jeniac42

I think Coke is a requirement with hamburgers of the fried sort (i.e. not grilled burgers made with quality chopped, not ground, beef). Pizza, too. But the Coke has to be so acidic it burns; it's all part of the balance. What I drink with a meal otherwise really depends on the meal. Most things go well with wine, so I'll frequently have a glass with my dinner. I'm not very good at the pairings yet, though, so a lot of times I just think "ew". Fried chicken and BBQ require sweet tea. Other fried foods call for beer. If none of the above, I just drink water. Hot green tea for tempura, though. I also really like the Fiji water a lot. It feels very smooth to me (but not greasy like Vittel, which I confess I cannot stand), tastes clean, and is refreshing. I haven't had any in a long time. Maybe it's time for a trip to Trader Joe's.

I hate the .95 pricing. We used to have that at the restaurant where I work but recently converted to whole-dollar pricing. If nothing else, it looks much, hm, classier in the menu.

I really recommend Bittman's book, too. It's good for beginners -- it gives a lot of details and then he also suggests some "improvisations" you can do, so it instills the confidence you need to start experimenting on your own. I gave this as a wedding gift to a friend last August (also a KitchenAid, but she's my best friend, so I don't recommend that for everyone). She never cooked anything other than grilled cheese before and now she's called me up to discuss recipes and ideas for (gasp) chicken breasts, etc. I think the book has really helped her along. Also, Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" is a great book.

Chocolate milk and Colby cheese.

I liked the one on a Lotte custard cake box: "Confidence of creating deliciousness. This tastiness can not be carried even by both hands." There's also a good one on a Kirin milk tea called Rose Life: "Just like a rose, this tea will bring color and beauty to your life." Does milk tea cost as much in Japan as it does here (2.49 for the small bottle)?

I likes me some sprouts. Particularly on sandwiches based on wheat bread. I hate it hate it hate it, though, when you go to a place and get sprouts on your sandwich, and they haven't drained them, so the sprouts just taste like water and they sog up the bread to boot.

I suppose I have the most plebian palate here, as I like sweat/meat combinations. I really like fried chicken dipped in honey. I like pork chops with an apricot stuffing, I like honey mustard, I like grapes in chicken salad (not always, but sometimes), I eat cranberry sauce with bites of turkey. I think whoever said it's about balance was right. However, I do think my palate is somewhat askew as I become obsessed with getting the sweet/savory balance right in every bite. What about milkshakes and hamburgers, or a Coke and a burger? Those aren't in the same bite but I think the sweetness is an essential foil for full enjoyment of a burger and fries.

Is it really any better to waste the entire top half of a chicken the way a lot of people waste the whole bottom half? The breasts grow on the chickens, so you might as well have a way to make them edible.

I thought I entered this in the contest, but I can't tell, so here it is again (because once you've come up with something so awful, it's impossible to keep it to yourself): "Let's nip upstairs for a drink," said Tom dramatically.

First, I'd like to say that I have a copy of How To Cook Everything and it's one of my very favorite cookbooks. I am always interested in talking about late-night snacks - the stuff you eat when you've been out with friends all night, or are otherwise afflicted with insomnia. What are your favorites? Do you ever cook anything at 3am (when nobody else is looking)? Any ill-conceived sandwiches or omelets? Thanks for taking part in this Q&A!

Oh, man, three? At least this isn't a list of the only three cheeses I'll ever eat again. Maybe... 1) Colston Bassett Stilton 2) Montgomery Cheddar 3) St. Andre

I think the upper limit of what I've spent on dinner, per person, is probably $50 including tax, tip, and alcohol. I was planning a restaurant tour of NYC for this year and am wholly sure that figure would've gone way up, especially now that I actually LIKE wine (until last year, I thought it all tasted, well, horrible). Alas, it's now cancelled due to financial constraints. No great expense account meals, either.

As I think I've mentioned before, I started Weight Watchers last year in July. I actually stuck to the program for about six weeks, but then I got laid off and started working at a restaurant. So my daily physical activity went up to the point where I didn't really need to keep track of anything, because I was running my tail off, and I managed to lose 45lb anyway. Part of that, I'm sure, was to do with what I fondly term "the poverty diet". I also tend not to eat much when I'm on the restaurant schedule - something small, like a salad or (shudder) PowerBar before going in, and then whatever I felt like after work, supplemented with grazing on cheese, apples, peanuts, and veggies during the shift. Since returning to office work in January, my weight has stayed the same (I haven't been able to go back to being "on plan") but I just got laid off again, so I'm hoping the scale will continue its downward progress (I have about 40-50lb to go yet). I have some pictures, wherein you can really kind of tell how much I've lost (before, I'm on the left, and, um, after - I don't normally dress like that, honestly). That's nothing to do with Varmint, but isn't everything an invitation for me to talk about myself? At any rate, best of luck and I'll be following with interest. Maybe I'll even be losing along with you.

See, I wish I'd seen this thread a week ago, because I would've been there. Instead I went to Southern Ohio and tried unsuccessfully to find some morels. *looks through links in hopes that one of the festivals is still upcoming*

The thread about beets reminded me of my experience with parsnips. Sometime last year, I decided to make a root vegetable pot pie thing (from Deborah Madison's book). It had parsnips in it, which I'd never eaten but thought sounded awfully good. So I bought some parsnips from Wild Oats, brought them home, chopped 'em up, and cooked them on the stovetop as was called for in the recipe. Now, at some point, the air started to smell like sickly sweet latex. I eventually determined that this smell was coming from the parsnips. I tasted one, and it tasted about the same. It was possibly the least appetizing thing I've ever eaten. So I chucked the whole dish and did something else instead. Did I do something wrong? (I didn't core the parsnips, but they didn't seem too woody or anything.) Bad parsnips? How can I pick good ones the next time? I want to like them!

I'd hate to manipulate a sack of flour drunk. Um, "drunk". Anyway, that's what Cambro buckets are for - much easier to use than the sacks the flour comes in. Seriously, though, you are braver than I am.

Columbus used to have a restaurant called Out On Main that was staffed by and, I think, primarily targeted at the gay community. It closed last year, though. I'm not sure that there are any other such restaurants in town. We do seem, at the restaurant where I work, to get a lot of gay and lesbian couples coming in for dinner. Our manager/part-owner is gay, so obviously it's a friendly environment. I've had more than a few tables where the couples have felt free to hold hands, cuddle in the booths (which are practically custom-made for doing so), etc., so I'm glad the comfort level is high enough in our place. I believe nobody in the Short North area, which is the arts district as well as the area with the most rainbow-bedecked houses, would bat an eyelash in a restaurant over a same-sex couple. To which I say hurrah. Very good and informative post, SWoodyWhite.

Oh, and not so much drunk food, but I have to gloat a little bit: Last night I was sitting in a Jacuzzi, drinking bubbly wine and eating cheese and crackers and chocolate. Woo!

Oh, fried pickles are so. good. and the ranch dressing is necessary. I have to say I'm not all too sure about deep-frying while drunk, though. I have frequently been known to go for tortilla chips (even Torengos - they're all the same size so when you're drunk you can make nice patterns with them on the plate) with shredded cheese and *gasp* nuke until the cheese melts. Dump salsa on top and chow. I have also occasionally taken a piece of baguette, spread Nutella on it, and topped with sliced cheddar cheese. This should be consumed with orange juice which may or may not have vodka in it. When I am "drunk" I have a tendency to want to bake cakes.

Aurora? Note this is a shot in the dark based on something I think I read a couple weeks ago.

So I got another batch of Meyer lemons from a friend in California, and I've read about a few people making limoncello from them. I've never had limoncello, but it sounds good to me, so I'd like to give it a shot. I've been surfing and searching and have found a few conflicting recipes. Some of them say just to use the zest; others have you quarter the lemons and put the whole fruit in. I'd like to just do the zest, so I can use the juice for lemonade or some other use, but I know Meyer lemon zest is less strongly flavored. Will this work? Any other pitfalls I ought to know about? Disclaimer, in case it is needed; I am planning to write an article about my limoncello-making experience in a few months for my new website. I won't be making any money off of it, and I will of course note that I got help from eGullet

I do actually get that. I just thought if I had an Actual Job lined up, it'd be a lot easier to get the papers with someone to sponsor them.

Oh, of course not. And I suspect being female will also be to my detriment in this area. I was probably thinking of a stage, anyway. Unless I said I wanted to get paid for the work earlier in the thread, in which case I've just gone totally wacko.

Of course there'd be no law-bypassing, but I thought at least if one had connections it might be easier to find an appropriate job opening in the first place. And if I've worked in a good restaurant here (I think someone mentioned this on my UK version of this thread) perhaps a position could be custom-created for me. It seems I've read about talented young chefs going to Europe to work, no? Not that I'm implying I'm talented, of course.

I am amused by chocolate... er, sculpture, although I rarely see a piece that I think is actually attractive. On the other hand, I've seen many gorgeous cakes. I wonder why that is?