eGullet: How Has It Changed Your Life?

[jamiemaw]

Sadly, my experiences have not been nearly as positive as most peoples. It's given me an insight into Restuarants I'd never have otherwise had, but mostly it's destroyed my opnion of some of my local culinary heroes. For example, the day I spied our own Mr. Maw buying tofu cheese and vegetarian pepperoni down at the Safeway was particularly difficult. Kinda like discovering Santa was  really just a behaviour modification tool used by parents.

I saw David Hawksworth, Chef Nyles and Chef Fowke down at Subway, they muttered something about Jared and avoided making eye contact. To make it worse, the snippet of conversation I overheard prior to them spying me was about the collective desire to be "sandwich artists"

And Coop sent me an email giving me a heads up that 39th and Cambie had the 4L handle jug of Calona Royal Red back in stock. He wanted to know if I wanted to share "cellar space" with him in his mini storage unit on Scott Road.   

And Daddy A? I'm 95% conviced that given half a chance he'd dine on my liver accompanied by fava beans and a nice Chianti.

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One of the greatest pleasures I've taken in eGullet have been these very posts--from the wicked and deeply amusing keyboard of Mr. Keith Talent. His sentimental posts recall a sign I used to have above my other keyboard that said, "REQUESTS FREE, 'FEEELINGS' $50."

I would like to modify one concern though:

For example, the day I spied our own Mr. Maw buying tofu cheese and vegetarian pepperoni down at the Safeway was particularly difficult.

Let's face it, tofu is the gustatory equivalent of lurking. Or lip-synching. Although . . .

Keith, many non-Canadian readers (there are a few out there, although that may not be the case on November 3rd), may not be completely familiar with the runaway success of Yves' Vegetarian De-Lites (although it's spreading like a herd of tofus in the States), nor that it is now engineered in many amusing but astonishingly realistic shapes: Pork chops, veal cutlets, foie gras de canard, even faux-Cornish game hens. But by far my favourite is their signature product (especially around Easter), called "Lack of Ram". Delicious. And right next door in the deli-case is the perfect accompaniment: tomato aspic with pimento. I'm pretty sure that's why Coop stockpiles the Calona Royal Red, for these three things make for a lusty and invigorating culinary marriage.

Edited October 29, 2004 by jamiemaw (log)

[Anna N]

If I told in how many ways eG has changed my life (for the better!) Jason would be sending me a bill for server space.

[glenn]

This is not the first time for this very same topic. I wish I remembered what I said the previous time.

Aside from raising my blood pressure a few too many times, I'm quite sure that without eglutton I would not have had the balls to pursue my dream of opening a cafe. As a back of the house person with no culinary skills and a very big yellow streak running down my spine, I don't think I ever would have considered it if I couldn't have relied on the folks here to help out in those areas I was lacking. And there are plenty of those. That is, skills that are lacking.

This whole endeavor has really given me lots of gratitude. It boggles my mind the extent that some people have gone to help, and not just with words and advice. This board even came up with the name of my cafe. And even the small bits of advice I've gotten. I've expressed my gratitude before, but I can't say thank you enough to this community.

[TheFoodTutor]

It has dramatically increased the number of hits I receive on my website, and at the same time it has kept me from doing some important things, because I just want to stick around and read a few more posts. So I guess you can say that it has simultaneously made me both more and less productive.

Really, I find it to be a terrific resource. It's the first place I look to find information about unusual ingredients or a wide variety of ethnic foods. It's also very relaxing that everyone here is not a food snob and people engage in realistic discussions on everything from haute cuisine to mushy white bread.

[snowangel]

I've spent way more on cookbooks and cooking equipment!

[misgabi]

I must also put my hand up for way more time spent on the internet at work ...... however, this is more than made up for by the stress relief I gain from reading the forums.

I have laughed out loud, frantically searched other sites for answers to questions, cried at some of the beautifully worded posts as people share such personal insights.

I love reading the food blogs and curse the fact that, being on the other side of the world, alot of the action going on is whilst I am asleep and I seem to be playing "catch up".

I have tried so many of the ideas put forward and am now the proud wife of a man who will actually eat cauliflower (roasted of course ) and goes into raptures over onion confit.

Coming from a rural town in Australia I find answers to lots of food questions I have even without asking - there seems to be a thread to cover just about everything. Although I don't post much I read with avid delight posts by people I think of as friends without ever having spoken to them.

Thank you egullet - for the unique gift of simply being so that such like minded, open minded and in some cases genuinely funny people can exchange ideas

[ghostrider]

eGullet is remarkable for gathering so many folks who share two of my passions - food & language.

I will forever remember 10/19//04 as the date, and eGullet as the place, where I first saw "snark" used as a verb. I had finally gotten used to the notion of "getting snarky with" various & sundry. Then I log onto eGullet and the phrase, an opportunity to snark on the Sox, leaps off the screen at me.

The usage may already be passe now - hey, it's been ten days - but for a brief moment there, I felt like I was on the cutting edge of linguistic evolution, actually watching it happen, thanks to eGullet.

[purplewiz]

- I've learned about roasted cauliflower and Jaymes' salsa. If I never learn another thing here, I'll have considered the time extraordinarily well spent.

- I've learned I do indeed live in a culinary backwater, but it bothers me less than it used to. I do the best I can with what we have, and sometimes it's very good indeed. It's nice having a world wide community to tap into and participate in, so I'm not quite so isolated.

- There are some posters who make me laugh, nod, or learn something every time they post. I should probably tell them that sometime.

- Some of the most fascinating threads to me are about the ins and outs of restaurant life. Since I've never been "in the business", and the more I read about it, the more I realize I never will be, it's like having a window into another universe. I think it's made me a better restaurant customer.

Marcia.

[Chris Amirault]

I won't repeat what many others have said, though I'll second the obvious about love of eating, love of food writing, and love of cooking.

I didn't notice anyone who had mentioned the outstanding courses here. The course on knife sharpening is a revelation, to name only one.

Finally, I really appreciate the tone here. Different threads can be obsessively erudite, ham-handedly naive, and archly wise-ass; not too many communities (especially on-line) have such a variety of bents and philosophies -- and bent philosophies.

So, thanks, everyone, for all this.

[Curlz]

What they all said.

Seriously, I think one of the most common threads holding this quilt together is the fact that there are so many of us all over the world! For me, eG really does resonate as a community, and while I've met a small handful of folks in NJ/NY and even in CA as a result of the site, I feel like we all have an instant connection--even to the newest members. We 'get' one another! Even when we don't. (No, I'm not naming names. )

I have learned by reading, I have learned by editing for the eGCI, and mostly, I have learned by watching topics develop with the contributions of our members' knowledge and insight. And the HUMOR factor, of course, is quite high. For me, it's as important in life as eating well! There have been far too many times that I have burst out laughing (esp at work--OOPS) to count.

Overall, eG has become an invaluable resource for me, and I take great pride in turning others on to the site. One of my favorite things is when my dad says "I saw on the Gullet that..." or "Did you see that post on the Gullet about..." No matter how many times I tell him it's not THE Gullet, he doesn't change his tune. Then again, it really is the (only) Gullet that matters on the Internet, so I guess he's not too far off.

[chezcherie]

the day i saw the light

i so clearly remember this day. i felt like a character in one of those '50s movies, you know, where the junkie is shooting up in squalor, and catches a glimpse of her reflection in a piece of broken mirror. "that's me---an addict. it ain't pretty, but it's true."

there i was with a 67 lb pig in the bathtub (something i'm fairly certain would never have happened w/o eG!), and in need of aid.

help!

without eGullet, i don't think there would have been a sight like this (and many more to come) in my very own backyard.

pig, glorious pig!

and very soon after my inaugural roast, several eGulleteers contacted me for advice on their first go at it. that was sweet, to be able to share the experience and encourage someone else, as i had so recently been encouraged.

i truly think i've learned as much on eGullet as i did in culinary school. that's why i was in such a rush to become one of the first "society donors"....not for the eGullet thong, i assure you (where IS that, btw?), but because it has really been a tremendous resource, therapy tool and generally enjoyable time waster for me.

(in the course of constructing this post, it occurred to me that i never would have learned all the cool little clickety stuff, either, if it weren't for eG!)

[chromedome]

I tripped across eGullet late last year. I was listening to an amusing CBC Radio program called The Vinyl Cafe, hosted by journalist/educator/humourist Stuart MacLean. He spoke of a recent visit to Vancouver, and how blown away he'd been by his visit to Vij's, and by Vikram himself.

Well, as a paid Googlista, I of course mounted up my favourite search engine and found that about 40% of the first few pages of results came from this..."eGullet" place. That I did not join at the time seems incomprehensible to me, and I can only attribute this to my absorption with my finals.

A few weeks later (January) I realized that I'd misplaced David Leite's pasteis de nata recipe and went looking for it on his website. There, I spotted a link to eGullet and thought, "Hey, I meant to go back and look at that place some more!" The rest, as they say, is history.

We know what spatchcoking is, see nothing wrong with owning more than 12 varieties of oil, and are more than willing to spend time helping somebody 3000 miles away from us figure out what to make with 1/2lb. of ground lamb, two gherkins and a Hershey bar.

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That, Daddy-A, has got to be the eGullet credo in a nutshell. I love it. I want the T-shirt.

(Sorry, Fat Guy, I'm 100% behind the lofty aims of our collective Society mission statement, but credit where credit is due, y'know?)

[lovebenton0]

If I neglected to say that the eGCI is an incredible deep resource beyond the great postings of everyday, I do stand remiss. To have access to free culinary classes is a gift that eG has been able to provide through the talents and tireless efforts of all of you who present the courses without compensation. And the Q&A for those courses, which expand the knowledge by everyones participation. Not to mention our Special Feature Q&As with some of the finest, most erudite, and willing to share experts in the broad field of culinary delight.

Yes, I have more time to read these days, and I thankfully have eG to provide me with some of the best info, brilliant topics, and knock out humor contributions anywhere.

[Chef Fowke]

Where else could a person have spent five months preparing, writing and talking about pastrami ( Great Pastrami Experiment on eGullet )...

Those were the good old days of eGullet.

[ScooterQ]

To hang out on egullet is to participate in a long, diverse, engaging conversation with some very thoughtful and passionate people on the subject of food. As far as I'm concerned, this is the most sophisticated, friendly group of food fanatics online anywhere.

[andiesenji]

I want to add that shortly after I became a member in April of this year, I fractured a vertebra in my low back plus rupturing two discs.

One of the things that kept me sane when the pain in my leg was so severe I couldn't concentrate on reading a book, was being able to read the posts from people here who are as passionate about food as I am.

Sometimes I had to get up and walk around or lie down in my recliner between posts, but the subjects kept my interest and distracted me from the pain. It was a lot better than taking Oxycontin.

[peanutgirl]

I haven't read all the replies... but eGullet has given me an online outlet for my OFD (obssesive food disorder... including the shopping, cooking , cookbooks, dreaming, and all that involves cooking). Most of my family and friends don't understand... unless they're eating over, that is.

It's changed my life to know that this is a universal habit, hobby, disease etc. I don't post too often, but I enjoy the reading, learning , sharing , and opinions of others. Love the fact that people post pictures of their meals .

When I post pictures, they may not be fancifull... I'm cooking for a family of 6. The kids are almost 12, almost 9, 6 and 4 1/2. They dont' care much for garnishing, but I do try,as I always have, to expand their palates.

While others at school get Lunchables... they get tortellini w/ pesto or other such sturdy leftovers. From eGullet I've learned that this is typical... and something to be proud since the kids lunch mates usually pick at their lunch since it's more interesting than theirs. Good on one hand, bad on the other. I'm not sure my kids eat all of their food with the friends picking at it.

I also enjoy the diversity of age, cultures, regions, professional experience, passionate expression, personal recipes... all of it.

I must acknowledge that Col' Klink's smoking class has dramatically changed our recreational grilling fun. It's been about one year since aquiring our WSM and never since High School have I smoked as much . It gave me the courage & confidence to go beyond where no brisket has been before.

Then there's LARB. I'm obsessed as is hubby happily.

I Love eGullet .

Edited October 31, 2004 by peanutgirl (log)

[Daddy-A]

Where else could a person have spent five months preparing, writing and talking about pastrami ( Great Pastrami Experiment on eGullet )...

Those were the good old days of eGullet.

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And where else could yours truly get to enjoy the results of that experiment??

A.

[jess mebane]

I read to know I larb not alone.

[chromedome]

Now that I have my "awake, post-coffee, less facetious" head on, I should add that I consider eGullet to be one of the finest Professional Development tools any newly-minted cook could ask for.

Where else could I find such an amazing group of great cooks (professional and home) to crib from?

And the daily count of belly-laughs is certainly therapeutic to my overworked soul.

[howard88]

eGullet for me is like two of the most important parts of life, namely food and sex.

As with sex, the next best thing after participating in it, is watching or talking about it.

[Mabelline]

Damn!! I totally forgot to add that I would never have learned about Mongolia like I did from Ellen Shapiro's excellent posts. And learning at least 50 different versions of eggs, as well as percyn's new milk-poached egg. Gracias!

[jgarner53]

I've learned so much here on eG that it's hard to know where to begin.

-making and reducing outstanding chicken stock thanks to eGCI

-trying to get sourdough starter going (woefully unsuccessful so far, despite living in San Francisco)

-all about larb

-so much about pastry that simply clicking into that forum I sometimes feel waaayy over my head until someone else asks a question I feel competent enough to answer

-all about the DQ moolatte fiasco

It's at least one daily dose of laughter, and there are certain people whose posts I can almost nearly count on to bring on guffaws.

I don't get nearly as much done at work, on the days I work. On the days I don't work, even less. Who needs a clean shower, when there's a new thread I must read?

Mostly I feel like the young apprentice studying at the master's apron, whether it's reading a blog, or about some ingredient I've never heard of, or the Q&A sessions. I get giddy to think that people like Bourdain post here.

eG is a food community of the first order, and while sometimes we get riled up, ultimately, it's about the food, man. It's what brings us all together.

[Behemoth]

I was always an avid DIY-er, but I was also a vegetarian for 10 years. Now, due to someone's recommendation, I own THIS.

And to make matters worse, I find it indispensable.

[Al_Dente]

eGullet saved me from prison.

If I didn't have this outlet where I work, I would have "gone postal" a long time ago.