beans

Was the gold rush the reason sourdough went north to Alaska?

I think he already was alluded to with the smoked salmon pizza!

Tips. Always a touchy subject. The summer I was a server.... The POS software, when a large party was served and one guest check was issued automatically "tagged" the tip at 18 percent of the subtotal, not including the tax into the sum. However that was always the gamble -- to tag or not to tag a party's check with the straight line 18 percent. Some groups it was a blessing, while other groups were most generous and tipped upwards to 30 percent! ("Party" is defined as a group of eight or more and clearly denoted upon our menus, along with one guest check per table/party as well). However when a two or four top, for example, received their guest check and chose to pay with credit card, the total would be there with the blank line for a tip to be written and then the blank for the entire total. It has been of general intent that it is to make it easier to add up for the guest. No sneaky way to earn two percent more! Trust me, you'd be surprised at how many times the guest cannot add the subtotal (including tax) and their designated amount to tip together correctly! Imagine those that have a hard time with three figures, one of which is an odd say $2.37 in tax! As for why tipping has seemed to become 20 percent as a norm -- dunno. However I'm always grateful for the generosity of others when they are my guests seated at my bar, ordering food and drink. edit: How did that smilie get there in mid sentence? Oops, sticky fingers...

fifi: That violet jam sounded *divine* !! And absolutely gorgeous no doubt! My dear Grandmother made jams and jellies all of the time. I caught the bug! Other than the usual strawberry I've made: blackberry preserves salmonberry jam (all time favourite) cloudberry jam (not sure if that is the correct name, we picked them in the bogs of southeast Alaska in August and that's what my Grandmother called them) huckleberry jelly Sitka Rose jelly blood orange marmalade cranberry, orange, rosemary and merlot jam red onion, garlic and shallot jam tomato jam fig jam I'd like to experiment and make some wine jelly and I've had a wonderful apple, pear and chardonnay jelly with a cinnamon stick in the middle I purchased from a store from Niagara on the Lake. I remember Smucker's used to make a crabapple jelly that was the only one I would eat in my PB&J's as a kid. Do they make it anymore? Maybe I ought to findout where I can get some good crabapples? Not sure how it was different than apple jelly, but it was. One berry I haven't been able to see up close and in person that I'd love to try from the woods of the Alaskan southeast -- thimbleberries. They're deep in bear country and I'd rather keep the bears happy with their berries than their visiting my local garbage can! (at least when I lived there and/or visited family on a vacation) Oh, and if I can ever get some decent garlic, I'm dying to try my hand at pickling them. If I can find pickled garlic at the store, I usually eat them straight from the jar in one sitting! They never seem to last long enough to make it to being the stuffing of some good olives for a lovely martini!

Personally, I prefer the traditional limes for my mojitos! Here's a few I enjoy from this website: http://www.chefnorm.com/drinks3.html Blackberry Lemonade Nectarine Basil Lemonade Ginger Limeade: Pineapple Lemonade Raspberry Limeade There are all sorts of drink recipes and ideas, although they are sort of in no particular order. Enjoy!

They served an iceburg lettuce salad?? My experiences with steakhouses has been poor, with exception to a borrowed sous chef from Atlanta to start up Shula's Steak 2 -- once my employer. I'd say it was the usual steakhouse fare, however I *lived* for the chef's different daily featured off menu entree(s). Of course, that ended when he returned to Atlanta and the menu was entirely back to corporate specs. I never got the thrill of a la carting my green beans at Morton's, and especially at an arm and a leg price. Give me a cheap eats hole in the wall with authentic cuisine anyday!

Did they reveal how they came up with vomit? And are these a limited time only deal? I can't find any!

A few random thoughts. We did taste testing just last night. There was very little difference and no one was able to identify any of the following correctly -- this from four bartenders, a restaurant general manager (a former bartender too) and one of the service staff. Vox, Finlandia, Glacier, Skyy, Ketel One, Grey Goose, Three Olives, Tanqueray Sterling, Stoli Crystal, Belvedere and Chopin. All smooth. All from various countries, all lacking any distinctive flavour from one or the other. And I'm not how anyone can scoff at Crown Reserve (maybe at the price) or Patron? I've served Mexicans that adore the stuff. While I'm painfully aware that Starka is Polish, I posted the CFR's as evidence that it is not recognized to be a "vodka" for having been aged and in direct contact with wooden barrels. Never did I assert American law to govern Starka's production. I need to locate my self medicating pain relievers and commence rehydration. Not sure it is the inferior, tasteless/flavourless marketing victim vodkas we stock our bar with or if it is mickblueeyes' incessant rhetoric.

I got too tired reading what the ATF or any other resource deemed or officially defined the "vodka process." BTW, I'm still on the look out for some Marc de Champagne to make those darned cute little champagne cork truffles, Jacques Torres whipped up in one FN episode, without having to hoof my way around the obscure and out of the way French countryside and happen upon a farmer's sign. A reasonable sub may have to due!

It's all good. I know, I lived quite a while very far from what could be deemed as a decent supermarket. Would it help to talk to any of the vendors at the onle that is on Airline? Maybe they can start keeping their eye out for things you are interested in? It's worth a try, no?

This may help: Polish Vodka Varieties Where as in the U.S., the good folks of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms have this to say: 55-552 Grain Neutral Spirits Stored in Wood may not be Labeled as Vodka 27 U.S.C. 205; 27 CFR 5.21 (27 CFR 5.22) and further: 55-740 Neutral Spirits Subjected to Vodka Process but Stored in Reused Whiskey Barrels may not be Designated or Labeled as Vodka 26 U.S.C. 5193; 26 CFR 220.544 (27 CFR 201.513) Depends upon interpretation? After all vodka can be made with rye or other varied grains. Perhaps more discussion from others can help to shed additional light on this? edit: to repair link, bleh.

For aged vodka, check this out! "Starka" Interesting website too. Never had any, but then I haven't been to Poland.

Did someone say beans?!! Oh, those ones! I've been lucky not to have the vomit one yet. Somebody gave me a gift box and I loved the black pepper ones!

mickblueeyes: Taste is a subjective thing. Isn't it? And what one may like is just that. What you may like may be different. Big whippy skippy, eh? No need to be rude and judge another with a insult because they don't have the same taste as you. I seem to be repeating myself, but when one judges another, they are not defining them, it in fact defines the one who judges.... or something to that effect. Damn, I need a Glacier on the rocks and to enjoy my inferior vodka in the glorious sunshine on my afternoon off.... I have plenty an will share.... Or slkinsey -- how about a glass of that Brilliant? I haven't tried that yet... Cheers y'all.

That is a fireable offense where I work. It demonstrates an utter lack of respect. I wholeheartedly agree too.

To jump in, this is some discussion with some of my esteemed fellow forumites at my favourite bartender webforum -- Webtender. This is the most recent reincarnation of this tasting debate -- flavourless or otherwise. I'm sure there are older threads with regard to this issue, however I didn't dig. Feel free to jump to their discussion too. Pål runs a fine forum of discussion of some rather lovely, worldly sorts. (queneau69 = and a *sigh* to boot) vodka discussion

No. I never had a problem with anyone -- pros or amateurs -- going to school. To repeat myself for the tenth time...I just think people who want to be professional chefs should be in a professional school that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, and that people who want to cook as a sideline should stick to focused, paying programs. My somewhat hazy memory (I'm having a very busy "week" at work -- last Tuesday seems like eons ago already) seems to remember you stating amateurs had no place in professional culinary school.... Bleh, I guess we are splitting hairs. I note you did not qualify which school was appropriate for who, which is a part of the basis for this threadzilla, no? Why limit that train of thought to merely culinary school? Who would be picking up the tab on and subsidise the tuition for the student? The government that ultimately makes it the masses' social responsibility with oppressive additional tax levies? I mean, those good folks from that educational institution have bills too, so they ought to be earning a paycheck, right? I don't see an ideal answer to this quandry. Althought it is nice to have some sort of well wish about the tuitions/entrance fees be lower and more affordable, but then we're getting into economic debates and re-inventing the wheel on the old supply and demand theory. Why do these schools charge that outrageous amount? Because they can, not to mention they are also offering top notch quality instruction, reputation and all of those post completion networking opportunities. The minute you or sandra decide to earn money cooking, you become a professional. If you're even contemplating going into the business, it's worth going to a professional school. But I have already earned money from cooking, but I am not a "professional." That would be akin to saying the boy flipping burgers for McD's is a professional. (And for those devil's advocates -- sure, okay, that boy is a fast food hamburger patty flipper professional.... yeah, yeah, yeah! I can hear/see it already! ) By chance was this passionate amateur a lawyer? (I sincerely mean no offense -- varmint, Fat Guy, paul o'v, slkinsey or soba -- or to anyone else that has some connection to the practice of law!! Just having a giggle at the expense of my own experiences with that once upon a time career of mine!!! )

So Lesley, have you changed your initial perception and answer on this topic? If so, I'm glad. I'm just not some little flirt that coersed her way into working shifts in our kitchen during the slower winter months to earn a better meager paycheck, nor have I been that same flirt to get into the blodgett ovens creating some pastry that we did in fact sell. I know what I've done with some vanilla, flour, eggs and butter by far surpassed what they tend to purchase from Northern Haserot and plate up for mere $5.95 a plate with a squiggle of raspberry puree and/or chocolate sauce along with a squirt of carefully placed whipped cream. I've earned my place and respect by our heart of the house. I will never jeopardize or make light of that. Yet, I am an amateur seriously considering culinary school and not guaranteeing that is where I'll be earning a paycheck upon completion.

slkinsey: I wish I could have the time to jump back into this pissing match of which dictionary is better than the other's.... Suffice it to say perhaps my very personal opinion on this matter is a culmination of both public postings and personal private messages. I'm entitled to it. Patronizing is exactly the word I would use to describe. Now, I've got thousands of dollars to ring up in both food an beverage sales and 14 hour shifts until Tuesday... after all it is the weekend of the season. Happy 4th y'all.

This is brief for the constraints of time (I'm at work). slkinsey: This is what the good folks of the Oxford Dictionary defines patronizing: hotle: Outstanding post. Welcome to eGullet!

I have a store that always has their products in stock! But sorry tommy, it's in Cleveland.

Thanks Colonel. Those were some words to live by too!

Elitism (is there such a thing?) is not a biggie. [i a former first chair of the Baldwin Wallace Youth Orchestra -- eegads, that was a long time ago!!!] If you got the stuff, well then you got the stuff. The less than honest gush at someone's piss poor piping skills that would be considered laughable is in fact patronizing. I wouldn't know if it was haughty or cooly. Can't hear the tone of voice! It is too much the manager in me -- I look to coach and encourage the troops. I'm only successful if my team is successful. And that is how I view an educator ought to be -- however in the real world... ahem. Sometimes they are hard to find!

Well, then I'd say therein is a decision to be made -- stop teaching those sorts of culinary classes for the boob that can't boil water or suck it up and plod on ahead with the nice paycheck. Every job has it's pitfalls. I'm less than thrilled when I've got to deal with another bartender that doesn't even know what's in a 7 and 7. In the same, I was also less than thrilled with that ambitious new associate assigning out the crappy document review of 15 banker's boxes of old factory/manufacturing plant records for anything relating to the little word of "pcb" to me to be completed in an inordinate short period of time. Bleh. edit: my proofreading *suuucccks*

Perhaps arrogance was the wrong word. I was thinking more like patronizing. Again, something potentially offensive when paying someone to teach you with their list of credentials affording one to be in that position.