Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I have found the best place for beef jerky is here http://nationwidecandy.com/candy/items.asp?Cc=MEAT&Tp=&iTpStatus=1 They have most all the major types. I have now bought from them three times and am very satisfied. Does anyone else has have a favorite?

Now is the time for New Yorkers to save their money by drinking tap water! I just started a bottle refilling network called Tap It to give NYC residents a real alternative to buying bottled water when they're on the go. Cafes provide clean water and can be found by using the iphone application or the Tap It web site.

Pretty much the best ever.

There are so many more types of jerky to try, too.

Ostrich jerky, pineapple jerky, even bacon jerky!

Check out http://www.Jerky.com . They have quite a bit.

I used to live in the city and drank distilled water all the time. The chlorine and flouride in the municipal water system made me very sick. I constantly had rashes and intestinal issues. Then came the whole house filter to remove chlorine and junk. AHHH. Nothing like taking a shower and not having to pour room temperature distalled water over you to rinse off the chlorine. Nothing like a safe shower.

If I lived in the city? I would get another filter system.

Now? Thank God, I have my own well. Delightful!

At home, I'm a little clean obsessed, but I am indeed a very messy cook. I consider messy and dirty two totally different issues. Now if you leave the mess sit and don't clean it up in a timely manner, it then becomes filth, in my estimation.

We dine out alot, so at some point I force myself to become oblivious to small things or I would be dining at home much more frequently. My first observation at the table is generally that of the silverware. If they are not immaculate, I ask for new. Next is the glassware, which is very obvious if not spotless and free of any gunk. It has always been my contention that the mark of a good restaurant is the cleanliness and tidiness of the restrooms. If they don't care that there is a layer of fuzzy fur on their plastic flowers and wet paper towels are overflowing onto the floor then they are not apt to pay attention to detail elsewhere either. It never occurred to me to accidentally walk into the kitchen, but that is a great idea.

This thread brings to memory very bad experiences at TGI McFunster's. Repeated, heinous experiences. I used to live fairly close to one, and it was one of the more "upscale" restaurants in the area. haha... Nonetheless, dining companions were constantly insisting on the place for convenience. One time, I found a plastic wheel from some sort of kitchen implement in my spring roll. When I complained, to their credit, they did ask if I would prefer some cottage cheese or applesauce. Then another time I ordered a BLT and the B was raw, never having seen the inside of a skillet. This is the biggie - another time I ordered a shrimp cocktail and pulled a piece of raw chicken out of the bowl. When I complained, they offered to bring me another app, so while I was waiting, (watching my companions enjoy their food and the servers go in and out of the kitchen), I could see the servers sitting on the food prep counters in the kitchen. Three of them SITTING on the counters!!! Why don't people notice that the food there tastes like a_ _?

Yeah, it's worth the risk. I've gotten sick once or twice, but that is bound to happen. One time it was from a local pizzeria that I've frequented for years, and another time it was from chicken teriyaki prepared at home by a relative. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I believe regardless of how careful I am, food poisoning is just something that happens from time to time.

Of course, if I see something that doesn't look or smell right, you can be sure I won't be putting it in my mouth.

WORST PIZZA I had in a year pie was soggy service horible and the staff looked like rejects from tony sopranos bada bing

Sounds like pizzaiolo (pizza maker) issues to me...the hardest piece of a pizzeria. Pretty much have to do it yourself if you want to be as close to perection as possible.

wonder about the advertising which looks more like "news" on the right side of the column.

two pro-GMO "articles" or sites appeared opposite the GMO article on SE. Would like to see a rebuttle. Or is it about $ to fund the site?

I like chocolate and all, but I'd give it up in a heartbeat if it meant I couldn't have cheese. Chocolate I like; Cheese I LOVE.

Chocolate - poof gone. Although I do have an occasional weakness for REALLY good dark chocolate. The chocolate that is so dark that light itself can not escape. Of course you can only eat centimeter by centimeter squares of the stuff at a time... so I guess it wouldn't be too bad to give it up.

I did'nt have many chores as a kid, but I made tea some times.Served tea to special relatives visiting us.
Mira

This reminds me of a conversation starter I'd bring up over cheese fondue in college.
Would you give up beer or cheese?
Unfortunately, missing the point, the first person to respond said "Oh, well, I could always drink whiskey, or wine, blah, blah, blah..." It skewed the results of my survey. From that moment on, beer was simply a conveyance for alcohol, and not multi-faceted beverage with as many complex, flavorful incarnations as cheese.
That said, as divine as a chunk of dark, after dinner chocolate may be, I could never give up cheese.
...or beer.