MatthewB

Thanks, slkinsey. I had a hunch (based on your other posts) that we might be able to dialogue about this. You're right, I was focusing on common understandings of secondhand smoke. Again, I've not made my mind up about this. Yet I'm particularly interested--given the topic of this thread--about regulation & public policy concerning secondhand smoke. You noted an Am J Epidemiol article concerning the effect of secondhand smoke on cats. Here's an excerpt from an earlier article from the same journal . . . Note that last sentence: "In either case, we have a situation in which the exposure variable and the confounder are both being estimated through surrogates, and failure to take this into account in the analysis could lead to erroneous or misleading results..." Same journal. The 1999 article points out the problem with moving from exposure in the home, etc. to exposure in the workplace. Yet the 2002 article (apparently) makes the same mistake. Is secondhand smoke dangerous? Yes. But the interesting question--and more important as to public policy--is "how dangerous is secondhand smoke in workplace environments?" And so on & so on . . . I've no answers. I just think that public policy & secondhand smoke are not as clear-cut as prima facie evidence might suggest.

Let's leave my ass out of this. When I read or hear phrases like "absolute fact" I'm compelled to reach for my gun. If only I had one. (Well, I have a "gun" but not a weapon. Whatever. Let's leave that out of this, too.) I, too, used to believe that it was an "absolute fact" that secondhand smoke was extremely dangerous. Just like I used to believe that ingesting any form of fat was extremely dangerous. I find it interesting--and somewhat perverse--that when it comes to food science & nutrition, eGulleters are nuanced & quite literate about dispelling common myths concerning issues like fat & nutrition. However, when it comes to secondhand smoke, this thread pushed me to spend a bit of time researching things like mogsob's infamous "California studies" on secondhand smoke, etc. Well, it turns out that these "studies" aren't all they're cut out to be. The "studies" are heavily funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. What's the RWJF? It's the largest single shareholder in Johnson & Johnson. Draw your own conclusions, I'm still drawing mine. But I do have to weigh the evidence that the "war over smoke" is really a battle over which nicotine delivery system will be the most profitable--the delivery systems of the tobacco companies or the delivery systems of the pharmaceutical companies. I haven't made up my mind yet. But I hardly think the issue can be boiled down to "absolute fact." One source of information is Forces International. As I've called for earlier: less heat, more light.

"If repeated often enough, a lie will become the new truth."

Assuming we have fire, perhaps . . . Aidells, Complete Meat Cookbook The Jamison's, Smoke & Spice Schlesinger & Willoughby, Let the Flames Begin Schlesinger & Willoughby, Thrill of the Grill Kirk, Championship Barbecue Sauces

Different direction from cookbooks . . . Reference McGee, On Food & Cooking Corriher, Cookwise Wolke, What Einstein Told His Cook Larousse Escoffier

Grilled the corn without the husks. Had about medium heat on the grill--"five one thousand" count with hand 5 inches above grill. Moved the corn regularly to avoid burning. (awbrig, note the honey tip above, too.) Edit: If you wanted to grill with the husks on, I bet you could pull the husks back & then soak in the milk. Remove the corn to grill & pull the husks back over the corn. I'll have to try that.

I took a look at McGee & Corriher last night. Found nothing that directly addresses corn & milk in McGee. However, Corriher has a bit of interesting information in Cookwise . . . For her, the best way to do sweet corn is to bring a pot of water to a boil, go pick the corn, & run back to kitchen while shucking the corn. If this is not possible, she recommends boiling six ears adding only 1/3 cup of honey to the water. Interesting. (To me, at least. )

Thanks, fresco! My previous post was a bit ill-timed. Now I wonder if McGee has anything to say . . . Edit: grammar

I'm down with ya, stagis & joler. I nearly always cook in-season. However, last night I wanted grilled corn. Obviously, out of season & picked up at the supermarket. That's why I used the milk soak. Blasphemy? Perhaps. Ill-conceived? Probably. But given my recklessness, what is it about a milk soak that brings out the sweetness when you're cooking sweet corn out of season?

Thanks, Craig. I tend not to keep wine very long & I'm moving most of my wine to my SO's basement as soon as Michigan starts to heat up. I mean, *if* it starts to heat up. The only wine I plan on letting sit for more than 2 years is a couple bottles of Sauternes. I think I'll be safe.

I did it last night because it obviously was not local & in-season corn. The SO--a former farmgirl who sold & shucked corn at the farmer's market--thought there was a noticable improvement. (But she tends to humor me.)

I can't remember where I came across a tip to soak sweet corn in milk before grilling. But it seems to work well. So, questions . . . Do you soak sweet corn in milk? If so, what do you think about it? What is it about milk that brings out the sweetness in corn?

Sunday night Grilled beef tip, pineapple, & onion skewers w/ mojo for dipping Mango, tomato, & cucumber salad Grilled corn

A nice cold basement. No kidding. That is what I used for years and I am pleased with the results. In my opinion the main thing is a generally low temperature and VERY slow temperature changes - and dark. It really depends how long you want to keep the wine. My goal is to get them mature and drink them. If it takes 12 years instead of 15 I can live with it as long as the wine is great. Craig, I'm curious--what about humidity?

Fresh oregano = make mojo!

As usual, these are not available in Canada. Any ideas where to get this in New York? Here are some web resources . . . Comfort House Smarthome.com I called Maverick & they said that JC Penney's stock these or can order them.

Craig, What would you recommend? Say, for 300 bottle capacity? (With price in mind.)

As far as the "next tier," what about Zuni?

In the Los Angeles guide, California Pizza Kitchen and The Cheesecake Factory generally duke it out for most visited restaurant. And they make the list of 50 most popular. Of course, money is money. But are the folks that hollywood mentions really the folks that eGullet reading chefs want to market to? Would they show up even if you overwhelmed them with marketing? But what do I know? I've never looked at a Zagat guide & I've no plans to.

Marlene, you rock!

It has pieces o' fish in it!

I was after the Toklas receipt due to curiosity. As I noted above, the receipt was deleted from the American edition that I have. And, of course, the American introduction talks about that. Of course, I wondered what the deal was. You can G**gle for it easily enough. But, IMHO, don't bother. But if you want to share some good brownie recipes, keep this thread going!

When the summer squash starts showing up, make a summer veggie soup w/ a good dose of fresh oregano. (There's recipe that I like here. Play around with it.) Omelettes. Salads. Make your own infused vodka.

I'm quite serious about the "shots" form of taste-testing fish sauces. Not easy to prove here on the boards but I'll do what I can, if necessary.

I G**gled & found it. Should have thought of that before.