Serious Eats: barrypopik's Profile

Time for a Drink: Mary Pickford

I was surprised to find the "Mary Pickford" cocktail during my trip to Cuba a few years back.

WHEN IT'S _COCKTAIL TIME_ IN CUBA
by Basil Woon
New York: Horace Liveright: 1928
Pg. 40:
The two other cocktails mostly in demand in Havana are the _presidente_
and the _Mary Pickford_. The _presidente_ is made with half bacardi and half French vermouth, with a dash of either curacoa or grenadine. It is the
aristocrat of cocktails and is the one preferred by the better class of
Cuban. The _Mary Pickford_, invented during a visit to Havana of the screen favorite by Fred Kaufman, is two-thirds pineapple-juice and
one-third bacardi, with a dash of grenadine. Both cocktails are sweetish and should be well shaken. The pineapple juice must be fresh-squeezed.

barrypopik at 2:10AM on 10/11/09

From Serious Eats

Save the Food Words

It's a gimmick.

Tell the "A Hamburger Today" folks that I just researched the origins of "hockey puck" (a hamburger, usually a well-done one) and that they're free to adopt:

http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/hockey_puck_a_burger_especially_a_hamburger_cooked_well_done/

barrypopik at 11:36PM on 09/01/09

From Serious Eats

Street Food Profiles: Food Shark in Marfa, Texas

If you solve the origin of the name of "Marfa" (see Wikipedia) and find the first printed citation of "falafel" do you get a free marfalafel?

barrypopik at 3:35PM on 08/17/09

From A Hamburger Today

Dear AHT: 'Texas Monthly' Actually Believes That the Hamburger Was Invented in Tiny Athens, Texas

I've read the full article--not just the free online excerpt--and it's actually worse:

"'We know that there's no newspaper account of him cooking hamburgers until he married Aunt Ciddy, in 1896.' That would have been at least ten years after the date that Uncle Fletch was supposed to have opened his cafe on the square. One family document purports to show that Uncle Fletch arrived in Athens in the 1880's , but neither Harvey nor Wanda has ever seen it, and they insist that he didn't get there until 1894. Again, that date clashed with Tolbert's timeline."

Considering that we have 1893-1894 newspaper citations of :"hamburger sandwiches" sold in Reno, Los Angeles, and Chicago, that's game over!

barrypopik at 10:58PM on 07/23/09

From Serious Eats

How Do You Define a Grilled Cheese Sandwich?

I looked at that question before:

http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/grilled_cheese_sandwich_toasted_cheese_sandwich/

http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/texas_grilled_cheese_sandwich/

barrypopik at 7:45PM on 07/22/09

From Recipes

Time for a Drink: Mamie Taylor

I did some research on the Mamie Taylor. The cocktail was popularized at the Republican Convention in June 1900 at Philadelphia.

http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/mamie_taylor_cocktail/

barrypopik at 3:43AM on 07/04/09

From Serious Eats: New York

This Weekend in 'New York Times' Food News

I (your friendly, penniless food researcher) have researched the origin of "nachos" its many variations (Kentucky Nachos, Potachos). I just added Greek Nachos-Mediterranean Nachos-Pita Nachos-Pitachos:

http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/greek_nachos_mediterranean_nachos/

barrypopik at 2:57AM on 06/22/09

From Serious Eats

What Fictional Foods Do You Wish Were Real?

From Aldous Huxley's BRAVE NEW WORLD (Wikipedia entry):

All members of society are conditioned in childhood to hold the values that the World State idealizes. Constant consumption is the bedrock of stability for the World State. Everyone is encouraged to consume the ubiquitous drug, soma, which is probably a historical allusion to a mythical drink of the ancient Aryans. Soma is a hallucinogen that takes users on enjoyable, hangover-free "vacations".

barrypopik at 11:07PM on 06/11/09

From Serious Eats

The Term 'Housemade' Is the New 'Homemade'

"Housemade" was first used by the late New York Times food writer John L. Hess in 1973-1974. As with "foodie" and many other terms, however, the later users probably independently coined the term and did not know that he had used it first.

http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/housemade/

barrypopik at 4:26AM on 05/28/09

From Talk

SE'er Food Blogs

http://www.barrypopik.com/

It started as a "Big Apple" blog when I lived in NYC, but I added the Lone Star State Dictionary when I moved to Austin, TX.

I'm a consultant to the Oxford English Dictionary and a contributor to the Dictionary of American Regional English, Historical Dictionary of American Slang, and the Yale Book of Quotations.

I thoroughly research the origins or food words, food slang, and food phrases. I've been mentioned on "A Hamburger Today" about the origin of "hamburger" and "Slice" about the origin of "pizza."

My blog has about 4,300 entries and I make all of about $4 a day on 30,000 hits.

barrypopik at 10:03AM on 05/19/09

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Tacos'

barrypopik at 6:42AM on 04/28/09

From Talk

Last Ditch Attempt to Eat the Best of Austin

I moved from New York City to Austin in late 2006. I had intended to hide out in a place where New York blogs couldn't possibly find me. This Austin focus is disturbing. I'm hiding out here, I tell you. Living the quiet life, expecting baby #2 in June.

Star of India is a regular with us. We also like the Texican Cafe--between 4-7 they have appetizers, according to a recent ad. Hut's Hamburgers, of course. Cannoli Joe's (all you can eat Italian) for the kids. I wasn't impressed with Gatti's pizza, but its play area is OK if you have kids. We even like chains such as Texas Roadhouse. Mimi's Cafe is another solid chain, with good breakfasts and even a good burger. Rudy's breakfast tacos aren't bad. Carino's (another chain) now has an all-you-can eat pasta feast. Whataburger has 24-hour service. The Mediterranean Buffet is another family spot. The Hunan Garden and China Cafe offer reliable Chinese. Don't forget to try Z'Tejas!

Texas has a lot for families--that's why we moved out of my Manhattan closet.

barrypopik at 8:35AM on 04/24/09

From Serious Eats

James Beard Book Awards Analyzed

I think the James Beard Awards are fixed.

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook (Honest-food.net)--which I had never even heard of--is one of the three "best food blogs," along with unimpressive commercial blogs from Bon Appetit and Sunset magazines? All three are far less entertaining than Serious Eats, IMHO.

I have a food blog (barrypopik.com) and I paid the $100 entry fee. (It takes me weeks to earn $100.) My food writing is as good as anyone's. I'm known for the origins of the "hot dog," "hamburger" and "pizza." I'm a consultant/contributor for the Oxford English Dictionary, the Dictionary of American Regional English, and the Historical Dictionary of American Slang.

In 2008, I made well over 400 food-related posts on my blog, including the origins of "comfort food," "junk food," "seafood," "surf and turf," "gorp," "melt" sandwiches, "croque monsieur," "grilled cheese," "blue plate special" and much more. Newspaper columnists have cited my 2008 work on the history of "fortune cookies" and "red velvet cake," and people have frequently linked my work to Wikipedia.

James Beard would have loved it.

"Food Oscars" -- heck, I even did amazing work on the origin of "Oscar" (Academy Award). The name comes from a 1934 column by New York Daily News entertainment writer Sidney Skolsky, who was thinking about New York opera producer Oscar Hammerstein.

I find it very difficult that my life's work (including solving "the Big Apple") has never been nominated for anything. Is 400+ food posts not good enough? Maybe I should have written 4,000? 40,000? Would that have made a difference? Probably not.

Does food history research matter? Is there any category for it, in any food awards, anywhere?

Who were these judges? What was the vote? Do I even get an e-mail for my $100, or a letter, about anything? Could I be told that my entry was received? Could I be told who won?

This stinks!

barrypopik at 7:56PM on 03/25/09

From Talk

You live where?

Austin, Texas. Not far from I-35 and Round Rock's Salt Lick BBQ. I used to live in the New York City area for over 40 years. Serious Eats seems to be coming down here every week!

barrypopik at 4:29PM on 03/22/09

From Talk

Tex-Mex in NYC?

We moved from NYC to Austin and my wife misses Blockheads' frozen margaritas!

barrypopik at 5:33AM on 03/20/09

From Serious Eats

The Secrets of Successful Food Blogging, via Twitter

I live in Austin and I missed the panel. (I have a one-year-old.)

A panel on food blogging is a little ridiculous. I have thousands of items of original content up and don't make enough each day to buy a $5 footlong sub sandwich. (And I did original research on "footlong" and "sub.") The conference cost about $375+ to attend.

http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/food2/
Food bloggers rock (and bash pretty well, too)
By Addie Broyles | Tuesday, March 17, 2009, 01:44 PM
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that we have the best food blogging community in the country right here in Austin.

(She said that--I didn't!--B.P.)

barrypopik at 8:45PM on 03/17/09

From A Hamburger Today

Kaelin's, Birthplace of the Cheeseburger, Now Closed

The cheeseburger was not invented in 1934 at Kaelin's in Louisville, Kentucky. Most articles claim that the cheeseburger was invented in the 1920s by grill chef Lionel Sternberger at the Rite Spot restaurant in Pasadena.

I'm not 100% sold on Sternberger's cheeseburger, but Kaelin's claim has serious competition.

http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/cheeseburger/

12 August 1926, Ogden (Utah) Standard-Examiner, pg. 7, col. 4:
Heinie, “Hot Dog” Man,
Now Has Sandwiches
Heinie, for years known as “the hot dog man,” has now acquired the sandwich and lunch counter at Lagoon and is now in a position to serve his patrons in very short order. Heinie’s special is a combination cheese and hamburger sandwich. “Just try it—it is a gustatory knockout.” Other snappy, tasty items include toasted cheese sandwich, ham sandwich, hamburger plain, coffee, milk or buttermilk, and delicious cakes and pastry. Heinie’s two stand are located just across the midway from the northeast corner of the dance hall.

23 August 1933, Waterloo (Iowa) Daily Courier, pg. 3, col. 5:
Ladies were in charge of the Waterloo Junior Chamber of Commerce picnic Tuesday evening at Falls Avenue pool and the menu was reported by numerous members as being far above the usual hamburger and cheese sandwich fare at strictly stag parties.

August 1935, Soda Fountain (NY, NY), pg. 27, col. 1:
“Hamburger-Cheese Buns”...Jersey City “Cheese Hamburger”...

barrypopik at 7:11AM on 03/11/09

From Serious Eats

Texas Wineries? Yer Darn Tootin'

I live in Austin now. This is new to New Yorkers? Need I mention no city personal income tax, no state personal income tax, and great Tex-Mex and barbecue?

http://www.winefoodfoundation.org/

barrypopik at 2:26AM on 03/04/09

From A Hamburger Today