bilrus
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Posts posted by bilrus
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I think that the biggest thing something like this could do is to provide support and an outlet for more people, whether they are following a strict Weight Watchers point system, a new semi-official eGullet plan, Varmint's Not-the-eGullet-Diet Weight Loss System or even (god forbid) the Atkins diet.
Like Ledlund, Marlene, Monica and others, I have had success with Weight Watchers. Others have had success with their own system and others like ruthcooks couldn't imagine choking down Haricots Vert Pineapple Surprise. In the end though my guess is that most people on here could use some help in putting a little less down their own eGullets.
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A few years ago, someone put all the point values for foods into a downloadable format for palm pilots and the journal as well.
I had a copy of that but switched to pocket PC and found nothing. I did develop my own excel spreadsheet for keeping track of my point - replacing the journal, but I couldn't find the points calculation formula.
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Varmint, that is exactly what you are doing. I just want to get in on the action too. As I said your thread has helped motivate me to get back into the swing of things. Besides anybody who loves pork like you do and can succeed is an inspiration.
Fat Guy, the one thing I do like about the WW diet is the points system. It makes it easy to track your intake, although in the end it is all about making sensible choices and choosing between quantity to fill you up and quality to satisfy you.
As for the materials, etc from WW, as was mentioned on another thread they are really geared to the "Mother on the Go" which is about as far from what I am as you can get. The points tracking information is good, but the recipes are mostly of the English Muffin + Tomato Paste = Pizza variety. Although there is a cookbook developed in conjunction with the CIA that isn't too bad.
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Thanks for taking the initiative. And thanks to Varmint who put this idea in my head of making my efforts public.
Just to be the first one to start things off - I am planning on weighing in tomorrow morning and starting up anew after a lull in my efforts. I lost 113 pounds in 2001-2002, but I am a political consultant who gets VERY busy in the fall of even numbered years, so my cooking weel and eating right habits went out the window. I had put back on about 40 of the pounds in the last nine months.
I am planning on posting my losses and what I have been eating. I hope other will do the same and we can encourage each other while maintaing that sarcastic, edgy eGullet sense of humor that is so lacking at the regular weight watchers meetings.
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I've found that a lot of times if I thought that I had lost over the course of a week but my weigh in didn't show it, that the next week would be a bigger than expected week.
Plus you had the right attitude about it. Hit the treadmill instead of the Donut Shop.
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Home-style cooking--As long as you include prisons and other such institutions in the definition of "home."
Rachel Ray, of TVFN's 40 Dollars a Day said on an episode yesterday enthused that the food at this particular place was "all made from scratch." she had a frittata.
frittata can't be made from scratch?
Actually, she had an omelet from Brother Juinper's right here in crusty Memphis. Omelets can be made with anything...
You made fun of her visit but now I see you watched it anyway - what's up with that?
I have to admit, i watched it too...
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I know this is an old thread, but I wanted a place to add my comments. My wife and I wnet to 2941 for my birthday last evening and had a very nice experience.
The space itself is quite impressive. Tall ceilings and lots of open space. It reminded me somewhat of the main part of the dining room at Zaytinya, but with a large suburban lake to look out on instead of H street and in royal Purple and Gold instead af Aegean Blue. The lighting at dusk is a little bright, but as the sun goes down and the lights come up the room takes on a warmth that is very attractive.
I won't go into too much detail of each individual dish, but the highlights were the Blue Crab Soup with Cheddar Croutons (a rich crab flavor and creamy texture offset nicely by the salty and spicy croutons), the Seared Sweet Bay Scallops with Brown Butter Sauce and Herbs appetizer (nice little scallops in a sauce that I wanted to (and did) use the plentiful bread to sop up) and the Roasted Monkfish with Jerusalem artichokes, wood-ear mushrooms and a light lobster sauce flavored with ginger (this was my first time having monkfish and I liked the firm texture of the fish, but again, the star was the sauce with the ginger complementing the richer flavor of the fish). In each case the accompanying players nearly perfectly complemented the star of the dish.
Also good was the Crisped East Coast Rockfish served over Gulf shrimp and Littleneck clam saffron risotto (especially the risotto). The Buffalo Mozzarella with prosciutto, arugula and olive oil was OK, but not as memorable as the rest of the (mostly seafood) items we had. The bread basket had a broad selection and most were very good, especially the ones with stonger flavors such as the raisin pumpernickle, sun dried tomato and Parmesan foccacia.
For dessert, we had the five scoops of ice cream which were all good, but some were defintely better than others. I liked the Lemon Ice and Black Pepper more than the Chocolate Malt or Caramel Vanilla. Blueberry Vanilla Shortcakes with toasted almond ice cream and candied lemon slices was very good, but also very sweet. That is what I was looking for, but it might be a little too much for some given the decidedly sweet but fun cotton candy (strawberry) and marshmallows (these couldn't be the same thing I burned over a fire when I was a Boy Scout).
After dinner, presuamably because it was my birthday, we were invited by Chef Krinn to see the kitchen. Very impressive to someone whose only restaurant job was at 16 in a Pizza Hut, but such a differnet atmosphere than the Inn at Little Washington where we went for our Anniversary last month. The Inn's kitchen seemed even more calm than the dining room, while 2941's kitchen had a buzz, more like I would imagine the kitchen in a good, busy restaurant would have. Also more like the kitchens many have described in other threads.
When speaking briefly with Chef Krinn, I mentioned that I was a member of eGullet (he is a member also as I had seen a post from him recently). He proceeded to spend an additional five minutes talking with us about the resaurant and DC dining in general and how appreciates the positive (and negative feedback) from sites like this. He gave us a loaf of his father's bread to take home and we were on our way.
I wanted to thank the Chef (if he sees this) for treating us so well and for an excellent meal. We would have been likely to return based on the food, but given everything else we definitely will now.
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I see he conveniently skipped Memphis...sonofagun...
"10:00 PM
$40 a Day
Memphis, TN
30 min.
Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion is toured during a trip to Memphis. Also: a restaurant that specializes in pork barbecue."
But Chef/Writer - Rachel Ray was there - doesn't that count for something.
You've got to be kiddin' man, seriously. Al Roker and now Rachel light the room up with warm and fuzzies Ray. Be still my pickled heart.
Defintely kidding.
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I see he conveniently skipped Memphis...sonofagun...
"10:00 PM
$40 a Day
Memphis, TN
30 min.
Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion is toured during a trip to Memphis. Also: a restaurant that specializes in pork barbecue."
But Chef/Writer - Rachel Ray was there - doesn't that count for something.
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oh...i was fired October 11, 2000. My observations and comments are my own. They in no way can be construed to be informed by current programming or business strategies employed by Food Network. I dont have that information. I speak only with the experience I had while I was gainfully employed at Food Network. Aren't lawyers great?
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Oh my god... Charo? Coochi Coochi? I'd pay to see that.
Not just Charro. Charro and Ed McMahon?!?
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"putting an american frat boy into that particular arena sure had potential to be embarrassing"
I think that was the problem with the American version exactly (although Akebono might have had Bobby's back). And that's coming from an American Frat Boy.
"morimoto was not impressed"
I thought Morimoto was going to kick his scrawny ass. THe one thing I will say about that episode was that while Iron Chef always seems to be playing up the mano a mano, duel nature of the competiton - in this episode it seemed to actually exist as opposed to being manufactured.
Of couse I could be all wrong and Flay and Morimoto had a beer afterwards.
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Yeah, I know, me liking a Bobby Flay production is rather depressing. ... Flay's annoying side was decidely absent. I think he needs to do more television by himself. It's when he interacts with other humans that he gets in trouble.
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I've never really liked the cedar plank thing. And there is no way that I am going to waste salmon skin. I'd rather throw away the fish.
Fine, if you don't like either of my ideas...
Just kidding - to each his/her own. I love the idea because I actually don't like fish skin. I know it is heresy, but just don't love it. I can eat it if need be, but if I can avoid it I prefer it.
Maybe you could send me your address and I could ship you my skins - teamwork is where its at.
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As for fish, I have made a grilled catfish po'boy that worked very well - small chunks of catfish in a spicy dry rub on skewers.
I also grill salmon often using a technique from the Washington Post a few years ago. You slice through the flesh of a filet but not through the skin, making serving size portions. Put the salmon skin side down on a hot grill, when it is done, you can slide a spatula between the flesh and skin - the skin sticks to the grill. It works very well - you let the grill go a while longer and can scrape the burnt skin into the fire.
Also salmon on cedar planks is pretty good as well.
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I posted this on the cracker thread but it fits in here for me as well:
"another holdover from my youth are Chicken in a Biskit. My dad would put port wine cheese, a slice of pickle and salami on them. I particularly remember this on New Year's Day watching Bowl games. To this day New Year's Day is not the same to me without this guilty pleasure. "
I have been known to throw this together late at night as well, although thos enights seem to be much fewer and farther in between the older I get.
Another one that I have vivid memories of is of a half dozen Oscar Meyer hotdogs microwaved until they burst slathered with Heinz 57 sauce after evenings in college experimenting with herbs -- and I don't mean basil or tarragon.
Don't thry this at home.
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My favortie is Plain Wheat Thins - Nutty, Salty, Crunchy without a flavor that overpowers what you put on top.
But another holdover from my youth are Chicken in a Biskit. My dad would put port wine cheese, a slice of pickle and salami on them. I particularly remember this on New Year's Day watching Bowl games. To this day New Year's Day is not the same to me without this guilty pleasure.
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Best Dim Sum- Yank Sing (at Rincon Center is open during the week and on Saturdays not sure about Sundays),
I second or fifth or sixth this. I have been there on a Sunday morning - in the midst of a 250,000 person anti war protest in February.
My wife and I spent in the neighborhhod of $80 on the meal. When we tell people that they are amazed that you can spend that much on dim sum. All I can say is that we must have been hungry and it was all very good.
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I made it this weekend and it was outstanding.
I ordered the Nawabi Khazana which started with a plate of three tandoori dishes - Machii Tikka a lightly marinated fish, Chicken Tikka which was incredibly moist, unlike many TIkkas and a something similar to a Kobeeda which tasted like and had the consistency of a well seasoned Indian meatloaf.
I then had four small curry dishes - Palak Makai, Murgh Makhani, a lamb curry and a dal. The Lamb was the highlight - the spices popped in my mouth and the meat was incredibly tender. The other three curries were all very good, but the chicken and spinach each had quite a bit of cream. I hadn't realized that Indian food could be quite that rich. That was the only drawback of the meal - I was very full when I was done. (Although ordering the largest meal on the menu had something to do with that.)
Dessert was a rice pudding which I am not very fond of in general, so this didn't do much for me.
My wife had the Samosas to start - very good with distinct vegetables instead of the mush that many Somasas hold. And the Tomato Chutney that was served with the tamarind and mint sauces was very good. She had the Tandoori Shrimp for her entree which consisted of the four largest shrimp I have ever seen. Unfortunately I didn't realize that the shell were still on so my first bite was a little crunchy.
Fortunately the second bite made up for it. She ended with Gulab Jamoon which is a favorite of mine and this one was particularly good with an almost gelatenous consistency.We also had Naan and Onion Kulcha - the Kulcha being the better of the two in my eyes (but it is my favorite anyway).
I liked the decor of the place, a little less formal than some lesser places - it almost had the feel of being someone's home dining room (in a good way).
The service was fine, if not entirely freindly. We didn't wait for anything, our beverages were replaced when we asked, etc. I did have one question though about the service style in Indian Restaurants. I have noticed that all questions are directed to me as opposed to my wife. I assume this is a tradition of some sort, but do other women find it offensive? My wife is somethines annoyed by this practice.
All in all, very good. I am not as experienced in Indian restaurants as many of you on here, but this was one of my two best experiences along with a place called Breads of India in Berklely, CA. So thanks, Monica for the recommendation.
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I wouldn't part with my Italian and Chinese ones for anything. And I'll throw in a vote for the American series, too. After several years of looking, I finally scored both the book and the recipe book for the Southern one, at Bonnie Slotnick's, and they've got a place of honor on my bulging kitchen book shelf.
What is the difference between the book and the recipe book? This thread has piqued my interest and I am interested in finding these but I want to know what to look for.
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This thread originated before I joined, but I need to throw my two cents in.
I LOVED the Popeye's Spicy Chicken Sandwich - it was crisp and spicy with a good amount of mayonnaise and pickles. But they have now relaced it with an insipid sandwich called the Chicken Strip Po'Boy that comes on a Mealy hoagie roll. Dry and flavorless. Ugh.
Thanks for letting me vent.
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I was there this last Friday and our dinner was $118 per person and the wine pairing was about $100.
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I also stumbled onto this site, which seemed interesting.
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In my experience, though, the Japan book is hard to find. Are they reasonable on eBay?
I just searched on EBay and the first one that popped up was the Japan one. Ending today with no bids so far, but it is $11.
Weight Watchers (Part 1)
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
I'm more than happy to be a part of a committee if I can be helpful.