy). If you get there first thing in the morning, the baked goods can be terrific. Apart from that, the main benefit is that I know the place, and I adore predictability, plus anyone who's really looking for me knows that I'm sort of likely to be there (or at the nearby B&N).

Does it have to be a baked item? If not, I'd suggest something along the lines of penuche, which I remember making with finely ground nuts as kid. Even if the flour is very fine, I think it would work nicely with the consistency. I'm wondering if it would be possible to swap in some of the pecan oil for the butter (since it's melted, in the recipe), too. Or, perhaps some form of divinity?

Actually, I think you'll find the Artful Dodger is from Oliver Twist. Moreover, my dictionary gives "skilful, clever" as the first definition for "artful," and "crafty, deceitful" as sense 2. But... it still has nothing to do with art

What you said is pretty spot on. One of the worst things about the 'X is bad for you' generalization is that it is almost invariably disproved for most people, and nutritional science loses credibility. And when the best someone can say of a food item is that it isn't bad for you, that's sort of depressing. Both with regard to the item itself, and the person's outlook. Has somebody actually confirmed that? The last studies I looked at seemed to be fairly inconclusive, with some mention of dose-effect. But if I eat something MSG-heavy on an empty stomach, I hallucinate my face off. Not that that stops me from eating things that may (or certainly) contain MSG (I'll usually eat something else beforehand, so I don't freak out my friends), but it definitely does something to me, although when I discussed it with a doctor, he said he doubted that the effect would be cause any cumulative/long-term damage, which was nice to hear.

Pretty much all the above bug me, at least a bit. I also hate when waiters show up to ask whether everything is fine when you have your mouth full; even if everything is awful, all you can really do is duck your head and nod sheepishly, hoping they'll go way. If the food is fantastic, nodding while looking like a wild-eyed hamster isn't the most effective way of communicating that. Any sort of hovering makes me think about sneaking out through the bathroom window before the first course even appears. I find forced perkiness really disturbing. That sort of fakery just makes me imagine that, once the waiter goes through the swinging doors, he or she goes out back and does a little primal screaming, or bursts into tears.

Here, prices are running the equivalent of USD 15/lb. of conventionally grown varietals, but a chunk of that is the 25% sales tax. Quality here tends to be iffy, so we usually load up on coffee when we go to Italy, where the prices are still not so high, and the quality and selection are orders of magnitude better. I also sometimes pick up Jim's Organic espresso roast when I'm in NYC, but less and less frequently these days, since I'm always in a panic when I travel with it: I worry that a TSA agent will decide I might be actually smuggling drugs in it, and I'll end up being strip-searched, or worse, having the coffee confiscated altogether (yes, I have a lurid imagination...) Edit: Corrected more-than-usually spectacular and embarrassing typo.

I'm with you on that, although I was buying the cheapest stuff Integral Yoga's shop on Thirteenth had (it wasn't being used in food), but as far as I can remember, even the most expensive product wasn't what I'd describe as expensive, compared to, say, almond or olive oil. Perhaps the price has spiked? Buying organinc makes sense, given the apparently heavy use of pesticides on conventionally farmed coconuts, but 'virgin' may be a slightly misleading label, since it is applicable to any coconut oil that is produced from fresh, rather than dry coconut, and does not implicitly exclude the possibility of subsequent processing.

Calculate how much cheese you'd be likely to eat, and multiply by 50? Pre-portioning it where possible should keep the distribution fair.

I haven't the strength to investigate the details of the health effects--although if you're genetically predisposed to cholesterol-level problems, you should probably go easy on it--but what caught my eye was the word 'expensive'. I used to buy the stuff in largish jars (Spectrum Naturals was the brand, I think) when I was studying massage, partly because it was so cheap (by the way, if you do use it, keep it away from light coloured clothing: it never quite washes out, and eventually oxidizes to dingy brown marks). If your coconut oil is expensive, look for an alternative source.

I was going to recommend the Rabone Chesterman engineer's rulers (my dad got me two a number of years ago, and I use them for everything), since they fit all your criteria, but when I went to link to them, I discovered that the company has been purchased by Stanley, and rulers are no longer made. The link ElsieD provided shows something that looks fairly close.

Salt. The equivalent of a tiny pinch of salt per litre/quart of finished product really makes flavours pop, in sweet preparations. Even the highest quality/feshest blueberry preserves often have a sort of muted/flat flavour, and a little salt takes care of that (perceptionwise, I'm talking about an amount that is right the liminal level, not enough to wreak havoc with the actual flavour, or anybody's blood pressure). I'f you're going with a 'purist'/modernist take on this, you might want to try straight capsaicin (although you have to take care with it), rather then actual jalapeño(s). And, since citric acid has been something I've been playing with recently, I'd consider that as an option to to add a bit more brightness to the flavour (if you wanted that), without adding additional liquid, or bringing in other notes (e.g. lemon), that would take you away from the streamlined 'just the blueberries' approach. If you're okay with moving a bit a way from a 'purist' jam, cinnamon is great with blueberries.