I am a fiend for stacks of protein (usually protein and add-ons) stuffed in between two slices of bread.
Yes, I admit it…I’m a sandwich maniac! I can immediately think of dozens of sandwiches I have enjoyed in my own kitchen for decades:
*tuna salad with celery
*sardines on French bread with butter, onions, parsley, lemon, olive oil
*the BLT
You may recall that last summer I went on a week-long, beef-mad binge that included a trip to Boston, to the venerable Durgin Park restaurant near Faneuil Hall…
…in order to taste (more than taste!) their renowned prime rib.
It was divine. But I had no idea what divinity awaited me at dessert.
I ask your indulgence. And your mercy. I am about to record some things that will provoke widespread disagreement, and occasional outrage…because the theme is pretty much the diametric opposite of a cooking principle most Americans have been taught to embrace. And here it is:
I’ve had it with the over-use of herbs.
Sneer, scoff, strew scorn…but hear me out, because I’m convinced there’s at least a grain of truth in this screed.
The subject of oysters in New Orleans is a highly emotional one.
For starters…among the many passionate eating traditions in New Orleans, the eating of oysters is at or near the top of the list. There is no American city like this, maybe even no European city: oysters, oyster talk, oyster history, oyster iconography…oysters are everywhere in The Big Easy!
That’s a lot of positive emotion.
A tasting last week, a salumi tasting, set me off on this thought path about the mechanics of tasting. Colleagues and friends were gathered around the table when sample #1 hit: prosciutto di parma, pre-sliced at the store. I was underwhelmed. Most of the other tasters were too. But one enthusiastic taster jumped right in: “That’s delicious,” he said!
Now, everyone on the planet is entitled to his or her own opinion. But if you’re a professional taster–making recommendations to readers and others, encouraging them to spend their money on what YOU like–there should be more behind it all than a knee-jerk response.
