19 Jul 2011
by scolgin
in Observations
Tags: Austria, Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Niko Alm, pasta, pastafarian, Vienna
I always enjoy good food-related humor. So when my mother forwarded me a link with the subject line, “Austrian Man Wins Right To Wear Pasta Strainer In License Photo,” I couldn’t resist taking a moment from my busy day and clicking through.
Niko Alm's driver's license photo
According to the story featured on the NPR website, a Viennese man named Niko Alm had been petitioning the Austrian government for three years for the right to wear a pasta strainer on his head in his driver’s license photo. More
15 Jul 2011
by scolgin
in Observations
I’m always curious how people get to my blog. So I often check my website metrics, which tells me which pages people visit, and in the event they were referred by Google or other search engines, what they were searching for that led them here.
Unhappy guests of the pasar ikan
And I’m often amazed, mystified and dumbfounded. Here’s a look at some of the recent search terms that brought people to my humble blog: More
12 Jul 2011
by scolgin
in Recipes, Video
Tags: baguette, Bastille Day, brasserie, charcuterie, France, french cooking, fries, frites, fruits de mer, moules, mussels, Paris, paté, recipes, seafood, video
We Americans like to appropriate other peoples’ holidays. I’m as guilty as anyone — on Cinco de Mayo we have friends over for fish tacos and margaritas; never does a St. Patty’s Day pass by without corned beef, cabbage and Guinness. And Chinese New Year always represents an opportunity for lacquered duck. But we the people haven’t seemed as taken, for some reason, with Bastille Day. 
I was in Paris once for Bastille Day. I remember tanks on the Champs Elysees, jets flying low overhead, drunk Parisians everywhere, reveling. I’ve always been enamored of France, and Paris in particular. More
08 Jul 2011
by scolgin
in Cookbooks, Observations
Tags: Adam Perry Lang, Alaska, bachelor, Everyday Mexican, gravlax, Jacques Pépin, Julia Child, Madame Wu, Mario Batali, Nobu Matsuhisa, Rick Bayless, salmon, Santa Monica, Serious Barbecue, single guys
A dear friend of mine emailed me recently and asked me what were my top 5 cookbook recommendations for his nephew, who had just moved out into his first apartment and was hungry.
My "bachelor" 7-year-old son Flynn's favorite cookbook.
Guys who move away from mom for the first time often don’t realize that food doesn’t just appear on the table. I had the fortune of already having worked in restaurants and being a good cook the first time I moved out. More
04 Jul 2011
by scolgin
in American Series, Pork, Recipes, Video
Tags: 4th of July, barbecue, grill, grilling, Kansas City, Pork, ribs
50 million grills will be fired across America on the 4th of July. On many of them, the breasts of chickens who gave their lives for the event will be cooked long periods at a high heat into chalky oblivion. Burgers that held such promise will be transforming into rocky discs while their cooks chat with party guests over a beer. But on the best barbecues, magic will be happening. And I want that to be yours.
When I contemplate what to grill for Independence Day, my imagination travels the great barbecues of our country. More
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