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Toronto Star – September 7, 2005 What's cooking in class? Whether your taste runs to Thai or gourmet, you'll find a school for you in our annual guide Ruth Valancius provides the annual compilation. --------------- Rhône voyage Gordon Stimmell reviews several of his finds from his recent trip along the Rhône River. --------------- Toddlers learn ABCs of recipes Cooking with Children teaches kitchen basics Mini-chefs love sensory aspect of food preparation Simple recipes to try with children: * Celery Fish Boats * Mini-Pizzas

Boston Globe – September 7, 2005 How two chickens saved the family meal A little menu strategy, with foods that blend easily and unrecognizably into several dishes, goes a long way toward easing the dinner crunch By Mara Zepeda, Globe Correspondent * Shopping list * Leapfrogging leftovers Recipes: * Thyme-roasted chicken with potatoes, zucchini, and onions * Chicken enchiladas with guacamole and spicy yogurt * Penne with Parmigiano-Reggiano and peas * Penne and roasted vegetable frittata * Moroccan carrot salad * Raita --------------- Mourning a city legendary for diverse cuisine By Alison Arnett, Globe Staff --------------- Tiny island's bounty inspires cookbook By Jonathan Levitt, Globe Correspondent Recipe: * Lobster stew --------------- Dense, chocolatey squares to savor By Lisa Yockelson, Globe Corresp Recipe: * Brownie bars --------------- Summer favorite isn't just for slicing By Catherine MacPherson, Globe Correspondent Recipe: * Watermelon, avocado, and arugula salad --------------- Haricots verts What they are, how to use them, and where to buy them. Recipe: * Salade Nicoise --------------- Her Middle Eastern food is big on flavor By T. Susan Chang, Globe Correspondent, reviews Zov: Recipes and Memories From the Heart by Zov Karamardian. Recipe: * Jasmine rice pudding

Toronto Star – August 31, 2005 Lean, green harvest This time of year, we are blessed with an abundance of zucchini in our markets and gardens Versatile vegetable can be used in everything from dips to main dishes --------------- Building a tandoor in Muskoka --------------- Look beyond trail mix and weiners on sticks Susan Sampson discusses four camping cookbooks and provides the following recipes: * Cold Asian Linguine * Little Cub's Taco Salad * Ginger Beef Skewers * Mixed Fruit Chutney * Caribou's Creamy Potatoes With Bacon --------------- Heading for North will take you east Judy Gerstel reviews North Restaurant in Thornhill. --------------- A garden of Indian delights Christian Cotroneo talks about lunch at Indian Garden. --------------- The Spanish alphabet A guide to the beloved foods of Spain, from A to Z, and where to find them

Boston Globe – August 31, 2005 All dressed up and somewhere to go For many diners, a night out is a reason to shine By Alison Arnett, Globe Staff --------------- Angel hair pasta with cherry tomatoes, olives, and capers By Debra Samuels, Globe Staff --------------- Lemony pasta salad --------------- SHORT ORDERS Saline solution This pantry is full Where meat comes naturally In the Market-- Blueberries What they are, how to cook them, and where to buy them. Recipe: * Blueberries with lemon custard sauce MenuSpeak -- Day boat lobster --------------- His crop isn't pretty, but it tastes great By Eric Goldscheider, Globe Correspondent Recipe: * Tacos of corn mushrooms --------------- Form and flavor At El Bulli, air tastes like olives and cotton candy is a drink By Suzanne Kreiter, Globe Staff

My first thought? Minnesota State Fair food! Those midwesterners love anything they can walk around with at a fair.

Thanks for the great blog! It's always nice to be reminded of all the reasons why I moved back to Maine.

I am not a caterer, but I worked in customer service for more years than I care to count. If you absorb the cost, you open yourself up to the "give them an inch and they'll take a mile" theory, meaning they could keep trying to change the numbers up until the last minute. If you do decide to give them a break in price, I would discount the cost of the extra food only and still charge them for the rented equipment. Also, are you sure the "kids" counted wrong? This could be a situation where Mom put her foot down as to the maximum number of guests and capped it at 170, when really 200 are going to show up because that's how many the bride and groom invited, only there won't be enough food for them. I'd make sure to accept the final number only from the person who signed the contract.

I agree that food choices are the responsibility of individual people and not the government -- to a point. The flavor industry works very hard in making sure food will not only taste good, but that once we have it we will want more. This is not by developing good recipes -- this is by creating chemical additives to put in the food. Most of these additives are synthetic and nothing we would ever eat if we did not eat such processed foods. When the tobacco industry was found to be putting additives into cigarettes to make them more addictive, there was outrage. If beer companies started putting additives into beer to make it so appealing that most people would drink too much, I think some people would be outraged. But the flavor industry is pretty much allowed to do what it wants to do under the premise that it's all about making profits, and it's up to the customer to make informed choices. As for government control, I want to be able to choose the vehicle I want to drive, but within reason. A steamroller would get me from point A to point B, but I don't mind that I cannot drive a steamroller down I-95. And I appreciate that the government requires car manufacturers to meet basic safety standards so that I can buy a car without having to worry about it blowing up when I run into a curb. It always is a slippery slope when the government gets involved, but sometimes it is necessary to protect the wellbeing of the population. [For those who read the McDiet thread, forgive me for repeating much of what I said on that thread over here. ]

This reminds me of the one I abosolutely hated, and thankfully doesn't run anymore. A wife is eating at a chain restaurant with her friends and her husband sees her, comes over, and asks what she is doing there, like she has no right to be with her friends when he clearly is with his. He then asks where the kids are, like she would have left them home alone with a pack of matches and a set of knives to play with. He has such an attitude the commercial annoyed me to no end!

I heard a report on the radio a few years ago, sometime around the release of the book Fast Food Nation. The thing from that report that stuck with me was the fact that chicken in this country is soaked in a salt solution to artifically inflate its weight. Lots and lots and lots of commercial chicken are soaked together so any bacteria-free chicken will be exposed to bacteria in that solution. The person interviewed (I wish I could remember more, like who it was) said to just assume that all commercial chicken has salmonella or other bacteria, and cook it thoroughly. So chicken from local markets or chicken you raised yourself probably is a heck of a lot safer than anything you are going to get with a national brand name attached to it. Assuming that people in Afghanistan don't do things like us (such as standardizing the size of chickens so they can mechanically slaughter and process them), I would think the chicken there would be safer. But still, I don't even like the texture of raw chicken when I am cutting it, so I am not sure I would enjoy eating it that way.

I can see the point with the wine issue -- I think some people may feel like they are being penalized for buying more. Especially when markups already are so high, some may feel as though they are contributing enough to the restaurant's bottom line with a $300 wine purchase. In other situations, we do not decide what to pay after the fact. But at the moment I can't think of any other situation where the labor charge is based on the cost of an item. My auto mechanic doesn't charge labor on a percentage of the cost of the brakes, my computer guy doesn't charge labor based on the cost of the replacement part, etc. A labor charge in a restaurant situation might be more fair because the people who order salads and take up a table for two hours aren't paying less than the couple who order an expensive meal and leave as soon as they are finished. Logistally, however, I don't think it would be possible. I can't imagine having to order, then being given an estimate for the labor charge at a restaurant! So I guess the service charge will work even with its flaws unless a better system is developed at some point.

Toronto Star – August 10, 2005 Top 10 of 2005 Jennifer Bain provides recipes for the 10 most popular drinks: * Watermelon Collins * Patrón Saint * Elit Invitation * Shanghai Martini * Plum Paradise * Amarula Decadence * Berry Patch * Hendrick's Classic * Ocean Breeze * Amaro Sunset --------------- Hot food, 'quirky energy' Christian Cotron discusses lunch at Salto. --------------- Oh, Henry's fish is a trip Judy Gerstel reviews Henry's Fish Restaurant. --------------- New Paks for wine Gordon Stimmell discusses the new packaging for wine. --------------- It all starts with baguette Susan Sampson was surprised at the good service she received while on vacation in Paris. For more information, check out Food Sources in Paris.

I guess I'm still confused about why being paid for your job, i.e., "guaranteed a certain amount," is considered a disincentive to perform well in one job but not another. ← Although it is 20% of sales, it is not a guaranteed amount. If customers find the service unsatisfactory or if the quality of the food slips, the sales will reflect that and wages effectively will go down. When I think about it, tipping servers is an odd practice. Even if I could wave a few dollar bills at the cashier at the local mega store to make her more pleasant and helpful, I wouldn't. But tipping servers seems to make us feel like we can force people to be nice to us.

When a Night Out Is Dinner and a (TV) Show Apparently one of the new trends in restaurants is televisions at dining tables. The article starts with a family who doesn't watch television at home and goes to Zucchini's as a treat. Will this be their typical customer, instead of the people who are hungry but unwilling to miss an hour's worth of television? Somehow, I don't think so. One of the reasons I like dining out is for the undivided attention given and received during the meal (as long as dining companions shut off cell phones, that is). What do you think -- natural progression of technology and dining, or just another obstacle in the quest for social interaction?

Boston Globe – August 10, 2005 Southwest by Northeast When childhood friends from Santa Fe have a reunion in Wellfleet, the food -- especially the chilies -- takes center stage By Mara Zepeda, Globe Correspondent Recipes: * Summer icebox biscochitos * Poblanos stuffed with calabacitas * Blue cornmeal crepes * Black bean salsa --------------- Deep-six the six-pack: Wine beats the heat By Stephen Meuse, Globe Correspondent --------------- Sweet sensations Goat cheese on the go Whisked away Bayley Hazen Blue Cheese What it is, how to use it, and where to buy it. Recipe: * Penne with blue cheese and herbs Beach blanket bingo --------------- Shellfish pie has oceans of flavor By Clea Simon, Globe Correspondent Recipe: * White clam pizza --------------- Chewing it over at Cabot's By Andrea Pyenson, Globe Correspondent --------------- With 'Secrets,' the cook gets the tips T. Susan Chang reviews Cooking School Secrets for Real World Cooks by Linda Carucci. Recipes: * Chicken salad Veronique with whole toasted almonds * http://www.boston.com/ae/food/articles/200...oasted_almonds/

There is bad service in many industries outside of restaurants. I don't know why service seems to have gone downhill in recent years, but perhaps it is related to such employees being typically unappreciated and underpaid while dealing with lack of vacation time as well as other benefits. And there may not be a penalty for such behavior as many Americans have become accustomed to bad customer service in exachange for cheap prices, leaving stores with an incentive to keep prices low but not necessarily treat employees better. But then there are some fast-food restaurants and department stores where I almost consistently get good service. I am not tipping these employees; therefore I would guess that the businesses hire good people and work to keep them. To me, what matters much more than letting workers work for tips is paying them a living wage with benefits and treating them like valued employees. Happy employees often help make happy customers which often makes increased business through repeat customers and word-of-mouth advertising. Good point about the tipping process being demeaning. That's how I have been feeling lately, although I appreciate and respect the servers who prefer the current system. As for incorporating the cost into the food, on one hand I think it is a good idea. But on the other hand a service charge charges only the people eating in the dining room. Presumably takeout food would have a smaller service charge. (Obviously I am not talking about high-end restaurants here, just thinking hypothetically if all restaurants went to a service charge instead of tipping.) [Edited to correct spelling.]

True, so I will substitute "not-for-profit healthcare" for the term "universal healthcare." That alone, regardless of who is paying for it, reduces the cost significantly. I agree and I think this is why tipping has been bothering me in recent years -- it gives restaurant owners cheap labor while shifting the risk of the business from its owners to its employees. Interesting thought. I wonder if any increased costs could be offset by that fact that now that all his employees are considered "tipped," he would no longer have to pay them more than $3.85 an hour? Although perhaps he still plans to pay people wages based on their jobs and experience. I'd like to see an interview with Keller to find out what his motivations are. Not that it matters, I'm just curious as to whether it was a good business move, an attempt to change the system, or a little of both. Either way, I cannot imagine such a change was made without a cost/benefit analysis as well as a long-term benefits analysis.

Other countries have one benefit we don't -- universal healthcare. It's much easier to guarantee a living wage when the employer doesn't have to shell out $200-700 a month to provide health insurance for each employee. One potential problem I see with services charges and pooling is that the employee is still carrying the risk -- not the restaurant. If business is slow for a few days, the restaurant only needs to ensure its employees make minimum wage. I may pay for labor at the local auto shop, but those employees get paid a decent wage and benefits whether there are cars there on any given day or not. They aren't dependent on my labor charge being divided equally between all mechanics, not knowing on any given day whether they will make $5 an hour or $40 or what they will do if they need to see a doctor. I'm not sure what would be best for servers, but I am open to seeing the current system change in some way.

I'm reminded of a song by the venerable Allman Bros Band (yes I know I'm dating myself here)-'Not My Cross To Bear' ← So, you care enough about the welfare of the staff that you'd withhold comments to management about a complaint that was so significant that you actually walked out of the restaurant without paying your tab, an act which could get you arrested, yet you don't care enough about the welfare of the staff to simply decide to eat elsewhere from now on? Fascinating. ← I looked, and I can't find a state that would charge you with theft of services if you sent a meal back to be corrected and then did not receive it again. If the meal actually had been hot and he actually ate it and then refused to pay for it by falsely claiming it was lukewarm, then he would have been guilty. However, assuming what he did actually is illegal, then why are we not expected to pay for an incorrect meal that arrives at our table and gets sent back? Shouldn't that be on the bill until we ask if it could be removed, and then leave it to the manager's discretion on whether or not to remove it?

While I agree that I would be uncomfortable dining in a place where employees are routinely abused in front of customers, if I wanted to avoid goods and services where I knew employees were abused I'd be naked and shoeless. It's very difficult to find anything made outside of abusive sweatshops; even 60% of goods with a Made in the USA label were made in sweatshops in the continental US. When I can't avoid such abuse, I do my best to support establishments that treat their employees well. Department stores that are paying the full salary of their employees who are Guard members while they serve in Iraq are likely to get my business, as are stores that provide a good wage and benefits to their employees. Therefore, I tend to avoid places with ridiculously high turnover rates.

This makes sense to me. Servers who are working for $3 an hour plus tips and therefore something of an independent contractor probably should have some say (within reason) in how they provide that service because their salary depends on it. If a restaurant wants consistency and wants to be able to determine how each server will perform their jobs, then pooling (as well as a decent base hourly wage) would seem to make sense. I know it's just semantics, but I hope Per Se does not call this automatic 20% charge a "gratuity." If a restaurant wants to operate this way, that's fine -- but let's not pretent it's a tip when it's really a charge for labor.

On the other hand, what other industries expect you to pay the salaries of their employees directly? Most businesses factor in their labor costs to the costs of the goods or services. Restaurants, in my state anyway, are allowed to pay their servers around $3.00 an hour and we pick up the rest of their hourly salary. Tipping then becomes a necessity for that server to live on instead of a gratuity for good service. So perhaps it should be a line item on a check, and called "labor" just like the charge for mechanical work. Then the restaurant, like an auto repair shop, could use that money to pay all of its staff a fixed hourly wage and do what they want with the excess. (Edited because I can't type clearly or correctly tonight...)

Boston Globe – August 3, 2005 Rookies at the smoker When four guys enter a barbecue competition, they find they have a lot to learn By Joe Yonan, Globe Staff --------------- For Harpoon brewers, it's all a barrel of fun By Ann Cortissoz, Globe Staff --------------- SHORT ORDERS A dandy green Sugar in your tea As good as fried chicken in summer Recipe: * Oven-fried drumsticks The layered look is easy and elegant Recipe: * Pressed salmon sushi Baby bok choy What baby bok choy is, how to cook it, and where to buy it. Recipe: * Baby bok choy and tofu stir-fry Duckfat serves up guilty pleasures Recipe: * Sweet panini --------------- Legend spells out the ABCs of barbecue By Joe Yonan, Globe Staff Recipes: * Apple City barbecue sauce * Magic dust --------------- Heat for the meal, not the kitchen By Will Thomson, Globe Correspondent Recipes: * Spicy marinated portobello quesadillas * Tostadas of chicken tinga

Toronto Star – August 3, 2005 Competitive barbecuing Play (hungrily) with fire: Seven dishes to round out your backyard barbecues Recipes: * Maple Bean Pie * Jack & Coke Steak * Green Bean Salad with Crème Fraîche * Raise a Little Hell Flank Steak * Salt + Pepper Burgers * Tri-Tip Roast with Hickory-Tomato Sauce * Dr. BBQ's Coleslaw --------------- Growing blackcurrants is berry adventurous From duck to dessert, blackcurrants please Recipes: * Duck Breasts with Blackcurrant Sauce * Blackcurrant Jam `Pudding' * Yum Yum Blackcurrant & Cream Jellies * Blackcurrant & Raspberry Sauce --------------- Never mind the big bucks Gordon Stimmell reviews some of his affordable favorites. --------------- Be aware of what you're grilling --------------- Italian getaway Judy Gerstel reviews La Fonte Trattoria in Woodbridge. --------------- BYOS (Bring your own swimwear) Christian Cotroneo reviews the “Lunch and Swim” program at the local Holiday Inn.

I wonder where we draw the line and what we should and shouldn't pay for. If I order a hamburger and I am served a cheeseburger, and I send it back and ask for a hamburger, am I obligated to pay for both items? How about if I send it back but never receive the replacement hamburger? To me, ordering a hot meal means I can expect a hot meal and I consider it an error if I receive a lukewarm meal -- an error not unlike receiving an incorrect order. I think many of us would be horrified if we were expected to hunt down the manager to ask if the incorrect cheeseburger could be taken off our bill. If there had been a manager on site in Sam's situation, I would have spoken to him or her. Since there was no manager on site, I probably would have hunted down the waitress one more time looking for my food, but after that I would have felt as though I made a good faith effort to resolve the problem.