Busboy

Is that a banana in you're pocket, or are you just glad to see me? Playing hide the salami. A nice tomato. Bust a cherry. Beefcake and cheesecake. (Note to self: Get mind out of gutter)

Most of my friends have seen what my kitchen is like just before dinner. If I let them know that I'm just about to put dinner down, a vision of utter chaos defined by long, sharp knifes, scalding fluids, random hot pots, loud music and two kids dancing through the scene with table settings and milk glasses surges into their frontal lobe, and they rapidly agree to call back later. Once grace has been said, the phone is ignored, unless my wife -- who works to Denver time from her DC home office, is expecting a call.

Close, but no cigar. The best is the Pan Roast from the Oyster bar at Grand Central. Think I'll make it tomorrow, now that y'all mention it.

I'm not sure if I am on the defense with this, as several lifestyle choices have been firmly put into place that may not have any involvement with the portrayal of bartending as Busboy outlined. However, vices do temp with more frequency and with some intensity. It is all about personal choices. I chose previous positions in both law and customer service that involved working with all sorts of abilities, personalities and position. While pursuing retail management I've made the commitment and decision to being an honest, role model employee for sales associates, and other management as well, in utilising careful and precise cash handling and following standard operational procedures without fault. This is not unique to retail or food and beverage as many of these are fundamental issues that one faces in the course of most career choices, so the question becomes, do you wish to be regarded as a professional -- in the connotation of being an apparent hard working employee with integrity, accountability, honesty and flexibillity? (Professional bartender still will always = Dale DeGroff, and nothing less in accomplishment/notoriety).... I'm not sure we disagree much, and as bartenders are some of my favorite people , I'd never pick a fight with you, Beans (afraid I'd be 86'd). In fact, I think you mostly supported my points -- just that you, by nature of your other positions, had experienced some of the less pleasant aspects of bartending before you took up the trade. Unlike yourself, many people get their first taste of the busines directly out of school or from a "normal" 9-5 job, and the demands of your job would surprise them. For example, believe it or not, there are many people who think being sick entitles them to call in sick (and get paid!), while there are others who actually want to go out on a date Saturday night. Who knew? As for the degenerate aspects of the trade, my years spent in and around bars (mostly as a server, alas) were in the mid- to late- 80s, when AIDS was coinsidered a gay thing and cocaine was practically health food. The "bar stars" --and they were called that, half complimentary and half as a synonym for "arrogant prick" -- tended to live a pretty sybaritic life, and it caught up to a few of them. They were pro's, though, and always made their shift -- untilit was time to detox or whatever. I think you were probably a little more of an adult by the time you became a bartender than we were, and I think the whole scene is probably a little more realistic about the potential downside of the life. The main point I wanted to make, though, and one which I am confident we agree on, is that bartending is about a lot more than mixing drinks, and that demonstrating a capacity to do it well takes time and effort -- something a bartending school degree doesn't capture.

Welcome. To what I've already mentioned, I'd suggest soliciting weather advice from some of the more expereinced travellors here. If you're going to be there in the fall/winter and hoping to do a lot of cycling and rambling through the countryside, some of the suggestions posted here may not work.

It's been a long time since my econometrics and calculus days. Nonetheless, I think project's strategy may be unnecessarily complex because it goes beyond the relatively simple question "Do Jews as a group eat more Chinese food than similarly situated non-Jews?" to tackle the strength of the correlation between Jewishness (and other variables) have on propensity to consume Chinese food. Certainly this is a valuable figure to have if you are, say, trying to model the ideal density of chinese restaurants in a given area based on census data, but beyond the scope of the original inquiry. Tryska's approach might work, and sound less sinister, if the non-jews were also asked to raise their hands and the percentage breakdown of diners were compared to the demographics of the surrounding area. This would bring other questions, though, such as: "are Chinese and Chinese-Americans counted as non-Jews for the purposes of this study or held neutral?" Similarly, we could test for range and frequency of Chinese dining by shooting diners with a sleeping dart, tagging their ears, re-releasing them and checking back at the restaurants over the following weeks.

Bartending, or any job in the industry, involves a lifestyle choice. A person has to be willing to work nights and weekends; deal with assholes (and wonderful people, as well); show up on time regardless of sickness or hangovers; handle exposure to sex, drugs, cash and vast quantities of alcohol, without screwing up their lives; deal with immense stress; live without sunlight; be willing to be cursed in a variety of languages; and be a reliable, long-term employee. When an owner is looking to make a hire, they are looking for someone that can get along with people, work in the above conditions, show up for their shifts, not steal, and not leave after three weeks. In addition, in many establishments, bartending is a senior position, given to someone who has earned it through hard work and loyalty to the establishment (ideally, not nearly always). Sure you can learn to mix drinks and restock the cooler in short order. What you can't do, is demonstrate that you are able and willing to meet the other requirement for the job. If you really want to be a bartender, find a bar, get a job as a waiter and prove to the owner that you are serious about it. Everyone wants to be a star. Prove that you're willing to work to become one.

Your advice about Paris rings true. Where in Provence? Near which city? In which city? In the countryside? Bruce We stayed for a week in the small wine town of Vacqueyras, which, from your posts, would be too rustic for your four month stay: 900 people, two cafes, no Internet. On the other hand, Avignon, Isle Sur La Sorgue and Vaison-la-Romaine -- all in Vacluse -- are mid-sized towns that offer both Internet Cafes and well-know markets; Patricia Well's "home" market is in Vaison, Mayle writes at length about Isle sur la Sorgue. I also spent four days in Nice this fall and was blown away by the food, the people and the stretch of coast between Nice and the Italian border. It's definitely a city, and a bit grimy around the edges, but I found it to have a wonderful energy, like Paris, and an exoticism that Paris lacks. And, speaking of clean living, I ran into a couple of American Mormon missionaries in a Nice Internet cafe, so I'm sure you can find support in Nice if the decadent French lifestyle begins to tempt you.

The obvious solution is a BLT. It's 2/3 vegetarian and 1/3 BACON! After that you can ease her into the other major food groups: barbecue, charcouterie and prime rib.

he ruined a good thing, huh? I was never in Provence pre-Peter Mayle, but I found the area I visited this summer -- north of Avignon -- to be pretty rustic and reasonably priced. We also looked at the Dordogne for our vacation, though, and I think Menton1's suggestions ounds pretty good.

There are many others at eGullet who have much more experience with France than I, but I have had the good fortune to spend a reasonable amount of time there this year, and would suggest that you consider not making Paris your home base? Why? To me, Paris feels less "French" than the provinces -- large, sophisticated, international, it feels more like part of some global megalopolis than a distinctly different place. It's as though Paris, New York and London are all different neighborhoods in the same big city. Don't get me wrong, I love the place. But getting out to the countryside gets me much farther away from the U.S. than going to Paris seems to. For what it's worth (and no surprises here) I found Provence extraordinary, and if I were to spend four months in France would try to get a place close enough to Nice to spend occasional night in the city or weekend on the Cote d'Azure, but far enough inland to avoid the tourists (and the prices). I also hear that the Laguadoc offers many of the delights of Provence, with less cost and hassle.

This may be too simple an explanation for a discussion resting on a lengthy academic paper, but I have heard that the Jewish/Chinese connection was rooted in the fact that Chinese restaurants were open on Sunday, when most other restaurants were closed (as the goyim presumably gathered at home for Sunday Dinner). Being raised in the non-NY suburbs, I was not aware of the traditionnal connection until I opened one of those hotel room visitors' guides and found Mayor Koch opening a article about Chinatown restaurants with a quote from the movie "My Favorite Year: "Jews know two things: suffering, and where to find great Chinese food."

Me either. I certainly don't. I do occasionally have people say that it's "special" for some reason or another and it's one they don't give out. And I understand completely. I don't think that makes them a bad person whatsoever. It's the culinary equivalent of when your friend's new wife won't let him come out for a beer with his old buddies. Not sure that there's hostility but I think there's an initial bafflement: "I made a reasonable request, and I got blown off. What's up with that?" I'm not saying there are no reasons not to give out recipes, but a lot of them appear pretty arbitrary, to me.

Thanks, Alex. I must admit I'm a bit surprised at the responses. On careful consideration, I have exactly one recipe that I do not share. One. I have considered entering it in contests, but... then the cat is out of the bag, folks want the recipe. I have also thought about earning a living in the culinary world, so this would be a signiture creation should that ever come to pass. (dubious). So, do we get a hint?

I have found myself in sneakers at Zaytinya and didn't feel out of place, although I normally would dress differently. My wife and I went into Cafe Atlantico before a hockey game dressed as you would for a hockey game and didn't feel comfortable and ended up leaving. I personally don't think any male over the age of 16 should leave the house in sneakers unless they are about to participate in an athletic event, but my side lost that battle long ago. And don't get me started on baseball hats. I think, this side of Citronelle, litmus tests are a little silly, but that people need to show a little -- lack of a better word -- class at any restaurant above the level of neighborhood "joint." If I show up at Firefly in a cruddy old t-shirt and the same jeans I wore to pull the transmission, and a pair of casual Italian loafers, while Bill shows up in a decent outfit set off by a pair of sneaks, I think he's clearly showing and adult attitude while I'm in a juvenile "you're not the boss of me" kind of snit. I've eaten in places where I was, I felt, inappropriately dressed when circumstances somehow made it desireable to do so. I even lunched in the Prime Rib in blue jeans and a sweater (no sneaks, though). But when I do it, I find the maitre d' and ask first, and I make it clear that I respect his judgement regarding what is and what is not appropriate in his or her establishment.

Birtro d'Oc on 10th (haven't been but hear good things) Second Lavandou How about Ethipian? Addis Abbaba or, not quite as good but more uscale, Meskerem? Luigina's near the old convention center

I've been a speechwriter for many years, and have many times been asked (and asked others, in turn) by someone if they could "steal" part of someting I have written and have always been been happy to let it happen. Why? It's flattering. I think there's a camraderie among those of us who have the same vocation, or avocation that should be honored. It doesn't cost me a dime. It's a deposite in the karma bank. And I am convinved on a fundamental level that what goes around comes around. Speaking less obliquely regarding recipes, if Thomas Keller, Mario Battaglia and and every other chef with a couple of stars and an agent can pass their secrets on to me, I'm happy to pass mine onto whoever asks.

It's been my experience that nobody has sex with the busboy, dammit! It would be too easy to turn this into a third-rate economics thesis, so I'll make one response and lurk until I feel compelled to jump in again: Compensation and opportunity cost can both be non-monetary. The rewards of choosing a food-writer career and moving in the food world as a professional and, at least minor, "name" can be as important to one person as a large paycheck are to another. Just because they are harder to quantify, doesn't mean that they don't affect behavior in the same way. (of course, as in my earlier post there are many ways to view how an action can affect a career etc., etc.)

don't discount ginger tea, or chewing on some candied ginger as well. it's a great anti-nauseant. plus will give you some "heat" Back when I used to think doing shots of bourbon was a legitimate hobby, ginger ale was our chaser of choice, as it seemed the bast thing for keeping the Jack from travelling back up as rapidly as it had gone down.

Fenugreek is a potent expectorant. I've been able to avoid taking antibiotics for a sinus infection by dosing up on a fenugreek/goldenseal blend. Amazing, the stuff that starts to come out... Your remedy sounds much more delicious, though. I have all the ingredients in the house and plan on whipping up a batch post-haste, and I'm not even sick. My best hangover cure is a big, greasy cheeseburger, accompanied by fries, Coke with lots of ice, and DARK sunglasses. I'm looking over this list and finding that the ingredients are awfully close to what we picked up at the Indian grocery for a yet-to-be consumated homemade Indian feast, and probably echoes the ingredients in my preferred "medication." Predictable, I guess: mom knows best.

Any writer, any journalist, develops networks that support their reporting. Netwroks bring hot tips, rumors, gossip, trenchant analysis, insightful commentry, good leads, important leaks, interesting anecdotes -- all of which help a writer do their job better. Thus, it is in their interest to protect and improve their networks and relationships. Any action by the writer which might make the network less responsive is therefore, at one level, against the writer's best interests. Betting on people to go against their best interests is not a good way to get rich quick. Now, there are many levels of best interest. A writer who buddies up to Tom Colicchio (just to pick a name) may get inside gossip on whose restaurant is tanking, a profile piece on TC in Gourmet, a first look at Tom's new restaurant...whatever. It allows him to do his job better and more profitably. If the writer then goes to Craft and has a shitty meal, and writes about it, he's likely to lose access to TC, and TC may spend a good amount of time trashing the writer to other chefs, diminishing the writer's ability to do their job -- bad career move. On the other hand, said writer may get a reputation for speaking truth to power, annd find his or her reputation enhanced -- good career move. This isn't an Ayn Rand novel, nobody is so noble and gifted as to be utterly dispassionate about these things; industry ties raise the financial and psychic opportunity cost of negative writing to the writer. Pretending that industry relationships can't affect judgement is laughably unrealistic At the same time, assuming that these relationships are necessarily insurmountable strikes me as overly cynical. In an imperfect world, reasonable disclosure makes reasonable sense. A follow-up, if I may. Are food writers "writers," "critics" or "journalists." I think how you stand on disclosure is related to to how you answer this question.

The whole family is or has been sick in the last few days. Last night I came home to find my wife rendering schmaltz so she could make some motzo ball soup, which reportedly gave her a reasonable boost. If I get any worse, I'll be calling Heritage of India for something spicy, and washing it back with a half-bottle of burly red wine. Apparently the spices kind of go mano-a-mano with the germs, so the more the better; the aroma clears out the nasal passages and cures (once the spices wear off) a runny nose; and the red wine strengthens the red corpussles bringing strength and vitality. This is, of course, complete bullshit. Nonetheless, Indian food and red wine almost always seems to beat back all but the worst colds. I don't know why, but I swear by it. Grilled sirloin and black bean chili, from the Mansion on Turtle Creek Cookbook, works through a mechanism similar to Indian food. The red meat is especially beneficial for those colds that are more malaise and low-grade fever than any other symptoms, as it enhances the sanguinary humour and causes the pleasure centers of the brain to shake off winter blahs and get back to work. It also once sent my wife into labor, and is therefore not to be taken lightly. What works for you? With cold and flue season here, early and hard, I'm curious to see what food and drink you turn to when Nyquil is not enough.

Which is why what people should be concerning themselves with is not how much someone gets paid or whether their conditions meet our standards, but whether the Rule of Law is being upheld and whether they have basic rights of self-determination, such as the ability to make contracts, enforce those contracts even if they're poor and not powerful, change jobs, not sell their land if they don't want to, etc. These things are way more important than us assuming that earning 20 cents a day is bad or assuming that working in 100 degree heat is bad or that working at 14 in a factory is bad. The former items, the Rule of Law and basics of self-determination let these peoples figure it out for themselves. I think you're being a little disingenuous. I agree that wages and working conditions vary from country to country but if you're looking for places where the rule of law is not upheld, finding factories where workers are grossly underpaid or exploited, or work in unacceptably dangerous conditions, is a pretty good way to go about finding them. There are a lot of ways to game or to subvert the system -- it even happens here -- that aren't as obvious as mass executions or large scale consfiscations.

The wise and talented Mark Sommelier recently served my wife and a old tawney port with chowder at Michelle Richard's Citronelle. A fino sherry might work, as well.

Please provide some examples of how an inexperienced diner causes restaurant staff to have additional stress? I'm sure this will be enlightening to the inexperienced diners. I can't imagine there are too many inexperienced diners around here. What about all of the members from the midwest? I never thought inexperienced diners caused that much stress (except for the occasional "I'm not eatin' this, bring me some REAL food" types.) The most common negative impact is that they are unfamiliar with the pace and tradition of fine dining. They want to rush, they don't understand that the staff probably has everything in hand and that there's no need to call them to the table, they worry that they're being taken advantage of by evil waiters and so on. So, Sammy, when you get to Citronelle, the best course is to sit back, relax and enjoy.