Who knew that bucatini are so frustrating to eat?!

I've always been intrigued by the idea of bucatini--it's like extra thick spaghetti, but with a hole that goes all the way through the strand of pasta. This means that there's more surface area, so more sauce clings to the pasta, which is definitely a good thing. However, when I made some for the first time last night (with a simple yellow heirloom tomato sauce), I found them impossible to eat because the holes prevent slurping! If you try to slurp, as you would with any long noodle (as in, not in an excessive, child-like way, but in a normal eating way), you just end up inhaling sauce and air through the long hole. It was kind of like trying to drink with a straw that has a hole in it--nothing happens! I ended up cutting all of the pasta into manageable fork-spearing lengths, by which point my dinner was cold.

Has anyone else run into this problem? Anyone else have experience with food products which should be excellent, but for unexpected reasons, have turned out to be difficult, annoying, or near impossible to either cook or eat?

Lyle's Golden Syrup - good uses?

I discovered last week how much I love Lyle's Golden Syrup when making a Nigella Lawson granola recipe (the one from 'Feast', which I highly recommend). This syrup is seriously delicious and addictive, and I'd like to explore other applications for it, but am not sure where to start. I've thought about just substituting it for honey in a few recipes I already make, but I'd prefer to try new recipes that highlight this ingredient, instead of just fiddling with ones I already know and love the way they are. Does anyone have any favorite recipes that make good use of this stuff? Thanks!

Cheap Eats in London

I just moved to London two weeks ago, and am spending a year studying here (junior year abroad, King's College London, if anyone wants to know). I love to cook, and that definitely the most economical way to feed myself here. But sometimes, it's nice to treat yourself to a meal out. The problem is, I'd rather not spend a ton of money doing so, which is hard, since London is so expensive. So tell me, does anyone have recommendations for good restaurants in London on a student-sized budget? It's easy to find the nearest cheap-o curry house, but that can be disastrous, if it's the wrong sort of hole-in-the-wall. So if anyone has recommendations, I'd be very grateful!! Thanks!

Bread baking question

I've been cooking and baking pretty seriously for a long time (well, 9 out of my 20 years...) and I feel like I've become pretty good at both following recipes, and using intuition while cooking. But one thing I just cannot seem to master is baking yeast breads! I'm not freaked out by using yeast, and I've read up on the topic pretty thoroughly, but I always seem to run into minor problems. Well, particularly one problem, which is that my dough never wants to rise properly during the second fermentation/rising. I make the pre-ferment, I mix up the dough, I knead until it looks/feels great, it rises, everything's going swimmingly, I lightly deflate, and then, BAM!, it's like the dough has hit some kind of fermentation plateau and just can't seem to pull through to the finish line! The breads all taste great, but I've never achieved that ethereal, irregular, holey-ness that is the pinnacle of rustic bread baking--plus all of my loaves are quite a bit smaller than they should be!

Photographic evidence of the latest occurence found here: http://flickr.com/photos/cburas/2721818032/
and a previous attempt (ciabatta, which had pretty much identical crumb to the pain de campagne) here:
http://flickr.com/photos/cburas/2723605391/

Advice, anyone?

Potluck theme: "Culinary Intoxication"

I'm going to a potluck next Friday with the theme "Culinary Intoxication" (give us a break--we're college students!). The food doesn't have to be literally "intoxicating" per se, but it needs to include alcohol in part of the cooking process. I almost always bring dessert to potlucks, so I'd like to switch it up and bring a savory dish. Any good suggestions for (preferably vegetarian) potluck-appropriate dishes with alcohol? Thanks!!

Your restaurant dessert of choice?

So you're at a great restaurant, have just finished your main course, and are ready for the grand finale. What do you order?

For me, I can never turn down house-made sorbets and ice creams if they're available! That, plus an espresso is the perfect way to end a meal.

Favorite dinner party menu?

What did you make for the best dinner party you've ever hosted? Alternatively, have you been to any dinner parties that had outstanding, memorable food?
The first that comes to mind for me is a dinner party I threw this summer, where I served various olives and cheeses with good bread, yellow tomato gazpacho, romesco potatoes, grilled skirt steak (all three from Sunday Suppers at Lucques), and mango upside down cake (from Baking Illustrated) with coconut sorbet (Ciao Bella brand). Casual food, served family style, is always lots of fun--and having great recipes and lots of wine doesn't hurt either!

Favorite Food Discoveries of 2007?

What new (and possibly slightly unusual) food did you try in 2007? Did you love it (or was it a little too weird)?
I'm currently on vacation skiing in Vermont, and tried a water buffalo yogurt (2%, vanilla) from Spoondance Creamery (in South Woodstock, VT) that was incredible! Tangier than normal vanilla yogurt (I usually just eat plain yogurt because sweetened yogurts taste like plain sugar to me) and very thick and creamy in an entirely natural, no gelatin added way, it was absolutely delicious! I'm definitely going to find this yogurt at home and add it to my grocery list!

Best food and beverage pairings?

What are your favorite food and beverage pairings, from the classic milk and cookies to more obscure combinations? One of mine is definitely
peanut butter (on anything) with diet coke, which may seem slightly contradictory in the nutritional sense, but I can assure you it's delicious!