I must confess: even I, the mule of the table, get a little burnt out after the holiday season. The caviar. The foie gras. The goose. The prime rib. The munch-encouraging social environment.
I don’t really want to stop…but boy is my body giving me signals that I should.
Now, I’m not about to go cold turkey (except, perhaps, for a leftover sandwich!)…but on or about Jan. 2 I do start seeking lighter foods that also give me a gastronomic charge.
Had you been a caviar lover in 2000, and, fully sated, had you gone down for a Rip Van Winkle slumber…and had you awakened today, preferably to the pop of a Champagne cork…you simply would not recognize the world of caviar around you. In 2012 (and, next week, in 2013!) we are in the full throes of an historic caviar revolution. Things, for better or worse, will never, ever be the same again when it comes to those yummy little sturgeon eggs.
There is a vast linguistic confusion in English on the subject of “hot” food, or “spicy” food. Why? And why does no one even ask why? Then, beyond mere words, there are many other facets of culinary heat-worship we generally do not consider…as we expose our digestive linings to ever-higher examples of Scoville-chart explosive devices at Sichuan restaurants, Mexican restaurants, Indian restaurants, etc. Today, let’s look at the whole range of chile confusions–hoping, of course, to enjoy our food better at the end of the day!
I contend that Champagne is harder to judge than many other wines. Heavy reds, light reds, acidic whites, fruity off-dry whites…these all make some people go “yuck,” and some people go “yay!” The point is: judgments are easy to make. But get a flute of champagne in front of you…and the judgments don’t flow so freely. Most people just go…”ah, that’s nice!”
We’ve all heard a great deal about fish “sustainability” in the last twenty years. Mostly it comes down to chefs: who’s being irresponsible about endangered species, who’s not? If I serve some Chilean sea bass in my home to 6 people, t’ain’t such a big deal–but if a famous, influential seafood chef is serving it to thousands in his restaurants, a big difference is definitely being made.
