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This morning on CBS news website, i read about AWOL, a machine that's apparently already in pubs in England and is getting ready to hit the bars in the US. Alcohol is mixed with pure oxygen and vaporized. The user inhales the mist into their lungs, creating a combination of the regular booze buzz and the mild euphoria one feels when inhaling straight oxygen. It's supposedly safe and legal. Most interesting, it cuts down on carbs, calories, and...hangovers (as the alcohol enters the bloodstream directly through the lungs, there's no residual toxins in the other normally compromised organs - and no dehydration to combat). Price is about $3K US, so for now it's not really an at-home option, but will soon appear in bars in the states. Naturally some folks are already up in arms about it, but i can't think of a downside that's not already a downside for traditional forms of imbibing. Has anyone seen and/or tried one of these babies? I'd sure like to.

"Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" leads directly into "Nanook Rubs It" and then into "St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast", another Zappa food-related tune. All three songs are from 1974's Apostrophe. Frank Zappa recording, not Frank with the Mothers of Invention (if one were a stickler, which i'm not, about much else - except...Zappa). Do yourself a favor and pick up a cheap copy of Apostrophe, for "St. Alfonzo's", if nothing else: I saw a handsome parish lady Make her entrance like a queen Why, she was totally chenille And her old man was a Marine! As she abused a sausage patty; And said "why don't you treat me mean?"

Heh....this reminds me of the Kevin Bacon movie, "A Stir of Echoes" - wherein he totally destroys the backyard and basement by digging while his wife and son are away. Hey, it's on-topic....I said "bacon"!

I do, occasionally. So sue me. Wait....don't.

Speaking of macro, which we were a couple pages ago - i didn't take this photo, it was actually taken by photgrapher Brian Bohannon for our restaurant's review in the local weekly. However, i did make and garnish the brulee:

Had some tonight at a Cancer Society fund-raiser. Foul, just....foul. Not helped by the fact that it was served with a raver glo-swizzle-stick. Ick. Too sweet, too fruity in the wrong way.

Thanks for saying so! I'm actually super-interested, and talked to Peter on the phone this afternoon before i went to work. Seems there is a plan to hold some auditions in Chicago, no dates yet, but soon. I could feasibly drive up there. While there's no upper age limit, i believe i'm a "little older than (they're) looking for", but apparently that doesn't automatically rule me out. Perhaps being born at Parris Island and having a Marine drill instructor for a dad will give me a little edge. *crosses fingers*. Will keep you guys posted. Hmm....let's quietly get as many eGulleteers as possible on the show

I feel your pain. I didn't often burn myself, but more often sloshed hot water on top of the custards. Try pouring water off the top of a hot custard. Eventually i hit on the suggestion posted above, and put the water-bath pan on top of a sturdy sheet pan. Also, i don't pour the water in until the pan is sitting in the oven with one corner poking out. As for burns, brulee sugar is pretty bad - if i'm in a hurry and stick my finger in the molten sugar while garnishing the top. Ouch. My favorite stupid burn, which i can't seem to keep myself from repeating: Pulling blanching veg (like tomatoes) out of a pot of boiling water with tongs at the wrong angle, and having boiling water run out the hinge end of the tongs and down the inside of my jacket sleeve. Boiled elbow, anyone?

"And to think that in some countries these dogs are eaten. " Heh.

I got a recording thanking me for calling the "Verizon Residential Toll-Free Department". I really want to know if there are any cities closer to Louisville where they'll hold auditions. I mean, come on - not even Chicago? edited to add: Googled Huntley's phone#, which is for A. Smith & Co. Productions in Los Angeles.

Hokay, jumping in with the history of changes to "My Old Kentucky Home" (and just to keep it food related, remember this song is traditionally sung with a mint julep in one hand): original wording: The sun shines bright on my Old Kentucky Home; 'Tis summer, the darkies are gay changed to: The sun shines bright on my Old Kentucky Home; 'Tis summer, the people are gay changed again to: The sun shines bright on my Old Kentucky Home; 'Tis summer, and time to be gay It's awkward any way you slice it. But still a beautiful song, that i can't sing or listen to without crying a little bit.

There's a long thread from last fall about all our thoughts on grilled cheese here

I find this to be consistently true. Just haven't ever had them at their peak, i suspect. Last night i made a peach/jalapeno chutney (divine!), and i bought both regular yellow and white Georgia peaches for the color variation. The yellow ones were much better.

I've lived in all the quadrants of the US except "northwest", and i've never seen/heard of this concept that two identical cans of beans = one express lane item. Have i been incorrectly hating on the person in front of me - maybe it's you - with 9 unique and 7 repeat items? Curious. Is this a widely-accepted philosopy that somehow passed me over?

I agree with everything tarka said except this: In a perfect world, this would be great. In the real world, with a table already occupied by a single diner (who should absolutely be treated with utmost respect and should in no way be "sanctioned" for dining alone), a "half-portion" menu could become a nightmare of food cost vs. return. One restaurant i worked at had sides alacarte for one or two ("single" or "shared"), and that's cool, but...expensive main entree items? Nah.

After some Googling, i found that the original was "pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, and green clovers." Later blue diamonds and that horseshoe were added. After that, everything apparently went to hell. We now return you to wnissen's blog

What have they done to my Lucky Charms? I thought it was "pink hearts, yellow moons, blue stars and green clovers." What's all that other hibbity-jibbity?

Easy, everyone... Tana was right - most of my photos (taken with a crappy webcam/digicam combo with no preview feature) are out of focus. I pm'd her the same. Although her comments could have been construed as too critical, i decided to take them in the spirit in which i think (hope) they were offered. Really, the reason i posted them in the first place was a direct response to behemoth's (i think) heartfelt senitment - "hey, am i the only one under the gun, here?" My eyesight's bad, my camera is shitty. Neither of those will stop me taking pictures. Often i don't feel i have the "perfect thread" opportunity to post them, and i thought this was one. Truly, i was hoping someone would photoshop some of my shots and improve them (although that might be impossible). As i told tana in my pm, the best shot of my posted series was of me, not taken by me. However, i did compose/direct the shot, along with many others in that project. I think my talents might lie in composition/direction/tweaking, rather than photography itself. I'd love to post the movie (i have it on VHS) that "Egg Wash" came from. Can i take the video to an editing place (locally, a place called "Video Kitchen") and have them convert it to a digital form on CD, so i can upload them to webspace and post a link? In closing - i love all the pictures on eGullet. I love viewing them, no matter how amateur, no matter how professional.. Keep posting your pictures, everyone.

One reason - Hearing this: "Oh my GOD. This is soooooo good!"

Let me voice here my support for a "single food subject" ongoing photo contest. That sounds like a fantastic idea. And now, i submit a few of my photos for improvements by others. I think i compose most shots fairly well, and i can crop/sharpen/blur with the best of the Photoshop masters, but i'm crap at changing highlights and color spectrums. Larger shot of my avatar: Portrait of some egg yolks: People and salads: "Egg Wash", a shot composed for a Baking II project: Preparation for ice carving - i really liked this shot because of the reflection of people in the window glass at the top: So, yeah - have at it. Make my shots pop, folks

Seeing those pictures prompted me for the first time - ever - to ask myself why i didn't go ahead and major in pastry rather than just general culinary. Grr. Congratulations - and how wonderful it must be to have a partner with which to share your passion for pastry. Cheers to both of you. Also, thanks for turning us on to Duff Goldman. What a great website he has - check it out, people!

Hang on - what's that metallic thing, directly under the monkey in the second picture? An audio appliance? A claw machine? Do tell

Boris, thank you, thank you. Your blog is great and although the food is spectacular, the insight into your appliances and shopping methods is even more compelling. More pictures, please!

Ronnie speaks the truth. Mostly, it's marketing. And that some of our customers might be tempted by said marketing is precisely the reason i might lobby our GM to put these wines on the list. I mean, hell - "low-carb cheesecake" is flying out the kitchen door, believe it or not. Since this wine is produced by local company Brown-Forman, i e-mailed our local (but fairly well-known) wine guru and restaurant reviewer, Robin Garr, for his opinion. He kindly pointed me to this recent article on his wine lover's website. Perhaps those patrons that might be entranced by the low-carb labeling might also like it poured with The Wine Clip attached

Bleh. So weary of all this low-carb stuff, but i think the trend is going to hang around awhile (the staying power of the trend itself is the subject of lively discussion elsewhere on eG, so i'm not adressing that here.) However, since i cook at a restaurant with no liquor license (beer and wine only), i found my interest piqued by a mention of Brown-Foreman's new low-carb wines, One.6 and One.9, during a low-carb segment on the Today Show this morning. I'm not much of a wine drinker, myself, but i could definitely see our guests being interested in these products. And since we're in Kentucky, home of Brown-Foreman, i'm sure we'd be able to find a supplier with ease. So - and i apologize if this has been discussed here already; i did run a search - has anyone tried these wines? Quote from the 5/20/2004 Cincinnati Enquirer: