fifi

How can you not know what a corn dog is? Do you live under a rock? It is a hot dog coated in a corn meal batter and served on a stick. Go to your local grocery and get a box out of the freezer section. I just bought the Oscar Meyer brand and ate four. As to why anyone would crave one, I haven't a clue. That is why I started this thread.

Next trip back, get the Steak Gorditas. They are really good. I have to have a Taco Bell fix every couple of weeks and these are my current addiction.

I had forgotten about those cupcakes. The chocolate were good but I really craved the orange flavored. Uh oh. Must... get... orange... cupcakes... Must... get... orange... cupcakes.

Actually, I dislike hotdogs, too. About every 3 or 4 years I do crave a hot dog... somewhat burned, on a toasted bun, with mayo. How sick is that?

Uuuh... I don't think they were invented yet when I was a child. I never fed them to my kids, either. elyse... When this happens to you, is it something totally off the wall? (I am beginning to suspect eGullet. )

Honey, I am WAY past that! (Oh... the horror!)

On my way home from the office, I was thinking about what I needed to pick up at the store and what I was going to eat this evening. I was kind of wool-gathering on the subject when "it" popped into my head. Corn dogs. I have to have corn dogs! As I drove, the idle thought became a ravenous craving. I bought a box of 12 and just finished number 2. I NEVER eat corn dogs. Not even at fairs and such. What is this all about? Does this ever happen to you? Did someone put an evil subliminal message on the car radio?

About 25 years ago I was staying at The Pioneer Inn in Lahaina, Maui. The courtyard restaurant was a grill-it-yourself kind of place. I had never seen that before.

I really don't like truffles, of all things. One taste and my brain says "you idiot, you are igesting acteonitrile". I also really, really don't like turnips, or uncooked seafood. So, I am taken out to this VERY upscale restaurant and the host did the ordering. The appetizer was... A crisp pancake thingy of shredded turnip, topped with a slice of truffle and a very lightly seared scallop! My appeasement tactic was to eat bacon sandwiches for two days.

yep

Sorry you feel that way Tommy. Considering recent events and all, and what people may be thinking, I was just trying to offer a little advice. I'd hate to see an eGulleteer head the wrong way when it comes to this. Nick... Don't apologize. You just repeated the advice my daddy always gave his two girls. We are accomplished gun totin' ladies. I agree with your advice whole heartedly. It has been very comforting to know that I can hit that water mocassin with my 22 when it comes swimming toward my submerged bottom step. Guns are very useful things in the hands of those who respect them. They are an abomination in the hands of "cowboys" or the untrained. (BTW... I have a very liberal interpretation of "water mocassin". )

Only if you had plenty of water as well! Hey... I cleaned and filled my bathtub. It is kind of a hurricane ritual down here.

I want to thank you for your contribution to eGCI on writing. I have thoroughly enjoyed your session. Sir... I like the way you put words together. You are one of those writers that I will read again and again just for the joy of how the words are arranged. I have just been introduced to another favorite.

Nope. I haven't lifted a finger yet, either. Hey... I got three cans of wasabi peas when Claudette was headed here. Does that count? (I really have to get my act together.)

Steve, you beat me to it. Well said. curdnerd... Thank you for the informative post. I had suspected some of the complexities in the "supply chain" of making cheese. I really enjoyed your exposition of the details and the delightful way you wrote it. (Milk sloshing in the Volvo cracked me up.) You obviously have an undertanding of the realities of the market and how to manage to fit that and your principals into a profitable enterprise. And, I am assuming that what I have heard here is true (of course), and you are able to produce an exceptional product. That was exactly my point when I referenced the Parm. I am glad you got the thank you note from Waters. And I also understand where tanabutler is coming from regarding visionaries and their place in this world. But I still have a nagging worry about the cheese maker that gets a bad rep if Waters won't buy her cheese because she can't say for sure about her alfalfa. Does she feel any responsibility for potential effect on that cheese maker's market? Did she taste it first? Waters may be an idealist but she is also a public figure with a big audience. There is a responsibility that comes with that.

Up until a few months ago, I worked downtown for many years. The high point was when a Kolache Shop opened in the tunnel level of my building. I know it is a chain but those hot polish sausages were my downfall. That shop did them just right. I would walk up to the counter and my "spiritual momma" would say... "Hot polish?" AAAHHH... Another breakfast succesfully captured.

I completely agree with what you say. And I put my money where my mouth is on the subject. BUT... I just have this really nagging doubt when you get to the fanatic end of the spectrum and their sometimes elitist customers. "You guys stay small down on the farm so I can pay you a ridiculous price for your product that I can brag about to my friends and in the meantime you still can't afford a new Chevy but I still have my precious small producer and I don't have to worry about the peasants being able to afford your good product so that you get too big to meet my definition of 'precious' anymore so I move on." I just fail to believe that you can't build a "sustainable" business, making a good profit, supplying to a wider customer base. The more the customer base for good products is broadened, the better for everyone. The "ordinary" good folks of Italy eat a lot of that Parm, and they don't buy it from the smart cheese shops of NYC.

Interesting exchange... On one end of the spectrum you have the idealists with their view. (My mental image is of sheep, cows and goats, frolicking in a meadow full of wildflowers, tended by Heidi.) On the other end you have, uh, Velveeta? As is usually the case, the winners will probably be somewhere in the middle... talented artisans with their feet firmly planted in reality. They will produce a good product and prosper. Then Heidi can go to college. I recall one of those Mario shows where he is touring Italy. They visited one of the premier producers of Parmeggiano-Reggiano. (sp? I am too lazy to look it up.) It was a big operation and a lot of it looked kind of like a factory to me. When I first started paying attention to Waters, I liked her ideas and philosophies. When I am gardening, it is pretty much "organic". (Shudder! The chemist in me really objects that term!) I applauded her efforts to support suppliers that were trying to move toward "sustainable production". (Whatever the hell THAT means.) I like her recipes ok. I just think that she has gotten a bit too shrill and preachy and (to be cynical), now that she has made her bucks, she can afford to drift into unrealistic idealism. There! I have said it! I have besmirched St. Alice! Pummel away!

Good suggestion about having some cash. I am terrible about not having cash. It is probably a good idea to keep it in small bills as well. I had a bunch of those big tall votive candles that I bought at the dollar store but I don't know where they are. I had better get some more. They don't give out a lot of light but they last a long time and are relatively safe. In retrospect, it appears that I need to brush up on my planning. When Claudette was headed this way, I went up to the Super Target. It was a zoo. The soccer moms were testy. A couple of them were ranting at the manager about the bottled water. I suggested the bathtub and Igloo routine. They looked at me like I was an assassin after their precious darlings. I asked the manager my question, went after my supplies. I watched bumper car derby on the parking lot for a while just for giggles. The minivans are being forced out by the Expeditions and Suburbans, but the new Hummers are making a strong showing and are the ones to bet on for "parking space stand-off". Then I made my way home with my purchases... three cans of wasabi peas.

Here in hurricane country, we try to keep the necessaries put back. I am not too good at it. I usually really have to think about where that radio is and whether or not it works. I go to the store and haven't a clue what size batteries I need. I have no idea where my manual can opener is... packed in a box smewhere, I suppose. I usually have enough canned stuff, crackers, cheese, etc. so that I won't starve. After all... unless it is for the hurricane party, eating is for surviving only. One of the things that always puzzles me is the perceived need to buy and schlep bottles of water. What ever happened to the idea of giving the bathtub a good cleaning and filling it up? Or filling up the Igloo coolers? That is what we always did. Now, if the bottled water supply on the shelves gets low, the soccer moms start getting vicious.

Sooo??? How was it?

Veggies and berries should be ok. The manner of spoilage would be mold and I doubt that it would have gotten warm enough in 27 hours to spoil. The quality will suffer, however, so I would cook it up. The bacon does have preservatives... salt. It should be ok. Toss the sausage. Likewise any uncured meat products, dairy and eggs. Anything in the fridge that is in brine (pickles etc.) is ok.

Yeah... Like a $365 ceramic rooster! That thing has been in the catalog as long as I can remember. But... WHY??? Hey! We sell that ridiculous ceramic chicken more often than you'd ever imagine. Now, the $1200 duck press is something that to my knowledge we've never sold (at least not at the San Francisco store, where I work). You have to be kidding. (Though I know you are not.) Who in God's creation spends that kind of bucks on a ceramic chicken? Boy... Is that weird or what. You gotta question some folks priorities. If anyone ever bought the duck press I would really be worried.

Yeah... Like a $365 ceramic rooster! That thing has been in the catalog as long as I can remember. But... WHY??? I first got to know SLT through their catalog then they opened a store here in Houston. It is a fun store. I even find some good deals from time to time that make for good gifts. But I have been annoyed that catalog items are rarely available in the store, even though the item does not say "catalog only". I will see the perfect gift for a shower or whatever and need it NOW. The store always says they ran out. So now I just try to plan ahead because they really do have some neat stuff and my gifts from there are always a hit. If they keep up the quality and selection, I don't see why they can't expand their market as long as they watch the debt load.

Check out this site... Chile Pepper Magazine. They even had some articles not long ago about award winning chili. http://www.chilepepper.com/index.cfm?fusea...ction=frontpage The family standard is a simple form of beef chili from the Texas the Beautiful cook book. It is called Pedernales Chili and is supposed to be what was served on the LBJ ranch. You may find it somewhere using google, but my only copy is copyrighted. The other VERY non-traditional recipe that I have to make several times a year is one from Southern Living several years ago. It has the most amazing list of spices (cocoa powder and cardamom?) and even garbanzo beans! It was so weird that I just had to try it. Everyone fell in love with it. I later found out that it was probably kin to a Cincinnati chili. But then, I am a Texan and didn't know such blasphemy existed. (I checked the Southern Living site and it is only open to subscribers. Sorry.)