MobyP

In this week's Restaurant magazine (no link available), Pierre Gagnaire lables The Fat Duck as the most important 3 star place in the UK, because unlike White or Ramsay, it's the first European restaurant that hasn't tried to be French. It's true, isn't it.

When was that written? 1891 - first published, but it went through dozens of latter printings due to it's popularity.

NulloModo - I have to say I know several people, my wife included, who were forced to eat what was on their plate because "they were under 18 and living in their parents' house" and it ended up traumatising them well into adulthood. They don't look back with fond nostalgia on their benevolent parents - they look on it as a piece of parental brutality against a child who couldn't fight back. I can't think of anything that would make a child neurotic sooner. Or have an adult revert to a childhood neurosis faster. As it is, I think oral control is one of the first pieces of enfranchisement that children learn: the ability to say "no." It has little to do with food. It has everything to do with some semblence of self-control in an essentially powerless situation.

Linda - that's very interesting. What about the metabolising of processed carbs into sugars versus the slow release of whole grain argument? That's the primary concern of the diet I'm on - controlling the nature of the sugar intake.

Yet another truth in our soupertudinous quest...

I was thinking exactly the same thing. Everything organic was from Israel or South Africa - I just found it all so depressing when there's so much they could be doing for local coops and farms.

I am so painfully jealous...

In the Pellegrino Artusi "The Art of Eating Well," many of the pastas are labled as 'soups' denoting not their content, but their original position in the meal.

That's superb news if ever I heard it. Does anyone know about Bresse chickens or Anjou pigeons, organic-wise? I saw them for sale the other day, and I was considering it as a treat.

That's really interesting to me. If you proclaim to a child the indistinguishable sacredness of all life, animal or vegetable, the act of consuming that life becomes sacremental. There's a connection there, I think, with what Keller was saying about not wasting anything - i.e. the carrot, the energy it took to grow, and the life of the farmer it took to cultivate it.

There's a good piece today by Heston Blumenthal on teaching kids about food. How have other parents handled it? Do you tell your kids about the provenance of the animal? Do you know yourself?

Hmmm - butter.... I'd love to go there, but I just feel as if I need a glam companion (and absence of diet). Did anyone keep their platform shoes? Welcome Morfudd. I hope you'll stick around.

I can see myself now, chasing after my wife holding only a cup and five grains of wheat - "no no honey Stop! They say this'll work!"

The issue is the unrefined flours - so the carbs translate to a quick-release of sugars, rather than the slow-release of whole grains (which is fine) - so wholemeal pasta (blech), whole grain breads etc. Same goes for white rice and brown. Can't answer for potatoes. It's MY LOOPHOLE!!

Fats and dairy for the most part are okay. I think potatoes roasted in duck fat might raise some eyebrows. The preference is towards using olive oil. You're spot on geographically. Indian, Lebanese - in fact my options are pretty pan-Asian - with the exception of white rice. It's the Euro-American diet they want me to resit.

Thanks Chad. That sounds amazing. How much, and when can you come over? Have you ever poached lobster this way (the Keller method, I presume)? What should I look out for?

Holy Crap! Dude, with those kind of restrictions, the only thing I'd be thinking about eating would be the barrel of a .45, but that's just me . I've already warned my doc that if he ever tells me I have to stop drinking wine or die, my only question will be, "How much time do I have -- in liquid measurement?" I'm sure the resourceful folks at eGullet will come through for you. Chad Yeah - we don't get much choice in fire arms over in England.

My wife and I are aiming for a child, and found out we couldn't conceive naturally. The next step is IVF or an alternative. Unfortunately, the rates of success are terribly low, but your chances are doubled apparently with this diet, combined with a course of supplements. Unfortunately my wife doesn't cook much, so it's up to me to come up with dinner! And frankly, my brain ain't that big. So all suggestions are welcome.

I've opened a thread in the cooking forum - which is where I guess we should discuss recipes. Thanks for the ideas so far - please keep them coming.

I've been holding out as long as possible against using tofu or brown rice. I've nothing against tofu - except when you have to eat it (as I imagine I do). Then it somewhat loses its gloss. I've tried some organic salmon which was pretty good - but the idea of eating farmed fish somehow goes against the point of it all. (Soon I'll be standing blind-folded on my roof, mouth open, hoping an organic pigeon flies my way). so you need all the 'slow-release' stuff. hmmm. For an easy weeknight supper, you could do what gets called 'Many Treasures' in my house - basically, brown rice pilaff - brown basmati with any or all of the following stirred through I've been using lentils wilth good chicken stock, witth plenty of meze type things - caramelized courgettes/zuchini or aubergine (eggplant) with a yogurt tahini sauce. Braised chicken with roast almonds, rasins, and bay. And soups... Curlz - what makes a pilaf a pilaf?

I'm pretty sure it does go off faster - which is fine. The problem is when these organic shops keep this stuff on the shelves. People - who know less than we - are going there believing they're getting a top quality product at top prices, when in fact it's only suitable for the compost. Sainsbury's organic section is not apalling. And at least it's all in one place. Tesco's gerrymanders its organic produce - canned and fresh. But the sections move, so it's not always easy to find. I'll try the box system for a few weeks. If all they deliver is parsnips and carrots, I'll cancel. I would like very much to support and engage farmers. It's the Notting Hill market tomorrow which I think I'll pop along to. BTW - one recent life-saver has been Curly's roast carrots with fennel seeds and chili. And how interesting can roast carrots be? These are brilliant - spicy and sweet and crossing far enough into root vegetable land to be substantive. I've been mixing them with cubed butternut squash, coating with olive oil, and a sprinkle of fennel seeds and a few dried chillis. Wonderful and simple.

I need everyone's help. I've had to start an extreme diet for at least two months which means: No white flour (pasta!, bread) No white rice (rice noodles, dim sum anyone?) No sugar No caffiene (includes chocolate) No alcohol No red meat No non-organic white meat All veg should be organic where possible. Fish allowed Avoid - Honey, fruit juice (whole fruit ok) Over in the UK forum, Jonathan Day suggested that everyone could sugggest menu ideas and maybe we could choose a winning selection and get together for an eGullet meal in June. Help! Do you have any recipes - or menus - that you can help me with? All suggestions welcome!

origamicrane - welcome to eGullet! How did you find sushi hiro?

That's very generous of you, Jonathan. Sounds like a brilliant idea. Maybe we should extend this to the expertise in the cooking forum. Fats aren't a problem. Mushrooms, unfortunately, are - as Kate has an allergy. Chocolate has caffeine in it, so not allowed. Whole fruit is okay, but not fruit juice. Honey in limited amounts. Dairy is fine. I'm not sure where duck falls into this equation (has anyone seen any organic ducks?). The main issue is controlling sugar and energy levels - on a day to day basis, rather than individual meals. Smoking, sugar, caffeine, too many refined carbohydrates all present 'false' or unsustainable energy boosts - which send the energy levels up, only to see them fall significantly later on. My problem has been, with the sudden withdrawal of all of my daily supports (like a junkie joining up the hours), a descent into mild hypoglycemia (sp?). Anyway, it's neither here nor there, just the side-effects of my new hobby. What do other people think of making a meal of it?

I find pork very open to suggestion where my particular requirements are concerned...