+1 for Pomi. If I can find it where I live.

Yeah, lox is yet another thing that seemed like a good idea when it was $12 a pound. Barely worth it now.

And roasted way darker than necessary to hide the ass flavor. That's Charbucks.

Thank you. I somehow doubt that JBM coffee would prevail in a blind taste test against any number of better Central American coffees.

+1 on the caviar. I've had the really good stuff & believe that if it was $4.95 a pound people would complain about having to eat it.

50% butter, 50% Tabasco hot sauce. At a cook-off (for charity) one time the crowd wiped out my wings & left all the others untouched.

Damn, you gotta pay to see this one. Anybody got a copy that they can post?

I am rather embarassed to admit that in a moment of severe head cheese deprivation I bought and consumed several packages of Columbus head cheese. That said, it certainly was far from the best quality, but OK in a pinch.

+1 for the Valbreso

Straight tequila or mezcal. They apparently have some antibacterial properties in addition to the alcohol. It's worked well at times, and hasn't hurt when it didn't work.

Got a very questionable batch of applewood smoked bacon from Broadbent's recently. One package actually smelled bad. Their customer service was defensive and only willing to give me a voucher for one free package of bacon for my next order (which won't be happening).

Sweet Maria's in Oakland is a long-established importer of top quality coffee beans from all over the planet. They now offer fresh roasted coffee and will ship it to you promptly. Great selection and excellent stuff. I've been getting my green coffee beans from them for over 10 years.

You might like to consider a Vietnamese coffee dripper. They're a few dollars each at many Asian markets. And they're designed to make a single serving of coffee - very slowly but very well.

I'd strongly recommend that you stick with the original plan and find the Victorinox knives elsewhere

Fernet Branca, straight. There's a reason why stuff like this is called a digestive.

Having endured gastroenteritis in Portugal, I can assure (sorry) you that finding toilets in some countries is an ongoing and urgent issue. Have a close encounter with some foreign bacteria that's "new to you" and you WILL become preoccupied with access to functional toilets. Now try to imagine the same little problem while travelling in the Far East (read: "bomb site" toilets) or in a developing nation where your next toilet might be a hole in the floor. Not for the squeamish.

Tough to source but you might enjoy wild duck. Know any hunters? Watch out for the shot pellets...

Research has revealed the existence of what they call "super tasters" who are exquisitely sensitive to strong flavors. These people typically can detect bitter flavors like quinine in minute quantities and often greatly dislike the taste of alcohol.

Schlitz beer! Once was a real favorite, then became wretched swill. I can't get it here in California, but have heard that they claim to have returned to the original recipe. Anybody know anything about this?

RIP, Hebrew National. Another one of ConAgra's "walking dead" products.

I have to say I miss several of the products that ConAgra bought out. Not the ones they discontinued, but rather the stuff that's still there, in the same wrapper, but now very inferior to the original product. Sort of like zombie foods. Hebrew National and Poppycock are greatly lamented.

Yes, and the weird little frozen eggroll things, too.

Steaming eggs seems to work best when they're in one layer and not stacked or piled up. Of course, it depends on the number of eggs, their initial temperature and size. That said, bring the water to a vigorous boil (with the eggs above the water enough that they don't get splashed) and remove a test egg after about 15 minutes or so to check for doneness. I've found that this approach hasn't been very fussy and I've gone past half an hour with good results.

I couldn't agree more with what's been posted above. I would like to add one more thing - I find that my "technique" always seems to work better with a better cut of meat from a good butcher. Some of the mass-produced meats can be snarky and tricky to work with, IMHO.

Bourdain has filled the gap I felt after Hunter S Thompson shot himself a few years ago. Except Thompson was apparently exaggerating or fabricating quite a few of his reported escapades. Bourdain, on the other hand, appears to have glossed over quite a bit from his junkie period.

Am I the only person who notices that Guy Fieri seems to be gritting his teeth as he eats some of the greasier crap? Almost makes the show worthwhile.

My personal least-loved descriptive word: mouthwatering. Bad visual with that one.

Make pizza from scratch. If the word gets out about how good and dirt cheap it is Domino's is in trouble. I'd estimate no more than $1 per person if you stick with veggie toppings like onion, garlic, basil, etc. Mine was ugly and misshapen, but always well received.

Very similar to my "go to" dish. It was so popular that I got a call from a woman who hated me, begging for the recipe because her boyfriend liked it so much (I gave her the recipe). You can't lose with this one except for the occasional fussy eater.

Had a good reception last week with this old classic: Stilton cheese with water crackers and toasted walnuts (with the required tawny port as a beverage).