NewFoodie

That IS interesting, but I don't see the relevance... Actually, maybe the Chinese were using pigs to hunt for truffles, and the pigs ate some of them before their human handlers could stop them.. That why pigs have for the most part been replaced by dogs as truffle hunters. For that matter, since the truffles the Chinese would have encountered would have been the Chinese black truffle (Tuber indicum), perhaps the Chinese weren't really all that interested in them. I believe I read somewhere that even nowadays, the Chinese black truffle sells for only $100 per pound.

SobaAddict70 and cdh: Thanks for your input, but I'm not even sure that I want to learn how to cook, at least for now. SobaAddict70: The first link leads to a webpage for Whole Foods Market (although you have to look quite closely to even discover this). On this webpage, there is the statement "See our list of upcoming classes on Eventbrite" in small letters, but it is not linked to Eventbrite. If you go to Eventbrite's website on your own, you'll see that it's a clearinghouse for "events", but it won't tell you anything about those events unless you join. The second link leads to a store website that mentions an upcoming class for how to prepare food with "the spiralizer", which is doubtless a device they hope to sell you. The third link leads to a website for a couple who run a business at their home, where you have to sign up with a group of at least eight people to attend a dinner party at which the guests help make the dinner; this will cost you at least $1,500. But thanks again for your input.

Not to my knowledge. I've never heard of any such classes held locally. I never ate at Elements. Years ago, I ate at one of the DeLorenzos (the one that used to be across the street from the Trenton train station). My recollection is that is was good, but not great. No, I like Philly. The last time I went there, within ONE MINUTE of exitting the tunnel into town, I was ticketed $160 for making a LEGAL turn, as were a host of other people, all of whom, like me, were driving cars with out-of-state license plates. That was because these crooked cops knew we wouldn't come all the way back to NYC (and spend all day in their packed-to-the-rafters traffic courts) to fight the inevitable. So essentially, I was INSTANTLY mugged by the police, who were conducting a criminal operation in the streets, not only with their superiors' consent, but doubtless at their direction. And this single event is only the tip of the iceberg. Trust me, you don't want to hear me wax eloquent on this topic. Admittedly, not very.

Sometimes it's things like that, other times it's: • "Thanksgiving food" (turkey / quail / cornish game hen, stuffing, mashed potatoes with turkey gravy, butternut squash, pumpkin pie, etc.) • pasta-based dishes (such as raviloi or tortellini), which may incorporate: ...• mushrooms (usually porcini or button / portobello) ...• meat (such as beef, pork, or various seafood such as shrimp, scallops, fish, or crab) ...• any of a number of vegetables, such as tomatoes, onions, black and / or green olives, or even asparagus, or artichoke hearts She also uses garlic a lot, including what she jokingly describes as "grubs" (larvae), which are simply carmelized cloves of garlic. She also, in various ways, serves asparagus, avocado, and cucumbers. This clam pizza looks excellent. I'll show this video to my friend. I won't be able to sample it at Frannie's restaurant though, because I never go to NYC, even though I live somewhat nearby (near Trenton & Princeton in New Jersey). That's because of the surreal, nightmarish experiences I've had in NYC, as well as stories I've encountered in the media about what goes on there. I've repeatedly offered to be my friend's sous chef, but she'll have none of it. She prefers to do everything herself. In fact, she once told me, to my great surprise, that she thought it was "weird" for a man to cook. Cheese is disgusting? Avocado and mushrooms are inedible? But stir-fried BEES, stewed DOG, and roast RAT are edible?!?! It's very difficult for me to understand such a vast difference in cultural perspective. I actually most enjoy "Good Eats", which host Alton Brown describes as a mix of Julia Child, Mr. Wizard, and Monty Python. It's the "food science" aspect of the show that I like.

Yeah, I know; I was just having a little fun myself. We're "riffing"...

from Mjx: >The most disturbing experiences tend to make for the best stories. Maybe so, but I'm nonetheless inclined to try to avoid disturbing experiences. See, this is the kind of thing I meant when I said I wasn't interested in anything "crazy". from ChrisTaylor: >...charcuterie, something else worth exploring. This sounds like an excellent idea. >At the same time, though, appreciating as opposed to merely consuming nice food involves opening yourself to a lot of experiences and being prepared, at times, to focus on one or two things and learn a lot about them through experience, listening to knowledgeable people, asking questions and reading. I agree in principle, but I'm wary that too much education being required to fully appreciate a foodstuff could possibly result in purely acquired tastes, which I am not persuaded are necessarilty the most pleasurable tastes. Not that I wouldn't be willing to try this approach. from ChrisZ: >Quinoa is a lot cheaper than fois gras or caviar and dare I say it, currently more fashionable. I don't care for quinoa, although I had used it extensively many years ago in growing mushrooms. I dislike fashion per se in all its guises. from cdh: >...find a restaurant in your neck of the woods that really knows what it is doing. Oddly enough, there are three such restaurants - all within 400 feet from each other! >We also really need to know your baseline of experience Someone prepares rather mainstream American non-haute cuisine for me, but in my opinion, she's REALLY good at it. I don't cook. from liuzhou: >Start with two different varieties of say, tomatoes. What is the difference in flavour? Sweetness? Acidity? Then try them cooked in different ways. I've cultivated perhaps a dozen kinds of tomatoes, and perhaps a dozen kinds of other vegetables, as well as perhaps a dozen kinds of potatoes, and I sampled all of these a number of times. I confess I didn't analyze these gustatory experiences, though. I suppose I should have.

There's a lot to digest here, so for now I'll just have to promise to reply at greater length to this thread only after thinking about your comments and doing a little homework. Just a few quick comments off the top of my head, though: • I don't understand the usage of the word "flush" in this thread. Does this mean "flush with enthusiasm"? • I'm entirely uninterested in eating anything simply because it's expensive or trendy. I just want to know what great things I might be missing. And as far as being motivated by impressing anyone: I probably won't even mention any of this to my friends and family, unless by chance they raise the topic themselves. • Mjx: Thank you for your humorous suggestion to "eat my way through this list". It's "a little rich for my blood" though, as the saying goes. • I see via Google that Auguste Escoffier was a French chef. It's news to me - I never heard of him. • By "these parts", I intended a self-deprecating, humorous allusion to my white-bread, WASP, Northeastern American, middle class demographic group. And no, I have no aversion in general to the ways of those who aren't "my people". I just have an aversion to offal in general. • And yes, fois gras is offal. But just as with escargot, there are exceptions to my "large muscles only" preference. But I'm not eating brains, pancreata, thymi, tongues, or eyeballs, that's for sure. Although it is of course a purely subjective matter, nonetheless, on a deep emotional level, those things don't seem like food to me. I feel revulsion at the thought of eating these things, whether I should or not. Thanks for everyone's comements. I'll be back!

My culture is American, and in my experience, escargot would not be considered "exotic" here in the U.S., at least not among those with an interest in haute cuisine. My question is a bit broad, yes, but I just don't want to eat brains, pancreata, thymi, tongues, eyeballs, etc. Call it a cultural bias if you will, but in these parts, offal and such things aren't considered to be foodstuffs. In general, despite a few exceptions such as escargot, the only parts of animals we eat are the large muscles.

Now that I can afford it, I've recently decided to explore the gourmet, haute cuisine, "foodie" world. Can anyone recommend gourmet foods I might like to try, other than the ones I've already started to delve into, namely: • alcoholic beverages (such as beer, single malt scotch whiskies and wine) • caviar • cheese • chocolate • coffee • cooking oils and fats (including olive oil) • escargot • fois gras • fungus (such as mushrooms and truffles, the latter being a form of fungus, but not a mushroom) • meat (including fish and shellfish, pork, and Wagyu beef) • vinegar (including real balsamic vinegar and many others) I'm looking for "generally accepted" gourmet foods, not exotic, crazy things, and I don't care for "sweetbreads" and other offal. Thanks for any help anyone can provide.