SNACK TRAGEDY

THIS IS A SNACK MADE UP OF MINOR TRAGEDIES:

I LOVED SAM AND KATE.

MY FAVORITE ITALIANO RESTAURANT IN THE EAST VILLAGE IS CLOSED.

MY DUMBO DREAM IS OFF THE MARKET BECAUSE OF JAY-Z AND BEYONCE.

the only way this could get better is if KATE GETS WITH LEO NOW FINALLY

Girly Movie Snack

So this guy came into work today..



Chances are 10 out of 10 of you have never seen this guy before. 11 of 10 of you wouldn't recognize his face or decide it was at all important. But I, however, saw his face, looked at it for probably too long, and subsequently placed it as "the face of the actor from 2005 romantic dramedy Prime" which I saw on a plane once and liked probably more than everyone else, ever. His character, in my opinion, was written purely with The Chicks in mind- like, he was perfect and yet he still had flaws? But like they were flaws that are inherent in all of us and thereby you know forgivable? But he, the actor, Bryan Greenberg, really gave a fresh performance. If I wasn't so worried of what people think of my opinions, I could use the word "transcendent." And he, the character, David, dates and just really really loves Uma Thurman's character, who has a really quirkyandunique name and is older than him. And Meryl Streep is his mom and her psychoanalyst, which provides the unnecessary romcom gimmick that the movie is based on. Of course, Mer is great and good as always. Really though, I just love the relationship between David and Rafi (see? I had to look that up, but it is full of quirk).

I found the movie on DVD at some store in Brooklyn that also sells a lot of Magic: The Gathering paraphernalia. It was three dollars so I bought it. I showed it to my roommates, who are both Chicks in their own right, and even THEY were like, "Jaclyn. Please." I'm really alone in thinking that this movie is Good with a capital G.

In the movie, they eat a lot of dinners. I think dinners are magical, and eating, and dinners with friends or dates. Cooking them, going out for them, trying new places, trying new foods, sampling many dishes, sharing many plates. My favorite dates include wine and full stomachs. I would name my Top 5, but that would require a lot of thought and I don't feel like letting a bunch of memories compete with each other internally! And it would make me hungry as shit. Anyway, that's probs part of the reason I loved Prime, because half of it was people in love eating and drinking and being merry, staring at each other over prosciutto in dim light.

In Summation: Saw a guy eating who was in a movie that I saw him eating in. La la la.

Muriel Barbery's new book is out in the US and I am excited.

"Proust's infamous madeleine cannot hold a candle to the lush, winsome memories of meals past that you'll find in Muriel Barbery's Gourmet Rhapsody. M. Pierre Arthens is France's premier restaurant critic—so premier in fact that he's simply called the Maître—and we meet him as he lies in bed, waiting to die. Fervently he mines years of gastronomic delights and discoveries in search of one single flavor, one that he says is "the only true thing ever accomplished." What unfolds—in vignettes narrated by him and by a chorus of his familiars (most human, some quite comically not)—is a portrait of a man in thrall to the very ingredient that makes French cuisine so inescapably, ecstatically, seductive: It's not cream, nor cognac, but the cook who defines those glorious tastes. 'The only true work of art, in the end," he says, "is another person's feast.' " --Anne Bartholomew, Amazon.com

It reminds me of THIS. haha. spoiler alert? Who hasn't seen this movie?



Ratatouille is my favorite Pixar. I mean, I loved Wall-E, but something speaks to me in this particular movie. And by "something" I mean cute rodents talkin and french food.

The Art of Mastering Snacks

Last night after Fresh Ground Pepper and Fresh Ground Pepper Presents: A Rooftop Showing of Back to the Future, Scoville and I made the perfect Ramen. It was perfect.


Then we ate other things, like sandwiches with chips on them.

Eat your heart out, Julie & Julia. (Also. I liked you! You were A Cute Movie!)

Exciting News Snack

War and Peace Snack

So I don't have work today, which is exciting because I also did not have work yesterday, which is exciting because I also did not have work Monday. Whoa! I'm spending my precious hours walking around outside, buying wine, seeing movies in parks, reading War and Peace, working on my research journal for a thing I'm writing, and eating delightful things.

These things include: shakes, shacks, snacks, hummus, carrots, cheese, cheese, cheese, crackers!, meats, meatballs, torts, tarts, cookies, couscous, corn, coffee.

We saw Harold and Maude on Monday. Tonight they're doing Paper Moon at Brooklyn Bridge, which is cool, but even more exciting is To Catch a Thief, which is one of my favorite movies of all time. That's next Thursday.

Right now I think I am going to watch A Room With a View which my father recommended to me yesterday after watching it with my mom:

"Our TV went out, the cable, so we've been dusting off our DVDs and watching those. A Room With a View, now there's something that was really most excellent. Helena Bonham Carter is nineteen or so, and she has so much hair, and it's puffed up like that early 1900s Edwardian, with the bonnet attached. And then there's Daniel Day-Lewis, who," he laughs, "in this movie? He's just a FOP. A giant FOP."

Snacks I Didn't Like Until Recently

When I was in Kindergarten, we played a counting game where Miss FIelding basically gave us each a bowl of olives and we had to count as many as we could. And she was like, "You can eat every single one you count!" and all of the kids cheered. And I did not get it because I thought olives were gross. And I told that very agressively to Miss Fielding and she changed my behaviour card from a green light to a yellow light.

But now I love olives! Maybe because I only know how to cook when olive oil is involved? Butter burns too easily. I only know how to bake with butter. I really like cooking, but I go about it in a totes lazy fashion.

I went through a phase where I wanted to name my children after things you could put in dishes, like Olive, and Rosemary, and Basil. They would be perfect names were I to take part in a whimsical cute fake British family.

And pickles. I mean, pickles are pickles. I hated pickles, but I loved the way they sounded equal parts juicy and crunchy when someone would bite into one at lunch in high school. And I liked the way they smelled, all briney. But I hated their taste, until quite recently!

I have developed a taste for Gherkins. Gherkin is also the name of a building in London. I wonder why.

San FranSnack

I was in San Francisco yesterday. I am in New York today! The wonders of modern technology!

Things I Did In San Francisco!
-Went to Union Square!
-Went to an Irish Pub for some Bangers and Mash and Fish and Chips and curry fries n' pints!
-Saw that guy with the rat on top of a cat on top of a dog!
-Went in a fancy hotel and bought a coffee and pranced around!
-Overheard a lot of dramatic conversations! Like, "Emily, I'm going to stay right here until you decide to be FUN."
-Saw the Mufasa of the Sea Lion Pride!
-Ate clam chowder in a frickin sourdough BREADBOWL BITCHES
-Almost got eaten by a pigeon!
-Booed the Giants!
-Went into a Music Box shop and was surprisingly perturbed!



Things I Want To Do In San Francisco But Didn't Get To Do Yesterday
-Ride a bike or run or drive down the windiest road in the world!
-Go to that museum with the fun carnee games!
-Walk the Golden Gate Bridge!
-Buy an Apartment and Probably Live There!
-Escape from Alcatraz!
-Find the place where they filmed the opening credits to Full House!
-Dominate at skateboarding like I did in the San Francisco Level of Tony Hawk ProSkater!
-Boo the Giants in their Ballpark! Or just park a sweet raft in McCovey Cove and catch all the Home Runs and Throw them BACK
-Buy a pound of Ghirardelli for my mouth!



Clubs To Open In San Francisco?
-The San FranDisco?
-The Ciscothèque??
-The San FranSisqó???

Snacks of Eighty Five Degree Weather

I noshed on the following for the past few hours:






Things I Brought With Me:

-A Sweet Mag
-Portnoy's Complaint
-Leftover Thai Food
-The #1's Of Mariah Carey
-My Inherent Tanning Skills And Unemployment

Snacking on NY Times Goat Quotes

The following quotes are some of the best I could find in one of the weirdest New York Times articles I've ever read, How I Learned to Love Goat Meat by Henry Alford.

"When New York Magazine proclaimed eating goat a 'trendlet' last summer, one reader whote on the magazine's website, 'Here are white people again!!!! Acting like they invented goat meat!' "

***

"I'd liked the flavor of the meat, equidistant as it was from lamb and beef. But when my teeth wrangled a particularly tough piece of meat that was shield-shaped and curved and slightly rubbery, I had the distinct impression that I had bitten into the cup of a tiny bra."

***

"Scavengers, they are falsely accused of eating tin cans. Their unappetizing visage is simultaneously dopey and satanic, like a Disney character with a terrible secret. Their chin hair is sometimes prodigious enough to carpet Montana. Chaucer said they 'stinken.' "

***

"...a friend asked me, 'Is it gay meat?" Confused, I said, 'There's nothing gay about it at all.' She explained, 'No, I said is it gamey?"

***

"In both dishes, the meat is as tender as a Jennifer Aniston movie."

fotografia courtesy of NYTimes.com

I Smell a Snack

Something around me smells like hot dogs. Hot dogs were featured in a movie I just watched. I'm going to get my hair cut like the girl in the movie. Do people ever put garlic on hot dogs?



I danced once to that song, while wearing duct tape on my mouth! O Cow. The Knack thought they would be bigger than The Beatles. They said so in an interview, which is why they are not bigger than The Beatles.

Snacking Snack

Old Gender Roles With Your Dinner?

By Frank Bruni

Published October 7, 2008

fotografia courtesy of Tony Cenicol/The New York Times

Snacklog

Subject: A Rebirth of Snacks

Originally Sent June 20, 2008

Snacks, Literally

cheese fondue

Recipe from Gourmet Magazine, 1966.
Servings: About 6

ingredients

1 garlic clove, halved crosswise

1 1/2 cups dry white wine (preferably Swiss, such as Fendant)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons kirsch

1/2 lb Emmental cheese, coarsely grated (2 cups)

1/2 lb Gruyère , coarsely grated (2 cups)

instructions

Accompaniment: cubes of French bread on fondue forks or long wooden skewer

Special equipment: a fondue pot

-Rub inside of a 4-quart heavy pot with cut sides of garlic, then discard garlic.
-Add wine to pot and bring just to a simmer over moderate heat.
-Stir together cornstarch and kirsch in a cup.
-Gradually add cheese to pot and cook, stirring constantly in a zigzag pattern (not a circular motion) to prevent cheese from balling up, until cheese is just melted and creamy (do not let boil).

-Stir cornstarch mixture again and stir into fondue.

-Bring fondue to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.

-Transfer to fondue pot set over a flame and serve with bread for dipping.

fotografia courtesy of googlegooglegoogle

Bitter Snack

A few readers' reviews of East Village French Bistro Tree, thanks to menupages.com

Posted by Party Peter on 07/09/2007

Get out of me Tree

Tree is a place that brings one back to the way New York City is supposed to be. For the trust fund brats, for the hedge fund cronies, for the rest of the scum that expects their every whim to be catered to beyond their deserving, this is not the place for you. The service will not accommodate your asinine, high, pompous thoughts of how special you are. After all, there are places made for you, go there. Tree is a place where one may come to be a part of a family, eat spectacular food from Andy, and enjoy a little pot of gold (or wine) from Column. As of late, New York City has been infested with mediocrity. There are festering brats who move here to be cool and bring down those who have been home here for more than twenty years. If you are of the latter, Tree is the place for you. If you are of the former, go back where you came from, you'll be cool there. This is not a place where your trust makes you special. At Tree, you are special if you can appreciate. The garden is spectacular. The waitresses are an eclectic and adorable assortment of girls who, when treated in kind, are only too happy to accommodate any reasonable request. As it is yet six months old and packed most nights, start up success jitters are to be expected. There is a reason they are packed so close to their opening. The food is some of the best anywhere near the price range anywhere near New York City. The selection of wine is exceptionally reasonable. The service, as it should be, is doing a great job in keeping up with the demands of such a small kitchen. The atmosphere is quite homey, New York charm on the inside, and wonderfully airy in the garden. Tree is a family who will stick together and welcome you with open arms if you are deserving. They do well with or without you, so that deserving must be earned. You cannot expect it simply because you are using Daddy's visa (they don't take Visa anyway, so you'll have to get a cash advance before you go).
________________________________________________________

Posted by Trustfundbaby on 07/13/2007

WowI just hope I'm never at a party Peter's at. He's got issues. Call me Pete-I'll spot you a 20 for dessert...x

fotografia courtesy of treenyc.com

Snacklog

Originally emailed January 17, 2008

Subject: A Snack for Others

http://www.freerice.com/

fotografia courtesy of googlegooglegoogle

Wiki Snack- Tapas

This one's for Scoville:

I just Wiki'd "Tapas." Here are some tasty morsels.

The Origin of The Species

"According to legend, the tapa tradition began when Castile's King Alfonso the Wise recovered from an illness by drinking wine and nibbling small dishes between meals. After regaining his health, the king ordered taverns to serve their guests food along with wine and the tapas became a kind of loophole in the law to allow drinkers to drink."

The Eytmology of Tapas, or Tapa, which is Spanish for "lid"

"A commonly cited explanation is that an item, be it bread or a flat card, etc., would often be placed on top of a drink to protect it from fruit flies; at some point it became a habit to top this 'cover' with a snack.

It is also commonly said that since one would be standing while eating a tapa in traditional Spanish bars, they would need to place their plates on top of their drinks in order to eat, making it a top.

Some believe that the name originated sometime around the 16th century when tavern owners from Castilla-La Mancha found out that the strong taste and smell of mature cheese could help disguise that of bad wine, thus 'covering' it, and started offering free cheese when serving cheap wine.

Another popular explanation says that the king Alfonso XII stopped by a famous venta (inn) in Cádiz (Andalusian city) where he ordered a cup of sherry. The waiter covered the glass with a slice of cured ham before offering it to the king, to protect the wine from the beach sand, as Cádiz is a windy place. The king, after drinking his wine and eating the tapa, ordered another sherry 'with the same cover'. "

According to Scoville

"In Spain, that shit is FREE!"

Generic Food Network Tapas Recipes

For those of us who can't get to Spain, and would like to make our own

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/et_pa_tapas

Wiki Snack

As I sit at my kitchen table eating a Saturday lunch of green beans, baby tomatoes, tuna, and cheese, I did some googling of "snacks" in order to further my study.

"A snack food (commonly called a snack) is seen in Western culture as a type of food not meant to be eaten as a main meal of the day – breakfast, lunch, or dinner – but one rather that is intended to assuage a person's hunger between these meals, providing a brief supply of energy for the body. The term may also refer to a food item consumed between meals purely for the enjoyment of its taste."
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snack_food ... it's part of wikipedia's "Meals" series

"Whether you're getting together with family, going to a holiday party, or celebrating at the office, you'll probably be asked to bring a snack or dish."
-http://southernfood.about.com/cs/appetizers/a/party_snacks.htm ... which, may I add, includes recipes for many kinds of cheese straws, slow cooked cajun pecans, and donna's nachos...

"Here are creative and healthy ways to satisfy your hunger. Your stomach is growling, but lunch is hours away. You could indulge yourself with a snack, but you think it's best to avoid treats altogether and wait for lunch. Though you may feel guilty about snacking, snacks aren't necessarily bad. In fact, mini meals several times a day can help manage hunger and reduce bingeing. The key to incorporating snacks is to plan them with variety, moderation and balance in mind. Select foods that satisfy your hunger, supply your body with energy and provide important nutrients."
-http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-diet/HQ01396 ... I basically just cut and pasted around every reference to weight loss.

"The Indian snacks are usually delicious and mouth watering. Savouries like samosas, aloo tikki etc. are commonly served in India. This section is comprised of recipes which have been passed on for generation together in Indian homes. The crispness and tempting tastes of indian snacks is liked by young and old alike. These can be easily prepared at any time. It is ideal to serve snacks before coffee or tea."
-http://www.indianfoodforever.com/snacks/index.html ...just for kicks.