timothycdavis

Thanks, GG, but I think the above is the wrong link...it was called "Table Dancing: Southern by the Grits of God" if you're able to search for it or whatnot. Off to Charleston--will report back! TCD

Thanks GG and Holly! Can't wait to get there again! best, Tim PS: Holly, have always loved your site, and consulted it on more than one occasion. Continued good eatin' to ya.

I agree, and to which I'd add: it's also quite often (wrongly, in many cases) thought to be hopelessly authentic. I did a piece on it here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=48040&st=0 Edited to add: whoops! I see you read it already. Spit out boiled peanuts? Blasphemy!

this is the only relevant point in this too-long conversation. I'm curious about something, and I'm not asking this to be snarky, I'm really curious: Do you suppose that your friend Tony Bourdain hasn't left some unflattering things about himself out of his books, or indeed any items that others familiar with the various situations described might consider significant omissions? Do you suppose that everything in Ruch Reichl's however many memoirs she has now written is factually accurate, and that nothing others might find significant was omitted and that nothing was made up out of whole cloth? Since I hardly see how the answer could be "yes," given human nature, do you feel that everything else they say is automatically suspect? Or do you think your thoughts on this particular item may be especially strong due to the fact that the other party is Keller? This isn't advocacy for Psaltis or his book, I just have to say that I find some reactions curious given, for example, Bourdain's notorious slagging of other chefs -- in particular those who could be seen as competition in the field of food-related television (something I should point out I don't particularly have a problem with). ← Emeril and I applaud you. 'bam,' TCD

Hi all. I'm headed to Charleston, SC tomorrow for a wedding, and, as I'm subsisting (barely) on a freelance salary, wondered if anyone had any ideas of good, hearty cheap eats in the immediate area. Thanks in advance! TCD

I am curious about one thing, however: a food writing course? Is there some sort of a formula? Is it inherently different from any other kind of writing, say, about sports or cars or cats? Writing courses I can see, but was just wondering about the specialization aspect of it.

O-M-G. Busboy, your post was, is, beautiful! Hey -- did you take a breath when this masterpiece was flowing from you? ← What if it's a particularly fetching navel? And if you're related to it and it's not your own, that's just gross.

How do you figure? How do I figure? Do you think either of the above gentlemen have lost even one whit of business because of this? You're missing the point. If he actually wrote about the incident in the book and said he didn't leave TFL on his own terms, we wouldn't be having this discussion. It all has to do with his credibility, not whether or not he actually hit anyone. To me it is simple. If he didn't come clean in the book about the circumstances surrounding his leaving TFL, everything else he says is automatically suspect. ← Like with the Canseco steroid tell-all, if the man's lying, why hasn't anyone sued? It's important to remember that this is a memoir, a bit of autobiography (or biography -- who knows how much his brother wrote). He's entitled to present it all the way he wants, so long as it's not slanderous. And it wouldn't appear to be, since no one's going after him. Is his (rather effusive) praise of Keller dubious as well? I go back to something Bourdain said way back when: "It's his story as he saw it and felt it. It's hardly a definitive account. Undoubtedly, there will be other versions of Psaltis' Last Day at the Laundry--and the infamous Bay of Pigs at Mix and we can mull those over as well. In the classic Japanese film Rashomon, ALL the stories were interesting. Which version (or combination of versions) one chooses to believe are half the fun." Also: Who gives a shit if anyone threw a chair/didn't get recognized/etc? It happens all the time. These chefs are men, not gods! Again and again: hasn't been refuted except in the media. And I work in the media, but all the reportage on this is as much hearsay as Psaltis' book is claimed to be by many on this (great) website. Out, TCD

Christ-amighty! Of COURSE he's trying to make money with the book -- all authors do, even Rimbaud and Shakespeare did. Of COURSE publicity doesn't hurt when you're opening a new resturant. See the old Muhammad Ali axiom. Of COURSE he's talented -- you don't get into the kitchens he did without some serious, er, chops. As for the accusations: who cares about a spotless walk-in? As long as the food is fresh, I'm smart enough to realize that the walk-in's not always going to be spotless. Ever look at yr own kitchens? As for slaps or anything else, who cares? I've been in newsrooms where a punch was thrown. I was one of the throwers, in fact. (I missed.) So there was a chair thrown. Does this make a man not a great chef? Was Ty Cobb not a great hitter, even though (it is said) he was a reprehensible a-hole? Psaltis made some money, and a name for himself. The book (I'm about 3/4 way through) seems relatively tame, overall. I don't see it as a slash-n-burn slander job. Surely Psaltis would have known any undocumented incidents could (and would, and have, depending on who you believe) bite him in the ass. I'm sure he could been a bit-more self-deprecating, a la Anthony Bourdain. To that end, however, I'd bet a few of Tony's old co-workers might disagree with some of the representations in Kitchen Confidential. I once worked with a reasonably well-known author, someone who everyone talked about as being one of the real peaches of the literary world. I found him to be a real jerk. Is my version somehow less valid because I'm not as well known? Like all public figures, Psaltis will be judged in the court of public opinion. He already has, no doubt. That said, I tend to believe him, or at least his intent. He has a lot more to lose than Keller or Ducasse any day of the week.

Thomas Wolfe has some biscuit babblin' going on "The Web and the Rock." Lots of choice food descriptions from the old trencherman in that book. I'll try and find... good luck, tcd

You say toe-MAY-toe, I say Toe-MAH-toe, let's call the whole thing off. Heck, I've seen restaurants around here that even advertise "Pulled Q" !

Jay-sus! (That's the way us Southerners say "Jesus" when we're exasperated.) Not to beat a dead Appaloosa, but someone's got to put a stop to this most nonsensical of notions. Need one have fought in the Civil War to write about it? Walk in space to write science fiction? Dunk a basketball to cover the NBA Finals? Hold office to write for the Washington Post? Be a swordsman to write porn scripts? Answers: 1. no 2. no 3. no 4. no 5. hell no As a reasonably published writer who writes most often on native Southern food and its context, I've learned that sometimes the BEST writers on a given food or situation come from outside the region. The best article I ever read on NYC breakfasts was from native Southerner (and all-around good guy) John T Edge. RT (Johnny) Apple of the NY Times has written some marvelous pieces on native Spanish and Italian cuisine. What do they have in common? Besides being extremely well researched, they (usually) enter into foreign turf with a paucity of preconceived notions. They filter their experiences, really feel things, and ably transmit that experience into elegant prose. They allow the food (the people, whatever) to move THEM, not move the food to fit their purposes. They admit to being shocked on occasion, disappointed on others. They develop trust, which develops a loyal readership. So no, I have no problem with a "yankee" (sigh) writing about my native cuisine. I only ask that it be written well, to wit: interesting, fair, and above all, considered. I am, TCD (eating a bagel with smoked salmon cream cheese, incidentally.)

Green's lunch, an age-old place, has a great southern slaw dog, and matt's chicago dog, also downtown, does a mean Chicago-style.

Where I live in NC, there's a huge, burgeoning Latino/Hispanic population. I think the trucks serve two purposes -- mobility, especially to hit "hot spots" like construction sites, etc., and also the simple fact that a taco/truck van costs less, making it easier for the would-be entrepreneur to go into business. I've never had a bad experience with one, frankly. A couple bucks and you're set.

Weaver Street Market in Carrboro always has a nice assortment of local/artisanal cheeses -- I always try and load up on my visits there. Here's the link: http://weaverstreetmarket.com/