DameEdna

Once again I reveal myself as a cynical paranoid. I don't believe the Whole Foods fantasy. The theatre asks me to believe that perfect lettuce (organic) is over here, and perfect lettuce (conventional) is over there. The shopper is asked to create her or his own vision of what those labels mean. Buy some things and feel good about it. Sometimes I do shop at WF, but I think most of their public relations image is bull. Gradually, "food awareness" has increased, but we still have a long way to go. When the e.coli concerns in California spinach happened, a farmer in Virginia could not sell his crop. In a strange twist. I know someone who will not buy corn on the cob unless it has corn worms. She uses that as a test of quality. Not going to ever find corn with worms in the WF.

"titty clubs?" I can't find the post right now, but I think DR enjoyed some tasty chicken at one of those places onM Street. "titty clubs" sounds so pejorative. If DR had a good time with a chicken, I'm sure that it was at a very respectable establishment.

Sashimi of veal liver ...

It rarely happens, but once, a long time ago, the "very thrifty" guy was last to leave, and he got stuck with some things that were not his. He was very, very unhappy. The joke was on us, since there was no tip, and the whole situation was a mess. Everyone in the group got blacklisted.

give me strength ...

Maggiano's Little Italy, in Friendship Heights? Dessert at Cheesecake Factory? We won't laugh.

The Year of the Pig starts Feb. 18. Anyone doing anything special? In spite of idle speculation, I was born in the Year of the Tiger, not the Year of the Pig.

Not a snow day? So sorry. Better luck tomorrow.

1) Rummage through kitchen cabinets, looking for a bottle of brandy. 2) Look out window, enjoy ice patterns on trees 3) Feel sorry for government employees studying their Federal Registers (that is what they do, isn't it?).

Go on ... "Scrod in Boston?" (sincere apologies)

My neighbor was at a well-known Connecticut Ave. establishment (Timberlake's), When a four-year-old girl came over to talk to him. It was the child of a woman who was busy schmoozing at the bar. "Please take me to the bathroom, and hurry," the little girl said. My neigbor could only think of his security clearance ... flying away.

Real liquor store geeks (is there such a thing?) might want to check out the Virginia ABC Stores web site. I believeHendricks is listed in the sale items, with the price in the second column from the right. click The answer to the question "If a government agency had a liquor store, what would the pricelist look like?" is here.

My dream file is large, and actual travel experience, small. That said, I would go to Gigondas, which is a small town 41 Km northeast of Avignon. Good food. Good wine. Interesting architecture. Far enough off the beaten path so that it is not so expensive. In the vicious rumors department, I hear that a visit to Bordeaux is likely to be uninteresting. Thank you for the opportunity to dream.

I know a host or two that I would call "cupcake." And those guys would be thrilled! I know ... we are trying to be serious here. Still, context is everything. Some people are determined to be "top dog", even if it means that they don't get what they want or need. A little care with the vocabulary goes a long way.

When I was growing African violets (they are edible, aren't they?), I had them in a West facing window. I used a gro-light to provide longer light (a timer clicked on the light an hour before dawn). It worked. Much has been written about how much light, length of light, etc. Get into this and you are real gardening geek. The lights really help.

One of my dream travel trips would be to "Green Spain." And Arzak would definitely be a "must go" part of that.Thanks for giving me an opportunity to think about that!

Come on, don't hold back ... tell us what you really think.

Heather went to the Cheesecake Factory? Ha! (sorry)

Someone was handing ot little chocolate bits. Ecuadorian 72 percent. Like I know what that means. It was good, but it tasted more like a cooking chocolate. It sounds as though they will have tasty bites, and cooking ingredients. Probably very chocolate obsessed. They have been open two weeks (which makes the opening the last week of 2006). The location is in the space that was formerly Sticky Fingers (vegan) Bakery, below Florida, on 18th Street NW. Sticky Fingers has moved elsewhere. I wish the chocate guys good luck in this location, it has terrible Feng Shui. Has anyone with real chocolate knowledge tried their products?

"Truffles will get you through times of no money, better than money will get you through times of no truffles?"Hmmmmm.

A new Five Guys, International Square, in DC. Long lines for lunch. I had a bacon burger and fries. As the sign on the wall says "all meat cooked well done." That probably means you won't get E. Coli. It also means that completely gray and overcooked is the standard. Better than most fast food, but not great. The fries were limp and greasy. Not a very good experience.

Notes from lameducks, Dec. 27 - Prosciuto con Melone Seppiette fresche alla Griglia (cuttlefish, grilled) Portabella alla Griglia (Portobella mushroom, grilled) Anguelle Marinate al Limme (smelts marinated in lemon with garlic, olive oil) Agnolotti con Salsa di Noci (pasta filled with ricotta amd spinach in walnut sauce) Gnocchi al Pesto (potato dumplings with pesto sauce) Medaglione di Maiale al Barolo (tenderloin medallions of pork in a Barolo wine sauce) Tiramisu Cannoli Siciliani Grappa Prosecco Many other menu items and wines that I cannot remember. I had the Gnocchi al Pesto, and used a slice of excellent bread to mop up the last of the pesto sauce. Tiramisu - not as good as Barbara's. Grappa -- with a note of -- paint thinner? (but in a good way) We started before 7:30, left after 11:00. Good?

Now that we know that cucas87 has great organizing talents ... what's next?

Trying out IE 7.0, some links bring me to a message something like "IE is bored and has to go now ..." Is this a Microsoft problem, or Invision?

I just thought if "DonRocks" was "lit up" it just meant ... oh, never mind.