The Sad Story of Jack Sprat
What a horrible tale. It’s almost unimaginable. Fat is everywhere, and it is wonderful. Granted, it needs to be good fat, and prepared well, as I very clearly remember a time in my childhood when I would eat around the fatty bits of a steak or a lamb chop because they were too chewy.
Tough gristly fat is not the good fat. The good fat is the buttery, juicy, delicate bits that add flavor and an unctuous texture to otherwise toothsome meat.
Now addiction is a weighted word. I think I prefer compulsion. But clearly, whatever you want to call it, I’ve got it. And this active effort to stay away from what doctors call “the bad stuff” has just been fueling my desire for what I know to be “the good stuff.” Even in this week where I’m giving up bread, pasta, beer, and pizza, my thoughts and longings drift elsewhere.
Come and take a peek into my own little private torture chamber.
Feeling Robbed
Sometimes you pay more for something and feel good about it. For example I have no interest in learning about computers and appreciate how simple Apple products are to use and maintain, so I don’t mind paying a premium for them.
Food is rich in examples of such products. Although more often than not you are paying for quality. That $10 per pound butter is truly incredible stuff. So sure, it’s a sometimes treat, but I never question if I’m getting my money’s worth.
Other times one pays for services. The Cheese Traveler lords over a hand picked selection of very special cheeses. His expert knowledge and skilled observations can help point you to something delicious. Then he’ll hand cut you a piece from the wheel. It will not be inexpensive, but you will have in your hand one of the finest pieces of cheese available in the Capital Region.
However, far too often, you pay for nothing. At least that’s how it seems, and that gets me angry. Angry enough to name names. Like the $25 plate of farmed Atlantic salmon or the $15 plate of dry barbecue brisket. Here is one recent tale of how I got taken to the cleaners by a place that I generally like and I know is beloved by many.
Why It Matters & What It Can Accomplish
There has been one question that I’ve been holding onto since the end of January. And it’s kind of the ultimate question.
Clearly, I take the Times Union Best of the Capital Region poll too seriously. In the past I’ve mentioned a lot of the reasons.
– It’s about highlighting truly great local businesses.
– It’s about rising up over the drone of mediocrity that permeates the region.
– It’s about getting national chains off the list of what is best about living here.
Those all stand. But in my mind there is a bigger idea behind this too. Because while the above are all noble goals, if they were just an end to themselves, I’m not so sure I would be as committed to the cause. However, we’ve been so busy discussing which places are best, promoting the slate, and defending some of its selections, that there hasn’t been a chance to reflect on the deeper meaning of the FUSSYlittleBALLOT.
It may sound a little crazy, but hear me out.
Sell Out Sunday
Happy Easter! Happy Passover! What the hell are you doing reading blogs? Seriously. In anticipation of the fact that everyone should have something better to do today, I’m catching up on some old promises. Really, I had intended to run this post yesterday. It is an installment of Sell Out Saturday after all. However, seder preparations in addition to a tricky back thwarted a lot of my plans.
Oh yes, I’m having back problems again. Luckily I’ve got some serious meds. But I was still able to pull of the seder with much thanks to Capital Q once again coming through with holiday brisket delivery. Damn that stuff is good. Who needs a nana when you’ve got a pit boss who delivers?
But there are a lot of interesting food things going on in the community. Some you may have heard about, and others might be new to you. But I’ve got their press releases, and if you read on, you will have them too.
The Order of the Order
Many Jews are a bit uncomfortable with the word Jew. Take the below exchange:
“Are you a Jew?”
“Well, I’m Jew-ish.”
All kidding aside, the story of how I went from being a non-practicing secular Jew to a temple-going religious one (albeit one who enjoys pork in all of its forms and cheeseburgers) is probably best for some blog that isn’t about food. The part that is relevant to today’s conversation is that now I get to go to two Passover seders over the course of two days. This is synonymous with the festive holiday meal. And while I’m not so crazy about the holiday itself, I love a good seder.
If you’ve never been to one, they can be a lot of fun. They can also be simply dreadful. But one would be hard pressed to beat the one Raf, ADS and I cobbled together in our first year out of college living in California, far from our families on the East Coast.
Lamb-a-Ham-a-Ding-Dong
With all the craziness around the FUSSYlittleBALLOT, I’ve almost forgotten there are two major holidays right around the corner: Easter and Passover. I think I’m actually in denial about Passover.
My mother, stepfather, sister and her gentleman caller are all coming up to Casa del Fussy to celebrate the holiday. It’s a spring festival, so I hope to get springlike things on the menu. I’m planning a pea and ricotta thing and maybe something to do with fennel pollen. But besides those I suppose the rest of the meal will be fairly traditional and solidly Eastern European.
But I don’t want to talk about the thing I know about. I want to talk about what seems like the more interesting dichotomy surrounding Easter. There could be a simple and easy explanation for this, but it seems as if people break into two camps: those who prefer lamb and those who want a ham.
Let’s discuss.
What Makes a Restaurant?
Never did I expect to be having this conversation. But I’m glad that we are. Here is just another way that the FUSSYlittleBALLOT can potentially improve the food in Albany, by expanding the parameters of what a restaurant can and should be.
But first, let’s back up.
With your input I selected All Good Bakers as the nominee for Best New Restaurant. This was based on a combination of factors, which included the number of times it was mentioned, and the number of times it was the top pick. Like everything else, it was a choice I could feel good about supporting.
Jessica R. even had it in her top three. So I was surprised to see the following challenge from this awesome member of our community (which makes her no less awesome):
The only item I still can’t really get behind is All Good Bakers for Best New Restaurant. I just don’t think of them as a restaurant, but more of a bakery, even though I realize they make sandwiches, and i would definitely consider going there for lunch. As another commenter mentioned, Ultraviolet Cafe or other coffee shops do the same, but I wouldn’t consider them traditional restaurants – with table dining and waitresses. Can you win me over on your choice for this category?
It turns out Jessica isn’t alone in her feelings on the matter. I had thought this was asked and answered in the last installment of Ask the Profussor.
-R asks a question that should get more ink than this, but it needs a decisive answer:
Finally, should [All Good Bakers] really be included as a restaurant? I know they do more than bake, but so does Uncommon Grounds for example, and I would not consider them a restaurant in the truest sense of the word.
Yes. Absolutely, yes. They cook, they do not just bake and assemble. There’s a difference. Nick excels at putting flavors together, balancing colors, textures, heat and sweet. That’s what makes a chef.
And while DerryX enjoyed his recent trip there, he too is not convinced of their status as a restaurant. Put these three things together, and you’ve got a pretty solid trend line. It’s time to add some other data points to this conversation, both theoretical and practical.
So what makes a restaurant a restaurant?
Spreading Fussy
It’s like the miracle of compound interest. You tell two people. And they tell two people. And so on, and so on, and so on. Eventually everyone knows. Or in the case of compound interest (barring runaway inflation or a twenty year stagnation of the market) eventually you can retire.
But we only have until April 20 at noon to get ballots into the Times Union for their 2012 Annual Best of the Capital Region poll. I know it seems like a lot of time. However, if we are going to reach 5,000 completed ballots (which I truly think is an impossible figure, but they tell me it’s good to set lofty goals) it helps to start early.
I have been trying to plant as many seeds as possible. You might have noticed the new additions to the sidebar over at the top right of the page. Yesterday I also addressed more concerns on Reddit, goosed the Yelp comment thread, sent emails to a couple bloggers with a sizable readership, and posted about the FUSSYlittleBALLOT all over the TU Best of 2012 blog. I even decided to reach out individually to my oldest and best friends over Facebook to guarantee their participation.
People are busy. Sometimes it takes a little hand-holding.
But not everyone you know can be approached so bluntly. It takes a certain level of intimacy and closeness to get in touch and tell someone they’ve got to get online right now and vote for this slate. Other people require a bit more of a delicate touch.
For them, and for the throngs of people you have on your contact list, I’m providing the following to help you do your part in providing support for this effort. You’ve worked so hard up to now. But this is the critical last step, or what I like to affectionately call it, Phase Three.
The FLB 3.0 is Off to a Great Start
What does it take to win? I’m going to say five thousand. That’s not five thousand page-views of the FUSSYlittleBALLOT 3.0. That’s five thousand completed ballots that vote the full slate of businesses and write-ins.
You may think that’s crazy.
But let me tell you this. We now have a pretty impressive track record of getting things done as a community. Do you remember the New York State of Mind Cocktail? Your participation helped make sure that the drink received a seat at the table and gave it some great buzz going into the competition. And let’s not forget the most recent changes to the Times Union’s Best of the Capital Region questionnaire after the outpouring of responses to the newspaper.
It’s a large number, and it’s probably larger than we need. But historically there are significantly fewer than 20,000 ballots cast. 5,000 ballots all voting for the same slate should push our selections into the top three. I just want to give you a sense of scope to show that we cannot do this alone. Even if every reader who came through these pages over the next few weeks voted for the slate, it’s unlikely we would get the momentum we need. Still, I’m hopeful we can succeed.
Welcome to Phase Three.
Stupid Easy Chocolate Syrup
It’s hard to untangle all the different kinds of crazy that are wrapped up in this project, but I’ll try.
I don’t know why, but for some reason chocolate syrup is a staple ingredient in the Fussy household. My guess is that it has something to do with ice cream. In general we stock the chocolate syrup of my people, Fox’s U-Bet. So, we were running low and Mrs. Fussy wanted me to pick up a new bottle.
That wasn’t going to happen. Primarily because I’m sitting on a megasized container of cocoa powder (which was regifted to me from my mother) and I had read about how easy it was to make chocolate syrup from scratch. That’s not so crazy. But also I’m trying to eliminate plastic containers from our lives.
Crazy.
Naturally, it has something to do with chemicals. I’ll spare you the details. But I’ll tell you this, if I have to choose between two similar products, I’m inclined to buy the one that is packaged in glass over the one in plastic. Sriracha is one rare exception. I can’t turn my back on that angry rooster.
However, I can turn my back on the children who were likely exploited or enslaved in the service of this cocoa’s production. It’s easy since I didn’t buy the cocoa powder, and letting it go to waste seems even worse than using it. Still, there is guilt. And that’s probably crazy too.
But let’s put that aside for a moment, and go back to a happy place of how easy it is to make delicious chocolate syrup that you can make with fair-trade chocolate & organic sugar and keep at home in glass jars.
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