Gluttons Club

As I'm reading this article, I'm saying to myself "yeah I can do that with my weber" over and over again. Then I got to the part about the attached fridges, warming drawers (what the hell is that anyway? special winter underwear?) and other sorts of nonsense and thought that gee, it must be nice to have an outdoor kitchen, too bad it costs a few grand. Just think of all the money they'll save on alum foil and all the time they'll save by not having to make two trips outside. The whole thing will pay itself off in a good 50 years. As for me, I'll stick with the kettle grill propped up on cinderblocks for perfect cooking and as for conveniences, the rickety picnic table, a coleman cooler and the bottle opener built in to my flip flops is all I need. Man, I'm looking forward to the Mem Day Yardy tomorrow afternoon.

The whole article would've been a waste if it wasn't for the last paragraph. Thanks Chris, you always come through at the right time.

This article in the NYT is a similar one to that in the SFGate a few months back. The focus is on local artisinal salami producers. Predictably, there are quite a few in the NYC area. They are an interesting mix of families that have been doing it for generations and upscale chefs who have introduced the practice to their restaurants.

For the record, the soppressata I call my favorite is from NYC. The salumeria I get it from, Sessa's in Davis Square, won't tell me the name of the producer. After a conversation with the proprieter, all he would tell me is that he gets it specially made for his shop, 500 pounds at a time. He also told me about the new health inspector, an Irishman, who once came into his shop, saw the white mold on the outside of the sausage and told him to throw it out. Eventually, the inspector's boss, an Italian, had to set him straight. You'd think that 2500 years worth of experience would be enough to please the inspectors but apparently not.

I think I'll stop at Sessa's on my way home this afternoon for a soppressata, a loaf of bread and some of those marinated artichokes they have. Yeah, that and a bottle of dolcetto sounds like a nice little dinner out on the patio.

This is just weird. I used to be a brewer and I think it's weird.

I bet if I went into a beer bath, I'd make the beer more bitter. har har.

This blog has been around for about a year now and I just noticed that the last post was the 100th. I will mark that milestone by reminiscing a little bit and offering excuses.

First off, I want to apologize to my half dozen or so regular readers for not posting very much lately. I've been busy at work so I haven't had time to do much blogging there and when I get home, I usually am in no mood to turn on the 'puter and do any typing. Once I get a better handle on my new job responsibilities and whatnot, I should be able to do more.

The reason I'm busier is that I became manager of the wine shop last month so it looks like I'll be sticking around Boston for a while longer. Sorry to disapoint California, but this is the best move for me as far as career development goes. We can still be friends.

Finally, I want to do some actual content and return to an old feature. Let's have a look at newspaper food sections to see if coverage has changed at all. I've found that overall, the sections are mostly improving with some exceptions.

• Boston.com, the Boston Globe's web version, gets the award for most improved. There is a greater amount of coverage as well as a more regular wine feature which was severely lacking in the past. The login feature is still an annoyance however.
• Over at the NYT, the already comprehensive coverage has improved with the addition of the "Feed Me" column, a look at dining out from the perspective of the patron/guest. It is an interesting look at the experience we are all familiar with but there are always funny little quirks that pop up. Speaking of login, the Timeselect content feature has actually made it easier to view this section.
• When I first covered the Times-Picayune food section, it was shortly before Katrina hit. In that issue, there were articles about preparing for a hurricane but unfortunately, no amount of preparation could have forestalled the damage that occured. A look at the section today reveals a return to relative normalcy that may be unexpected but not suprising given the resiliency and character of the Crescent City.
• The only disapointment I can find in this brief survey is from the SFGate which has maintained a level of quality but lost a couple of the nicer perks. I haven't seen the "Cocktailian" column in a while, which makes me sad. In addition, the food section seems a bit slimmer in recent weeks, but maybe that's just from my perspective.
• Finally, we'll head over to London for a look at their Times which is as well-written, snarky, and cosmopolitan as ever. Though on average, British food is still fairly awful, the quality of this newspaper section and the continued popularity of Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson et al. is a sign that the revolution is progressing nicely.

That's all for now, it's time for a haircut, some administrative work and the Meatwalk. I'll try to get another post in later today.

Wow, 101 posts; that's probably about one post per hit!