Finally Joined - Hello!

[ElsieDee]

Hi -

 

I'm one of the Chowhound refugees. I've been reading eGullet for years, but never joined - shame on me! I'm looking forward to now not just exploring the depth of knowledge shared by the community, but contributing where I might have something helpful to add.

 

As for food, I love it, plain and simple. From the higher-end, multi-course meals to the bowl of Cream of Wheat I had for dinner last night, food not only feeds my body but also my soul. I love tinkering in the kitchen, but am not particularly accomplished ("competent" is probably the best descriptor), and don't mind cleaning up as I go...but I hate washing dishes after a meal is finished.

 

My eating preferences are best described as being an opportunistic vegetarian. I rarely eat shellfish, though I do get the odd hankering for crab and shrimp every now and then. However, I have no skill when it comes to cooking shellfish (I need to explore some of the threads on those topics). While others choose vegetarian for health reasons, I have little interest in "eating healthy" and happily consume junk food - or really good, unhealthy foods brimming with luscious fats and other delightful ingredients.

 

I live in the Los Angeles area, and revel in the amazing restaurant and market options the region offers.

 

Thank you for allowing me to become part of the eGullet community; I am honored to be here.

 

Laura

 

 

[Smithy]

Welcome, ElsieDee, we're glad to have you here! Come on in, make yourself at home. If you have questions about how the forums work or where to post or find something, feel free to PM a host (I am one) or post your question in the Moderation and Policy Discussion Forum.

"Opportunistic vegetarian": I like that phrase. :-)

Edited to add link.

[Chimayo Joe]

Hi!!!! Good to see you've found a new home(as have I.)

[andiesenji]

Welcome ElsieDee!  

Wade right in and don't be hesitant about posting questions, answers, suggestions, noteworthy "news" about restaurants, food trucks (I envy you living down below where there are actually some diverse ethnic foods available in these "moving sources of deliciousness."  (I live in Lancaster and it is a long trek to the place where the wild food trucks roam.)

[ElsieDee]

Thank you, Smithy. I have to admit I stole the "opportunistic vegetarian" line from an acquaintance, who introduced himself as an "opportunistic vegan." I thought it was a great turn of phrase and it's fairly appropriate for my eating preferences.

[TicTac]

Welcome Elsie

 

We have a spot for you on the ON boards already warm

[ElsieDee]

Hi!!!! Good to see you've found a new home(as have I.)

 

Well hello there, Chimayo Joe! Glad to see you here

[ElsieDee]

Welcome ElsieDee!  

Wade right in and don't be hesitant about posting questions, answers, suggestions, noteworthy "news" about restaurants, food trucks (I envy you living down below where there are actually some diverse ethnic foods available in these "moving sources of deliciousness."  (I live in Lancaster and it is a long trek to the place where the wild food trucks roam.)

Hello, andiesenji -

 

I've friends out in the Antelope Valley; they say there is good food to be found, but they're not terribly picky, either. I need to pick their brains for recommendations, I think. Do the wild food trucks roam anywhere in Palmdale? I'd think, with Edwards being there, you'd have some decent taco trucks. Or maybe not.

 

I'm in Pasadena - great access to the bounties of the SGV and we're enjoying exploring those offerings.

[ElsieDee]

Welcome Elsie

 

We have a spot for you on the ON boards already warm

Hello TicTac -

 

Sadly, I don't know much about dining in Ontario, though my former partner is from Guelph. When we'd go visit his family we always had to make a stop (er, possibly several stops, if we're being honest) at a Brantford Chip Truck. First time I'd had malt vinegar on fries - I became an immedfiate convert (though a good aioli is still my first choice). On the other hand, I do enjoy reading about the foods and traditions of different areas and regularly read the Toronto board on Chowhound.

[Darienne]

Hello ElsieDee and welcome to eGullet.

 

First time I have ever heard of malt vinegar on French Fries being associated with being in Canada (or Brantford for that matter).  We are Ontarians living on the outskirts of another Brantford-like town.  And we do have a terrific chip wagon...the Hippy Dippy Chipwagon..clever name...???...but scrumptious fries and so generous.  And we NEVER use malt vinegar.

[andiesenji]

Hello, andiesenji -

 

I've friends out in the Antelope Valley; they say there is good food to be found, but they're not terribly picky, either. I need to pick their brains for recommendations, I think. Do the wild food trucks roam anywhere in Palmdale? I'd think, with Edwards being there, you'd have some decent taco trucks. Or maybe not.

 

I'm in Pasadena - great access to the bounties of the SGV and we're enjoying exploring those offerings.

Not many food trucks up here. The temps most of the year are not conducive to the outdoor dining.

 

I make periodic treks to Pasadena to visit Bristol Farms market as there is none closer to me.  I generally make a day of it and visit Vroman's Books and Book Alley - and have lunch - often at Bristol Farms but occasionally at another place if access is easy.

[ElsieDee]

Hello ElsieDee and welcome to eGullet.

 

First time I have ever heard of malt vinegar on French Fries being associated with being in Canada (or Brantford for that matter).  We are Ontarians living on the outskirts of another Brantford-like town.  And we do have a terrific chip wagon...the Hippy Dippy Chipwagon..clever name...???...but scrumptious fries and so generous.  And we NEVER use malt vinegar.

 

Thank you for the warm welcome, Darienne. The addition of malt vinegar was a revelation to me - I was raised in a very rural area of Northern California, with a mother from the midwest (yep, lots of Cream of Mushroom soup casseroles!) who was also somewhat of a healthfood person (so nothing fried, no sweets - it was a weird set of food rules, to be honest). She's come a long way in her cooking - and eating - practices, as have I.

 

What do you put on your chips / fries, may I ask?

[Jaymes]

I'm happy to see you here, too ElsieDee.  Really looking forward to your contributions.  eG is pretty easy to cruise around, as I'm sure you'll readily realize. 

[Darienne]

We just use plain white vinegar.  But then my knowledge of French Fry habits of others is really slight I guess. 

DH just said that all restaurants have white vinegar and that we've never seen malt vinegar on a table except in the USA. 

[Smithy]

Welll...I have to say that the last few times I was in Dryden, ON (admittedly over a decade ago) the fast-food joints I visited had malt vinegar on the table. I found it refreshingly British, since I'd learned the malt vinegar + chips trick while working in Yorkshire even longer ago. I am obviously no expert, but wish to offer a counterpoint.

Where in rural Northern California were you raised, ElsieDee? I grew up in south-central California, but we spent many a summer vacation up in the northern part of the state. I have fond but hot memories of the northern Sacramento Valley, as well as Shasta and Trinity Lakes.

[huiray]

Welll...I have to say that the last few times I was in Dryden, ON (admittedly over a decade ago) the fast-food joints I visited had malt vinegar on the table. I found it refreshingly British, since I'd learned the malt vinegar + chips trick while working in Yorkshire even longer ago. I am obviously no expert, but wish to offer a counterpoint.

 

 

Malt vinegar plus salt is common as condiments for chips in UK and Ireland. Of course, when I moved to the US from England (a long, long time ago) I was confused when I first asked for chips and vinegar (malt, of course) and was stopped by a new compatriot (a Britisher) of mine at the research institute I was joining (we all went out to a pub my first night here) and gently told that I really wanted something called "french fries" (which I had never heard of) and no, I would be getting catsup (which became ketchup in my lexicon later) with that. If he hadn't interceded I would have got a sealed crinkly bag of salted crisps pre-sprinkled with white vinegar.

 

Nowadays, places around here (and on the US East coast too) in my experience that serve "Fish & Chips" usually will have malt vinegar available but generally only if you ask for it. A few places bring it out with the order of F&C but it is not otherwise "automatically" (or by default already) on the table.