A Tasting Party,

[stefanyb]

Stefany - Maybe I should start a thread that asks, Which eGullet member would you choose to be horizontal with?

I haven't actually met everyone in the flesh, yet, so I'd have to reserve my answer for sometime in the future.

I'd definitely put you in contention, even if we haven't met as yet, if you'd stick to food and drink when you post your wonderful notes on meals and on wine, because my true love is Egullet (don't tell anyone).

[yvonne johnson]

I'll bring 4 to 6 bottles of whisky.  And, to hell with the votes on the winner... let's just see who goes horizontal first.  Blotto, that is.  I won't go horizontal any other way.

And at this do, tasting party, there'd better be no more talk of food and going horizontal for any reason other than passing out.  My delicate nature cannot stomach the idea of two people making squelching noises.  Most vile.

[Steve Plotnicki]

"I'd definitely put you in contention, even if we haven't met as yet, if you'd stick to food and drink when you post your wonderful notes on meals and on wine, because my true love is Egullet (don't tell anyone)."

I'm afraid your "true love" has taken some of the fun out it for me. But that would never reflect on my choice for horizontalism. Can I have a tie?

[cabrales]

To quote Wilfrid from the Union Pacific thread:

I stand by my warning on the night that the last thing Plotters needs is an ego massage.  :wow:

[Jinmyo]

Soba, why not EVOO for marinating the olives? Is it because there's so much citrus and chile? I'd still use EVOO...

[Rachel Perlow]

Soba, why not EVOO for marinating the olives? Is it because there's so much citrus and chile? I'd still use EVOO...

I was wondering the same thing.

[ahr]

Steve P., will you be bringing the salt?  Vertically or horizontally?

[jaybee]

All kidding aside, I think this is a cool idea.

[SobaAddict70]

Jinmyo,

I prefer to use EVOO on stuff where the flavor of the oil will shine through or enhance what's already there.  I feel that using something like EVOO on a dish where there's lots of things in the background is a waste of a good resource when good quality OO will do just as fine.  For example, I would use EVOO to top off a minestrone invernale (sic) or something like pasta with a sauce of stewed cabbage and garlic.  But something like basic sugo pomodoro (tomato sauce), chicken marengo, or pasta with tuna, capers, lemon and olives, I would use OO because of all the competing elements in the dish.  I hope that explains my philosophy.

IMO, EVOO should be treated just like aceto balsamico tradizionale....not splashed about with abandon.  But I'm in the minority, obviously...  

Certain posters on this site have passions about French cuisine/culture.  Mine is Italian cuisine, and to a lesser extent, its culture.  Actually, I'm more interested in the history and anthropology of all food, regardless of cuisine or background.  Maybe I should go to grad school for that.   =)

Soba

[stefanyb]

Okay, we've secured a place for this finally. Lets start talking about it again. It'll be in November, probably on a Sunday at 5 again.

How shall we begin to plan?

[CathyL]

Let's pick a date. How about Sunday Nov. 10?

[i'm still too cheese-sodden to have any clever ideas about what I'd get horizontal with.]

[stefanyb]

Let's pick a date.  How about Sunday Nov. 10? 

[i'm still too cheese-sodden to have any clever ideas about what I'd get horizontal with.]

That works for me.

There is a limit to the number of people so secure your spot soon!

[Sandra Levine]

I'm in, with mustards. Should I limit it to Dijon mustards or branch out?

[helenas]

I would volunteer for honey, but i'm afraid Stefany will kill me...

Maybe bread?

[CathyL]

'Bread' and 'mustard' seem too broad to me. I can envision a comparative tasting of Dijons, for example, but there are too many varieties (and uses) of mustard to anoint one jar, or even three, The Best.

It might be fun to do several bread horizontals: baguettes, rye, bagels...

I'm in for brownies, unless Jaybee wants to flip for it.

[ahr]

Does peanut butter have insufficient snob appeal?

Horizontal: PB&Co., Bazzini, Smucker's Natural, Jif, Skippy.

Vertical: PB&Co. smooth, chunky, spicy.

[Sandra Levine]

I think peanut butter would be make a great tasting, especially if you include Commodities freshly-ground.

I agree, CathyL, that Dijon v. Dijon is the way to go.

[Double 0]

I assume chocolate would be acceptable, nothing flavored. Maybe by coco content? What about chocolate chips or chocolate covered grahams or pretzels,etc, etc. I got dibs on the pure chocolate, mmmmmm chocolate

[CathyL]

Double O so dreamey.

[stefanyb]

I was thinking of doing hams, maybe even a little more specific like country hams or polish hams or smithfield hams or French hams.

[CathyL]

Stefany, great idea! I was pondering a prosciutto/jamon comparison.

[LaNiña]

I'm so in!!!!! Salamis!!!

My computer is in the shop, hence my recent absence....hopefully tomorrow. Arrgghhhhhh!!!

[Liza]

I'm so...maybe maybe maybe! I'm the worst, I know. Vertical, huh? Lemme chime in a little closer to the day and time and come up with a theme.

[Toby]

Tarte tatin -- apple tarte tatin, pear tarte tatin, quince tarte tatin.

[CathyL]

Toby, .

I may change brownies to flourless chocolate cakes, or something else baked and chocolate.

Or roasted squash of several varieties. Or both.