gus_tatory

ok, i just learned how to make an Amazon-commission eGullet link, through Rachel Perlow and Fat Guy _here_ , so i'd like to recommend this book: American Gourmet, by the Sterns. it covers a period of American cooking history with wit and research. FG: it would make good background reading, if you don't already know this book.

no, i can't. but i can tell you in Nova Scotia, it's pop. in Quebec, in English, it's soda.

add some maple syrup, and/or pecans/walnuts, and you've got the perfect accompaniment for Haagen-Dasz vanilla-almond. i speak from experience. edit to add: thanks for the work you've done/do on the Recipe Archive.

ok, we need to tell them at Smoked Meat Pete's that their radio ad is vaguely offensive. on CJAD radio today: "You can't beat Pete's meat." how does this stuff get past the CRTC? edit to add: CRTC = Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission.

Oh isn't that the most adorable thing ever! kawaii desu ka. (how cute is that?) i don't especially like "cute" food, but isn't the point that it gets the kids to eat their lunches? it's the same reason North American Moms (and Dads) put dubious things like 'string cheese' and 'fruit leather/rollups' in their kids lunchboxes. caveat: i have no kids and have never packed a bento/lunchbox in my entire life. edit: to fix incorrect Japanese.

i'd love to go with you guys, but i am a smoked meat wuss. under no circumstances could i eat more than one smoked meat sandwich, and so this might not be the right field trip for me. but enjoy yourselves! and bring Tums...

i just had this Iranian rice dish for the first time tonight, and would love to recreate it. essentially, jasmine or basmati rice is half-cooked, then it's placed in an oiled casserole with layers of potato at the bottom, cooked, and you end up with the world's most fantastic, fluffy, basmati rice, along with a delicious crispy, layer of 'burnt' (not really burnt, browned) rice on the bottom. has anyone tried this before? do you have reliable ways to reproduce, besides what i said above? what's it called? have i got it right? i understand familes fight over who gets the crispy rice part? Iranian rice-recipe clarification appreciated

Ohhh, I knew Kevyn and used to cook for him at when i worked at Smashbox Studios. He was lovely, sweet and charming with a good appetite. I was so sorry when he passed. A good dinner guest choice indeed! lucky you that you worked with Kevyn Aucoin. he seems like one of those relatively rare people who *was* actually as nice as everyone said they were.

yes, maggiethecat: my Dad, if we were going on a roadtrip anywhere, *had* to get a bag of humbugs for the drive. (is horehound medicinal in any way?! ) but the weirdest Canadian candy that never made it South has to be Thrills gum by O-pee-chee (?) it's this purple gum that looks like Chiclets, and yet tastes like lavender. kids always said it "tasted like soap" (and yet it tastes nothing like coriander ). as a kid, i loathed it; an as adult, i buy it wherever i see it.

enjoy them, and the show! {boring public service announcement} please get the guys to wear gloves and/or towels on their hands when shucking oysters. {/end boring public service announcement.}

i am emailing the company at consumer.bakery@saputo.com to request that they re-release the maple Ah! Caramel cakes at some point in the future. maybe they are already planning to. (crosses fingers.) those sound amazing.

not an expert, but SobaAddict70 has a recipe in the eGullet Recipe Archives for his grandmother's "Lion's Head Meatballs" that sounds kind of similar. it's here, but without the rice coating on the exterior.

hi torakris-- with Japanese, is the rule generally the following, as it seems to be? --if it's a product that's native to japan or that was introduced early, it has a Japanese name, and --if it's something like Thompson Seedless Grapes, that were introduced later, it would be called the phoenetic equivalent in Japanese? (i.e., "tompuson shiidoresu"?) thanks, gus

kind offer, Jim. thanks. i'm just a little leery ordering white, powdery substances by mail given the current geo-political situation(s).

eww. Yoo-hoo tastes bad enough as it is! who invented this chocolate-water? my 2 cents: in Quebec, they sell this 'spirit' that is meant to be consumed as a shooter (i'm guessing by 17-21 year olds) called 'Sour Puss'. it tastes like Sour Patch Kids candies, except in a shooter. it is truly vomitous.

FG: i'm only 38, but you might also want to check out: "American Gourmet: Classic Recipes, Deluxe Delights, Flamboyant Favorites, and Swank 'Company' Food from the 50's and 60's" by the Sterns. it's mostly about campy food, but it traces a lot of historical and demographic trends/influences. perhaps you already know this book. how can i put an eGullet-commission link to Amazon with the above book title?

i'm with Pan this time. revenge doesn't get you further ahead, and just earns you bad karma. sorry. on the bright side, i was at an oyster bar tonight, and they had all sorts of oyster shells nailed to the walls that had been written on (with Sharpie markers) by famous people who had eaten there (ok, Quebec-famous people, like Anne-Marie Cadieux, whom i adore), and right by our table there was an oyster shell upon which the person had simply written "breathe." i would say, take the advice of that oyster shell. oysters = back to food...

hey VivreManger-- all your questions about Vachon cakes (the Quebec equivalent of Little Debbie or Twinkies) can be answered here. link to vachon cakes website.... my favourite would be the Ah! Caramel cake (white 'cake', marshmallow, caramel, and chocolate garniture), but you'll also see that the Passion Flakie (?!) , the Mae West, the Jos. Louis, and the Half Moon/Demi Lune are well represented at this site. and in the category of tasty chocolate bars that americans don't import from canada, i'd like to add the Eatmore--it's like peanut brittle, but chewy and made with malt and molasses. my 2 cents...

my local newspaper had an excellent article (not available online ) last weekend on various salt varieties. until then, i only had table and Kosher salt in my kitchen. in the last week, i've bought Moshio (Japanese sea salt) and Kalas (Greek sea salt). and the mission for this weekend is to buy Malden salt and/or fleur de sel. what are your favourite salts, and for which uses? the Moshio, sprinkled on half an avocado, was a thing of beauty.

well, the nominees aren't doing any paying... among the food-related items to be placed in the free gift bags for Oscar winners/losers: --a 1,500$ private steak dinner at Morton's --dinner at Vancouver's Elixir restaurant --La Grande Dame Veuve Cliquot champagne full list here--scroll down a bit...

that oyster treatment (southwest-influenced mignonette) sounds so good. boyfriend and i will be glued to the tv. it's the Oscars! i'll probably make tabbouleh (i have a load of curly leafed parsley), chicken wings with some soy/sesame/maple glaze-thing, and perhaps a sour cream cheesecake. enjoy sunday night, everyone!

what GG Mora said. also just make sure you eat. even if it's a Boost/Slimfast/Carnation Instant Breakfast/Smoothie, just eat something. feel better soon, gus

i know it's not that close to Sedona, but if you're in Williams, AZ, try for breakfast: Cowboy Canteen, or for dinner: Rod's Steak House. edit to add: i just checked Mapquest.com. and it is only 60 miles from Sedona to Williams, so if you run out of Sedona restaurants...

hi torakris~! is the "o" at the beginning of a word always honourific? like in "omakase" (does this mean "chef's choice"?) and ochazuke ("green tea/rice soup"), i mean. thanks.

when i drove the Pacific Coast Highway, from Silicon Valley to LA, with my friend marijo, i kept on saying, "what are those weird-ass looking plants?" they were artichokes. with their deeply serrated leaves, their size, and the chokes, the artichoke plant is indeed something to behold.