BCS Rankings and Bowls...

[Spence]

So I read Mrs Donovan about all of this and she comes and tells me we are having Bouillabaisse for dinner tonight. I am excited and the next thing I know she says..but our reservations are not until 7:00...I say..how can I sound macho to these guys when all I can talk about is fish when they are talking Steak, Pork and BBQ..deep fried and everything is lard covered, cooking it on their Model 5788 High Speed Ultra Infra Red Grill and all I have reservations. She says, "Well, dear, I hate to break this to you, but you are not Macho."

I'm not macho at all. I do most of the cooking in my house. I am just a lot better cook than my wife. I would rather eat food done right than insist on her trying to figure out how to boil water. She isn't that bad, it is just not the most creative person in a kitchen. I have been in the food business for going on 28 years. You pick up things as you go from restaurant to restaurant.

We eat out too much also. Kids in everything and we both do the nine to five. Cooking food takes time.

[WoVeU]

You guys are killing me...killing me!

There are great things to eat every where you go! There is a reason obesity is all over America...and lazy and busy only covers half of the tab.

-Northeast: the diners and delis far out number and out perform their southern and western counterparts. Great Italian and Chinese food, improving Mexican food.
-North: NE and at least through to the Midwest..pizza and hot dogs are much better in general. Really good Italian and Chinese and Mexican.
-South: Truck-stop type diners...plenty of greasy-spoons. Barbeque, Cole-Slaw, Macaroni/Potato Salad all seem to be better with much more flavor.
Cobbler...man it is awesome (the Midwest stands pretty good here too.) Bad to fair at best Chinese, Italian not much better, Mexican just short of Southwest in quality.
-Southwest: Mexican is the only thing of real merit...don't care for the barbeque. And their steak is good but it doesn't have anything on Florida and the states eating Florida beef. Funny how cows
have never thrived eating dust.
Can't speak of the great Northwest on food...but Starbucks has made my road trips possible. That is coffee done right...most everything else is stained water!

I am noting Spence and Donovan's steak instructions, because I can't make a steak for squat. I try to compensate on the eating side. I can make breakfast...though it is the easiest I claim it anyway. As my wife can not make good sausage gravy (I prefer hamburger gravy) and her french toast and omelette skills are a bit lacking. I also make good chili because I put the work in with fresh ingredients and a slow process. And once in a while I indulge and make a chili omelette du fromage. (Gotta go, haven't ate all day and I am now starving...this ain't going to be pretty.)

[Brian Roastbeef]

I was right with you, thought about it all night. I have pastrami for lunch today too with the big crisp kosher pickle, but no chips. It probably wasn't anything like yours, certainally no where near as good as Katz's, but it filled the bill.

Nice. Actually the pastrami works as lunch and dinner - we make them big around here. And even though there are plenty of fine delis and sandwich shops up this way (even the local grocery delis hold their own, if you know where to look.), downstate is still likely a step above us. Down there lie hot dogs as well. Nathans and Sabretts. Nothing like biting into a dog that crunches. You can buy 'em up here, but you can't quite make 'em the same way.

As for little general stores, sadly they're all but gone up here. The last I know in my immediate area remodeled to compete with the gas station across the street. End of an era.


WoVeU: I've noticed the improving Mexican food up here as well. A couple of nice small places have opened locally within the last five or so years... Don't have to travel ages for something playing at a higher level than Taco Bell anymore.

[Spence]

I'm not much for Nathan's. I have had and liked Sabretts, but Hebrew National is my favorite of that style dog. Here hotdogs are pork, water, beef not all beef. I like both ways.

[Brian Roastbeef]

I only eat all beef dogs. HN are indeed very good as well, and can be bought up here at Wegman's. If you're lucky you can sometimes even get Hebrew National all-beef Polish sausage up at BJs... I might be getting yet another lunch idea here...

I will say though, back when I was a kid and still ate pork, a favorite meal was fried potatoes with cut up hot dogs - and for that the only way was to find a nice pack of common pork or even pork & turkey dogs and turn it into a nice greasy mess of junk food.