This and That, These and Those

Well, as July goes out like…. The devil? A furnace?  Temperatures and humidity are staying in the upper eighties and nineties, I am wondering where one could move so that wearing a sweater every day would be appropriate.   I know different people deal with the withering heat in different ways, some soldier through, some wear layered clothing, hydrate and all the other way of coping.  I am not built that way I guess, I tend to withdraw, and hunker.   Hey, it’s only a couple more months of this.

With the result that I don’t go out much and hence don’t have a whole lot of stuff to report, forcing me to resort to the old reliable “This and That” approach, mostly relating things I find interesting in publications and so forth..  So, in kind of random order.

Philly Phood:  Interesting how things come up, you mention them kind of off hand, and then you keep finding things out (Steak in a Sack is a good example).  As you know, lately we’ve had a little flirtation with cheese steaks, including a recco by a reader.  I don’t subscribe to the daily Washington Post, but a kind neighbor gives me the Food Section which normally appears in the Wednesday edition.  Always an interesting read, with Sietsema articles, sometimes interesting recipes and articles.  Well, before the recent spectacles we call “Political Conventions”, they devoted an issue to food in both venues (Cleveland and Philly).  Naturally, in the democratic side they advertised the City of Brotherly Love culinary scene as:

So, I thought well, here’s another source of cheesesteak reviews,  but,strangely enough, the article DOES NOT have one reference to Geno’s, Pat’s, or Joe’s.  Rather, they highlight other places like: The Dutch; Double Knot; Hungry Pigeon (yes, they DO have that on the menu, which might make me nervous in a big city like Philly, fearing a real “Local Sourcing”).  Anyway I’ll save it in my “city file”  (Hey Feeder any idea of where to eat in….?)

Tools and Gadgets:  well, as any wannabe home chef knows, you’re only as good as your gadgets, and we all tend to accumulate stuff that will help you cook, substituting gear for (in my case) real talent.  While others cook by instinct the engineer in me won’t let me “wing it”.  If a recipe calls for one thirty second of a teaspoon, I’ll move heaven and earth to do exactly that.  One issue that faces all cooks is “when is it done?” mostly when grilling, roasting, sautéing meats.  Some use the press to test method with the gage being your thumb, closer to the palm for rare, and progressing outward.  Well, mostly I have used that technique, but have gotten burned (ha ha) lately as I start to use more local beef and pork.  They tend to be firmer to begin with, and I have been routinely undercooking them.    Anyway, on advice from the FOJ’s I procured this device from Thermapen

Which replaced my old reliable “button” Taylor dial thermometer which I used for years.   The Thermapen works remarkably well, is almost instantaneous and is easy to use.   They routinely have “sales” on the web and are relatively cheap (<100 bucks="" font="" it..="" nbsp="" worth="">

Leaving Town:  I have recently heard “rumors” that a local (non-chain, unfortunately) restaurant(s) will be or have closed.  I will not name them here.  A couple/three years ago I did report in the blog that “I heard that so and so restaurant was closing”.  I was immediately taken to task by one of my restaurateur friends that I absolutely, under no circumstances should ever state that.    Because, I was advised, that it could become a self fulfilling prophecy.    “Gee honey, if so and so is closing, let’s not go there tonight” or, “if so and so is closing, they must have lousy food” and the death spiral begins.  Interesting theory.  So I’ll wait and watch.

Words:  lastly, as most readers are (painfully) aware, I have a rather extensive list of food and service related words and phrases that drive me nuts, and which will not use, and I wish could be expunged from food talk.  Things like the “Y” word, the server use of “guys” at the table, or the “Hi I’m..” recording,  the three letter acronym that contains two “L”s, and so on.   Well, reluctantly I am thinking seriously of adding the word “Amazing” to the dictionary.   How many times have you heard some dish or restaurant described as “Amazing”, usually pronounced “aMAAAaaaaaaaZING”;  a quick look at one definition:

Amazing:

Causing great surprise or wonder; 

Synonyms: astonishing, astounding, surprising stunning,

staggering, shocking, startling, stupefying, breathtaking.

Not everything you put in your mouth should be described stunning, shocking, or stupefying.  Stodgy old me would prefer “delicious” , exceptional, different, or something like that.   I know some of my friends will think me silly, and they are welcome to be staggered by a dish, it's just me. 

Okay, enough for today

DFD

Anybody have tips on how to get frogs out of your pool?  Seem to be plagued by the little amphibians lately