Pickles

The "Dining" Hall was a very bad, bad place. I avoided it at all costs. At one point, unbeknownst to my Dad (who was footing the bill..) I cashed in on my board, and took the money and bought groceries to "cook" with rather than eat the cafeteria fare. I should have stuck with the latter, because my attempts at making chicken noodle soup resulted in a pan full of library paste. Too many noodes, not enough broth. I broiled pork chops in roommate Deb's pyrex pie pan. All was well until I placed the broiling hot thing in a pan of cold sudsey water. **BOOOOOM!!** So much for that. I burned everything. I burned salad! Or at least I was accused of doing so by my boyfriend. The dining hall mystery meat was interesting. There was "Hunter Stew" and I have yet to figure out just what was in it. Chicken Friccasee on biscuits was affectionately called "Chicken Frick On A Brick." And the Chicken parmesan was referred to by the boys as "Period On A Plate." We relied on pizza and subs a great deal. We all gained The Freshman Ten with all those carbs they shoved at us. Of course...they were just pouring that beer right down our throats!

I still think it's intresting that people who mention "liver" as their most hated food never can tell (or just can't tell?) what kind of liver was prepared, nor how it was prepared. And I maintain it was probably old beef liver, and cooked very badly.

Another vote for milk. Watching someone drink a glass of milk is revolting to me. When I was a kid, we HAD to drink the milk or we couldn't leave the table. I hated it. And in hindsight, I seriously don't think the refrigerator(s) we had back then kept foods as cold as the ones used now. The milk was always warm. And to quote a line from Mary Richards (to Mr. Grant) "Do you know what warm milk tastes like?? (pause).....WARM...MILK!! "

What kind of liver? Beef or Calves? Chicken? To me, the smell of my Mom's calves liver and bacon with onions and sherry is ambrosia. The liver is tender and sweet. And when she makes her chopped chicken livers, that smell is also divine..wafting up the stairs as you say. Sounds like you've just experienced some overcooked, nasty beef liver that tastes and smells like luggage cooking. Even I hate that stuff! I'd urge you to come over next time my Mom makes her liver and onions and you may change your mind!

I say with tongue firmly implanted in cheek that I look forward to a new Food TV show called "Emeril Dead."

Maybe they call it "potted" meat because you should be really stoned before you attempt to eat it. Better that we don't know what's in all of our "pork" products anyway, n'est ce pas? Some of that stuff is mighty fine, though...not "offal" at all....provided it's made properly. I love the salty taste of the Underwood Stuff and like I said, mixed with sauteed shallot, mushrooms (chopped finely), sherry, good breadcrumbs and butter, stuffed into huge 'shrooms and baked (there we go again... ) it makes a pretty delicious hot appetizer on a bed of nice greens. Another quickie recipe is a Scotch Pate, which is nothing more than a good liverwurst, blended with fresh garlic and a good shot of scotch to taste.

How about "seafood." I love Underwood Devilled Ham...that's potted meat, methinks. Makes delicious stuffed mushrooms!

Jason..sorry dude! I just don't.....like...root beer. Just the smell of the stuff...yeeech!

I am enjoying a Barq's Floatz at my desk right now. I don't reccomend that you try it Pickles. This drink is a combination of the two flavors you mentioned as evil. I, on the other hand, find this to be a fine combination. As far as belching and farting go, while it should be a highly private affair, I think that you should consider the alternative (see the food scene in History of the World -the very funny Mel Brooks Movie-"Would you like a mint? They're wafer thin."), there would be people expoding all over the place. As far as ranch dressing goes, I love raw vegetables dipped in the stuff. Ranch dressing wasn't on my original list (see my post)....I enjoy ranch dressing.

Just about everything does, no? I haven't heard anything about butter flavorings. Source, please? You're talking about stuff like "Molly McButter" and movie theatre popcorn grease (a/k/a "butter")?

I wasn't offended....I just wanted people to be aware that hands can get so bent out of shape that cutting hard vegetables like potatoes, carrots, turnips can be a chore--if not impossible. The already made mashed potatoes in the fridge and freezer sections are a decent alternative to that "library paste in a box" called "instant mashed potato." If you need to stucco your ceilings, that stuff is perfect. At least the other variety is made from real potato and you just add milk and butter. Great to keep on hand, no matter what your situation. Sometimes, I myself don't get excited at the prospect of peeling, cubing and boiling. And I loves me my spuds!!

For people whose hands are crippled with arthritis, very, very hard indeed. I cook plenty of mashed spuds for my clients because they just find it too difficult and they hate instant. Oh... ::: adding instant mashed potatoes to my list of should be banned thingies :::::

Powdered Drink Mixes like Kool Aid Cake Icings made from lard and food coloring Cooking "wine" Most canned vegetables (they taste NOTHING like the "real thing" ever. Most canned meats, epecially canned corned beef...canned in Lower Slobovia or East Spagetistan, or some such countries you'd never heard of. Cheap Chocolate Cream soda and Root Beer. Nazzzzty stuff! Add vanilla Pepsi and Coke to that. Putting ketchup on everything Salting and peppering before TASTING Soup slurping Apres Spicy food belching and farting Picking Teeth at the table Tucking napkins in shirts in nice restaurants And my NUMBER ONE REQUEST of things to be banned....drumroll PLEASE!! Men WEARING BASEBALL HATS in nice restaurants! Take those damn hats off...or I'll SMACK 'em off your heads! That's all!!

One more cannibal joke: What did the cannibal give his mother for Mother's Day? A box of Farmer Fannies! :: Buh-DUMP-BUM :::

I'd say BYOF. Bring Your Own Food. I am lucky in that my friends are all pigs and eat anything I serve them! And I say that in the nicest way...and certainly not insinuating my food is slop!

For me...I shun religious discussion. Causes me much indigestion when people start preaching all through a meal. We (my gal-pals and I) ALWAYS end up talking about sex. If my niece and nephew or my friends' kids are at my table, I ask they not talk about boogers, poop, or spittle while we're eating. They usually comply.

The flip side is good though. I recently bought fresh morels and porcinis at $2.99/lb!!!!! I wonder if that would be a good topic for another thread. The morality of leaving the market with a good sized chunk o' of radicchio...having just been charged for red cabbage! Happened to me just last week. Didn't realize it until I'd gotten it home and in the salad..of course...

This should be helpful in teaching some of the produce-identification-challenged checkout kids what produce is what. Just an example..not that they might tattoo these items...but I am sick of getting getting charged for leeks when I am buying green onions. And sick of being charged for vidalia's when I am buying regular yellows. One of them waved my cabbage in front of me and asked me what it was. I bought a piece of ginger and the kid didn't know what it was and didn't have a code, so he charged me for a roll! Not having to peel away those stickers from tomatoes in particular would be great though.

Veal Prince Orlav! Mr. Grant forks up about 4 servings of the 6 on the platter...and Mary is horrified! "Mr. Grant...you're going to have to put that back! " "Well what do you know! I wasn't as hungry as I thought I was!!"

I would never be too stunned to stop someone from stealing money from me...which is what happened there. You holler out "EXCUSE ME!?" and if that doesn't work, you pounce!

Seeing there are many people with kids off fighting the war, I am sure they'd differ with your opinion. I am part of a very small clan myself, due to deaths, and to the fact that sis took hubbie and kids and moved to FL. So...for some of us, sharing time with people who are our flesh and blood--those whom I love, and who love me, is very special to me. If you find yourself at the kids' table, it's no wonder why.

I agree nothing slips from your grip, it's gripping that's the problem...at least for me. It takes me several tries before I feel confident I have the item secure enough between the materal so as not to drop the pan of hot food on myself. They don't bend very well. They need to be softer so you can squeeze them together properly around your pan/cookie sheet, etc. I just find them very awkward. Just MO...or perhaps my small. weak hands. Oh and I agree about the Foreman Grills. Useless in cooking any piece of meat or fish more than a half an inch thick. The outside is burnt to a crisp before the inside barely gets warm.

I got one for Christmas and I can feel the heat right through it. I also got a set of those odd, rubbery ones. Very dangerous indeed. They aren't slippery, but they aren't very pliable, and they snap back. You could lose your grip easily. If someone gives you these as a gift, I'd return 'em. I use mine as trivets.

If Fred Flintstone knew that order of Giant Ribs was going to tip over his car week after week...why'd he keep ordering them at the drive-in?

I had a beau way back when who took me to a wonderful Spanish restaurant in NYC and ordered the "PIE-ella." I dumped his ass!