Brunch in Annapolis, MD
Does anyone have any brunch suggestions in Annapolis?
I am going to Camden/Rockland, Maine on a sailing trip for a week and was wondering if anyone has any good restaurant recommendations?
I am making pork chops for dinner tomorrow and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions (ie., marinades, how to cook, etc.)?
Does anyone know of a good cheese and/or good and reasonably priced cooking class in D.C. (even if it is not reasonably priced, please still respond). Thanks!
If you live and work in D.C. and would like to go to a delicious and reasonably priced (sort of reasonably priced) lunch, I highly recommend the Sofitel. Although I feel like I might pop right now, the bernaise sauce was delicious and well worth it =)
@ CookiePie I love cucumbers like that. It is one of the only ways I eat them.
@ FFC I don't think anyone is arguing here about which is the correct or incorrect way to eat. It is merely a discussion of the cutlural differences that exist when eating and what different people prefer and why. For example, I was raised to eat the "American" way; however, after living in Spain I now eat with a fork and knife in my hands throughout the meal. I do agree though, there are people who barely have food to eat, so if this was indeed an argument, it would be ridiculous!
About kids at restaurants... I think it depends on the parents. Leave your kids at home until you are willing/able to properly train/discipline them to eat at the table. Growing up I always ate dinner with my family, whether it was at home or out; however, the same rules always applied: no elbows on the table, not chewing with your mouth open, NO SINGING, no throwing foods or making potions in your drink, etc etc. My mom brought a coloring book and some crayons and I was happy as a clam. So... I definitely think it depends on the parents. Also, it is very difficult to compare manners in Europe (Spain) to those in the U.S.. In Europe they eat with their fork and knife throughout the whole meal, no switching the fork after cutting. My mom will have none of that while we're in the U.S.. I think things like that and hands/elbows on the table depend where you are.
Japonica is usually really good, and has been even better recently!
@chiff0nade I completely agree. Unless one's food is hot and other people prompt them to start with a "please go ahead, you're food will get cold," it is considered impolite to start eating before everyone has been served.
@hammondcheese hahahahaha that's funny you mention Fage yogurt. I used to hate it, but since everyone always raves about it I thought last time I was at TJ's I would give it another shot. If you throw a ton of blueberries in it and a packet of Splenda, I promise it gets a lot better. You should try that. Also, I really really like anchovies. I would much rather eat a cesar salad loaded with the taste of anchovies. I also love Miracle Whip, and only recently started to like Mayo, but only homemade Mayo, not Kraft, etc. I also know a ton of people who dislike tomatoes, and my boyfriend HATES cilantro and eggs. Some other ideas:
- chocolate v. vanilla ice cream?
- bone marrow, foie gras?
- do you think there is a correlation between people who love beer and coffee and people who don't? A lot of people I know who don't like coffee or beer. (I love both)
- ethiopian food?
@Cary I completely agree. I would say at nicer restaurants woman should definitely be promted by the waiter to order first. Sometimes I am not ready yet so I will tell my boyfriend to go ahead, but yes, typically I would say the woman should go first and also in descending orders. I do; however, feel like this is more of the waiter's responsibility than your husband's, so if the waiter looks at him to order before you... go with it.
I have dinner reservations there tomorrow night for a group of 8. Any suggestions on what to order?
I'm serious you should definitely get these baguettes. They're life changing.
So don't read them, and if you've already responded and don't feel like repeating yourself... don't. That's just my opinion though. I'm bored at work all day so the more the posts the merrier in my eyes.
In restaurants I eat American style, though I occasionally switch back to the European style I used for that year I lived in France without realizing it. In Europe I definitely only use European style. In Asian restaurants that use chopsticks, I use chopsticks.
AND in Filipino restaurants or at home I often use a spoon in the right hand, fork in the left. Yes, this is the aforementioned shovel style. And it's the absolute best way to pick up rice, meat, and sauce all in one bite. If people haven't seen it before, it freaks them out.
I have one nephew who prefers to eat with his hands (the way his grandmother eats at home) and it's just fine by his parents as long as he doesn't do it at school where everyone assumes it's bad manners.
Nothing wrong with learning all styles, it helps you understand a culture. For instance, French people are freaked out by American style because you put your hand in your lap while you're eating, and it makes them wonder what you're doing with that hand! European style always keeps both hands on the table.
I eat in my own ambidextrous style. I cut the meat with my left hand and use the fork and eat the cut piece with my right hand. When using chopsticks and eating soup with noodles or something I'll also hold the spoon in my left hand and the chopsticks in my right. No switching needed! People should just learn to cut with their non dominant hand, it's much less time consuming in my opinion.
I'm British and I eat appropriately (also having strict parents who were insistent on this). I hold my folk in my left and hand and knife with the right hand, I do not 'shovel' food. Sometimes I go for dinner at friends houses and have to ask for a knife so I can eat my food. I often receive complements on how well I eat.
I have NO IDEA why, but I've always eaten European style, or rather, backwards American style. I'm a rightie who cuts with her right and eats with her left. BUT if there's nothing to cut, I generally eat rightie...
It's a little out of your specified zone but they have delicious Bahn Mi at the sandwich adjunct to Mangez Avec Moi on West Broadway between Murray and Warren in Tribeca. Admittedly, I am not an expert but my wife and I think they're excellent.
> In reading back through this thread, i realize I may have come off a little
> bit like Miss Manners. I was answering mainly as a former server (who
> loved the job)... Manners boils down to making everyone comfortable
> around you....most often, sticking to etiquette makes people
> UNcomfortable in casual situations so I agree, do what works.
As it happens, I have met and talked with Ms. Martin a number of times. Making people comfortable is in fact what manners - etiquette - is about. The "rules" make sure that everyone is operating under the same set of expectations.
Manners are not for special occasions. They are most important with the people who are most important to you, including on casual occasions.
Like AliNC, I rarely use a knife in the first place, so I tend to just eat with the fork in my right hand. I have pretty much no coordination in my left hand, though, so using the fork in that hand would be very difficult for me, and possibly messy.
> If someone's plate arrives late and the person says, "please start before
> your food gets cold," is it then appropriate to start, or should you still wait?
Wait. "Thank you, I'll wait for yours."
Whether at home or out, eating begins when the hostess picks up her fork. If all men are dining, or a woman is not playing the role of hostess, the host indicates beginning to eat.
It is the responsibility of a restaurant to serve everyone at table together, regardless of differences in preparation time. The expectation is that service happens at the same time, not start-of-cooking. Therein lies a core difference between a cook and a chef.
As for GolfGirl's difficult family members, gentle off-line introduction to etiquette, perhaps with references to Amy Vanderbilt or Emily Post might help. If they aren't sufficiently open-minded, then part of good manners is avoiding a scene in which case please eat to avoid the tears and certainly to avoid people popping up and down like Jacks-in-the-box to microwave things.
regards, dave
Ive been to gari a few times ...like it...but its kinda out of the way for me.
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