Pan

To me, unless you're keeping kosher or have some other religious reason, that's either narrowminded or - more likely - phobic. I, on the other hand, have tried snails and then decided that I don't like them. Ditto for frogs.

Maybe some of them would like to join and post some meal reports on your Egyptian feast?

Where are they native to?

Octopus is treyf (not kosher), so Jews who keep kosher can't eat it. A lot of Israeli Jews don't keep kosher, but enough do that your friend's sister did well to take them into account.

What about raw garlic, Adam? I've had some amazingly, um, fiery (??) garlic lately - it literally made my mouth tingle.

Chad, I'll start off by saying that I haven't read any of these books. That said, it sounds to me that you're really saying that boring writing is boring, not that the food is boring. I find it really difficult to think of durian as boring, and there's a hell of a lot one could write about it, from descriptions of its legendarily strong, stinky smell and the complex taste of different varieties to the fattening and "heaty" nature of this unusual fruit, to its growing on tall trees and the concern about the possibility of fatal injuries from the thorny fruit dropping on a person's head, to the known preference of cats - including tigers - for the fruit, etc., etc.

Has Jewel Bako deteriorated since he left?

Nope, we're all normal here.

My reaction is that I'm amazed anyone eats raw potatoes. They'd be on my Culinary Axis of Evil, except that I'd imagine more people intentionally eat ants. (They are horrible, too, but I've never eaten them on purpose.)

I'm having trouble imagining that being true in Malaysia, though. I saw a TV story about an Italian restaurant in Kuala Lumpur (upscale and fashionable, from what I recall) that had to put a heavy dose of green chilis in its marinara sauce in order to make money.

In the Brooklyn Mobilize! thread, Caserta Vecchia got some praise for its pizza, among other things. Sounds like it has wood ovens. Perhaps it should be on our list for an eventual taste test?

Yes, I think that's enough, though I can't see getting a Hawaiian or Nutella & Pear pizza.

Nicole, it sounds a little funny to say that a 5-month-old is an excellent diner, though I figure you mean he's normally quiet in restaurants, not that he is up to eating anything any restaurant serves. It's interesting to me that other high-end restaurants have let you get reservations with him. Do you have any inkling that they may know you or be giving you some leeway as a fellow industry person? Unlike some other eGulleteers, I have absolutely nothing against there being children or babies in any restaurant, but I also can't blame any restaurant that would rather not risk having lunch or dinner service interrupted by a baby crying. I have to assume your restaurant is more "enlightened," which is interesting because what I liked so much about my visit to 11 Madison Park was how quiet and civilized - and adult, in the best sense - it was. No loud music, no dark mood lighting, and no crying babies. It was very relaxing and pleasant.

J, FYI we're not jealous here. Wherever people look for information is fine with us.

I used to watch Buckley's TV show when I was a kid, and I always thought that he was the Devil, what with the way he archly twinkled his eyes at his guests to try to control their minds. Is Buckley known for being a connoiseur of fine food and wine?

Finocchio = fennel. The "slang" Lou referred to = queer.

Don't be so quiet. Would you please contribute a mini-review? I'm glad this thread has been revived.

What's PX stew, and how do Koreans cook (?) silkworms? Are silkworms hard to find in Paris?

Sounds like Caserta Vecchia should be on the Pizza Survey list. Is their brick oven coal-fired? What types of pizzas are available?

Helen, I've never heard of mouse meat as commercially-sold cat food. In the village I used to live in in Malaysia, everyone fed cats leftover rice. That didn't seem to cause them to attack rice plants instead of little critters.

Thanks for giving such a detailed answer, Helen!

Helen, are Japanese beef-raising practices similar to American factory farming?

We all know that it's extremely common to use biological fruits as vegetables. Tomato, avocado, squashes, pumpkin, peppers, cucumber, etc. It's a lot less common to use what we might call biological vegetables (leaves, stems, etc.) as fruits, for their sweetness or sourness in sweet or savory dishes. The one that comes to mind immediately is rhubarb. What else? I don't tend to think of sweet root vegetables like beets or sweet potatoes as counting for fruit substitutes, by the way: I think they form their own category. (Do you agree?) And beans are seeds, with the pods being the fruits. Coconut is also a seed, with the husk being the fruit. Maybe a bigger question is: We all know what "fruit" means in biological terms. What does "vegetable" mean to you?

You're hilarious, Brooks!

jat, I wish you wouldn't stop posting. I can only speak for myself: That I was waiting for you to present some more recent studies, which you have now done. I think aspartame is noxious and avoid it like the plague. I just didn't have clear evidence that it was harmful. And when I looked at PubMed, the recent studies that came up showed positive and not negative effects from aspartame. That doesn't contradict your citations, of course, which are obviously based on much more research, but it is what I found. But a side issue is that this has me concerned: Carageenan can induce arthritis? (What's monoarthritis? One joint only is involved?) Personally, I'm more concerned about that than anything aspartame might do, because I avoid aspartame and don't avoid carageenan. Does anyone have anything more about this?