Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I must admit I kind of hate vermouth. Probably it's because I've never had great stuff; perhaps I'd change my mind if I changed my vermouth. At any rate, a martini for me really is about the quality of the gin (or, gasp, vodka).

A swirl of vermouth around the glass, a goodly poor of gin or vodka shaken with ice and three gorgonzola-stuffed green olives, and I'm a very happy man.

Yeah -- I'm not a fan of the "my food/your food" dichotomy. We just order a bunch of entrees, put them in the middle of the table and ask for extra plates.

I've had this dish many, many times in Thailand, and I crave it when I'm in the States. I have to think that, with a little marketing, a "roti man" could make a good living on the streets of any American metropolis. I'd certainly prefer a good egg roti to a pretzel with mustard any day.

Anyone want to have an intelligent, adult conversation about food and culture and the relative rationality of our culinary taboos?

Passy,

Of course I'm not the one to set the standards for this blog, but are you?

YOU are the one who called those who want to eat dog or read about foods you might find disgusting "total morons." Again, if you'd expressed your personal disgust, I wouldn't have come out of my relative anonymity to challenge you.

You didn't. You called the rest of us morons, exposing yourself as an intolerant, ethnocentric, food-bigot.

I'm more than willing to tone down the rhetoric -- I don't have any bone to pick with you personally. I am a world traveler and avid foodie, and my family is multi-ethnic, multi-cultural. It's bad enough when other kids tell my kids that their ethnic cuisine is disgusting or immoral -- it's incomprehensible when someone makes those claims on a blog intended for adults who are interested in experiencing and learning about food.

Please think about the implications of your rant. Such sentiments expressed in such a way make this place a hostile environment for people who may not share your nationality, your culture or your "dog"ma.

In short, it's one thing to say you think someone's food is unappetizing to you; it's another thing to call people idiots for their cultural preferences.

http://www.jenisicecreams.com

Jeni's in Columbus, Ohio is an amazing source for interesting ice creams of all kinds. She was recently featured in the Dean & Deluca holiday catalog, and she'll ship her stuff all over the country. Now all of us can get Jeni's on a regular basis.

She's become quite famous for her Salty Caramel, and you can't beat her Lapsang Souchong with Aramagnac Prunes. Her Queen City Cayenne is super-spicy, and her Thai Chili (peanut butter, cayenne, coconut milk) is a revelation.

If you haven't profiled Jeni yet, you really should!

Oh, and the Goat's Cheese with Cognac Fig Sauce is mind blowing...

When my wife and I lived in Detroit, we found a couple of great places -- on of them was imaginatively named "Detroit Bagel," and it served the real thing, the real way. Lines out the door, steam on the window -- the bagels were so hot, one could barely touch the bottom of the bag.

I always ordered one salt, one plain. No need to slice, toast or schmear. The bagels were perfect by themselves.

Unfortunately, we now live in Columbus, Ohio, which has some great restaurants but is seriously lacking in the bagel department.

Sigh.