stellabella

Simon and Tony on the 5th at the Wenlock [Gavin, too? Don't be bashful--you're not a drunk, just a fun guy!], and the rest of you the 11th? Also the Wenlock, or another place? If that works, I am delighted, and flattered, you've no idea. Wilfrid, will be a pleasure. Keep me posted.

So glad to have you back, Suvir. Now I have my coach back! [whoo--panic!]. Looking forward to more of your advice and ideas. S

Hooray for Malawry! If you feel like it, and maybe when it becomes appropriate, talk to us about why people tried to talk you out of doing this. I am very interested to read your diary as you delve into the experience. Looking forward to reading the words, I PROVED THEM ALL WRONG! Since I first began talking to you I knew you were headed for a food career. Go, girl!

Toby--what's holding you back? Time? Money? Other? If you decide to take the leap, I will do my best to give you some travel tips. I love traveling in Mexico--there are few places I'd rather go. I haven't been since May of 2000 and I am jonesing. There are still so many places on my list--Zacatecas, San Cristobal, Oaxaca. One of the best things about eating in Mexico is the quality of the produce --especially mangoes--Andrew Weil wrote a chapter about this in The Marriage of the Sun and Moon, a book entirely dedicated to altering consciousness--you get the picture. I like to buy mangoes and papayas and bananas at the local market and bring them back to my room and arrange and look at them, and I always travel with a pocket knife for slicing into them. I have tried mamey--wasn't sure about it. Avocado. At every meal I ask if it is possible to get an avocado sliced, plain, to eat alongside whatever else I'm having. There is simply NO COMPARISON to the fruits we have access to here, unless, I guess you're a lucky person in S CA or Fla with your own tree. I also love sprinkling the super sweet ripe fruits with chili. Your knowledge and appreciation of Mexican cuisine are enviable--you'd love going there. It's very inexpensive. It's also a mind-blower--to think Mexico is out neighbor, and yet in so many ways Mexican culture [not that it's homogenous....] couldn't be more different from ours......

jinmyo, take me to your larder.

Friday, the fifth of July, sounds fine. Magnolia, tea at the Savoy? This would be a new one, perhaps well worth the effort. As the date draws near I'll try contacting as many of you as possible and we'll see about this little piss up. Miss J, I will miss you. Thanks for the wonderful advice.

I made chilaquiles Saturday night--they were a success. I used Jaymes's and several other recipes I had on hand--sorta looking at what all had in common and going from there. My husband and I made my tomatillo salsa, which is very easy and quite good at this time of year with peppers from the garden. I cut corn tortillas into eighths and then fried them briefly in canola oil, til they were chewy. In a deep cast iron skillet I dumped the tortillas, the salsa and two cups of grated queso seco, stirred then heated in the oevn til bubbly. Served with simple salad of black beans, pepper, onion, tomato, avocado and lime juice. No leftovers, so I guess it was a success. Jaymes--you are absolutely right about the fritos--after I fried up the tortillas, I tasted one, then two, then three, and they do get a very salty corn flavor--fritos would work, if time were a constraint.

Jaymes, I am giving Harrod's another go. Andy, whatever you decide is fine with me. I'm gonna find Simon at the Wenlock whether we arrange to meet or not . Tony? Macrosan? Who else? Anyone, everyone. It would be my pleasure.

i engaged my husband in another debate about this this morning--he insists that all organ meat is horrible. but my guess is that it's because of the polluting meat industry, largely, and that free-range organic fed meats are going to be cleaner throughout. all things in moderation, anyway. chicken livers breaded and fried individually, as you say. driving up 441 into NE Georgia today I saw a hand-painted sign advertising "Fresh Pork Skins"--didn't see the stand so we didn't stop. "Fresh", eh? As opposed to from a bag? I bet those are tasty!

Andy, what I went through to find the Wenlock, you have no idea. I walked for hours. But it was worth it. At no time did I ever feel my life was in danger, although now, having read your post, the hairs on my spine are erect. Just kidding!!!!!!!! First of all, I will be drinking pints at the Wenlock with Simon because he's responsible for bringing this pub into my life. We can certainly start here and meet others elsewhere later, or we can all be BIG BOYS and just do the right thing and meet the young rooky yank at HER favorite pub, considering that she's the one who traveled 5,000 miles to be here. Um, Andy, we have a date at the Kit-Kat factory. I am not sure how I am going to fit all this in. In truth, if any egulleters want to meet up for a crawl, i am game. It is my sincerest hope that Miss J will come, as well. I arrive July 3, and July 4 I am attending the Lion King. Otherwise my time is absolutely unscheduled. I leave Saturday the 28th. You decide and tell me where to meet. I found the Wenlock, I can find any place.

Ay! There was a sign posted that all visitors must carry any daypacks next to their bodies to facilitate the movement of people through the store. It was a tidal wave of humanity. The pal I was with insisted we push our way to the food courts and we drooled and bought lunch to take with us. I haven't even tried to go back again, but if I am ever over during the dreary off-season I will go back in, just because I love to torture myself looking at millions of things I cannot afford. Jaymes, what am I saying? London in January was terrific! I wasn't able to spend much time out-of-doors, but the city is still the city. Jaymes, did you like the steak and kidney pie? I tried a bite of one at a pub in the Cotswalds. It tasted like urine. Was I ever disappointed. I felt that there had to be delicious versions elsewhere of this most famous dish. If you recommend it at Harrod's, I have a friend visiting me who would love to try it--that might be a fun thing to do one afternoon.

so instead of changing the tablecloth they changed the sheets? BLLLLEEEEEHHHHHHHHH

there's a soul food restaurant in Madison, GA, where the cook keeps a plate of chitlins on the line for anyone who wants them. Harold's famous bbq near the old prison in Atlanta serves cracklin cornbread. otherwise, these are foods i never see anymore. i have loved chicken livers my whole life--either breaded and fried or roasted and marinated in EVOO & herbs, served chilled as an appetizer. my husband refuses to eat them because, as sandra points out, they are toxin repositories. my feeling is that, if i have the opportunity to eat them once or twice a year, i will. the best bbq i have ever had is in selma, al, at laney's spot--the chopped pork sandwich is served with a huge slab of bark--freid pig skin. i couldn't believe i was eating this--but it was damn delicious. the tender juicy flesh and the chewy crispy skins worked fabulously together. for me these foods are treats--they certainly aren't the most healthful but they are tasty.

til i heave me last breath, jaymes. i'd tootle around london with you any time. the recommendations are overwhelming and generous--i am going to have to schedule my fun. i cannot wait. i had tea at fortnum & mason in january, when i was playing hooky in london for three days. have also had tea at claridge's & brown's. tea is the ultimate tourist indulgence, and though the locals may scoff, surely they make allowances for us yanks who have nothing to compare here at home--unless you count a bottle of Coke and bag of salted peanuts. brown's has gone downhill, claridge's serves tasty nosh, but is so snobby i can't even find humor in it, so i was delighted by F&M, where the food was mediocre but the charm unmatched--i sat next to two chatty english ladies and their fluffy dogs--maybe i'm imagining the dogs. i try to stay away from horrids. i visited once and was swept into a sea of swirling bodies, admonished by a guard to remove my day pack, hurled recklessly through the food courts til imade my breathless escape back to the street and straight for the V&A, perhaps the quietest place in London. i am a liberty girl, my head filled with pipe dreams. my other favorite place--the crypt below st martin's. why do i love it so much? when i am home it is the place i miss most.

ten deadly sins is at simpson's? this is the name of a morning meal or brunch? just to clarify, because it sounds like a meal that needs to be in my belly. 13 more days...

what about when your server brings your check while you're still eating & drinking coffee, which is not uncommon? and i stick to my origical complaint--as a long-time food server i feel like i know the ins and outs of the business. the managers i had back in the day would have fired me for telling a table to leave--the customer was always right, no matter how painfully stupid. and because i've been on the other end, i try as hard as i can not to be a stupid customer, either.

wonderful recommendations thank you, thank you Miss J--sounds like exactly what I am looking for--even if I have to walk, I've got my A-Z and I can find it. I have had several meals at Rules--I think Rules is great but I also understand that it is a tourist haven--the last time I dined there the South Carolinians across the aisle, upon arrival of their Yorkshire pudding, squealed, AWMIGAWD--and thrusting a camera at us--KINYEWTAKEAPICTURE? I will look into the places listed and if I make it to a couple I'll report back. by the way, my neighborhood is the border between bloomsbury and islington [i'm pretty sure that's accurate--our flat is right across from the cental PO]. any recommendations for good grocers, besides the safeway, within trotting distance, would be appreciated. thanks for the museum tips, too. british tate and V&A are my favs. in truth, i just love everything about london, love it, love it. so looking forward to my trip. thanks again.

I will be spending the entire month of July in London. I have spent lots of time in London already, so am not a novice by any means. All my time is free and I especially like to wander in neighborhoods and browse markets. I will be staying in a flat with a basically-equipped kitchen, so I can do some simple cooking. My current goals: 1] to find good salt beef a la the advice of Tony Finch and others. 2] to eat at one of the good Italian restaurants recommended on an earlier post 3] to shop and eat and eat and shop at the Borough market & Neal's Yard Dairy as often as possible 4] to drink many hundreds of pints at the Wenlock and the Clerkenwell Arms and any other fabulous pubs I discover My husband teaches and we have a set per diem for food and ale. In the past we have tended to fritter away our pounds on small mediocre meals on the fly. We have eaten many meals at popular cheap spots like Wagamamas, a place which quickly gets old. This summer I would like to venture out. Reading the UK board has filled my head with food many ideas , but in truth my time is somewhat limited, my resources rather limited. I'd like at least one truly extraordinary meal, true British food, if possible, and cost is no object. Recommendations? Lots of good Indian to be had--I would like to find a good Indian market--a place selling items besides foods-- textiles, for example. Good neighborhoods for wandering around and noshing? I am comfortable on the tube and very adventurous--I will go just about anywhere the tube takes me. Last time over I walked around Shepherd's Bush market. It seemed to me like an area that demanded more attention. Not sure. Any advice would be truly appreciated. PS I am being forced [trust me, I kicked and screamed], as faculty spouse, to attend a performance of the Lion King. Tell me the truth--am I going to die to death of incredulity? Many thanks.

my mom tells me to put italian dressing over the diced cooked potatoes while they are still warm, and let them sit and marinate before adding anything else. to be honest, i haven't made potato salads that please me especially--but wish i could. i was interested in reading about potatoes in russ parson'show to read a french fry--the boiling potatoes are less starchy & higher in sugar than bakers--they hold together better. baking potatoes fall to mush. i certainly prefer a firmer potato salad. thanks for the recipes yins have posted.

oh, i LOVE it when i actually know something. i make b&bs, thought not his summer as we didn't plant cukes, since we're going away. there are sweet pickles and there are b&bs. sweet pickles might be flavored with cinnamon, cloves, allspice in the vinegar-sugar brine. just cukes, usually. b&bs are flavored with the mustard and turmeric, vinager-sugar brine, and in addition to cukes i use thick slices of vidalia onion. the first step is to slice the cukes--i get a good harvest--about enough to fill the crisper drawer, using them quickly so they're nice and fresh and firm. i slice them about 1/3 inch thick--don't like them too thin. the cukes must be layered in a large bowl with ice and pickling salt and allowed to rest for a couple hours before the canning--this ensures they stay crisper. b&bs are yummy on sandwiches made with cold leftover turkey, meatloaf, etc., and a little mayo. also good on crackers with cream cheese. i use them in my tuna salad. i am proud that i have learned to make them pretty well and i offer them to all my guests--so if you ever make it to the rut you can have a jar, too

when i was really little, like 4, we had them sent to our house via UPS, in the tins. i thought the UPS delivery man was charles and that he was bringing us his chips becasue he really liked us.

One might assume that I am hooked on sweets and spicy Asian noodles. Would an anthropologist figure out that I am afraid to cook meat, rather than adamantly commited to vegetarian cooking? Good point. I have taken long gastronomical strides since childhood. These days I go home to visit my parents and feel utter dismay when I look through the cupboards--we who were so "deprived" of junk as children now return home to visit parents who eat nothing but. I learned from my parents to eat healthy balanced meals and to try many foods--but they were not foodologists by any menas, though my mom is a great cook. As an adult I'm into trying everything--when I go home I long for the simple yet real meals my mom used to make but for the most part doesn't anymore.

Tony, it is I who dislikes fresh tarragon. My answer to your original question is that, yes, once I had a bad experience with it--I threw way too much of into a soup in which it had absolutely no business. It reacted badly to the other ingredients and it turned my stomach. Because I have fresh oregano and rosemary growing in my yard nearly year round, and annual herbs throughout the summer, I make do without it. I love cilantro but I know many people who don't--this blows my mind as I find it to be one of the most refreshing flavors on earth. My dad won't eat squash or watermelon--well, really, he won't eat any gourd. He HATES pumpkin pie. My mother says it is because he was very poor as a boy and the squash was cheap so they fed him a lot of it. Sometimes I think about this and I feel like peeing my pants laughing and smacking my mother silly [with all due apology to the woman who borned and raised me]. Dad says he ate so much watermelon at a church picnic he threw up and has never eaten it since. What the first thread indicates is that everyone dislikes something. And everyone is entitled to dislike something. I actually find myself becoming extraordinarily picky, and it embarasses me--I don't want to become one of THOSE people. I am heartened to read that the wonderful foodologists who populate this site still enjoy fast food and junk food and cheap processed convenient food--on occasion. I confess that I don't eat certain foods [hot dogs] on principle, but I secretly crave them. What to do?

one of my sisters came home from school every day & threw two hot dogs into a pot of boiling water, then wrapped them in soft white bread slathered with mayo. let me tell you they were damn good. i guess i haven't had one since i was 10. tuna with chips sounds good--did anyone ever put potato chips in their PB & J sandwich? i still do this--gives a most satisfying salty crunch--ripples are best.

schmoopie-- we can't have thanksgiving without it--it's DEMANDED--and it has to be topped with pulverized cheezits. broccili casserole rules.