eG Foodblog: adoxography - transiting Venus and Taylorville driveby

[balmagowry]

I've never had a corn-dog

No way! Get with the program! Corn Dogs are one of Texas greatest gifts to the culinary world.

Way! I don't doubt you for a moment - it's just one of those experiences I haven't yet enjoyed. One has to leave a few things to look forward to in this life, you know. Hell, if I'd done it all, I'd have nothing left to do with myself but write about it all, and what would happen to my excuses for procrastination?

They're kinda fun to make, especially if you used decent stuff like good quality weenies, or better yet sausage.

OK, I'm not the expert here, of course, but this seems wrong to me. What's the point of a high-quality corn-dog made out of the best possible ingredients? Isn't it supposed to be a bit greasy and disreputable and wicked and indigestible? Shouldn't it at least be bad for you?

It would make a fine project for you to use as writing practice.

Just now I'm thinking that the above rhapsody on the marvels of the internet and the foodblog might make an even better one....

Have you ever thought about finding an old corn dog recipe,  cooking it as close as possible to the original method, and then writing about it? There might be a market for that stuff. People love old recipes and food lore. You might want to give it some thought.

Brooks, has anyone ever told you that you come up with some really weird ideas? You can't really think something like that would fly. A market for what? Recreating old recipes and writing about it? I think you're just trying to mess with my head. Shame on you.

[balmagowry]

in many ways this site remains american-euro-centric. i don't think this is anyone's intention and i'm not sure how it could be remedied.

i'm sure people will disagree with this description and i'll be interested in reading other takes on it.

I don't see why they'd disagree with it; seems to me it's quite true. I think behemoth has a point about the language problem: it's damn hard to make a site really-truly international when there isn't a language to do it in. Short of esperanto (and we know how successful that was) or repealing the Tower of Babel, I don't see how it can be done. And though it does necessarily give my compatriots an unfair advantage, I think it's pretty obvious that standardizing on English is the best compromise available. Of course there is the minor factor that the site's founders, movers and shakers are American, indeed New-York-area American, and naturally that is going to have its effect. But English is the default language of the internet, and it's closer to a universal language than anything else on hand. (Gone are the days of my Lycée childhood, when French was the diplomatic language and all the ambassdors' kids were in my class.) It still isn't fair to most of the rest of the world, but hey, life ain't fair, and the fact is that speaking English is an increasingly common fact of life no matter where one is. In fact, I should think that that would be even more true in India than in those few parts of the world where the sun occasionally did set on the British Empire. I'm not necessarily suggesting this is a Good Thing - merely that it is a fact which must be acknowledged and taken into account. In fact, to my chagrin (insofar as I may be permitted to overgeneralize and to speak on behalf of native English speakers in general), I have found that as a rule foreigners who speak English as a second language do so very much better than native English speakers speak anything else (if indeed they do speak anything else, which in itself is distressingly unusual). So maybe it's just as well that the global community is kind enough to standardize on the language of the linguistically-deprived....

Actually, though - while I agree that the American-Euro-centric aspect of the site isn't actually intentional, there is another reason for it and there is a possible solution. I think one important reason that eG's population is so concentrated in certain geographic areas is that that is where it gets the publicity and that is where the active recruiting efforts take place. Which stands to reason, since that is where its movers and shakers are based. But it doesn't have to stay that way. India, again, is a particularly good example, precisely because it has a good-sized English-speaking population and, as you say, a tremendous internet culture - and because eG does have a pretty lively Indian forum. Why NOT arrange, then, for some serious press coverage and recruiting in that part of the world? Can you doubt that there's a community there just waiting to be drawn in and established? Yes, until the state of the art in automated translation improves to the point where it's no longer a laughing matter, sure, there will always be some language barrier issues. But broadly speaking, I don't think they're insurmountable ones. I do think, though, that mounting a publicity/recruiting effort in India requires some agents in place - in a volunteer setup like this one it can't reasonably be done from here, if only because the people running things here already have enough on their plates; and because the person doing the job really has to be someone who knows the market intimately.

The icing on that cake would be finding a way to entice the various eG sub-communities to interact more. I don't often venture onto the Indian parts of the board because they are, you should pardon the expression, foreign to me. I'm not proud of this. On the rare occasions when I have ventured I have found it fascinating. (And it sure is a cheap way to travel to exotic places!) By the same token, my hat is off to you for posting outside that area as much as you do - IIRC you're really the only Indian member who does. One reason I labored so long and hopelessly to persuade you to blog is that I already know from your regular posts what a welcome blast of perspective you bring - I am convinced that if you could bring yourself to do a foodblog we would all gain enormously from it. You included, of course. Sigh.

I know I'm being a little too idealistic here - like naturally gravitates to like, and the little communities on eG are sort of analogous to the Chinatowns and Little Italies of big cities like New York. The pot only melts so far. But interesting stuff happens when it does. And hey, interesting stuff also happens when it doesn't.

Those of us already here will not soon run out of enthralling new territory to explore. And if we can get a few Ends-of-the-Earth recruitment crusades working, the territory will keep expanding far faster than we can explore it.

And may the sun never set on the eGullet Empire....

[Rebel Rose]

. . . I do think, though, that mounting a publicity/recruiting effort in India requires some agents in place  . . .

All good marketing, as well as business management, starts from a position of strength. And what do we have?

12,000 eGulleters (I think)

access to the Internet

I think a good place to start would be with culinary schools. Some students and teachers participate, they tell their students and friends . . .

So, although I couldn't find an Indian culinary school, I did fire off a friendly email to this school:

Baan Thai Cooking School

We could have a tag thread where you're not allowed to tag someone until you've brought in a newbie from an unusual area. What would we call it?

Other people to reach out to via the Internet: foreign university students, foreign exchange students, other tourist cooking classes, penpal sites, military stationed overseas . . .

So Lisa, you're always up for a challenge. Why don't you go next?

[balmagowry]

I'm not always up for a challenge. One type of challenge I routinely turn down is anything having to do with sales/marketing, because I'm so bad at it.

OTOH - I'm afraid this may not count because it's too close at hand, but it IS still a marketing thingy of a sort - I'm in the process of pitching a story (i.e., have made preliminary "feeler" pitch and been told they're interested in hearing more) on eG to a publication I sometimes write for. Don't want to say more about it right now because I don't want to jinx it. But will that do for now? I've also brought in a small handful of newbies - mostly lurking so far, but it's a start. And, um, I do have a friend in the South of France whom I'm going to try to entice. And... hey, I'm thinking, I'm thinking.

[Rebel Rose]

And... hey, I'm thinking, I'm thinking.

I have no doubt! I'm sure you're wit and zippy writing style have brought in a lot more newbies than you know--just like me!

Thanks again, adoxograph. Looks like your blog has "universal" appeal!

[balmagowry]

And... hey, I'm thinking, I'm thinking.

I have no doubt! I'm sure you're wit and zippy writing style have brought in a lot more newbies than you know--just like me!

Ah, shucks. Thank you. Um... meaning you too have brought in more people than you realize (which I'm sure is true), or meaning... that you joined because of me me me me me? Sounds like it's probably the former, but the phrasing was just ambiguous enough that I thought I'd ask - to be known as the person who reeled in DoverCanyon would be one hell of a coup!

Thanks again, adoxograph.  Looks like your blog has "universal" appeal!

Second that motion. And third it and fourth it.

adoxograph: master of technology, blogger to the stars.

Thank you - it's been a wonderful week.

[adoxograph]

Time for one snack and one last meal, before passing the torch...

Did you know there is Shrek microwave popcorn? I had to include this stuff because it is seriously green.

There are times when the word "overkill" comes to mind.

Sunday Dinner tonight took us to Edinburgh (pop. 1200. No, I'm not missing a zero.) To Uncle John's Family Restaurant with Sarcasmo's parents, aunt, uncle, cousin, a friend of his cousin, his sister, her boyfriend, Sarcasmo and myself. We were the biggest crowd inside the orange room, but given the number of meals we saw in take-out boxes, there was no sense of a slow night.

I explained why we'd be taking pictures of the food to the waitress, and I'm not sure what she found more flattering - that I was going to talk about the food here, or that I had come from Chicago for the catfish. Probably the Chicago part.

We started off with Uncle John's Cheese Balls. More battered, less breading than Bill's Toasty, and more salt than cheese flavor. It was also served with cocktail sauce for some reason. I'll take Bill's.

Then came dinner. The Sunday night special is All-you-can-eat Chicken and Spaghetti, which was popular at our table...

Sarcasmo had the native favorite, the Horseshoe.

A Horseshoe is a meat product of some sort, usually a burger, served on white bread with the fries in the sandwich. This one is a bit weird, but if you look closely on the left you might see the bread, and a bit of bacon. Sandy, Sarcasmo's aunt and our unverified Springfield, IL food historian, claimed that the Horseshoe was invented by a bar owner in Springfield who had to feed jockeys in a hurry between races. The fries were added on the sandwich so it would take less time to eat. The only part of that I can claim truth to was that there were horse races at the Illinois State Fair each year.

Oh yeah and there was the catfish...

And then there was less catfish...

And there were bony bits.

I forgot to eat my potato. I think Sarcasmo's family likes bringing me here because this place is one of the few places they've consistently seen me just dig in to food and get messy- messier than everyone else, if napkin counts are anything. By asking early, we managed to get the last two slices of pie they had in the place saved for our table, but by the time they came out, I wasn't interested. That was a lot of catfish.

And really, I think that's a great last meal for a very simple reason. This is a town where you wouldn't expect much of anything, culinarily speaking. I mean, there's 1200 people in Edinburgh! And yet, here it is, a simple, great meal, that would be appreciated anywhere by anyone - provided they appreciate the bottomfeeders that catfish are. :)

Sure, you can find all sorts of great food in Chicago. It's one of the reasons I love it there. But that doesn't mean I'll stop looking anywhere else.

[adoxograph]

"The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of the human race than the discovery of a star."

Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Well, I can make a case for the importance of both, but consider this: all of the atoms, the elements, the most basic parts of what we are have come from stars born, died and recycled. The beauty of the universe is that we start from something that cannot be created nor destroyed, so each new thing made - star, sauce or person - has come from the bright points that pepper our sky. So really, as we discover a new dish, aren't we rediscovering an old star?

Thank you all for reading, writing and letting me enjoy doing this blog.

The comet passes over, and now, time for a quick stop at the Tastee Treet!

[mongo_jones]

We started off with Uncle John's Cheese Balls.

i hope these weren't served with uncle john's special sauce

[bloviatrix]

Thank you kindly for a wonderful week.

[mongo_jones]

thanks for a wonderful blog adoxograph. i pity the poor loser who agreed to do one after you.

[adoxograph]

Only if cocktail sauce is special. :)

[balmagowry]

thanks for a wonderful blog adoxograph. i pity the poor loser who agreed to do one after you.

And all the more for having to do so under the cloud of your pity. For shame, Mongo! I'll never forget what it was like to see remarks like that piling up thick and deep during the last two days of Lucy's blog, all the time knowing that that poor sucker everyone felt so sorry for was... me. Whoever just got the torch has a full enough plate without being forcibly reminded what a tough act adoxograph is to follow!

Whoever you are, pay no attention to that curmudgeon behind the curtain: I bet your blog will be great, and I for one am looking forward to it.

The blog is dead - long live the blog!

And thank you, adoxograph, for that poetic curtain speech. I don't care if it was rehearsed - it was perfect.

(Not to mention that you've made me realize that one of these days I'm just going to have to give catfish another chance after all.)

[adoxograph]

Not rehearsed so much as mulled over. You tend to start considering weird questions of philosophy when you spend your time explaining to people that you aren't just looking through space, you're also looking through time. That and trying to prove to yet another person that, yes, we really landed on the moon. :)

The blog may be over - and I know the next one will be interesting no matter what the blogger may think - but anyone who would like more information can PM me. And I'll try to get that cinnamon roll recipe in recipegullet this week.

And maybe, just maybe, a picture of me in a brand new Bill's Toasty shirt will appear tomorrow. Heh.

[hathor]

It was a great blog! Many thanks! Cheese balls, corn dogs and catfish in Chicago and beyond. But...what about the Bill's Toasty t-shirt???

Excellent week!

[mags]

This was a terrific blog. And the Horseshoe looks like the absolute apotheosis of Delicious, Greasy, Really Bad-for-You food. Edinburgh isn't a college town? College students need to know about the Horseshoe.