Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Wow, the first time I had arugula? Must've been at least ten years ago, when I was living in New Orleans, and occasionally the beneficiary of my parents' largesse. Back then (around 1995 or so), Emeril wasn't the big Food Network, Star Chef-with-his-own-knives-for-sale, Multi-City Corporate Big Deal he is now, and his flagship restaurant, Emeril's, was the go-to place for a decadent meal long before the tourists discovered it. Service was magnificent (hooray for Julio, Maurizio, and the rest of the original gang!) and Emeril was often in the house, and never failed to come to our table for a visit. ("Hi Doc," he'd say respectfully to my dad, a prominent local cardiologist. "What can I cook for you tonight?" He was always a low-key charmer, and I remember being surprised by his "BAM!" persona on TV.) Oh, how we loved our evenings at Emeril's, where we often had our tastebuds treated to lavish preparations...
But I digress... I believe it was at Emeril's where my young tastebuds were first introduced to arugula, now my hands-down favorite salad green. "If memory serves," it was an arugula salad with bosc pears, goat cheese cakes and creole tomatoes, and it knocked my socks off. I've always liked things spicy, and to find a salad green that was in itself spicy and peppery -- bliss!
I confess I still love Emeril, and I wish him well in all his endeavors! Though I prefer his more reserved, laid-back persona, I respect that he needs to make a living and his "BAM!" persona serves him well in that arena.

THE SWISH!
When someone takes a sip of water (or any other beverage) and SWISHES it as if they're at the dentist. (Thankfully, there's no spitting involved, just the swish through the teeth.) That's a family bad habit, and we've all been caught at it. It's almost unconscious, and fortunately we all try to call each other out if we see it happening.

granny smith!