stefanyb

Now here's another wrinkle- With respect to the acrylimide issue, would the carbohydrates in corn be adversely affected by grilling and not by boiling or steaming? And while we're on the subject, what temperature is steam and does steaming produce acrylimide? I know water never goes above 212 degrees but what temperature is steam? What IS the carbohydate content of corn. Does it closely correspond to potatoes or is it closer to, say, greenbeans or peas? Isn't it interesting that our Tommy is interested in "corn"?

I would suggest that they were in this dish. Gobs of them, so there. Whether they were the good ones or not i cannot testify but my lips are still burning. :wow:

My mother used to refer to salt butter as "storage" butter and wouldn't deign to have it pass her lips as if it was poison. I think she even thought that it was made from cream that had soured. I know that the freshest sweet butter is the ultimate butter but what is the actual difference here?

I have had a dish at Grand Sichuan International (24th street)that was recommended to me by the server, Jennifer(who just returned to Maylaysia) called something like Shrimp in black pepper sauce- I'm not sure because I never saw it on the menu, although it just might be there. It looked exactly like Tommy's picture only with large succulent stir-fried shrimp. Jon's description of the taste is very close to my experience of it. There were gobs(scientific amount) of the peppercorns in this dish. So, anyone in NYC who is interested in trying this peppercorn, or dried flower bud or whatever, can go to GSI and ask them for this dish.

If "traverses" were substituted with "supercedes" it would be clear to me, although I do not know if this is what was meant.

For anyone who's interested, there is a great site for replacement pieces of sterling, silverplate and stainless: Silverwarehouse I just love looking to see what pieces they have from my sterling pattern even though I'm not currently in the market to add to the set.

Name the day and time and I'll be there.

Although Yvonne's desire for wooden implements sounds tempting, I have been using a set of stainless for many years that I find quite satisfying. There are qualities of stainless. There is also the feel in your hand and the shape and the feel in your mouth. All of these things vary. The very best stainless is known as 18/8 which has to do with the mix of metals used. Also, it has been my experience that stainless made in Germany feels the best and looks the best. Also, knives should be of one piece construction. These characteristics have not to do with status but with function and feel.

You use this for every day? Wow. They are my favorite and I have been amassing them since 1964. I also have some (service for 16) of the blue flower pattern of Royal Copenhagen and also some half lace and full lace pieces. My most prized piece is a 22" platter of blue fluted from around 1800. I don't use them for every day, though. Bravo to you for doing so. To paraphrase Will Rogers, I never met someone who had Royal Copenhagen Blue Fluted that I didn't like.

Ever since I was a girl I have had an affinity for sparkling water. My family did not, but many of my friends families had seltzer delivery and I would spend hours begging and pleading for some of their heavenly bubble water. Flavored seltzer or soda is just not as good and sparkling mineral water is also a second runner-up. When I had my own family I always kept the house stocked full of bottles of seltzer and to this day we go through at least 12 bottles each week. The size of the bubbles is critical. The smaller the better as long as they maintain their zip on the tongue. Sharp tingles are better than soft. For the perfect experience the seltzer must be icy cold and must have a subtle "flavor" of the gas. There is nothing worse than the bottom of a day old bottle of opened seltzer. Simply a travesty. It tastes nasty. This year I have been buying Canada Dry but over the years I have tried all the major brands. Poland Spring sparkling was excellent until they switched to plastic bottles. Totally ruined the product. When I am not in NYC I am often at a loss to explain what it is I would like with my sandwich. Even in cities as close as Boston they frequently look at me strangely when I ask for seltzer. Club soda isn't the same (contains salt) and doesn't taste the same. What should I ask for in your town?

I would consider myself a feminist and have since my college years but my take on "wife-beater" is more anti-male and anti-working class in that it assumes a man in this variety of shirt is automatically a wife abuser. Nonetheless, I think its a funny descriptive. Having a sense of humor and a political/social opinion are not mutually exclusive, for me at least.

Changing gears back to the original question, I've thought about it and so-called philosophy without words is, by definition, just as m'Lord Michael Lewis said- semiotics. Never mind.

Picture an undershirt, white, often ribbed cotton, with, how can I say this, kind of straps instead of sleeves and a deep u-neck opening. Now picture someones father in it, with, perhaps, some curley chest hairs sticking out the top. Oh, also, it goes best with a nice pot belly. Need I go on?

Sometimes its nice to dress up even if it feels less relaxed and some of the focus is on not getting food on yourself. One can deconstruct most ritual behaviors in a society to the point where they seem ridiculous and unnecessary. But I have found that they often serve a more subtle but important purpose than one initially realizes. Restaurant dining is, in many ways, theatre. Everything adds or subtracts from the atmosphere. The whole dining experience, often but not always, includes things like how welcomed you are made to feel, the noise level, the music, the lighting etc. How could anyone think that the attire of the patrons is not an element in all of this? Granted, not every restaurant experience has or needs all of these elements but many of the ones that people are referring to here are the ones that do. In other words, your dress affects my restaurant experience and vice versa even if you don't think so. Appropriateness is key within a very broad definition of appropriateness, of course. If you want to eat in shorts and a "wife-beater" well, I'd say choose your venue accordingly. Thats what I do and I want to dress casually much of the time. And anyway, there's nothing like tearing apart a lobster in the privacy of your own kitchen wearing a bathrobe.

a great chinese philosopher once said: "Man who fart in church sit in own pew." how's dat? Thats not necessarily fluid. A famous philosoher once said "Have sex with a prostitute to hear a hormone" Thats two kinds of bodily fluids.

I began to think about this while reading the "Is cooking art" thread and then, believe it or not, again while reading the "Ruby, taking a break" thread. There has been a fair amount of "philosophy" on these boards. We even have our own resident philosopher(it wouldn't be the same around here without him, so, you-know-who-you-are, you better not take any breaks!). But I've gotten to wondering, food-wise, art-wise and otherwise does philosophy require written or spoken language? Can it exist on another level? I know this sounds odd but what do you all think? Can a chef have a philosophy that he expounds just through his culinary creations without words? (This did say topics without borders)

Liza, For me there is yogurt for snacking and there is yogurt for more serious ocassions. For snacking I like Stonyfield Farm Organic. If I'm in the mood for sweet, the caramel flavor is really good. Also the maple vanilla and the lemon. For tzatziki or yogurt cheese or marinating chicken breasts there is nothing better than Coach Farms goat milk yogurt. It tastes like the really good sour cream of my childhood with just a little goatiness as an added attraction. Lately, I have been able to get Total(I think thats the name) a yogurt that says it is actually imported from Greece. It has a really nice tartness and full milk body. I HATE typical yogurts (American ones anyway) especially the premixed varieties. Just so much slop.

In terms of the price, I think it is probably a little less than Yasuda because at Yasuda the cost is less controlable especially if you have Yasuda-san feed you. I personally feel that JB is slightly less diverse in selection and not as high quality. I must say,however, that it has quite a following so I'm sure there are dissenting opinions out there.

Aaron and I have been. I would say that we found it a little too precious. The fish was high quality but the atmosphere lacked a certain Japanese-ness. Also, when they recited the specials, one special was fresh wasabi at $12 a lump! I have had fresh wasabi innumerable times and it was always at no extra charge. The sake that we ordered was unfiltered (I have had it before) but it was almost chunky and had a slight fizzle on the tongue. When I asked the waiter about this he said that that was how it should be. We doubted him but said nothing more. All in all I would rather go to Sushi Yasuda.

Liza, It sounds great. Is it pronounced Chee-boost?

After Yvonne's excellent post there is not much left to say, but of course that doesn't mean that I don't want to stick my two cents in. The fact that we all had the Spring degustation menu was what galvanized the event. It focused the conversation on the food and that conversation enhanced the whole experience. Of course it didn't hurt that the company as well as the food was superb! Also the level of food knowledge was amazing. Food highlights for me: tiny chestnut and truffle oil ravioli hiding under the scallop dulce de leche on the first dessert the middle terrine layer of fois gras potato crust on the bass made of tiny crunchy potatoes the liquidy chocolate center of the chocolate tart All in all it was a very special evening. The maitre d' was very impressed by how our group formed and so am I. Yeah us!

Now here's a sentiment I can embrace. I would also add "without allowing for consideration of the history of art and of the body of art critical writings". You know what they say about opinions.

Even though I could continue to argue about the relative merits, or lack thereof, of all your arguments, and am dead serious about my position, here is a thought I had that is on the lighter side. The way in which to view culinary pursuits that would fit the mold of artistic production would be with regard to transformation (a very necessary aspect of the artistic endeavor). The final product would transform itself from food to you know what via the human alimentary canal. Now thats art.

Cabrales- I have to say I consulted with the people at Artisanal about the wine pairings for the grilled cheeses and here is what they said. For the: Engish Cheddar, Bacon, Apple-Rancho Zabaco Zinfindel, Sonoma Vegetable and Goat Cheese- Clos de Bousants Sancerre (white) Smoked Salmon Celery Root Remoulade- Clos de Loyse Beaujolais Blanc Prime Sirloin Steak Sandwich- Chateau Berliquet Saint Emilion Artisinal Blend of three cheeses and Procuitto-Byron Santa Maria Pinot Noir Your other question about rare French Bleus: They are the only retailer in the U.S. that sells Roquefort Papillion Bocuse. Other rare (relatively) offerings are: Blue de Causses Roquefort Carles Roquefort Vieux Berger Blue D'Auvergne Blue de Gex Mont Briac St. Augur I have actually eaten all but the Papillion Bocuse. Artisanal is subject to the same restrictions about raw milk cheeses as everyone else (60 days aging required). Thanks to Amy at Artisanal for her help.

Steve, although I love to read your writings and think you have a very perceptive intellect, this is a case where you are just flat out wrong. Whether or not something disappears is absolutely no criteria for determining if it is art. All music disappears after you hear it and all of Conceptual art only exists in the viewers mind and then by logical extension disappears when the person thinks of something else. Earth art by i.e. Robert Smithson does actually disappear. There are literally thousands of examples of artworks that refute your argument. Whether or not something can be bought or sold is another totally invalid criterion. Also, the functional vs. aesthetic argument has been refuted long ago. Rather than go into each of these points I recommend you read Arthur Danto or John Berger. Your Warhol soup can reference has nothing to do with food as Warhol's choice of subject matter had to do with iconography and certainly nothing whatsoever to do with chefs (my apologies to Campbells, or maybe they should apologize to us). I could go on but I won't.