Pan

Yes, that seems to be the most reliable method. Interesting. I would think it would still be a little hazardous. The fact that a person was the one who made the phone call for reservations doesn't necessarily mean that s/he will be in charge of wine ordering, but I take your point that you've found the method reliable.

Unless the patrons decide to order different wines by the glass.

Don't rush to be older; in the natural course of events, it'll happen soon enough. In the meantime, you're learning things now. And thanks for sharing them with us.

#1 for me would be chicken soup, other soups, and various kinds of tea. But I say that as I'm drinking cold Tropicana Grovestand orange juice. Cold, but not iced.

SPA? What's that?

I dissent on juniper berries being a "nominal flavor." I find them a strong aromatic flavor (yes, that's a positive remark about them).

Comfort Me: Which vegetables do you use?

My parents were adventurous in terms of cuisine and taste, so I didn't recognize them in this piece, but it was sure fun to read!

What matters to me is that a restaurant should have a list of wines that go well with the cuisine they serve.

And frankly, I think that's the bottom line. Car insurance premiums have to be set in such a way as to ensure profit for the insurance company, so they redline and so forth. Restaurants have no reason not to print enough wine lists to give two to a couple. I just don't think additional copies are so expensive as to justify discrimination.

You're right, Herb. There's no rush.

No mocking here. I know the feeling.

I often like pinot grigio and sometimes don't, which is more or less in line with what you wrote above; it's just that I wouldn't think of having an Italian wine with a French meal. Perhaps that shows ignorance on my part, but nevermind, we can discuss this tangent elsethread. My opinion about this wine list thing? Bring two to a couple. Give one to the woman and one to the man (if it's a heterosexual couple, of course). Simple, no? If you don't have enough wine lists, get more copied! There's no excuse for the bullshit the article exposes. If I were out with a woman friend and I was ostentatiously presented with the wine list while none was given to my dining partner, I might lower my tip. I consider it just plain rude and disrespectful.

He's used to people calling him Fat Guy - right, Steven?

What I'd like to know is why a French restaurant even offers a pinot grigio.

Careful Pan, I don't think that came out right. No, I didn't mean it that way!

Yes, but if we're only 4 people, I should call and change the reservation, because it makes a difference whether they're reserving a 4-top or something bigger.

Thanks for that link, Brooks. I actually Googled for "Coca Cola history" and wasn't able to find what I was looking for.

How about unicorn tonsils?

The snow was pretty coming down, but it blew straight into my face for 3 blocks last night, and today, what was left was slippery and messy. And it's currently +1 F. in New York!

How come?

Another question: What do Chinese people do with the dried sweet potato strips you see in most Chinese grocery stores? I bought a bag once and found it to be just very tough dried sweet potato. Why so omnipresent in Chinese groceries? I was told that they're used by young kids to exercise their chewing muscles, but that sounds dubious. But maybe I should ask this in the China and Chinese Cooking forum...

Sounds wonderful!

Fifi, how old is Coke? Late 19th century, right (and in those days, it contained cocaine)? Surely not as old as collards and sweet potato pie and blackeyed peas and all the other things that make up classic Southern cuisine.

What are your favorite flavors?