Why is this fish sweating? He isn’t. Fish can’t sweat. They don’t have sweat glands. But he does look rather distressed. Why does he look distressed? Because he was painted that way. He’s not real.
If he did have the slightest understanding of human food ways, Fridays would be met with a great deal of anxiety [...]
Entries from February 2008
February 29, 2008
Fish on Friday
February 22, 2008
From Lemons, Lemonade
At some point in his motivational speaking career, Dale Carnegie uttered the famous, if misguided words:
“When fate hands you a lemon, make lemonade.”
The fault is not so much in the sentiment– making lemonade out of lemons is, naturally, a rather positive, productive activity. What bothers me is the underlying belief that there is something inherently [...]
February 22, 2008
The French Laundry: Heavy on the Starch
There are some things in this world best left to the imagination; people, places or events so idealized they could never live up to the expectations built up around them — your wedding day or a ménage à trois with a pair of identical twins or, in this case, dinner at what has been referred [...]
February 21, 2008
Getting Blood from an Orange
Are you as tired of 2008 as I am? The stock market is tanking as miserably as the housing market, winter storms have left us without power for days (and, in one case I know, without a roof), and I just might scream if I listen to any more caucus coverage. The general mood is [...]
February 20, 2008
Kill It and Grill It
… or The Carnivore’s Dilemma.
Originally, I had thought to do a little post on yet another odd celebrity cookbook, this one by Ted (Cat Scratch Fever) Nugent and his wife, Shemane. I thought I might be able to write an entire piece on the cover photo alone. Or Her name. Shemane.
I was immediately drawn to [...]
February 20, 2008
Valrhona: The Cultivation of Taste Seminar
This week, I was invited to a Valrhona chocolate seminar at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in San Francisco. Since I’d never been to a chocolate seminar, let alone the Ritz, and since someone was kind enough to invite me, I decided to go.
When I walked through the front door and into the lobby, I was greeted [...]
February 20, 2008
Avedano’s Meats: Local People, Local Food
I’ve been to Avedano’s Meats on Cortland several times since its grand opening on July 15, mostly just to poke around, but I could never remember the name. My friends who live in Bernal Heights would say things like, “Have you checked out that new place around the corner?” and, “What’s that place called again?” [...]
February 20, 2008
Luxury Bong Water Now Available
Several months ago, our local bottled water purveyor brought two executives from Pellegrino into our restaurant for dinner. As they sat at the bar digesting their meals with alcohol and animated chatter, I stopped by to say hello.
“Have you seen our new product?” the rep asked as she pulled a plastic bottle of water from [...]
February 20, 2008
Brini Maxwell: Drag Queen of Domesticity
I wish I’d thought of that little tag line, but I didn’t.
Sometimes, I think I spend far too much time sitting in front of my computer. Instead of doing something beneficial to myself, like exercising or cleaning my refrigerator, I troll sites like neatorama and thesuperficial.com. I’ve wasted hours online staring at folks making shadow [...]
February 20, 2008
The Mother of All Cooking Shows
This week marks both the birthday and deathday, if there is such a word, of Julia Child. The fact that no one in my culinary circle has mentioned either event upsets me. Where are the parades? Is anyone laying a wreath of Bay Laurel on her grave?
Some people old enough to do so talk of [...]
