ottan's Profile

I enjoyed this discussion, but what I thought was conspicuously missing was a discussion about which policies would encourage creativity. I know it's sad when people 'steal' your designs, but how much of the design is truly original? And how long should you be protected? Most artists I know would claim that nothing is really new -- you build on what came before.

Sometimes the copying is clear, but more often it falls in a grey area (less often with these MCM most people are talking about). How do we deal with that?

Also, nobody has mentioned how quickly fashion changes now. In the early 50s of the Eames references, people saved more to buy their furniture (and clothes and food...), but the styles didn't appear outdated very quickly. Is our obsession with newness driving the desire for knockoffs?

I second the recommendation for the flavor bible -- it really can help you to improvise.

I found I became much more intuitive in the kitchen when I started trying to find ways to use up the ingredients that were leftover from recipes. I would challenge myself to use them up without buying anything new at the store.

First I would think, "what am I going to do with this half-bunch of broccoli Rabe?" I might consult the flavor bible, and see it has an affinity for sausage, which I also have in the fridge. Then I remember having a rabe and sausage orecchiette dish at a restaurant that I try to recreate.

If I'm not sure where to go from there, might still consult other recipes -- to see how long something typically needs to cook, for instance -- but typically I just look for clues to a technique.

Over time, those "helpers" become less necessary.

I still have an old Braun model -- the one with the metal shaft though -- and it's still going strong after 8 years. It's so good I've never bought a blender or a food processor (I have a mini chopper and a stand mixer though). For bigger batches, I just use it in a stainless bowl. If I need a ultra fine puree (rarely), I then put it through a tamis. It's great and takes up no space.

13. Because older furniture is often more appropriately scaled for city apartments.

A lot of new furniture wouldn't even fit through my front door.

Since many of you seem to be very passionate about this issue, I am wondering if anyone knows the specifics of the law prohibiting items on fire escapes (in NYC in particular). I've tried to research this in the past, and the most official documentation I could find was a firefighters newsletter in Brooklyn that said that you should not "obstruct the path on fire escapes." I thought that was remarkably vague. But if you interpret it literally, it would seem that the first photo would be okay, since the plants are hung on the outside or above the path. This would also be relevant to a post a couple of years ago when someone was trying to screen their fire escape from a courtyard below.

While I agree that fire safety should be of utmost importance, I am really more concerned about being able to move the furniture and open the window guards in case of an emergency.

I was responsible for setting the table when I was growing up too. I remember having fun coming up with new ways to fold the napkins.

Like many of the others, our table is close but not quite up to 'the works.' We always have a tablecloth and candles on the table, and a bowl of fruit. But flowers definitely don't fit on our tiny table along with the food, so we skip that, and we re-use our cloth napkins, so they don't seem fancy. If I make a slightly more complicated dish, I usually try to honor it with the nicer serving pieces and maybe some of the nicer china. Greens on toast just gets a regular plate.

The article is interesting, because it points out that depending on how your value the 12 factors included, almost any neighborhood can come out on top. They definitely are not positing that Park Slope is for everyone. They also include a couple of alternative lists too.

For fun, you can play with an interactive feature where you can adjust the different variables to suit your preferences.

http://nymag.com/realestate/neighborhoods/2010/

I have one of those (apparently popular) cheap, useless, recirculating hood in my rental. I don't have too many issues with smells, partly because I avoid dishes that could potentially smoke and partly because the kitchen is a closed room, but the major issue is with the slime that accumulates everywhere. During spring cleaning, I even find it on the back side of the refrigerator. It's not like I'm deep frying every night either...

I use Fresh Direct when I really need to stock up and don't feel like carrying groceries home -- or more importantly, don't feel likely hauling them up the stairs. Otherwise, I'll make frequent stops on my way home or go to the farmer's market on Saturday.

I should point out that since Sara Kate tried Fresh Direct, they have dramatically improved their packaging (cut it in half for most of my orders), and they now have a lot more variety than they used to -- including a good local section.

To some of the commenters concerned about the heat of the radiator, I have a cover like that in my office, and I have both my printer and a plant sitting on it -- it doesn't get that hot. Also, if the room is particularly small (which I'm guessing it is), it might be best to have the radiator off, since they can overheat the room.

Love the colors in this room...