This has been going on for years. I’m thinking of lines of 6 teenagers who were always on their phones and walking 6 across in the aisles of a mall, not paying attention to their surroundings. Umm, yeah, that’s a NO. Years ago, my sister and I once looked at each other after stepping out of THEIR way a couple of times and she said “Defense”, and we went shoulder-to-shoulder and refused to move out of the way, and just walked through them like they were bowling pins. When we got a “HEY!” from whoever we wouldn’t move for, one of us said “Pay attention and don’t take up the entire aisle!” We actually got applause from people behind us. LOL (ETA: Probably not the best way to handle it, but you get kind of tired of being the one stepping out of the way OR getting knocked in the shoulders by the kids because they’re not moving.)
I’ve used molds once or twice, but no - the rest of it - either my fat fingers place the parsley appropriately, or it stays where it fell out of my hands. I do try and use appropriate plates; don’t pile on (except maybe at Thanksgiving) and it’s OK if my different foods touch. I’ve never been able to twirl the pasta into a proper shape (i.e., carbonara), but I like @Vecchiouomo 's method of a ladle and carving fork. Might try that soon.
My students. Addicted to their screens. And for all the weeping about lack of in-person learning (I teach in a university) during the pandemic (and yes, I did teach remotely)it seems to me that even when the students are physically together in a class, they leave with their phones and thumbs busy overtime. . Not interacting with the people walking or sitting next to them. This saddens me; for me, it was one of the best experiences of college. People and profs from all over the world - right next to you. No Internet required. Human interaction. I even realized then how lucky I was.
I lived in Baltimore for 5 years and the pain of old bay in my nicked finger at a crab feed brings me right back to my days living in butchers hill near Patterson park. How I miss those days.
It is. I’ve never been there. I will try to remember to ask my friends who still live in Annapolis if they’ve gone in recent years. They guy who owned Bo Brooks also owns McGarvey’s on the city dock. It’s been there for decades. It was popular when I lived there; still is. They had a hot spiked cider drink called a Cider Rider that was delightful.
I guess the traditional Italian menu is a good starting point. So, starting off with some bites, antipasti, like olives, salumi, preserved vegetables or fish. And then moving on to pasta, then mains (no extra carbs if you had pasta), and desserts. In Italy they are all separate courses, very strict order in most traditional restaurants. In essence it’s sort of meant as follows:
Antipasti, meant to whet the appetite, often with some preserved food as the acid helps in preparing the stomach for the meal.
Pasta, to fill the stomach. Your immediate hunger should be over afterwards.
Mains, usually a beautiful piece of meat or fish, to just be enjoyed and admired. As side dishes, contorni, one would have sauteed vegetables.
Desserts, again for pure enjoyment.
Espresso/amaro/grappa to recover the stomach again.
Of course, at home, people usually skip either the primi (pasta) or secondi (mains) because it’s too much to eat and to prepare. But the order stays.
For example, last Monday, I started with some salumi on my own, with some wine, while preparing some bits of dinner already (stock). When my partner arrived, and she was hungry, I served some good quality mozzarella on its own, to share, just with olive oil and salt and pepper. In the meantime I was preparing a risotto, which we then enjoyed around 20 minutes later together, with a green salad. No mains (secondi). That was it: no stress, people were eating when they were hungry, and we still got to enjoy a meal together sitting at the dinner table with some wine. Not much clean up afterwards either as I could do most while cooking.
I’m sorry to hear of the closing of these pillars of Baltimore’s classic food scene. I suppose change is the only constant and even classics turn over as cities evolve. It’s been several years since I’ve been back, but I bet the soul of the city still feels the same. I’ll always heart Baltimore. Sometimes I watch old episodes of the Wire to remind me of our time there. An episode of the final season was filmed on our street back in the day.
My mind was already leaping to Italia. Things like broda con pasta, scallopini, bistecca, fresh broccoli or asparagus, etc. are light enough if offered In small servings and do not take so long that they would be awkward.
It was “discovered” many years ago, and now the path to Cantler’s is well worn. Ages ago I loved sitting at an outside table watching watermen unload their catches while I ate blues and nursed a schooner of Miller High Life. I know Miller does not get much love in the craft beer era, but to me it is the perfect seafood beer. A pitcher of that with a platter of fried oysters, good coleslaw, and the obligatory pile of more fries than you can eat is a dear memory from spots up and down the Atlantic coast. Bounty is its own form of plating.
A pitcher of non-craft beer and a table piled with seafood (with good coleslaw, fries, and even corn on the cob) is a near-religious experience! That I hope everyone gets to sample at least once in life. With newspaper for the tablecloth, of course.
An opener with kind of heavy appetizers and champagne is the dinner party host’s best friend, a somewhat abbreviated cocktail “hour.” Everybody milling around a bit. Takes a lot of pressure off.
It works with martinis, too. Mix a big pitcher, chill a bunch of glasses, and go back to the stove. Better still, at least for me, is having folks gather around the counter while you cook and booze. Kind of like eating at the counter by the cook in a restaurant. Sometimes the guests learn a bit, they will always appreciate more what they are fed, and sometimes a guest will teach the cook something new. You can even conscript help if you get too overloaded. Guests are fine at tossing salads, heating bread, opening wine, and serving. It helps motivate them to strike while the food is hot! But to Charlie’s point, not much beats a bottle of Champagne and good appetizers.
A well-crafted food and alcohol stupor works wonders to subdue a rowdy bunch. Funny, I don’t press folks into service, but I am inevitably commandeered when I am a guest. I’m even requested to come early to help. No rest for the wicked.
I miss all these gatherings. Hopefully this fall we can resume.
I have difficulty executing dishes while guests probe me with questions. This is likely because I am a decent amateur home cook and not trained like a professional. A professional could carry on a conversation while monitoring everything and coordinating cooking. I on the other hand want to be left alone to make sure I don’t forget anything regarding any of the dishes.
It’s hard for me not to show annoyance when guests come into the kitchen and ask me things like “where can I get a cup of water?”
I love holiday themed ware. I’m at the point of downsizing all the sets we have from two sets of grandparents, one set from grandparents in -law, one great aunt, our own sets plus all the crystal, silver and hollow ware, all in pretty decent condition. The kids don’t want it, except the DIL who would like all my Calico when the time comes. I am looking at what Replacements sells the ancient stuff for.
New guests to the dinner parties we throw are always surprised to see my mise en place trays with everything laid out. They think most chefs get half drunk, or coked-up, or messed up on heroin and then execute flawless dishes while perfectly reciting Banquo’s soliloquy just for entertainment.
