Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I'm always surprised to read praise for Popeye's. Last time I ate there, I had horribly slimy, undercooked, and underflavored dark meat and a decent biscuit. That was 12 years ago now and I still get a little queasy thinking about the place.

KFC, on the other hand, has never let me down.

So far, I'm only planning to make a couple of fruitcakes (obvs not the traditional soaked-in-booze version). If I have time, I'll make a couple batches of bacon jam and maybe some caramels.

I have exactly the same public transportation/office kitchen limitations as you. Most years, I bake a pan of brownies or blondies and call it a day, but sometimes I get creative. A couple of times I've made an Asian noodle salad, usually with a peanut sauce, but I got rave reviews for last year's version: http://www.minxeats.com/2011/01/office-party-chow.html

This year, I'm doing something completely different - shakshouky, a Lebanese eggplant dip. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/48578959/Lebanese-Taverna-Shakshouky I have the benefit of a window in my office, and the sill is usually cold enough to keep something quite fresh for a couple of hours.

Gin and tonic. I can't even smell them without getting nauseated.

Being Polish, I was raised on pork. All of the holidays were celebrated with multiple pork products - usually ham and kielbasa. I suppose the standout pork memory is a multiple for me - eating my grandma's kielbasa and kapusta every Easter and Christmas for the first 20 or so years of my life.

So what do you recommend as a substitute for garlic knots for those of us who do not live in NY? Certainly not the margarine-and-garlic powder coated "bread sticks" from commercial pizza chains?

A friend of mine has been a Tab fiend for decades. She recently ordered 4 six-packs from her local shop and they ordered 4 cases. That should last her a while.

My Sriracha bouillabaisse. Or maybe a pasta dish I like to make with Mexican chorizo and leftover chicken.

I love Grape Nuts. They may be expensive, but a box lasts for months if I eat them in 1/2 cup portions.

Fleet and Wolfe Streets are in Fells Point, which is chock full of bars and restaurants. The area around Penn Station isn't too savory, so my advice would be to walk a block or so West to Maryland Avenue and catch the #11 bus which will take you through the downtown area and into Fells Point (and into Canton beyond). Get off on Eastern Ave and Broadway and walk South on Broadway towards Thames Street. You'll pass bars and restaurants on the way down that may strike your fancy.

The best thing to do is go to google maps, look up Fells Point, Baltimore, and do a "search nearby" for restaurants. There's sushi, Thai, Chinese, pizza, burgers, and fine dining all within about 4 blocks. For beer, head straight down to Thames Street (pronounced "thames," not "tems", btw). To the left you'll find Koopers and Slainte, plus the Cat's Eye Pub. On the block to the right is Duda's, and the Horse You Came In On.

My favorite places in the neighborhood are Slainte and Ze Mean Bean (which is on Aliceanna near Ann, one block East of Broadway).

BTW Cupcake - Du Claw is gone.

I guess I heard a noise that caused me to look up at my office ceiling and notice that it was undulating like Jell-O. I first thought that the building's maintenance crew was jogging strenuously on the floor above me, then realized that was ridiculous and grabbed my purse and went out into the hall because it was probably an earthquake. We evacuated the building, and the rest of the buildings on campus, and hung outside in the lovely weather for an hour until we were allowed back inside.

There were two food trucks parked nearby, but I had already had lunch. :(

I think one has to read Bourdain's books for his explanations on why he does and does not like certain other food personalities. A sound bite here and there doesn't tell the whole story and does make him seem a bit dickish. I happen to agree with him most of the time.

As for Paula Deen - she's gone from a nice middle-aged Southern lady to something much more scary and plastic. One can't be a success on the Food Network unless one is somewhat obnoxious and over-the-top.

http://www.minxeats.com/2010/10/fumetto-7-paulas-beast-dishes.html