Lizard's Profile
NYT: "A Mathematical Challenge to Obesity"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lLEsQEj9OuM
Does anyone actually like Sandra Lee?
You're not alone. (I could also look on the 'bright' side: At least with 'ur' I can't see that someone doesn't know the difference between 'your' and 'you're'.)
But again, with you on infantile language. Ugh.
Does anyone actually like Sandra Lee?
Yeah, I feel that way when I see people write 'ur' or 'LOL' or can't even cobble together a full grammatical sentence.
I guess there's always someone taking humanity down.
Come Dine With Me
Not quite, ratgirl. Outing myself as a CDWM fan, I can say that there are times where it airs with 30min episodes across a week (teatime viewing) but there are also the hour-long 4 guest episodes, one of which I'm watching right now, having DVR'd Channel 4's delights of this past work week.
What would Emily Post do? [moved from New Orleans]
I'm not clear how yelling or raising one's voice to make a request constitutes passive aggression. Aggression perhaps, but passive plays no role in this.
Is the name " Site Talk" too confusing to new posters?
No, not 'dumbed down', Quine. FB and Twitter are different kinds of social utility networks and given the way they function, we are less likely to see the n00bs who fail-- unless you, like me, enjoy checking out the various failblogs.
CH is really simple: It is an old school message board that has been tweaked to provide some nice features (following posters, not having to plough through old posts). It is so oldschool as to be disarming to those who see every site as a potential social networking site. (CH is in the way BBS were, more than the ways that Twitter, Tumblr, or FB are.)
As for what to do.. nothing. There have always been n00bs. They just need to level up.
Funniest thing you seen in a restaurant?
It's good to clarify. In your original post, you simply wrote 'Then one guy realized he didn't have cash, so instead of the guys giving him the cash, they asked for separate checks.' There was no statement about the bill being delivered first.
Not sure why this is the 'funniest thing' you have seen in a restaurant either, but to each their own.
Ultra-pasteurized milk is VILE!
I drink this crap. Or, at least, I drink UHT milk. Or rather, I put it in my coffee and tea as I'm not much of a milk drinker. I don't understand the hate, but then, as I spent half of my childhood in Western continental Europe and as this was what was given me, I wonder if there's a nostalgic imprint. The flavour, which is distinctive, does not bother me in the least.
I continue to buy it as my refrigerator is too small to keep my next bottle anywhere but the cupboard. As for the questions of organic and hormone free? As far as I understand, EU countries are obliged to keep milk hormone free. (But if someone who is better educated on the matter of EU regulations and dairy can set me straight, please do!)
First time in Paris - need help choosing restaurants (can't read menus!)
Definitely worth popping by (La Palette) for a drink and a look at the art there. And a solid chance of seeing Jacques Chirac (not that that's a treat, mind).
At Titanic Themed Dinner Club - Bad Taste?
Hmmm. I don't know that a Civil War reenactment (noted battles of --mostly-- willing participants) is analogous to commemoration of a tragedy. I do wonder, though, if the events of 9/11 had happened later in the day, would one feel good abut a 'Windows on the World' meal, just like the one had by the tragic victims? Not saying one should, and not even taking a side, but there are minor differences that can mean a lot when we consider how we choose to commemorate a tragedy.
That said, much of this discussion makes me think of the scholarship on commemorations that suggests they serve more to forget than to actually remember.
Hey! You Going to Eat or What?
I've been fortunate enough to visit this food truck on South Congress twice, and I have to say that I've really enjoyed the sandwiches. I've only had the BLT (fried Green Tomatoes, bacon and poblano aioli) and the Cubano (hickory smoked pork and pickled jalapeno) but both have been lovely, flavourful, fatty sandwiches. Chef Eric makes chips/crisps from the potato while you wait. He's friendlier than the gruff postings on the cart would suggest.
I wish I were staying longer so I could eat each sandwich he offers. Or another BLT.
I envy Austinites their amazing selection of food -- had a few other memorable meals, too. Y'all are so lucky.
Participants on Food Media and News: Your Input Please
Your statements are baseless and without merit.
Participants on Food Media and News: Your Input Please
Thank you, soupkitten. Well said. I have been well put off by the type of discussion had on those threads and gave myself a headache with all the eye-rolling and eyebrow raising done whenever a particularly vitriolic post referred to 'mean girls'.
Ben and Jerry's Taste the Lin-Sanity
Do you seriously not understand how an ice cream 'tribute' that reduces a person to his ethnicity is problematic? And how this is not the same thing as a generalised practice within American restaurants?
Requesting separate boards for Vegan-Vegetarian and Allergic-Intolerant
Just as an aside here: Jewish dietary laws are laws and while they can be related to beliefs, belief is not necessary. In fact, that is why Jews can be atheists. You don't need to believe, you just need to follow the laws....
Also-- I'm not saying anything below about what people are 'allowed' to do. I just don't understand the phenomenon of non-Jews following Jewish dietary laws. Nor am I certain they are being followed so much as certain elements are embraced.
Ben and Jerry's Taste the Lin-Sanity
We can take this further: The programme wasn't made to honour a single person's achievements.
The flavour is problematic because it reduces Lin to his ethnicity and not to his achievements.
Requesting separate boards for Vegan-Vegetarian and Allergic-Intolerant
Sorry, still don't follow. Cabbage and corned beef is a dish, not a set of religious/ethnic dietary laws. I appreciate that some might prefer meat that has been slaughtered according to laws of kashrut, but kosher goes much further than selective purchases. As for 'superior', I suppose there I still have to say WTF? Plus, this seems speculation. Are you talking about you?
Requesting separate boards for Vegan-Vegetarian and Allergic-Intolerant
Kosher non-Jews? Why? Kosher refers to following a certain set of Jewish dietary laws. Why would someone follow them if not Jewish? And would following them as a whim actually be 'Kosher' or a dietary quirk not unlike other food-based choices? I'd say I'm curious, but frankly, I'll confess that I seriously don't believe anybody not Jewish can follow a Kosher diet and have it be Kosher, rather than just an idiosyncratic diet that happens to follow the laws of Kashrut. 'Kosher non-jews?' I really don't understand that one. (And yes, I am Jewish, hence why I really don't understand this business.)
Participants on Food Media and News: Your Input Please
True, maybe. But the fact that the word 'bashing' keeps appearing suggests a very limited range of discourse and a recourse to the lazy viewer/commenter. Perhaps if the bar were upped a little, this site would be more about the food aspects and more entertaining to read. At this point, many of these discussions of personalities are producing a degree of nastiness that really isn't conducive to fostering a collective site of discussion.
That I'm even participating in the boards at this point is more a function of my desire to make this place more appealing. Because really, with all this bashing (and not a gentle, intelligent, humorous mocking a la Portlandia) it's just boring and ugly.
(That said, I won't envision a more appealing past as I remember pleading with the mods to remove discussions about certain people described as 'ugly dykes' and so on. Free speech does not mean obligation to host.)
Participants on Food Media and News: Your Input Please
Making oneself a public figure does mean accepting the likelihood that people will be out there saying things, bashing, etc. However, understanding that risk is not the same thing as providing a platform for that to happen.
I think that the ugliest side I've seen of hounds whose input I generally appreciate has been on the Top Chef threads. The attacks on another individual give me insights into a character I'd rather not know, and that kind of thing is off-putting and unnecessary on a site where people can talk about food and the dishes prepared in a challenge.
Top Chef Texas - Ep. #15 - 02/15/12 (Spoilers)
Thank you souvenir and soupkitten. I'd also clarify that the lack of critical engagement with what's 'onscreen' or the inability to consider the manipulations that do seem so prominent, strike me as disappointing and naive. The fact that these so often lead to nasty claims about characters is also troubling, because even if these people have submitted themselves to become characters for a programme, it would be decent of viewers to remember that there are real people beyond that representation and to rethink the level of vitriol they use. They are characters on a story we are watching, but because this is a non-scripted programme using non-actors (who perform versions of themselves) some consideration of the real-world effects of such nastiness would be nice.
Plus, I still can't get over the gendered aspect of these characterisations that accompany braying cries of 'beeyotch' (really?) and other unpleasant epithets...
Top Chef Texas - Ep. #15 - 02/15/12 (Spoilers)
I don't find it surprising that there was an attempt to craft Sarah as mean girl. What surprises and disappoints (although clearly it shouldn't) is how readily so many here buy into that characterisation with absolutely no critical thinking. While I can see how this could be done, particularly after the Restaurant Wars episode in which some people articulated their frustration with Beverly's scattiness and tendency towards self-absorbtion, I think the construction has appeared forced. More notable has been the wilful disregard of other contestants' similar sentiments. That combined with declarations of 'beeyotch' as well as nasty slams on the character (and appearance) of women has made this really ugly-- and has had the comments come across as mean girlish far more than anything Sarah and Lindsay have ever done. I'm glad you're aware of the producers' creation of characters and narrative as we all should be; I'm less glad that people here can watch this and sense anything beyond that. I'm also not thrilled by the lack of critical engagement with the construction of the programme or the responses to it.
Full disclosure, I think all appear to be fine chefs and I would be delighted to eat anyone's food; I have no favourites, just a distaste for nastiness.
How do people become food critics?
Hobbess, based on what you've written, I think there's some crucial advice to be given here (for the OP):
Learn to take criticism: People noting the importance of grammar are not naysayers. They are noting a critical component of work in the world of journalism. No one is condemned to their grammar; this is an area that can be improved.
More importantly, pointing out issues that need work are not 'attacks' and reading them as such is the surest way to close oneself off from the needed development of skills for a career.
In addition to welcoming opportunities for potential improvement: Develop a thicker skin. The world of publishing and journalism is one filled with rejection and criticism. Learn to determine what is useful without losing one's own voice, or running off in a strop as those critics are dismissed as 'mean' 'jealous' or anything else.
Finally, aim to be good. Aim for improvement. Just because some shnook lucked into a gig doesn't mean all shnooks do. And more importantly, don't we want to raise the bar for enjoyable reading? (Well, given the posts on teh interwbez, possibly not, but many of us appreciate a commitment to good prose.)
Top Chef Texas - Ep. #15 - 02/15/12 (Spoilers)
Nice Sarah will be miles ahead of many people posting here. The nastiness is so overwhelming that I have to stop reading the commentary. It's really quite sad, actually.
What to expect at a "Tea"
To make things more interesting, a Scottish High Tea is a hot dish or a hot meal served with the biscuits, scones, and cakes of an afternoon tea. Tea is served. There's a few places around these parts offering it. Don't imagine anyone will expect that, though. Looks like even the English don't know what happens up here.
What's the peatiest, smokiest scotch?
Suggestions like Peat Monster are apt, but risk venturing into the gimmicky. Ardbeg is great, but the Ardbeg supernova seems to be playing to this as well.
I really recommend just exploring the Islays and in particular, as it's not mentioned here, Caol Ila, which is lovely and peaty whilst being interesting and having a distinct character to boot.
