KNorthrup

When I was about the same age, my mother had me put in a chicken to roast. Instructions over the phone are never complete. The only thing I did wrong was put it in upside down but twenty years later, my mother still grief about opening the oven door and finding herself being mooned by a chicken.

That is so not fair that you can get eggplant without calling some super-premium place. I would absolutely try the weird concotions liked corned beef. I would have a real meal for backup, but just as a conversation piece it's irresistable. That hot dog crust, on the other hand, is going to give me nightmares.

PBR recalled as PDX's favourite beer Note - language. Statements from the competition follows the local business.

Lamb chops (TJ's preseasoned) Orzo-mint-feta pilaf Cherry tomatoes & cucumber with balsalmic vinagrette

Roving mushroom thieves. Heh. recipe

At some point in the 70s, McDonald's did those illustrated children's classics. They were very small and very very thick. A black and white illustration on every other page but still a good couple hours worth of reading. We accumulated Tom Sawyer, Treasure Island, The Three Musketeers, maybe more. Nutritious options for the mind if not the bodies.

Hoorah. Love Elizabeth Bishop even more than WCW. Can't think of anything relevant to quote, but had to mention. Veal stew for dinner very soon, I now think.

Portland has a new gelato place. Opened about a month ago. I've already forgotten the name. In the brewery section of the Pearl. In between Baja Fresh and Sur La Table, so across the street from Powell's. They have the tulip dishes and paddle spoons. Design Within Reach table and chairs. 14-16 flavours. Tried for the first time today. Somehow just noticed yesterday although I walk by there every evening. Italian type flavours rather than Americanized. Chocolate, tiramisu, hazelnut, pistacio, zuppa inglese, that vanilla with chocolate flake swirl (straccota?), coconut and then a bunch of fruits. No apricot, sadly. Had the fruit of the forest and the milk (f-something di latte). I have been to Italy. I've been to Vivoli. This is not that good. Like Craig says, it's not as intense and not as creamy. But it's better than ice cream. My coworker raved about his. The milk tasted rather like Cool Whip and the inside of my mouth feels coated. Will have to try some citrus types and maybe the nectarine.

Slightly OT, as in not thematic for this meal, but if Thrill of the Grill is the one with the green cover, the grilled zucchini with honey-jalepeno dressing is very tasty.

Mint and orzo is probably common in Greek food though. I recently had some. Came as a side dish with lamb chops.

I'd forgotten that. A roommate used to do that but also a can of tuna. It made it quite different from tuna helper, no real sauce, and oddly tasty. Esp the browned bits.

Chicken nuggets as a side with a burger? That seems generous.

Yikes, Kris. How did your kids cope? Did the novelty, and snacks, make it fun or was there a lot of being polite?

In the early 70s if not sooner, my father would make us what he called a banana milkshake. Toss into blender - milk, banana, one raw egg, honey, vanilla, nutmeg. My brother liked a shot or two of Hershey's syrup added to his. In later years, I added peanut butter. I still make them sometimes, for nostalgia as much as taste. With smoothies now so common, it occurs to me I never see versions with egg. Commercially, there's the salmonella thing. But are there really no common home recipe versions?

Everytime we asked, my mother would say 'food.' It stopped being funny very early. Of course years later, boyfriend asks the question.... Hate it when that happens. Like demonic possession.

My first apartment was supposed to be with one friend over the summer and then a second one would move in when fall semester began. First friend was living there all along and both other roommates had left. One left on bad terms and took all the stove burner rings and we couldn't find replacements so they had to be propped on lids and saucers and other awkwardness. Within a week, roommate lost his job and invited three assorted high school aged runaways, only one of which we knew, to move in. I would buy what seemed a weeks' worth of food for four people -- hoping at some point soon I wouldn't be the only one paying for it -- and come home the next day to find it all eaten and every dish, utensil, etc in the sink. That was the pair of total stranger runaways. The other one would help me clean and then I'd take us out to dinner since they didn't share. I lasted one month. Was not the last bad roommate experience but certainly the worst. On the other hand, right before all that went to hell, we had a housewarming party that people were still talking about ten years later. Spent the whole evening in the kitchen churning out assorted snacks and blender drinks, but in a good way. Police came, the works.

wacky mishaps guaranteed

Ach. There's an Indian restaurant here that does a version that's one of the best things I've ever tasted. At all, not just for Indian food. And then I try it at other places and it's something fairly different and thus disappointing. For all I know, the one I like is the most inauthentic. They seem to use leftover tandoori chicken and the sauce is very creamy, thick, rich, buttery, and more golden than red. Other places it's not so creamy, almost a broth, and much redder.

Portland OR still has quite a few. I live right off a bar-heavy street and will hear them at 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Probably do some great business then. They run at more conventional times too. Movies with noteworthy ice cream truck moments - Trees Lounge and Ghost Dog - The Way of the Samurai. Apparently there's a c-grade Clint Howard thing out there too but I haven't seen it.

I had to check the website to be sure. It's been a while. I love the internet. Wildwood bar menu

I didn't hear it on NPR but it was a story in the local paper. In terms of what did and did not leach, I don't think it was much more informative than the bottles the water comes in are meant for single-use only and the sort of sports bottles you buy for the gym or hiking don't leach.

My mother would come up with a complete menu every weekend and we'd shop accordingly, but I think that only works when you aren't spontaneous. We were home to eat those meals every night. We did not deviate from the set menu. Period. Once I was on my own, it took me years to break that habit. I would come up with some menus, buy all the ingredients, then something unexpected would pop up most every single evening and I'd be forced to chuck all perishable aspects a week or more later. I think it only works if you're regimented. I wish I were.

We didn't have the option of not cooking it, but pretty much any form of moose smells horrible while cooking. I microwaved some sort of leftover cod (from dinner, not a frozen meal) at work for lunch once and my coworkers gave me grief for weeks.

Still there, but probably out of the given price range. Unless you eat at the bar, which does do a very nice cheeseburger.

Pig, not bacon. But we loved this as kids. My mother had it on an 8-track. Nilsson, I think. Maybe Croce. 'Gunga Din' was included as well. It's a traditional folk song in public domain so safe, yes? 'Twas early last September As near as I remember While strolling down the lane in tipsy pride Not a word did I utter As I lay down in the gutter And a pig came up and lay there by my side Not a soul were we disturbing As we lay there by the curbing When this high-toned lady came, I heard her say You can tell a man who boozes By the company he chooses And the pig got up and slowly walked away.