Food Thread: Little Donkeys! Yum!

When I think of Mexican food I think of three different kinds.

The first is real Mexican food in Mexico. There are all sorts of regional styles, and the best examples of those are delicious...really sophisticated cooking that is tremendously pleasing.

The second is the American version of that food, which can be quite good, but also stupidly fussy and pompous. A lot of high-end Mexican joints in this country are guilty of that.

The third kind is what I think of as "smashed beans and rice" Mexican. It's an Americanized version of generic Mexican food, and is usually on the left side of the price graph. And it can be crappy, just like every other sort of food.

But it can be loads of fun and scrumptious too! And it almost always starts with some salsa and chips, which if done well makes me smile! I love that stuff, and will always...ALWAYS...eat too much of it.

Burritos and enchiladas and other assorted Americanized Mexican food, served with a side of refried beans and some Mexican rice. Is it refined and elegant? Nope! Neither is a smashburger, which is damned close to the pinnacle of culinary achievement. But it sure does hit the spot!

There was a burrito joint near where I worked...it was someplace in Richmond or San Pablo...I don't remember. They made a burrito that was about five pounds of freshly grilled pork or chicken, filled with fresh ingredients and seasoned very well. Fantastic, simple, basic food. I still think about that stuff, mumblemumble years later!

Food is way too pompous and snobby for my taste. There is a time and a place for all sorts of foods, and the best chefs understand this.

Food service! Lots of entry-level jobs in the industry, and they are perfect for kids starting out in the job market, when they have literally no job skills and have to be taught to do everything valuable. Sure...it's easy to teach a kid with half a brain how to flip burgers, but the act of keeping a job is at least as important a lesson as the skill learned.

But crank that entry-level wage to a point at which it simply does not make financial sense to hire that well-meaning but skill-less kid, and businesses large and small will make due without. They will find alternatives, as economic law demands.

Short version? Democrats are stupid.

[Hat Tip: Jay Guevara]

That's from the rather impressive kitchen of a lurker who goes by the name of "Marty." Crunchy pork belly is rarely a bad thing, although "Marty" is not completely happy with this version. Sadly he didn't discard it onto my plate, so I might need to have a bit of a chat with him.

Pork belly is a grand food, and a great bang for the buck. Crunchy and rich and unctuous and absolutely delicious, and very affordable too. There are tons of recipes for it, and while some are better than others, it's one of those dishes that tastes pretty good even if the recipe is "eh," and the execution is crappy too.

Matzo Brei! Or Matzoh Brei!

Broken-up matzoh, eggs, onion powder, salt and pepper.

Yup. Complicated.

I like to get the matzoh nice and soaked, so the crunch comes from the exterior that is fried in butter.

And if you think that you are going to get away with putting syrup on it, You are nuts! The 11th Commandment is, "Thou Shalt Not Eat Matzoh Brei With Syrup!" It's cream cheese, sour cream, or butter. That's it.

Geoffrey Zakarian Explains Why Restaurant French Toast Tastes So Much Better Than Homemade

What he is actually saying is that some people make crap French Toast at home. Of course some people make great French Toast at home!

Unsaid is the reality that there is plenty of mediocre French Toast being pumped out by restaurants across America.

I hate these sorts of articles.

Now get out of my kitchen!

[Hat Tip: Misanthropic Humanitarian]

Before you laugh at this (like I did), realize that it actually tastes pretty good! I have a relative who is trying "gluten free," although to her credit she isn't a lunatic about it. She brought these over for the Seder, and of course I had to try them. They aren't Kosher for Passover according to the Askenazi tradition, but I'll give anything a try (especially since my great-grandmother was Sephardic).

And they were pretty damned good! Which irritates the hell out of me.

Who are those poor deluded souls who shake their Manhattans? These are the same people who drink fine bourbon with coke, and probably shake red wine with ice too.

However, I will give dispensation to those who use maple syrup on Brussels Sprouts! I tried that and it worked nicely. I still prefer Agave, but still...

And yes, I used to demand fancy bourbon, but let's face it, $1,200 for a bottle of bourbon is just stupid, insulting, and a ghastly affront to most people's palates and wallets. I think the sweet spot is $40-$60 for excellent and interesting bottles, and bumping that to $100 gets you an incremental improvement in quality, but nothing mind-blowing. More than that and I think you are paying for hype and rarity, which may look good in your liquor cabinet, but doesn't translate to more quality in the bottle.

posted by CBD at 04:00 PM

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