- I live in Phoenix, Arizona and am a Boston transplant.
- I write about food, travel and cocktails so am passionate about all that, especially in the Arizona area.
- My first trip abroad at the age of 22 and falling in love with poisson cru in Tahiti, kokoda in Fiji, and Moreton Bay Bugs in Australia.
- I collect plumeria (those Hawaiian plants they make leis out of) and am growing approximately 80 different varieties. I’m also an avid vegetable gardener. Grow section on my WriteOnRubee website
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1.) A secret location along the NJ Shore, only 2 exits north of another member here. (MZ)
2.) Well my favorite food related topic that I can’t stop talking about is anything to do with me!!! I’m a carnivore my favorite meal is generally a steak. While not the most exotic or creative meal, it is my personal favorite. Outside of that my favorite food(s) would be Italian, but not your typical Italian restaurant food, more red sauce Italian “comfort” food like I grew up with my grandmother cooking. (She lived us)
3.) I have been blessed to experience many great food experiences. I grew up in the industry and throughout my adult life I have kept my hands “involved” in the industry in a variety of ways. I have so many experiences as both a client/customer or a provider/owner. Far too many to just pick one…
4.) A little tidbit about me…hmmmmmm so many tidbits to choose from, here’s one of my earliest food memories;
When I was in pre-school they use to give us a cookie and milk before “nap-time”…there was this one kid Ricky, who I noticed was making his rounds at nap time, taking everyone’s cookie to eat for himself. Day’s turned into weeks and I took mental note to his actions, realizing the numbers of unaffected kids like myself were running low, sooner or later my day would come.
Sure enough one after-noon just before nap time…I was given my cookie and milk, with one eye always on Ricky, I saw him as he prepared to make his move. Just as I raised the cookie to my mouth Ricky lunged for my cookie, because I was prepared, I had a firm grip on my cookie and the battle was on. Laying on the floor rolling back and forth for control of the cookie, I would draw the cookie near to my mouth, but I would tire…and Ricky would gain the advantage drawing the cookie to his mouth…this went back and forth for what seemed to be an eternity, when finally I felt my arms giving…this last attempt to shove my cookie in my mouth would be my last…pulling with all my might…stretching my neck forward to meet my trembling hands I tried with all my strength to save my cookie!!! Alas, my strength depleted Ricky gained the momentum and although I pulled with all my remaining power there was nothing more I could muster to save my cookie.
As Ricky brought the cookie up to his mouth…a smile of his pending victory spread across his face…he let out a small chuckle at my obvious disgust in my loss…seeing the twinkle of victory and satisfaction in his eye as he drew the cookie to his lips I made my last ditch effort and threw my entire body at him…head/face/mouth first…no longer trying to pull my cookie from his grasp I decided to just push myself forward, mouth first and snatch back my cookie from his fingers before he could get it into his mouth. I got to my cookie…and I bit down as hard and fast as I could to secure my nap time treat and finally put an end to the Ricky reign of nap time terror.
I failed to see Ricky had pulled the cookie away from his mouth as I launched myself towards him…and when I bit down, I bit his mouth or specifically his lip, bit right through his lip. I might have even chewed it a bit in my anxiousness to swallow my cookie as quickly as possible.
I heard Ricky cry…but I thought it was just the result of his defeat…the tears of a bully who finally met his match. I tasted the blood, but honestly I just thought it was a very salty cookie. The look of rage on my face, along with the blood dripping off my chin, made the pre-school teachers re-think my attendance at their prestigious early learning facility and my mother was asked that I never return.
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- Where are you? Brooklyn, by way of Flushing.
- What food-related topic are you most passionate about, that you want people to ask you about and you can’t stop talking about it? All ethnic cuisines, all the time. Cheap eats and high end dining, and how everything in between seems pretty meh. Lazy recipes that exceed expectations.
- What’s a great food experience you have had? All of my food exploration adventures with my girlfriend, both locally and abroad. Most notably, stuffing our faces with the best durian I’ve ever had in Singapore (mao shan wang and black gold, I’m looking at you).
- A little tidbit about you. I spend most of day as a desk jockey reading and thinking about food. If anyone has exit opportunities for an amateur bartender or barista, please let me know.
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Yep, you’re carnivorous all right.
In kindergarten when a kid tried to steal my cookie I stabbed him with a pencil. The lead broke off and he never told the teacher or his parents. We later became best friends and until I moved away in 4th grade he still had the lead under his skin, right in the middle of his sternum.
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And they say school violence is a recent phenomenon.
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And good to see you here as well! I’m hoping to read your and other’s posts about the Peninsula— I’ve been eating there once a week, a bit later than makes sense for a group dinner, and hope to get (and share) more tips!
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JMF, that’s pretty gangster…I was only in pre-k so I wasn’t as knowledgeable about the proper use of shanks as apparently you are. If we are ever in the yard together I will yield my cookies to you my man.
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When you grow up on the mean streets of Metuchen, New Jersey you tend to be a reflection of your environment. I can’t say I’m proud of what I did, but if faced with the same circumstances today, I can’t think of handling it in any different manner. After all this is the same town retired NJ Gov. James Florio (most notable for his toilet paper tax) decided to call home post his single term of Gov.
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Well here you are. I thought I’d never see you again.
Thanks for the laugh, Jr. I can still call you Jr. right?
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Born, raised and live Tampa Bay area. Live near the coast.
Interested in cooking and all tnings food related
An early food experience was having a very large extended family with a Jewish/Syrian/Southern background who cooked a lot. Interesting mix huh? Large family gatherings with lots of good food was my earliests excellent food experience. I get the most pleasure from feeding my wife, family and friends. Other food experiences that come to mind would be shooting fish early in the day and eating some really fresh grouper that night even being dead tired from diving and cleaning the boat and gear. I’m also a lover of great cigars and whiskey. I’ve had good restaurant experiences but I don’t hold much attachment to those experiences. If I’ve had something really good and interesting in a restaurant, I’m usually thinking, how can I make this at home.
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Glad to have someone else shoring up the Southeast contingent, Scuba! (we’re rare birds around these parts, it seems…)
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I’m with you in spirit! Bummed I missed scalloping season this year. My sister always gets the daily limit and shares the wealth. Who knew those suckers could see you coming and jump away?
Hi all, glad to find you. Tcamp here, same as on CH. I’m not clever enough to juggle multiple identities.
- DC area
- Home cooking, preserving, fermenting, vegetable gardening, discovering delicious dive eateries
- Last Saturday! Needed a snack before grocery shopping and I stopped at a nearby pupuseria and had 2 of the best I’ve ever eaten, plus curtido. For $3.15.
- I’m a singer too. Picked it up in middle age and now am in two choral groups, tenor 1.
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Yay! Another recruit!
Gio! Always a pleasure my friend. You may call me Jr. if you like! I don’t think my disguise is doing me much good here.
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See, the thing is, you really don’t resemble Groucho. At all.
Yeah, I dunno. It was suppose to throw people off. I mean look at MGZ or now MZ, he walked up behind me whispered a sweet nothing in my ear and I had no idea who he was. All he did was drop a “G”. This whole tech stuff puzzles me.
It’s not difficult, dear boy. You’ll get it eventually. You know, practice, practice, practice.
Wow… just like old times, introducing myself on a food board. Been awhile since I’ve done that. So, I’m Steve R. currently on CH, Mouthfulsfood, eGullet & DonRockwell. I live in Brooklyn, I’m a young 62 year old &, except for going away for college and grad school (6 years in St. Louis in the late '70s), I’ve always been here. I’ve been around the “food boards” since the beginning, and have seen many splits, walk offs and banishments. I’ve met many others thru this experience and have made some lasting friends (& acquaintances) at dinners & get togethers. Still doing this posting thing and going out with others pretty regularly around NYC. My wife and I travel a lot & I’ve met posters in Seattle (recently had dinner with 7 of them), Florida (we’ve been renting during the winters on the Gulf Coast, just south of Clearwater Beach & get to Tampa, St. Pete, etc), Hawaii, Italy & France over the years. Since I have some grave concerns about the direction CH is taking (I see it as getting Yelp’ish or TripAdvisor’ish), I’m really not sure if I’ll be too involved over there (although I see no need to leave either). And, since I notice that this place has attracted several others who I’ve always liked & respected, well… here I am. Nice place… thanks for setting it up… & hello.
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Remember your dealing with a man, who one particular night of heavy drinking passed out on the car ride home. For comfort reasons I had removed my shoe’s before my car ride nap, when my ride dropped me off home I put my shoes on and went into my home, upstairs to my closet to get undressed. (one part of being a successful functioning alcoholic are routines) So I would always lean on the wall with one hand for stability, then with my left foot, remove my right shoe, then with my shoe-less right foot, remove my left shoe.
Well apparently when I awoke from my car ride slumber I mistakenly put my shoes on the wrong feet, so now in my closet when I tried to follow my routine, of taking my left foot and remove my right shoe, I looked down and my left foot was on my right leg !!! My right foot was now on my left leg!! I wound up falling in my closet trying to contort myself into getting my right foot back on my left let and visa versa, failing to ever come to terms with my shoes were simply reversed. My wife heard my panic and subsequent fall in the closet and ran to my “aid” only to find me telling her to call 911 because my feet were reversed.
That’s what you are dealing with here.
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