Chad

Jon, I think the pizza that Pan and Docsconz are referring to is Neapolitan pizza -- as it's found in Naples. Pan made the remark that the pizzas he had in Naples didn't lend themselves to the NY fold-and-eat-standing-up treatment. They were more suited to knife and fork. Damn, I'm getting hungry. Chad

NPR's Renee Montagne describes efforts to reduce the population of wild hogs in Georgia. So far, community members are dining on the swine to lessen the problem. click here for audio link. Chad

Yup, that's a flag. What caught my eye, though was "free shipping." My ass. There's no way someone's going to ship a 635 pound range for nothing. Chad edit to get the weight right

Damn, that's looking pretty good. Whoda thunk that committee input would actually work? We can't let word of this get out. Chad

Okay, a helpful friend pointed out this definition of water saute. Apparently this technique is fairly common among macrobiotic cooks. And apparently it is only for use with vegetables. I'm not real sure about the yin & yang of the "food engergy" presented here, but the technique seems pretty straightforward. Chad

Simple. The captain is told by the maitre d' who the host is. The menus are presented and the host is asked if he/she would like the wine list. The host is then the one who either accepts the list or delegates. Mark, by "host" do you mean the person who made the reservations? Or is there another way that you designate the host? Chad

Perfect! I'm not good with spacial relationships (or with relationships in general, for that matter ), and I was having trouble seeing where the two plans differed. The bright red numbers are, well, eye opening. Now I can see exactly what you mean. Very, very cool. Chad

Dave, your suggestions and thought processes are wonderful. I'm learning a lot. I have a request, if you don't mind. Would it be possible to add arrows to the two diagrams you've just posted so we can see where they differ? Thanks! Chad

I've never heard of "water saute," though I'm no expert. Certainly doesn't fit any description of sauteing that I've ever read. I wonder if the author is using "water saute" as a convoluted term for poaching as a way of making the techniqe seem more sophisticated than it is. Chad

I'd eat that. Chad

Invented in Atlanta by a pharmacist, John Pemberton . Bottled in Vicksburg, MS and Monroe, LA (cool museum in Vicksburg if you are ever passing through on I-20) by Joe Biedenharn (who incidentally also helped found Delta Airlines which started in Monroe, LA as a offshoot of a crop dusting service). This was actual classroom learning where I grew up, as it had a great deal to do with the history and development of Monroe, my humble hometown. Incidentally, just to get back on topic-I like Coca Cola basted ham. And for those of you that have it (I saw it over and over again in the cookbook thread, so I assuming at least some of you do) The Cotton Country Collection has a recipe for Coca Cola Chocolate Poundcake. The cake is o.k. but I make the icing all of the time for a number of different confections. It is pretty knocked out. Two points. One, Brooks and I are gonna have to duke it out over our Coca-Cola history. Proving conclusively that Coca-Cola was first bottled in my hometown of Chattanooga, TN (also home of the Moon Pie). Don't ever let this obviously confused Louisiana boy lead you astray.Second point. Coke-glazed ham is indeed a southern classic. I don't like it, but I'm not dissing it, either. HOWEVER, does anyone see the value in French Toast that contains 3, count them 3, cups of Vanilla Coke? Or salmon that requires 1-1/2 cups of Coke? Does that make sense to anyone? And it's especially galling after platitudes like this Hrumph! Chad

Argh! I cannot believe I missed this! Dammit, dammit, dammit. Chad

Ya know, they obviously spent some time and money on this project. The website is well designed and the photography is top notch. What weirds me out is stuff like this: Really? By dumping a couple of cups of Coke into a dish? Chad

Dang, Coke's PR people are busy this morning. In what is surely one of the most unholy alliances ever, the CIA has whored itself out to the Coca-Cola company. Nasty. If you want to learn how to create these taste sensations, check 'em out here. Chad

Yup, the 6" utility is a good place to start. It doesn't take long to get the hang of the EdgePro, but there are a couple of nuances. I'm glad you got the video. As bad as the quality is, it helps a lot in figuring out how to set the stop and angle the knife as you move toward the tip. There are a couple of things to think about. You might consider The Magic Marker trick as a way of helping set the angle. From my Knife Sharpening & Maintenance tutorial in the eGCI.If the aesthetics of the knife are important, put a strip of painters tape or masking tape on the blade, leaving the edge exposed. A slurry of metal particles and swarf from the stone can build up on the blade table, scratching your knife. The tape will keep that from happening. I don't worry about it, but I don't really care what my knives look like, either. Soak the stones. Really soak them. I keep them in the sink under a couple of inches of water when I'm sharpening my knives. It makes a difference. Oh, and forget the squeeze bottle. Try a simple plastic spray bottle set to its tightest stream when hosing down the stone between passes. It's a little neater and does a better job cleaning out the swarf. Which reminds me, using the EdgePro can get messy, just because of all the spraying or spritzing you do to keep the stones clean. You'll get grit and water all over your countertops unless you keep a couple of paper towels under the body of the EdgePro. I also set mine up next to the sink so I can swing the arm over the sink to spray down the stones. That makes the whole process much neater. Have fun and let us know how it goes! Chad

This might solve several problems! Definitely ask for a demo. And, ExtraMSG, Ben Dale offers to sharpen a knife for free as a way of demonstrating the ability of the EdgePro. Send him your knife. From the EdgePro website.Chad

Trillium, you're going to love your EdgePro. It's an amazing setup. I would, however, caution you to practice on a cheap knife or two before working on the good ones. It takes a couple of knives to get used to the machine and learn to adjust/tilt the tip to the right spot. Chad

Damn! I've seen race car engines with fewer moving parts. That's a gorgeous machine, Melkor. Congratulations. The scary thing is, I didn't recognize a single thing in the photos -- except for the Leatherman tool in the last shot. And I can't figure out how to make coffe with that (unless you have a better model than I do ). Chad

Tommyf, I just got back from the wine store (Tuesday is 25% case discount day -- we're there every week) and couldn't find the pinotage you described. I've asked them to get me a bottle or two, though. I'll post notes when I get a chance to taste it. Any other SA wines we should know about? Chad

I know nothing about South African wines. However, I did receive a couple of bottles of Roodeberg for Christmas and enjoyed them very much. Interesting blend of Cab Sav, Cab Franc & Shiraz, I believe. I liked it a lot. Chad

Ahem. You could try RecipeGullet, our own compilation of member-generated recipes. If that fails I usually go to Epicurious.com. Between the two I can usually find what I'm looking for. I have to say, I've had great success with stuff from RecipeGullet. Chad

Colavita is a great everyday EVOO -- and it has the benefit of being readily available. My current EVOO is Lucini, which I like quite a bit and use for just about everything. Chad

All right, I realize that this is not "Cognac" cognac, but what do y'all think of Germain Robin? I'm a big fan of their $35 alembic brandy and prefer it to many of the Cognacs I've tasted. Any expert opinions? Chad

Or played a lot of Pac Man! Chad

Man, that sucks. I've already informed my physician that if he ever tells me I have to stop drinking wine or die my response will be, "Okay, how long have I got -- in liquid measurement?" To answer your real question, if I'm not having wine, I usually go through buckets of iced tea. What's infuriating is that, despite repeated requests, the waitron usually won't leave the pitcher or carafe on the table. After they have refilled my glass for the seventh or eighth time, they begin to see the wisdom of my position. A better alternative, I suppose, would be bottled water in an upscale place. And, yes, the service is a little different. More so in fine dining establishments because wine and/or cocktails are part of the experience. I haven't found anyone rude about it per se, but I do get the impression that the staff views you as somewhat unsophisticated. Chad