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Favorite foods: Avocado, sashimi, kombucha

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The Ten Most Recent Posts By Jikuu

From Talk

What to do with Langa Rocchetta?

My husband picked up this cheese from our local organic-ish food store. It's a creamy combination of cow, goat, and sheep's milk. It's very strong. Honey doesn't seem to pair well with it, salami overwhelms it, and oregano just didn't blend well. Does anyone have any good suggestions as to how to serve this cheese, either on crackers or in cooking? Thanks in advance.

From Talk

Avocado Recipes

I am absolutely in love with avocado, and I'd really like to find uses for the strange fruit other than eating it straight out of the skin (with honey and cinnamon for me) and guacamole. What was also nice was mashing it with banana and stir in yogurt, but I'm not crazy about bananas. Does anyone have any nifty recipes?

The Ten Most Recent Comments By Jikuu

From Required Eating

10 Differences Between a $30 and $4 TV Dinner

I think it's 30$ for a nice dinner, not 30$ for a "TV Dinner", since this sucker is obviously not nuked, so it depends on how willing you are to spend money on a meal. I'm in the category of "Try it when I am not holding just a part-time job".

And rheogs, I think you hit the nail on the head with that one.

From Required Eating

Do We Really Need a Few Billion More Locavores?

I would have to agree with sarahdlr in that his conclusion isn't flawed. It may be biased, but then again, so is yours, and so is everyone else's. This is more an issue to be viewed through an economical standpoint. It is easier to specialize than to be broad when it comes to economics.

From Required Eating

What's Your Take on Cake Ice Cream?

I tried the Cake Batter Ice Cream from B&J's when they were doing tastings. The lady thought it was weird that I didn't like it, since she said most people preferred it to the 7 Layer Coconut Bar. It was way too sweet in that artificial manner. It was definitely reminiscent of cake from a box and frosting from a can. Gee-ross.

From Required Eating

People Are Still Really Obsessed With Fage

I just wish it were more available. My grocery stores only carry the Cabot brand of Greek yogurt, and I'm one of those that prefers organic milk. I don't trust chocolate in what it supposed to be tart yogurt.

From Eating Out

Kombucha: A New Artisan of an Age Old Craft

This is really nifty reading about kombucha. I like the G.T. Dave's original one, and all my friends think I'm crazy for drinking it, but I like the flavor a lot. It's nice seeing someone get good gourmet press for it.

From Required Eating

Serious Easter Artisanal Chocolate Egg Giveaway

Deviled eggs and relish trays

From Required Eating

Serious Easter Artisanal Chocolate Egg Giveaway

My favorite Easter food is not so much the main foodstuffs themselves, but the "appetizers" my grandparents whip up. My grandfather makes a nice veggie tray to munch on, and my grandmother makes deviled eggs.

From Required Eating

Serious Easter Artisanal Chocolate Egg Giveaway

My favorite Easter food would be the deviled eggs my grandmother makes every year.

From Required Eating

'A Suspicious-Looking Chest Freezer in the Background ...'

Dungeon Masters aren't homicidal... unless one of their players withholds pizza. Then the paladin falls prey to DM wrath. =P

From Recipes

Couscous Pilaf: An Adventure with Vegetables, Minus the Caraway

*shifty eyes* Pick caraway out of rye? Your boyfriend is an odd one. Glad your pilaf came out well. Sounds great! I'll probably try the recipe, just without the cilantro as I can never stomach the stuff.

Responses to Comments by Jikuu

From Required Eating

10 Differences Between a $30 and $4 TV Dinner

The green tea creme brulee was probably my favorite. Chef Rubin said he's obsessed with brulees, orders them everywhere, and threw matcha powder into this one. It's such a unique flavor with a rich pudding consistency, underneath the crackable roof (gotta love that part).

From Required Eating

10 Differences Between a $30 and $4 TV Dinner

I just want to try the green tea creme brulee. Give it to me in a bucket, I don't care...as long as it's clean.

From Required Eating

10 Differences Between a $30 and $4 TV Dinner

Thirty bucks aside, if I'm ever at the Loews I'll feel compelled to order this in the name of pop culture, if for nothing else. You gotta admit, it's clever!!

From Required Eating

Emeril: Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?

His show was overkill on Food Network. We enjoyed him at first but got tired of him very quickly. So no, we won't follow him to Fine Living.

From Required Eating

Emeril: Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?

Here on the left coast, Essence of Emeril is not available except in the day time. this is sad because working folk don't get a chance to see it. I wasn't really fond of the night time show, but, at least, he cooked. All the phony stuff they put on now is truly annoying. Too much making of cakes, silly contests and contrived stuff.

Paula Dean and Rachel Ray are too much. Annoying, trite and phony! My food shows come on PBS these days where the artist/cook really cooks and you learn something. Three exceptions come to mind - Giada, Ina Garten and Ellie Krieger. I also watch Alton Brown when I can. he's funny and has his facts in order. If Tyler Florence is on, I haven't found his show

From Required Eating

Do We Really Need a Few Billion More Locavores?

Like any other good idea, buying produce locally has its problems. For one, seasons. My local farmer's market is open less than half the year, and if that was the only place I bought produce, right now I could have lettuce, spinach, aspargus and radishes. If I want any sort of produce in December, it's going to have to travel to get here unless it's grown in a greenhouse, and I have to wonder how carbon-friendly that is.

I buy from the farmer's market from the time it opens until the day it closes, but I still buy other produce at grocery stores. I happen to like bananas and oranges and other things that don't grow in this climate. Could I live without those things? Sure. But I don't want to. Nor do I want to give up coffee, salt, pepper, most spices, or sugar, none of which are locally produced.

When it comes to "food miles," one thing that's left out of the equation is the fact that the truck that delivers the produce likely has a load of something that will go the other way. Eliminate the food being shipped one way, and there's still the freight that has to go the other way. Maybe it's food going both ways, but it's different food. It's not like we're shipping carrots back and forth across the country just for the fun of it.

From Required Eating

Do We Really Need a Few Billion More Locavores?

Interesting, bbc radio 4 dedicated the food program to this issue.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/foodprogramme.shtml

From Required Eating

Do We Really Need a Few Billion More Locavores?

Some really good points arguing both sides of this, awesome! I'll try here with my feeble addition.

A few things are overlooked by the article and comments. First off, how the hell does comparing the costs of a retail purchase at the end of the carbon footprint chain, combined with his apparent lack of shopping and culinary skills, at all compare with local producers that are buying in bulk at a wholesale rate? It doesn't. It's a ridiculous, hyperbolic comparison that is so prevalent in the media and used as a tool by bullsh*t artists that can only make their points of linear thinking by exaggerating, dividing and framing the discussion into a black or white mindf*ck. Had he left it as just a comedic intro it wouldn't be worth commenting on. But he uses it as the foundation of his comparative argument. The indication of his exaggerated title alone transmutes anything he's got to add to the discussion as highly suspect.

Again, hyperbole is used in his assessment of the quality of commercial goods being better, feeding on the ignorance of his audience because statistically very few have neither now nor have ever grown vegetables and understand the simplicity and bounty. And just as general appeal is concerned, his assessment of what is better is, like deliciousness, is obviously, highly subjective - neigh, highly trained on lifetime of commercially produced product. And he discloses no point of objective comparison to suggest otherwise.

He asks, "Are you sure you really saved money by growing your own zucchini." Absolutely. I stick a seed in the ground, water it, pull a few weeds, maybe use some home-made organic pesticide, harvest, compost remains to nourish next crop. How is that not saving money and carbon footprint? To suggest otherwise is absolutely ludicrous.

And to top it off he completely misses the point of environmental as well as community, individual, and environmental health benefits and biodiversity of producing locally - including growing your own.

This article is narrow-minded trash journalism and not worth our time. But we all fell for it.

It's a spade. Boo hoo, next.

From Required Eating

Do We Really Need a Few Billion More Locavores?

Carbon emissions are a significant problem and I'm glad that people are thinking about them more and more, but they are hardly the only cause of environmental harm. All that paragraph from ES&T addresses is the carbon footprint of certain food choices. There is so much more to consider regarding the environmental costs of agribusiness.

Eatorama, I strongly disagree with your statement about the best not ever being local. If that were true, I'd be able to get the best fruits at a grocery store in New York. This is not even close to the case as local apples and peaches from the farmer's market trounce the offerings from any grocery store.

From Required Eating

Do We Really Need a Few Billion More Locavores?

My biggest issue with the article is the conclusion is made because he failed at what he did, once, and then gave up. If you buy all the stuff for a garden and then never garden again then you'll never re-coup the cost, but if you continue to use those tools and more importantly the lessons learned, it can become very cost effective to grow some of your own veggies.