jlafler's Recent Activity
Chowhound Post
Alton Brown on Sunday Edition on NPR
Actually, the one thing she did that I thought was interesting was to show the graph of Google food-related searches over time, with the regular peaks right around Thanksgiving. It's at about the one minute mark.
Chowhound Post
Alton Brown on Sunday Edition on NPR
See also:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Inap7n...
I would advise skipping the first 10 minutes or so, which is just the Google veep going on and on.
Chowhound Post
Next Iron Chef Finale - Spoilers
Yeah, I have to agree. If he's serving it, it's his responsibility to make sure it's up to what I would hope are his standards.
Chowhound Post
Eric Ripert - A less polarizing version of Alice Waters?
It sounds like you grew up in a small town or rural area -- so it may have been a part of the country that was incorporated wholesale into the industrial food system relatively late. I grew up in a large metropolitan area and despite the fact that we were close to the source of much of the produce sold in the U.S., I didn't know many people who grew vegetables themselves -- nobody in our neighborhood that I can think of, and none of the kids I grew up with. Shopping at the supermarket was the norm -- my mom was a bit of a foodie, so she shopped at specialized produce markets, but she did a lot of things that were weird at the time, like buying whole bean coffee and grinding it fresh every morning! I grew up thinking of farming and growing food in a nostalgic kind of way, possibly quite similar to the way that Alice Waters did -- an urban romantic view which I realize is nowhere close to the reality of rural life.
It's also worth noting that it's not just produce that figures into the local eating issue. Little if any wheat is grown within 100 miles of where I live, for example, but of course wheat bread and wheat flour are staples.
As for the question of why people are so irked by Alice Waters, I do think that she often comes off as insensitive and elitist -- I remember reading an article in which she was a minor character, and she really did come off as a prima donna. But I also wonder how much of that is her and how much is the selective portrait of her that's become fashionable in the food world -- and it's certainly become very fashionable to diss her. Some discussion of that here: http://www.gourmet.com/foodpolitics/2...
Chowhound Post
Next Iron Chef Finale - Spoilers
I only saw about the first half of the Indian challenge, but one of my first thoughts was that it could work against Mehta since the judges would have higher expectations for him (justifiably enough). But that didn't bother me so much because it was a group challenge. When you have only two, and the ingredient so clearly favors one over the other, that seems like more of a big deal. I'm not complaining (no ingredient or theme is perfect for both contestants), but it did seem odd to me that AB specifically said the ingredient was good for both of them.
I meant to ask before, why did you think the fix was in for Mehta?
Chowhound Post
Next Iron Chef Finale - Spoilers
In the first "Next Iron Chef" they started out with four white men out of eight contestants, and only one of them got eliminated before the last of the non-white and female chefs had been tossed.
Chowhound Post
100 mile planetary misconception
There was an article in the New Yorker that touched on this a while back:
"Researchers at Lincoln University, in Christchurch, found that lamb raised in New Zealand and shipped eleven thousand miles by boat to England produced six hundred and eighty-eight kilograms of carbon-dioxide emissions per ton, about a fourth the amount produced by British lamb. In part, that is because pastures in New Zealand need far less fertilizer than most grazing land in Britain (or in many parts of the United States). Similarly, importing beans from Uganda or Kenya—where the farms are small, tractor use is limited, and the fertilizer is almost always manure—tends to be more efficient than growing beans in Europe, with its reliance on energy-dependent irrigation systems."
More: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/20...
I try to eat local, but I don't make a fetish of it. The one thing I've completely given up is bottled water, which is incredibly wasteful of energy and other resources.
Chowhound Post
Next Iron Chef Finale - Spoilers
This was pretty much what I expected -- as has been noted by many here, Mehta has been given a "villain edit" all along. It did seem to me that, despite what Alton said, the theme ingredient stacked the deck in Garces' favor.
It seems pretty clear that Garces is technically skilled, so it's not a bad choice. I just hope he opens up and gets more creative in future battles.
Steingarten also gets a villain edit -- he's "the East German judge" -- Kishi's old role. I don't like him much, but I think he's probably not as much of an ass as he looks on the show.
Chowhound Post
Eric Ripert - A less polarizing version of Alice Waters?
I didn't mean to suggest that she thought up the idea of eating locally and seasonally, since that's the way humans have eaten throughout most of our history. And she was certainly inspired by the time she spent in France during the 60's. (I do think that she and other proponents of this idea tend to overlook food preservation traditions, but that's another matter.)
But yes, I think she's a radical, in that she was (and still is) bucking the trend of her time. Also, there's a big difference between actively promoting this type of eating (and resisting commercialization, monoculture, etc.,) and eating this way because it's the only way to eat. If all Alice Waters is doing is exercising common sense, then why do so many people think that she's unreasonable, and that what she's promoting is simply too much to ask of people?
It's certainly true that the transition to mass-produced processed foods accelerated during the 70's and 80's, but it was in motion long before then. And "minimally processed" is not the same as "local/seasonal." Fruit importing and exporting was a big business by the end of the 19th century (insert obligatory reference to the United Fruit Company). California fruit agriculture boomed in the early 1900s, and most of it was for export. Commercially canned food is a 19th century invention. When I was a kid (and I suspect we're around the same age), there was little discussion of where the food we ate was grown, though since I grew up in California, most of the produce probably was local. But it really wasn't something most people thought about.
Chowhound Post
The Next iron Chef - Down to Two (spoilers, including for finale episode)
And Morimoto beat Mehta in Battle Coconut.
Chowhound Post
Eric Ripert - A less polarizing version of Alice Waters?
But Ripert is from France! Isn't that even more elitist than being from California?
Chowhound Post
Eric Ripert - A less polarizing version of Alice Waters?
I'm pretty sure that the main difference between them is that Alice Waters has been propounding this viewpoint for more than 30 years, and in fact her influence is one of the main reasons that it's not exactly a radical attitude any more: many chefs of Ripert's generation emphasize fresh/local/seasonal/sustainable.
Chowhound Post
British article about Hershey trying to buy Cadbury...
Many people (including many Americans) enjoy feeling snobby and superior when it comes to American food, especially food produced by big American companies like Hershey. There are a lot of things about American food culture that I don't like, but I think it's kind of a silly attitude.
I've preferred dark chocolate all my life, but when I do eat milk chocolate I prefer the American style (with butyric acid); European milk chocolate just tastes bland to me.
Chowhound Post
The Next iron Chef - Down to Two (spoilers, including for finale episode)
I don't think they need to fix the results; they have plenty of tape to choose from, and they knew the outcome of the competition was known before the show was edited. That's why I think Miss Needle is right: if Mehta is the winner, they would have portrayed him more sympathetically. Or maybe they'll give us some kind of personality breakthrough in the final battle.
I've only watched the last two episodes, so I don't really know the cast of characters, but my impression is that Garces is the more versatile chef. There are several different basic "Iron Chef" personality types. Mehta would be the flashy, temperamental sort; Garces seems more practical and unflappable.
Chowhound Post
British article about Hershey trying to buy Cadbury...
Heh. I was particularly amused by the dissing of Reese's Peanut Butter cups, which my British cousin adores and asks us to bring with us when we visit (other brands of peanut butter cups are not acceptable).
The basic issue with American vs. British milk chocolate is simple: butyric acid. On the other hand, people who eat Marmite shouldn't throw stones.
Chowhound Post
Something is eating my root vegetables
And it's not me!
My parsnips are doing fine, carrots okay, but the beets and turnips are getting chomped mercilessly. Cutworms? I haven't seen evidence of slugs.
Chowhound Post
Super Deal: La Tur $2.99 at Sigona's
Very ripe. Runny. The rind did seem very slightly ammoniated.
They had some in the regular "French cheese" case at the regular price ($12), and some (only a few) in the "specials" case for $5; presumably that's the stuff they thought was getting too ripe.
Chowhound Post
Super Deal: La Tur $2.99 at Sigona's
Oops, I already went. Maybe I'll bring some for Thanksgiving.
Chowhound Post
Super Deal: La Tur $2.99 at Sigona's
Ooh, thanks for the tip!
Chowhound Post
Next Iron Chef Episode 1 10/4 [And subsequent episodes] (spoilers)
I like Symon and am glad he won. I found Besh dull and thought Symon was a lot more fun to watch (though I could do without the laugh).
But it's unfortunate that the win was tainted by having Michael Ruhlman as one of the judges; I don't care how objective he tried to be, he shouldn't have agreed to judge the competition when Symon was a contestant. (Please note that I'm not accusing Ruhlman of *deliberately* favoring Symon.) And if you read Ruhlman's description of the final battle (it's on his blog somewhere; should be easy to find), it sure looks like the FN networks stacked the deck in Symon's favor in the final battle. I'm a little surprised Donatella agreed to be a judge again.
Chowhound Post
botulism in canning: is it all about pH?
I think some of the confusion about whether C. botulinum can tolerate air comes from the fact that the bacteria can survive in two distinct forms: vegetative cells, which are metabolically active, and endospores, which are not. The endospores can survive in a greater range of conditions (including aerobic conditions), but don't produce botulin toxin -- they're essentially dormant. You could have endospores all over your kitchen, and they wouldn't harm you. When the conditions are right for the organism's metabolism (no oxygen, low acid, etc.), the endospores produce vegetative cells, which in turn produce the toxin that is deadly to humans. Thus, it's necessary to destroy the endospores before they are introduced into conditions that allow the growth of vegetative cells. So if your canned goods are potentially a good growth medium for the vegetative cells, you have to use high heat and pressure to kill the endospores; otherwise, it's not necessary.
Chowhound Post
Ten Things Anthony Bourdain and David Chang Hate
You can agree with a few of the things they said and still think they're asses. Last I heard, Anthony Bourdain was still an unapologetic sexist pig. I read a profile of Michael Chang in the New Yorker several months ago, and he just came off as someone who thinks he's being transgressive when all he's doing is saying "f*ck" a lot.
[edited to give the Chowhound moderators less reason to delete]
Chowhound Post
Hounds with allergies, question for you...
Peanuts and tree nuts aren't closely related botanically, but the proteins are similar and a lot of people are allergic to both peanuts and tree nuts. My daughter has a peanut allergy, and the allergist advised us to avoid tree nuts as well, even though her tree nut skin tests were negative.
Maybe they had a bad experience around allergies with another customer recently, and that's what made them edgy.
Chowhound Post
What's in your Fall Garden?
I'm doing mostly root vegetables -- a couple of heirloom varieties of carrots and beets, parsnips, onions. Also cauliflower and a winter squash (mystery seedling from my sister's compost bin) that's already in place. I have been thinking of putting in some peas. I haven't had much luck with arugula this summer, but I'm hoping it'll do better when the weather turns cooler.
Chowhound Post
Pruning an artichoke
Update update update: There are now four little artichokes on the larger plant! The smaller plant is going strong, but not bearing yet.
Chowhound Post
Alton Brown
Losing 45 pounds could definitely be a bad thing. A very very bad thing. Contrary to popular belief, there is such a thing as "too thin."
Chowhound Post
HELP! Family dinner ideas for picky toddler!
How about quesadillas? You can serve them with toppings and condiments (salsa, sliced avocado, sour cream, etc.), to make them more interesting for everybody else, and also possibly tempt him to branch out.
Chowhound Post
Expert Canning Advice Needed re: My first batch of Tomatoes
I had a similar problem with some zucchini pickles. My guess is that I didn't leave enough headspace in the jars. According to the National Center for Food Preservation "If too little headspace is allowed the food may expand and bubble out when air is being forced out from under the lid during processing. The bubbling food may leave a deposit on the rim of the jar or the seal of the lid and prevent the jar from sealing properly." But my jars have "clicked" and appear to be sealed, so I think it's okay.
Chowhound Post
Allergies and Restaurants
Unfortunately, this is a very common situation on Chowhound, and one reason I rarely read or post to the "not about food" board. I'm not sure why so many people's knee-jerk reaction to mention of an allergy or any other food restriction is annoyance, scorn, and disbelief. I really don't understand it.
