John Gushue . . . Dot Dot Dot

A thought on binging

"Life itself is the proper binge."
- Julia Child

Rococo ricotta

Andreae Prozesky, who writes the Food Nerd column in the Scope here in St. John's, has made me want to make my own ricotta, which up until I read the piece was not an ambition of mine, in the slightest.

Mark Critch gives Gordon Ramsay the Christmas treatment

From This Hour Has 22 Minutes, with Cathy Jones doing her best grandma-shuffle of a walk.

A thought as the party season draws near

"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on."
- Dean Martin

What have fungi done for you lately?

Way more than marmite (gag), as this helpful BBC Magazine piece points out.

Espresso, a chemistry experiment

Since I can't don't start a day without espresso (usually with milk, but a straight shot is fine, when called for), I was curious to read this piece on Khymos, the blog of molecular gastronomy. Time to go back another cup and get to work!

Gower Street gingerbread house, for Christmas

Barry Parsons's highly recommended Rock Recipes blog has posted this year's version of the gingerbread house, again with local, um, flavour. Check out more here. (If you're on Facebook, look for the Rock Recipes group here.)

Little Gordon

Little Gordon is a campaign by UK-based Caterer.com, using a child actor who's a mini-style Gordon Ramsay. The videos are funny and profane, and a bit of an odd way to launch a corporate campaign, although they evidently got people talking. One of three videos is below; more on the campaign here.

A thought for happy hour

"They who drink beer will think beer."
- Washington Irving

100 more things to do before you die (some of which are tasty)

Paneer is one of 100 items on a list prepared by FoodProof of foods you should eat before you die. The list ranges from the exotic to the commonplace; believe it or not, a Big Mac meal from McDonald's shares space with Indian curries, single malts and the black puddings I scarfed down during Sunday brunches. Check out the list here.

A thought on the bartenders

"A good saloonkeeper is the most important man in the community."
- Toots Shor

A thought on nutrition

"We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are."
- Adelle Davis

A thought on the risks for diners

"Statistics show that of those who contract the habit of eating, very few survive."
- Wallace Irwin

A thought on the long-range prospects of wine and beer

"Religions change; beer and wine remain."
- Hervey Allen

A thought on growing your own

"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato."
- Lewis Grizzard

A thought on fish

"Fish is the only food that is considered spoiled once it smells like what it is."
- P.J. O'Rourke

This is your body on Coke

That's Coca-Cola, not cocaine, by the way. Interesting.

Whisky a go-go

My old school friend Robert Janes directed me to this latest instance of legal fighting over geographically specific food naming (it's sparkling wine everywhere but in France, where you can call it Champagne, merci). This incident involves Glen Breton, which tastes like "scotch" but can't call itself that, since it's made in Cape Breton, not Scotland.

A thought on chocolate

"Research tells us that 14 out of 10 individuals like chocolate."
- Sandra Boynton

Table of condiments

Something new to study: the Table of Condiments ... with bonus details on how they periodically go bad. Clever.

A thought on meals with unfortunate fates

"She did not so much cook food as assassinate food."
- Margaret Storm Jameson 

A vodka even Homer Simpson could love

Yep, that label does say vodka with essence of bacon. As its creator puts it, in a way that actually makes it sound intriguing:

It can also be poured into a spray bottle and used to spritz just a touch of smoky bacon flavor to salads, toasts or stews… wherever you want to add a touch of flavor.

A thought on seafood

"You know why fish are so thin? They eat fish."
- Jerry Seinfeld

The reverse Starbucks jinx

Starbucks has opened a new outlet in downtown St. John's (its first), across the street from not one but two local coffee shops that have gotten my dime, and then some, over the years. I'm a little conflicted, as I like Starbucks coffee, a lot, and although I go local, I'm not going to be guilted out, as a friend tried to do earlier this month, about spending money on the Starbucks monolith. On Friday, I picked up a tidbit that Starbucks is now looking at opening up a new location on Kenmount Road, not far from a new Tim Hortons outlet. That will be interesting to watch.

Back to the David-Goliath situation playing out downtown. This piece posted on Slate on Friday makes an interesting case: Starbucks doesn't hurt mom-and-pop coffee shops, but actually boosts their sales, by - essentially - boosting the overall market.

Talk about coattails, with foam on top.

A thought on the first coffee in the morning

"I orchestrate my mornings to the tune of coffee."
- Harry Mahtar