bedtime for gonzo's Profile

How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman. At that point, I only cooked the food I had growing up (Mexican). I viewed it as an anthropological curiosity as much as a reference -- I had no idea (but was very curious about!) how "Americans" ate, and wanted to try this "new" cuisine. I think chicken with 40 cloves of garlic was my first recipe.

And waste all that water?!?!? I'd rather go without meat.

i'm not a fan of white meat, but even if i did, i think i'd avoid it for stock. dark meat is so much more flavorful & doesn't dry out completely in the process (take it out when it's cooked and let the other stuff simmer away). i use whole chicken legs and turkey wings for stock (along with the aromatics and such). makes damn good stock.

looker, judger. we all do it, and i couldn't even tell you how often people comment on my cart items -- usually when my cart is loaded with veggies ("look at all the different kinds of vegetables you have!" huh?) or baking supplies ("baking from sctatch! what are you making?"). i think it might have something to do with the fact that most people who shop at my local grocery store are buying prepared food and/or alcohol.

the sweet(er) tamarind variety is widely used in mexico for candy-making, snacking, aguas frescas, and (my favorite!) as a topping for raspados.

big, fresh salads -- when i'm home, i have one at least once a day, and i always crave them when i'm away.

Ashbadger, I do this all the time. All-veggie frittatas last about 3 days, in my experience.

Dude.

Phsh, easy. SMITTEN KITCHEN. I want to write like Deb when I grow up.

Totally agree with BlackandWhite. As long as the process isn't too messy, I'll do it. I'm incredibly tactile, and for me, this is just an extension of eating by sight and smell, as most people do already. At home, I use tortillas to scoop up what I can't pick up with my fingers and wooden chopsticks (bad, I know, but I *so* prefer them over metal utensils), when a tortilla won't do.

I eat with my fingers at dinner parties and restaurants and find that most people will join in the fun.