docsconz

I guess what made me respond the way I did is that while his cuisine sounds and looks very exciting and I really, really want to experience it for myself, I don't KNOW that his cuisine really is worthwhile and not just a lot of hype. I don't KNOW that his particular message is worth promoting more. From all I've heard and read about it, I suspect it is, but until I experience it for myself, I'd be hesitant about fully jumping on the bandwagon. I guess I'm just a little cynical that way

Social criticism? As I said, it is not a bad article, but then again it doesn't really add anything new either. There has been a lot written about Adia and El Bulli. This is another piece, but why it this needs to be "the last article you will read on Ferran Adria (today)" is not clear to me. There is nothing in the article that definitive, and while pleasant enough, it is not particularly compelling given all that has already been written just on Egullet about Adria and El Bulli. Everyone is entitled to an opinion - original or not - I never said othewise. I was not criticizing the opinions of the author. My original post was meant to point out an irony of the article itself, since the point of it seemed to be praising Mr. Adria's utter originality and admonishment to "copying". My subsequent post was in response to the author's apparent sensitivity to my original post. And this response - what difference does it make whether the piece was social criticism or a restaurant review?

Tim, Your article is reasonably well written. I didn't say whether I agree or disagree with the opinions expressed. I would very much love to be able to form my own opinions based upon direct experience of Chef Adria's cuisine. Unfortunately, I have as yet been unable to do so. What I did say is that your article would carry more weight if you were writing based on your direct experience and observation. The reason I put "copying" in quotes, was to note the irony of your discussion on Adria's admonishment of "do not copy". I am not suggesting that you copied in a plagiaristic fashion, but simply that your account by your own admission was based entirely on the observations of others and therefore not based on truly original materiel. As far as your Michael Jordan analogy. I do not need to know him pesonally to experience his "art". I have witnessed it directly - enough that I can speak of it from a first hand account. It would be much different for me to wax rhapsodic about how much an "artist" Babe Ruth or Jackie Robinson were since I didn't experience their work directly. Were they great players? From all the accounts of direct observation and the record books they appear to have been and so I believe. It is different with the visual, literary or musical arts. While personally knowing an artist or at least about an artist might enhance the experience it is not esential in order to experience that persons creativity. This is more difficult with food.

This article would carry more weight if the author had first hand experience of his subject. Instead he is essentially "copying" the opinions of others.

I haven't tried this wine, but others from the area aren't bad. The Virginia Piedmont around Charlottesville is considered to be an up and coming wine area. Even so $58/bottle is rather pricey.

An alternative to the burgundy with the pork could be the Alsatian reisling or a gewutztraminer. Another potentially interesting possibility would be to do a dinner with different expressions of pinot gris (e.g. Italian, Oregonian and Alsatian).

And they were wondering why nobody was buying wine that day

Jonathon, Great post - I was hoping you would chime in. While I don't know the full story on what Ms. Waters actually said, I would have to think that her sentiments if not her words would echo yours. She is a major US supporter of Slow Food. What you stated is integral to the Slow Food philosophy. You are right - "certified organic" is not enough. It is also extremely expensive and difficult for a small farm to be "certified" organic even if their practices exceed the standards. Unfortunately, this may not be reflected in Ms. water's provenance search, thereby limiting support for the truly small quality farmer. Sustainability IS important. Sustainability of the business since it does no good for the business to succomb to economic losses, but also sustainability of the environment both local, and beyond. An economically successful business in the short haul will not last unless its environment remains suitable for continued quality production over the long haul. So many commercial agricultural practices are designed for maximal nearterm gain and de-emphasize the potential long-term repercussions.

This is a very interesting article. I doubt that too many of the artisanl producers went into it because they thought they were going to make a lot of money. Most probably did because of the personal values they held and their desire to make a good product. I certainly do not begrudge anyone making a living and making money, especially if their product warrants it. I for one am happy to spend my money and pay a greater price for quality and generally prefer to do it with smaller producers. I believe variety is good and many smaller producers is much better than fewer larger producers. I also believe that is generally healthier environmentally and personally. The problem is that once the artisanal producers start having a certain level of success, the temptation to expand and make some real money becomes great. If they can do it without destroying the integrity of the product then I say power to them. Unfortunately, I think that will be the exception rather than the rule.

It was medium dry but in typical Z-H fahion full of fruit. The sweetness was in no way cloying. While there was enough acid to balance the sugar, there wasn't any extra. Mostly, it was a big, ponerous wine, which is why I think it is probably one white that is better served in the fall or winter.

That does indeed sound like a wonderful match... but that too is not really "summer" food. The hickory grilled pork was an excellent match too, it's just that this wine deserves to be sipped in front of a fireplace, not a summertime grill fire.

I would think that for the very expensive bottle of wine that the customer considered "corked" that it would make a big difference if the customer was a respected "regular" or an unknown.

When my wife is out of town I tend to cook veal - either chops or cutlets. She doesn't eat it.

The Z-H Gewurztraminer Heimbourg 1997 was a golden yellow color with unctuous viscosity and a lot of legs. The nose was dominated by floral notes of lavender and rose petal. The predominant taste notes were lychee, rose and peach. The wine was served with hickory grilled "Large Black" pork chops from Flying Pigs Farm, hazelnut-lemon orzo and haricots vert with truffle oil, basil and mint. The wine was tasty, but somewhat heavy with alcohol. It went particularly well with the pork chops, but perhaps would be a more winter oriented wine given its weight.

I made a tomato salad last night with Farmer's Market tomatoes - "orange" low acid, red and yellow striped (the name escapes me) and Brandywines, chevre, basil, thyme, chives, oregano and mint along with EVOO and S&P. I made the salad several hours in advance and because of the chevre let sit in the refridgerator. Over time the chevre liquified and coated the tomatos. I don't think I can ever tire of these tomatoes

The straps are new. I wear mine strapless (and don't have any trouble running through the halls when the need arises) and with the airholes. I don't know if they really make a difference or not. I have never had them without airholes. I've been using Calzuros for the past thirteen years. Over that time I have had two pairs with nearly daily use.

The metacork looks interesting. I wonder how the cost compares to a traditional cork. It certainly looks nicer than your basic screw cap and seems to have some practicality to it. The worst thing about corked wines is that one never knows when one will be encountered - often at the worst times such as that special bottle saved for a special occasion

Unfortunately I don't, but I would suggest an e-mail to the company via the "Contact Us" link on their website.

I haven't heard of Calzuros. do they have good cushioning and arch support? I thought Mario wore Anywears? They do. Here's a link Calzuro although you can find competitive prices with a google search. I bought my most recent pair (currently 6 years old) from All-Heart. On page 90 of the September issue of Bon Appetit in the bon vivant section there is a picture of orange calzuro clogs with a caption "as worn by Mario Battali".

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Calzuros. i'm an anesthesiologist and on my feet all the time. I've been wearing them for years to good effect. Another nice thing about them is that they are washable - in fact autoclavable. I recently saw an add for them in a food magazine. Mario Battali was wearing them.

What goes around comes around.

Does this mean that the resulting wines will be low in acid or does the final acid layer in a wine come from some other process?

Anyone try any '63's recently?

I was surprised at the relative paucity of heat and alchohol on the finish. 375ml bottles do mature faster, which may be one reason why this wa relatively mellow. I was thinking this could possibly have been infanticide, but it wasn't. It was quite nice.

Any thoughts on ceramic knives? I didn't see them mentioned in either tutorial. How do they compare with metal knives? What about keeping them sharp and sharpening them?