Food and Drink
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And now for another installment in my long-running "autobiography by topics." Today's topic is my life as a cook. I say cook, rather than chef, because my kitchen work has always been functional rather that artistic — the very opposite of sophisticated or elegant. I am most definitely not a chef — just a guy…
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When I downsized into my present residence in 2009, a few essential items disappeared, among them a venerable but excellent toaster. I did not replace it because I was distracted by more pressing matters. I went toasterless for almost five years. Later, when I entered into a tentative new relationship, toasterlessness became a matter…
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The universal condiment in the ancient world, a staple of Roman, Greek and Byzantine cuisines, was garum. Garum was manufactured in enormous quantities and shipped in special amphorae all over the civilized, colonized universe. What is garum? It's a fishy sauce that any sensible modern apple-pie-loving American would avoid at all costs. Trust me, you would…
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Many a restaurant in New Orleans; and many visited by us during our latest stay. Two divergent experiences. Shaya, and Venezia. Shaya: Slick, elegant, ultra-modern, carefully designed. Waitpersons stylishly costumed and coiffed. Well-trained. Reservations mandatory. Customers: jacketed and tied, or on high heels. Price: whole wallet. The place to go if you're looking for wood…
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Sardines, a tin at a time. Herring, canned, either in wine sauce or in tomato sauce. Whitefish. Lima beans, which came into the house dried but which were soaked to plump up, then boiled and mashed (but not for me, if I could possibly avoid them). Potatoes in any form, but usually mashed and buttered. No chicken or lamb…
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"Enough is as good as a feast" has become my very favorite proverb. It's a warning against crass consumerism, against materialism, against the excesses of capitalist acquisitiveness. Cold water in a jelly glass, it asserts, is as good as your $500 wine in crystal. As they used to gloss the proverb, no "avaricious scraping…
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On the main street of Estes Park (Gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park), a sign outside the restaurant advertised "deepfried oreos." I was both flabbergasted and thunderstruck, not believing my eyes. But here's the evidence: Just above ice cream and below "funnel cakes" (but that's another story). Is it a hoax, or can there be…