The Healing Power of BBQ
People who have the luxury of writing about food need to remember that not everybody is so lucky. We touched on this a little bit yesterday as eating is rarely something I do because I’m hungry.
For me, eating is a hobby. I’m on team live to eat. But there are others who eat to live. And it’s not a joking matter. Every year for Yom Kippur I spend the day fasting. And it’s a great reminder of the physical toll that going without food can take on your body.
Even before I started writing about food, the prevention of hunger was something I took seriously. After my bar mitzvah, I donated several hundred dollars to an organization called Mazon. For the past couple of years I have been doing what I can to help support and promote The Food Pantries for the Capital District.
Now, there’s a way to help reduce hunger in our community by eating some BBQ brisket.
The Vacation Cocktail
Today is the last day of Vacation Week. It’s our last full day in Vermont, and I’m taking the kids to Ben & Jerry’s. That’s about as touristy as I get these days. But it’s pretty touristy.
I was able to sneak a trip into Vermont Spirits and taste their whey based vodka, their barrel aged gin, and No. 14 Maple Spirit which is distilled from 100% maple. That last one was my favorite, but the aromatic complexity of their gin is nothing to sneeze at.
However, when I think about Vacation Week, I wanted to talk about vacation in general. Even using the idea of vacation as a metaphor to other things entirely, like cooking. Today’s cocktail post has nothing to do with Vermont.
More than anything, it probably has to do with the Florida Keys.
Self Care
Well, this post is up later than I expected. But hey, it’s Vacation Week. Sometimes posts get delayed in the relaxed setting of a week off in the Vermont mountains.
Although, that is not exactly what happened today.
For the sake of keeping the blog real, I’ll tell you the unglamorous and unflattering story. But in the end, there is a happy ending that comes thanks to some tried and true cooking methods, and it includes a heart felt rant about cookware.
Vacation Soda
One summer, when I was sailing with my family around the northeast, there was this tent set up in town near the marina. It was off limits to me, but somehow I got the gist of what was going on inside.
People were lining up for free tastes of two different sodas, and they would have to say which one they preferred. Yes, that’s right. This was The Pepsi Challenge.
Maybe I’m dating myself. But I was young. And I didn’t care that I was unable to participate. My preference was firmly set. I was a Coke drinker. Pepsi was disgusting. I still remember the sticky feeling on my teeth that remained after drinking a Pepsi. “How could anyone prefer that?” I thought at the time. And as we sailed away, I thoughtfully sipped my Coke trying to lock in the taste memory, lest someone try to fool me in a blind tasting.
Little did I know that before too long, my classic Coca Cola would be scrapped for New Coke based on the tainted results of these tastings.
But this is a story with a happy ending.
A Cooking Vacation
So did anything interesting happen yesterday?
I’m in vacation mode, so I’m not letting anything get me down. All the horrors and tragedies of the moment will still be there when I get back. Or maybe they will have resolved themselves. Who’s to say. Either way, I’m in Vermont. There is plenty of beer. And we’ve got a hot tub.
Not like we need a hot tub. It’s hot as heck up here. Even on the side of this mountain.
Yesterday I went to a highly recommended sandwich place, visited a local distillery, and helped to cook dinner for our extended family of twelve people. Maybe later I’ll talk about some of the cooking on this trip.
However, for Vacation Week, I wanted to turn things around a bit and write about having a vacation from cooking. And as I was considering that idea, one thing came to mind.
Vacation Week Begins Close To Home
Welcome to Vacation Week!
Hey, it’s summer. People travel. And right now I’m renting a house with old college friends, somewhere in Vermont. I’ve got very little say in the overall plans for this trip. But the kitchen is well equipped, and the beers out here are great. Thanks for all the tips.
This week we’re going with a vacation theme. And I can think of no better way than starting with a guest post from Emily L. Recently, her mother came through town. One of my favorite things to do is showing off the Capital Region’s culinary chops to visitors.
Most recently that meant getting Raf some wings from Graney’s. And even though he wasn’t entirely sold on the idea of mozz and melba, we had to get some mozz and melba. Where did Emily take her mom? Well, I’ll let her tell you. Read more…
The Magic Formula
Magic is probably the wrong word. And I think we’ve talked about this in the past. In a crowded field of places to eat, how do you stand out? How do you get butts in seats?
Put out great food. For a great price. And the world will beat a path to your door.
Figuring out how to do this while remaining a profitable business is where things get trickier. And that will depend on your labor costs, rent, and raw ingredients. Minimizing waste and spoilage are also key drivers.
Chefs are known for their cooking skills and ability to put together delicious flavors. But good chefs also have another skill. They can work fast. So at least in theory, it should make financial sense for a restaurant to make its own stocks instead of buying them.
Last weekend, I was very lucky to get a table at the Field Notes brunch with Little Miss Fussy. Because they’ve nailed this formula, and in their second week of brunch service, had more people show up than they ever imagined.
It’s a good problem to have.
The Beers Next Door
Not too long ago I walked into Westmere Beverage looking for a beer recommendation. I wanted a six pack of twelve-ounce cans. Something good, but not silly expensive. It needed to be refreshing enough for summer, and a beer I could enjoy without thinking too much about it.
Also known as a six-pack.
Beer is entering a strange era. It seems as if the end of the pool I’ve been playing in lately is filled with four-packs of sixteen-ounce cans. For my own sanity, I try not to look too closely at the prices. Some are more than $20. Most are less. But not much less. And I think Albany is incredibly lucky to have access to as many fantastic beers as we do.
Now, flashback to last week when I took a road trip up to Montreal for candy. I stopped at my old friend’s house in Burlington on the way back. And he took me to his local supermarket to check out the beer selection.
It was a category re-defining moment.
Tools of Summer
It’s probably not a surprise that I define the seasons based on the foods I get to eat.
But time does this crazy thing the older I become. It just gets faster and faster. And even though I remember this past winter seemed to go on forever, there were still some winter foods that I never had the chance to enjoy.
Notably, I never made a batch of the most delicious split pea soup in the known universe. But I also never made a batch of bolognese. There was no chili. I didn’t make a single pot of red beans and rice.
Now summer is here. We put the regrets of the past behind. It’s time to embrace the season and enjoy as much as we can. Strawberries have been consumed with great gusto. Our CSA had its first fruit share today, and we received a basket of cherries.
As we approach the peak of summer, I wanted to take a moment and talk tools.
FUSSYlittleBLOG 