tanabutler

1) Buddhists: the Dalai Lama himself eats red meat, as suggested by his personal physician. (He tried being a vegetarian and developed jaundice. He eats meat every other day.) Buddhist dietary restrictions are individual, though many may be vegetarians. I do not know many "staunch" Buddhists (it's kind of a contradiction in terms), and few vegan Buddhists. 2) Roman Catholics: I think that some Catholics need to weigh in here: no meat on Fridays during Lent? I thought that what one gives up for Lent is voluntary, and varied from person to person. It doesn't necessarily include dietary restrictions, but many people I know give up the things they love most (chocolate being a primary example) for those weeks. (On the other hand, I probably know some liberal Catholics.) I've never heard of restrictions on alcohol (Catholics?!), and I thought the "no meat on Fridays" thing had been lifted, as well--I think this happened when I was a little girl. 3) Islam: it's important to know when Ramadan is (high holy days), for this is when they fast until sundown. The Muslim month of Ramadan is from moon to moon, not a calendar month. Finally, Hari Krishnas are vegetarians, and every Hari Krishna restaurant I've ever eaten eat could cook circles around just about anybody. I wish we had one here. Here is an article on business etiquette: Taboo Table Offerings: The Intricacies of Intercultural Menu Planning, which is very well-written and informative.

Dear OnlyTheBest, I expected your punchline to be "they were so big and they tasted like futon stuffing!" I am laughing that there was no punchline. Seriously. I am so used to nasty hydroponic California produce, since I've lived here off and on (mostly on) since 1977. My second thought (because this is what I do) is to ask if they were organic (or sustainable, or pesticide-free, or something along those lines). I will never again buy a strawberry that has pesticides. Nor a peach. They're just too delicate. I know, we all have to die of something, but still. In my years of casually strolling the farmers markets, I keep hearing that one thing, "Strawberries...have to be organic." ("Organic" to me means this: if they don't pay the California government to be certified organic, you better darn well be on first-name basis with the farmer. I buy from people who've been doing this for decades, and they now call themselves "sustainable." I can live with that.)

I saw that SNL, and I'd never seen Julia before except in the briefest of glimpses. Dear Lord, it was funny, if only because I knew he was nailing it. I can't explain how I knew except my roots in comedy are deeper than my roots in cooking. I knew it was so good that I am not even surprised to hear that she loved it. The spurting blood, the useless prop phone on the wall, the melodrama of collapsing...every little bit was hysterical, even though I'd never seen a single episode of (as TrishCT called it upthread) "The Fire Chief." Believe it or not, that skit was what really put Julia on my map. When I told my mom about it, and she told me my uncle had done "Julia and Julia" (he did "Mickey and Julia") long before blogs existed. My uncle the engineer, a talented man who can do anything but spell, used to watch along with Julia and make everything she did. By golly, he burned through those shows like cordwood. Might they be available on Netflix sometime? Wouldn't that be great?

Julia Child obituary thread with remembrances

Hey, Ore, can you enlist some of your goofy classmates to eGullet? Tag-team culinary experience! (Is everyone separating, going the direction of the four winds?) What an enjoyable blog.

What a great idea, and what a great woman. I'll be in a seaside cave up the coast, with about 70 people, having dinner (the contents of which I will have no control over). But I'll raise a toast to Julia Child.

Read this about wasabi. There are techniques for growing it that are not as simple as one would think. From Condé Nast Traveler: Hot and Bothered: A U.S. farmer has Japan’s centuries-old wasabi industry seeing red. Robert Sullivan travels to ground zero. I heard about this guy from a friend of mine in Santa Monica. Roy Carver is also the guy who is trying to give the French a run for their money by growing truffles. FreshWasabi.com: order the real deal. And they offer a "grow your own" (ha ha, good luck): six live plants for $23. I thought y'all would find that interesting.

Congratulations, Ore! Yes, please keep posting to the blog. I figure if you can do three recipes a day from that cookbook, that's over a year of entertainment for those of here at eGullet. I'll send you an invoice for the paper towels I'm using, wiping all this drool from my desk and keyboard. Ciao!

Happy anniversary to Al Dente's thread.

Just found this thread and stayed up an extra half-hour reading it. Beautiful décor and colors, and the food looks so so good. Congratulations on kicking serious ass in the bakery, and long may you reign.

I like seeing Joe (or Jesse) at the Sunday market on East Cliff Drive. Mmm, they had a sale on haricots verts for $4/pound and I bought a lot. An embarrassing amount that I had to then invite company over to eat. Because they were there. Hey, where is Marie-Louise? She must be out on her month-long anniversary jaunts.

Folks, "chardgirl" is none other than the very wonderful Julia Wiley, wife of Andrew Griffin: they own and run Mariquita Farm. If you love farmers markets, and if you love farms, their newsletter (in her tagline) is something to which I've been subscribing for years. They hosted the first-ever Outstanding in the Field farm dinner, and many many community events. They are a CSA and Andy's on the Board at Ferry Plaza. I don't know a more trustworthy or well-respected couple in the farming world. We'd love to have them in Santa Cruz, but there are waiting lists which are ridiculously long (and getting longer, apparently at the top ). I'm determined to get up there early enough to miss the snoots and just enjoy the market. Farmers markets are therapy for me.

Just rousing this thread up to the top where it belongs, now that we're in the heat of summer. I can't wait to visit Ferry Plaza and see Señor Rancho Gordo with his stuff, starting August 21 (isn't it the 21st?). Alas, Ditty's list is somewhat outdated, like four years. I have to come see for myself, soon.

You people don't make me jealous, not one single bit. I've given chef Jim Denevan from Outstanding in the Field the heads up about this place, though. They're touring the country...I think they need to visit y'all.

Revisiting this thread now, I was reminded by Ellen's post of a goat farmer I met last month. Her name is Amy Wend, and she runs Skyhill Farms in Napa. She provided "rigoatta" cheese and goat feta for the dinner at Frog's Leap Winery. Her quote that cracked us up: "Anyone who says they name all their goats is lying." I think she's got a lot more goats than Jonathan has cows.

Tuna. I've got a problem with one of my eyes. Didn't see it.

Hey, gang, I know the winner of the first place in the Birthday Cake Competition. Her name is Marina Sousa, and she is the newest member of the Culinary Alliance of Santa Cruz County. We are thrilled to such a world-class talent in our midst. JustCake.com is Marina's web site. Check out some of the gorgeous work she's done. According to Marina, the Food Network special should be coming out in early 2005. I'll start a new thread for it soon, and will get Marina to drop in on eGullet.

We have a friend, Worm Boy, who is actually a worm farmer. He gave me some worm castings (aka "worm doo doo") to use in our garden. The roses on the deck are healthier than they've been in years. The tomatoes next to the house are going to climb in the windows and choke us in our sleep, I think. Anyone else know the miracle of the lowly earthworm, who are doing God's Work in a big, big way?

Heirloom tomatoes every night for the last week. If it's true that "you are what you eat," I'm a little tart. Linguine with uncooked heirloom tomatoes, sautéed red onions, with minced parsley and basil (recipe from Molly Katzen's Still Life with Menu). Also focaccia with fresh rosemary and sea salt.

I am just smitten with this thread, and with YOU, Ore. Deleriously happy with your good work.

Last night: tuna with emulsified lime juice-olive oil (yum), two kinds of heirloom tomato focaccias (one with Point Reyes blue cheese, the other with caramelized red onions and basil), and a mixed green salad. No pictures this time 'round.

I am completely into CHEATING and buying either the biggest seedlings I can find, or buying big plants. I picked up two foot-tall tarragon plants for $2.29 each over the weekend. They will go on the north deck, along with all the other herbs. We grow parsley, sage, lemon thyme, lime thyme, English thyme, and a couple more I can't remember, on the front deck. Next to the back deck, there is a rosemary bush that almost died until Bob moved it. Now it's ten feet tall. On the west (hot) side of the house, there is a never-ending supply of oregano and marjoram. We can't do basil because of snails and deer, so I buy bunches at the farmer's market (roots intact) and keep it on the counter in a glass of water. Lasts all week if not longer.

Sam, it's not only what you're showing about the cocktails, but your groovy pad that has me checking this thread regularly. I find myself trying to read the covers of books, and to see what's out your window (NYC landmarks?). Nice photos. Pretty colors. Great work.

Speaking of Slow Food, how did I miss this Slow Food in Italy master cooking class blog all these weeks?