Flocko

Dr. Jones: I has appreciated your posts for some months, for their informative, assertive, literate way they read. Well, this blog has gone above and beyond!! It is wonderful. Please keep it up.......................................AND the chicken liver curry is definitely on for dinner tomorrow................................WOW and.................Balmagowry...........................................keeping the blog pump primed with your literary insights and knowledge, and "way with the word" All in all, a great blog.......................and great food to boot Thank you for much entertainment and knowledge. Bill

Salt Lake City: I am not at all pleased to say that it is, without a doubt,...........lime jello!

7 more for me Two new ones from my local bookstore, both from recommendations on e-gullet......Thanks!: "Cosmopolitan, A Bartender's Life", (2003), Toby Cecchini "The Kitchen Book, The Cook Book", (1970..........new printing 2002), Nicolas Freeling And a few more "rediscoveries" from the "house of lost, missing, and misplaced books" : "Paul Bocuse's French Cooking", (1977), Paul Bocuse "Tout de Suite a la Microwave", (1977), Jean K. Durkee (Cajun/Creole recipes adapted for the microwave; a spiral bound "touristy" type book, but does have a microwave roux method I have used to success when short of time) "Hopi Cookery" (1980), Juanita Tiger Kavena "Renaissance Recipes", (1993), Gillian Riley "A Chef for All Seasons", (2000), Gordon Ramsay

I get the feeling those won't be the last ones you 'rediscover' Flocko =R= Hi Ronnie: Yeah, that's for sure..............................BUT.............the pressure is on!!!.........I've been leisurely emptying my Moab house for about a year now.............Well, it seems that there's a buyer and it'll close March 1. Thus I must move into high gear and get with the program..........................God knows what I'm yet to find in there. Before the holidays I found my mother's china packed away that I'd totally forgotten.................gave it to my wife for Christmas . Also found 7 pre-Columbian pots and several Hopi katchinas a friend gave me for a "fee" about 30 years ago................I'd never opened the box.............pretty neat. I know there's still a lot of cooking related books in stacks, boxes, floor, etc....................Unfortunately many "ate it" in a flash flood that went through my library a couple of years ago. No real treasures there, but any book, especially a "food" book is a real loss I will continue to post my "discoveries" Bill (Flocko)

8 more for me: more rediscoveries from the "house of lost, missing, and misplaced books" "Dining With the Impressionists" (1991), Jocelyn Hackforth-Jones "Eating Together" (1984), Lillian Hellman & Peter Feibleman...............a great read and some pretty good recipes as well "Twelve Months of Monastery Soups" (1996), Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette "Italian Vegetarian Cooking (1994), Emanuela Stucchi "Book of English Food --A rediscovery of British food from before the War" (1991), Arabella Boxer "Chez Panisse Cooking" (1988), Paul Bertolli and Alice Waters "Sushi", Mia Detrick...............great photos "The Armenian Cookbook" (1971), Rachel Hogrogian

Hi Maggie: 2 more for me......................Christmas gifts: "The Ultimate Pressure Cooker Cookbook" (1997), Tom Lacalamita; to go with a Kkuhn Rikon pressure cooker I also received. I hadn't used one since I was in school..................35 years ago. It's great! "Tadich Grill" (2002), John Briscoe; the history of that venerable San Francisco landmark as well as many other old San Francisco restaurants. This really brought back memories of meeting my father for lunch at Tadich's, Sam's, The Old Poodle Dog, The Palace Court, or Jacks..............in the '50s............all dressed up in a sportcoat and tie I manage to get out there a couple of times a year and still always go to Tadich's.

I saw in interestin phenomenon on the Monday before Christmas regarding Sees and Godiva. At a nearby mall, in the midafternoon, I went into the Sees store to pick up some of their wonderful candies: 1 lb mollasses chips, 1 lb dark bordeaux, and 1 lb chocolat marzipan. The line for the "special selections" was about 18 persons long.............out the door and into the mall. There was about a 12 person line for those purchasing pre-packaged boxes. My wait was about 30 minutes..................and worth every second! With my booty in hand, I wandered about the mall for a short time just looking around. I passed the Godiva store, which is larger and in a better location than the Sees store....................It was absolutely empty!! There were 3 employees talking to one another, but not a single customer. When I swung back by about 10 minutes later I observed one customer.

That would be Tahitian Noni. It's made in Provo, Utah........definitely a multilevel, pyramid deal. They even have product "tie ins" in several of the new low budget films out recently that are aimed at LDS (Mormon) audiences

I did an "Oyster's Rockerfeller Soup", from the Nov issue of Bon Appetit instead of my traditional Oyster Stew for Christmas Eve. It was wonderful.........creamy, with spinach and Pernod.

Ronnie: Thanks for the reports and pix of the "party". It looked outrageously fantastic!! Good job, buckaroo!! I was also interested to hear of your stepmom's party.........and the comparison of the "little weinies" Happy to see you continuing to blog for a while. I wish I were there to sample some of "Heartland" fare with you. Bill

Hi Maggie et al: Add 13 more for me, please. Ordered and received from my local bookstore: "Villas At Table", (1988), James Villas "Between Bites", (2002), James Villas "The Asian Grocery Store Demystified", (1999), Linda Bladholm And some more just retrieved from the "house of missing, lost, and misplaced books" "Pike Place Market Cookbook", (1992), Braiden Rex-Johnson "American Taste", (1982), James Villas "Patio Daddy-O", (1996) (......................er............it was a gift ) "Jerk, Barbecue From Jamaica" (1990), Helen Willinsky "Hors d'Oeuvres and Cocktails" (1978), Nitty Gritty Productions "The Decadent Cookbook", (1995), "Medlar Lucan and Durian Gray"...very literate, interesting book! "The Restaurants of New Orleans" (1982), Roy F. Guste Jr. "The French Chef Cookbook", (1963), Julia Child "Southern Food" (1987), John Egerton "Culinary Classics and Improvisations", (1965), Michael Field...............This is a wonderful, classic publication!

Hi Ronnie: Great blog, buddy. I love hearing of your menu and prep for the party!!....And the pictures...........GREAT!! Thanks! Good luck and good eating tomorrow. BTW..............Are you a real cowboy, or did you just find that hat? (No offense meant.............It's an old Utah expression................Was part of the punchline of an old joke ) Best wishes for the party. Bill

Another excursion into one of my "rooms of the lost and mislaid books" have yielded this treasure trove. This is just like Christmas . Thus add another 13 including: "Craig Claiborne's Favorites", vols 1-4 (1975-1978)..............his N.Y.T. columns from that period "Back to Square One", Joyce Goldstein (1992) "The Oxford Companion to Food" (1999) "Trader Vic's Pacific Island Cookbook" (1968) "The Biker Cookbook", by Spuds Murphy (1998) ........ ......don't know where that one came from. "The Prudhomme Family Cookbook" (1987) "Low Cost Gourmet Cooking", by Ted and Jean Kaufman (1967) "Cook Until Done", by George Bradshaw and Ruth Norman (1962)..............a great little book...............fun to read. It and "Low Cost Gourmet Cooking" were the first two cookbooks I bought myself......$.60 each NEW in late '60's "The Complete Book of Soups and Stews" by Bernard Clayton, Jr. (1984) "Loving Food" by Sara Jane Kasperzak (1991)

Maggie: Add 7 more for me. For the past several weeks I've been leisurely moving out of my home of 25 years to new digs. The cookbooks in the library itself has already been accounted for in a prior post. I've now begun to venture into darker realms.......other rooms containing, I'm discovering, books I haven't seen in years. In this batch: "The Garlic Lover's Cookbook" (1980); "Joys and Subtleties.......Recipes from Thailand, Indonesia and Malasia" (1970); "Roger Verge's Cuisine of the South of France" (1978); "Bradley Ogden's Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner" (1991); "Justin Wilson's Homegrown Louisiana Cooking" (1990); "Sephardic Cooking" by Copeland Marks (1992); "The Greens Cookbook" by Deborah Madison (1987). More to come, I'm sure

Please add 5 more for me....................I found them while cleaning my office

Those of us who are particularly fond of Hunan and Mr. Peng are solidly backed by Fuchsia Dunlop (_Sichuan Cookery_), who first sent me there with a glowing recommendation. Perhaps my fondness for Mr. Peng stems from affectionate memories of Edsel Ford Fong, the head waiter at Sam Wo's in San Francisco. Fong habitually and notoriously abused his guests. I went regularly with a girl friend who was the only caucasian member of the local Chinese orchestra. She would often play her bamboo flute for the entertainment of the other diners. Time went by, we split up, and after a certain number of months I returned to Sam Wo's with my next girl friend. Fong looked at her, looked at me and asked loudly, "What happen to other one?" Sorry for being off topic, but I had to respond to John's post: Ahhhhhh.........Edsel Ford Fong at Sam Wo's..............late 60's...........whew!!!! "You sit THERE, not there!"................."You serve this! I'm busy" "You want something to drink, you go next door!" $.60 for the noodle soup. What a place, what a time! BTW, just secured a copy of your "Through Darkest Gaul........" GREAT!! Thanks! Flocko

Maggie: Add six more for me, including three recommended here on e-gullet: "French Cooking in Ten Minutes", by Edouard de Pomiane (thanks Maggie); "Through Darkest Gaul With Trencher and Tastevin" by John Whiting (thanks John); and "Best Food Writing 2002" (great essay, FG)............So many books, so little time..........

A great, fun, and educational book. I, likewise am glad to see it in print again.

There's a very good thread on this subject: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...pagne,and,under

"Olives", by Mort Rosenblum, and "The Founding Fish", by John McPhee.

My all time favorite Tel Aviv restaurant is "Avazim"......................I call it "my all foie gras restaurant" It specializes in skewered goose liver.......served with fries..........servings are huge and very reasonable, and very informal. Kinda like foie gras heaven. It is located at the north end of the Tel Aviv beach hotel strip...............about 3 or 4 blocks north of the Hilton. It's on a street perpendicular to the water, within a couple of blocks thereof Their sign features a goose, so you can't miss it. It is a must!!! Enjoy

In my college days at Berkeley in the '60s, I frequented a little place on Telegraph Ave, named "Robbie's Chinese Hofbrau"...................kind of a buffet with buffet pans full of sausages, saurkraut, red cabbage, hot potato salad, chow mein, fried rice, etc..................very strange, but very cheap...................Lunch for about $.75 (or $1.00 including a beer).

There is something about a martini, A tingle remarkably pleasant; A yellow, a mellow martini; I wish I had one at present. There is something about a martini, Ere the dining and dancing begin, And to tell you the truth, It is not the vermouth -- I think that perhaps it's the gin. --Ogden Nash--

Just finished "Bobby Gold" and "The Apprentice". Just started rereading "The Raw and The Cooked", by Jim Harrison.................love everything he's written, fiction and non fiction. Flocko