"This is bullshit!!" written by Jbeatty on estrip.org

04/05/08 03:01 - 47ºF - ID#43914

This is bullshit!!

Today I went to go pick up some kaffir lime leaves for my penang curry. I went to A Chau on Niagara street and the guy working the counter told me they weren't allowed to sell them anymore, in fact nobody in town could. Naturally I didn't believe him. So I went to the Niagara St. Asian Market which is only a block away and asked for them and was told the FDA banned them 3 months ago. Apparently they will be fined $10,000 if they are caught selling them! $10,000 for some fucking leaves??? It's bad enough I can't get fresh mangosteens(easily) or durian in this country, but now my lime leaves too?? I am seriously planning a trip to Canada just so I can smuggle a stash of this stuff. Fuck the FDA! I am going to be a one issue voter this year, any candidate that pledges to cut FDA funding will get my vote.

fellyconnelly writes at 07:34:52 05/10/08 - Comment #34909: seriously what is this about splitting cows suddenly? is this a western ny thing? i have never heard of such a thing until now... and i have to go pick up my cow quarter soon, come to think of it...

metalpeter writes at 08:26:09 04/06/08 - Comment #33567: (e:tinypliny) You where a block away from my house and you didn't stop by, ARH!! Kidding first of all you don't know where I live, 2nd I most likely wasn't home, and 3rd my place (clean for me) is such a mess you would never talk to me again.

I'm leaving to go see a Jays game with in the hour, to bad I don't know where to get that stuff or what it is. I wonder why the FDA thought it isn't safe. Maybe there is some US product that will sell more if it is banned. Maybe there is some way of using it in drugs or as a drug. Maybe there is some kind of infestation or thing used on it to stop that in Asia they don't like. It would be interesting to know why they don't allow it here.

james writes at 09:43:23 04/05/08 - Comment #33562: Jim and I were talking about splitting a cow just the other day. If you need someone to split cow bits with let us know and we will do our part... just don't leave us with just the tail. I can eat only so much of it.

James: It was wonderful to see you at Seabar. Next time I see you I have to lend you a book called "The Devil's Picnic". It is written by this guy who travels to different countries and violates their ridiculous food laws all the while commenting on why those laws make zero sense and how other countries are doing better without them. He goes into pasteurized cheese in the US, alcohol in Norway, Poppy in Singapore, and many more. It is a great read and fits your current anger beautifully.

drew writes at 05:44:33 04/05/08 - Comment #33553: Jbeatty, I understand your frustration, but cutting funding to the FDA will only make things worse. Why? Because they won't go away--and then they will levy even higher fines to make up for their budget deficit.

Anyway, you should just be happy that you live near an international border, but for the FDA inspectors that are reasoning this, I think we should clarify that you and this "(e:janelle)" (who, like you, I have only interacted with online) plan on purchasing, cooking, consuming, and um--evacuating said foods all while in Canada.

tinypliny writes at 04:50:20 04/05/08 - Comment #33545: BTW, a somewhat desperate substitute would be thin shavings of the skin of small green limes + lemon grass (boiled and essence extracted). I think they are a somewhat close approximation, but they are still a desperate measure. Kaffir Lime Leaves are Kaffir Lime leaves. :(

tinypliny writes at 04:42:46 04/05/08 - Comment #33544: I KNOW!!!!!!
THEY DON'T GET KARUVEPELAI AT THE INDIAN STORE ANYMORE EITHER BECAUSE OF RETARDED FDA REGULATIONS!
And since the cook ire in me is out, I think its time to gripe about some more stuff. The guy at the shop at Connecticut (Phu Thai) doesn't get the wider kind of pad thai noodles from Malaysia any more. He keeps on telling me to "return next week". Yeah right, tell the truth for once, you minion!

Guercio's only gets the Lebanese Pita bread on whim. Apparently, they don't have control over the type of Pita they get every week. Quit lying! Admit it that you just don't care enough to listen to nobodies like me!

janelle writes at 03:10:18 04/05/08 - Comment #33538: Lol! Maybe, ask Jim and James. I had thought of asking them as well. Maybe we can split it into thirds between us.

jbeatty writes at 03:09:06 04/05/08 - Comment #33537: Actually I have, I was trying to talk some one into splitting my portion with me.

janelle writes at 03:07:40 04/05/08 - Comment #33535: If you go to Canada, I'll give you money to buy us fresh rambutan and kaffir lime leaves. I've been eating canned rambutan from Wegmans. Not bad, but not as good as fresh!

BTW, have you thought any on the e-mail I sent about splitting a cow?

Permalink: This_is_bullshit_.html
Words: 156
Location: Buffalo, NY

03/30/08 10:03 - 29ºF - ID#43827

Dumb Question

Ok, so does anyone have a really good explanation as to why you aren't supposed to put hot water into a coffee pot?? I'm not certain I believe this, but several people tell me its "bad".

john writes at 10:12:39 03/31/08 - Comment #33335: The only thing I could find echoed Terry's comments about using hot water in general.

empireoflight writes at 05:11:46 03/31/08 - Comment #33321: Cold Water boils faster than Hot Water. Sure, it has to catch up to Hot Water's temperature, but along the way it gains momentum, sling-shotting past Hot Water on its way to the boiling point.

lauren writes at 04:41:01 03/31/08 - Comment #33319: Ok, so...this may be only for industrial coffee makers but, the reason is...with the big coffee makers there is a reserve of water, which is heated all the time...when you poor in cold water, it sinks to the bottom, while the hot water that has already been heated goes to the top...i think. and there was something else i am sure, but i don't remember...its been awhile since i worked at Stewarts...

fellyconnelly writes at 04:25:11 03/31/08 - Comment #33315: LAUREN KNOWS!!! but when she was explaining it to me I wasn't paying attention. My bad.

joshua writes at 11:02:37 03/31/08 - Comment #33293: I dunno. If for any reason, the sludge angle that Terry just talked about would be enough for me to just use cold water.

I have been using a drip cone anyway - my coffee machine broke. =( Its more labor intensive but the coffee is far better! With a high quality filter and proper stirring (something you can't do with a machine) the coffee ends up with a far silkier mouth feel.

This is the company I order my beans from... check out this slideshow. They bought a super expensive and difficult to use Japanese coffee maker, and it supposely makes coffee from the heavens - :::link:::

terry writes at 05:53:25 03/30/08 - Comment #33272

by hot water do you mean hot water from the tap?

I couldn't see how it would make any kind of difference since the coffee maker boils the water, but you really shouldn't use hot tap water for any kind of cooking purposes, since it comes from the boiler which usually has all sorts of nastiness floating around in it. If you've ever drained your water boiler tank and seen what comes out of it, you definitely wouldn't want to drink anything out of it...

(e:matthew) says that it might possibly crack and/or bend the internal pipes...

jenks writes at 11:19:15 03/30/08 - Comment #33259: I didn't know hot water is "bad"- just thought cold water is "better" for making good coffee.
Or maybe if it's too hot it might crack the glass? other than that, no clue.

gee. i'm helpful.

sorry.

Permalink: Dumb_Question.html
Words: 36
Location: Buffalo, NY

03/27/08 02:57 - 43ºF - ID#43807

I GOT IN!!!

I was accepted into the Nuclear Medicine Tech program at UB!!! I will definitely be celebrating after work tonight!

Permalink: I_GOT_IN_.html
Words: 19
Location: Buffalo, NY

03/24/08 04:14 - 31ºF - ID#43780

New Job

So work seems to be the topic du jour around here so I figure I'll throw in my work story. This is not stress related, this is to brag about how awesome I think my new restaurant is.

I started working at Seabar this week. For those of you who don't know this a contemporary sushi bar in Williamsville. I know, I know...its in the burbs. But this place is totally worth leaving the comforts of Buffalo to check out. I have eaten at every place that serves sushi in the greater Buffalo metro area shy of Shogun. This is by far the most creative menu, tasteful dining room and best service (I mean c'mon I work there) of the lot. The chef/owner of this place to used to run Tsunami. He is probably one of the finest chefs I have ever worked for, and most likely one of the best in Western NY. It's a relatively newer place, they only opened up last summer. I think this place is going to be very popular very soon.

The menu is small enough to be easily read through but extensive enough to keep you coming back. The wine list there isn't massive but all of the selections pair very well with the dishes on the menu. The sake list there is pretty good. They have plenty of different styles of sake to suite anyone and quite a few that can't be found anywhere else in a Buffalo restaurant.

Sorry if this post sounds like a plug for my current employer, but I guarantee you will be in food heaven if you eat there!

Permalink: New_Job.html
Words: 274
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: food

03/15/08 10:51 - 33ºF - ID#43676

The Best Burger in Buffalo

Last night after work I ventured off to Hertel ave for the first time and went to a place called the Sterling Place Tavern. This place is has a decent beer selection. It's the first place I have found Pilsner Urquell on tap in Buffalo. They also have quite a few Great Lakes Brewery beers on tap. The bottles they had looked pretty good too.

They have a small menu, consisting of pretty typical bar food. But the reason you should go is the Burgers. They are pretty spectacular. I ordered it medium rare figuring I would probably get it over done as most places do. But what arrived was a very thick perfectly done burger. The only thing I was shocked by is they don't have bacon for them, so I had sauteed mushrooms instead.

The bartenders were great there, service was very good. They don't take plastic there but the prices are pretty reasonable so bring a twenty and that should get you a couple beers, a burger and take care of the tip.

Permalink: The_Best_Burger_in_Buffalo.html
Words: 176
Location: Buffalo, NY

03/10/08 02:48 - 20ºF - ID#43604

So much going on

Wow, this has been a really good but very busy week. After searching for a job for several months I have finally landed a gig at a sushi bar in Williamsville. I'm not certain I want to name it but it shouldn't be too hard to figure out. Its one of the better places around Buffalo. Their menu looks pretty awesome and the owner seems like a real class act. I can't wait to serve sushi again. With that said I'm going to check out one of the other places in "Buffalo" tonight to see what they have to offer. I have heard that Wasabi is very good, and I can't wait to try it. I have been craving sushi lately.

So the girl I have been seeing hasn't run screaming yet so that is a good sign. It really feels good to be around her. I can't wait for some warmer weather so that we can get outside and do fun stuff. Not that I don't like the snow, but after this weekend I have just about filled my quota for the winter.

So tomorrow is a pretty big deal for me. I have my interview at UB with the Nuclear Medicine Tech Program people. I am a little bit nervous since I have kinda put most of my efforts into being accepted there. I guess if it doesn't work out I will find something else to do. But I really want to get in.

Even more good news during this post they finally plowed my street! I am getting tired out pushing people out and listening to tires spin at all hours of the night.

Permalink: So_much_going_on.html
Words: 277
Location: Buffalo, NY

03/09/08 08:50 - 15ºF - ID#43591

Thank you mystery scraper

I woke up this morning and my car was already scraped??...Sweet!!

Permalink: Thank_you_mystery_scraper.html
Words: 12
Location: Buffalo, NY

03/04/08 10:48 - 28ºF - ID#43548

Things couldn't be better

The past few weeks I have been working up the courage to ask this woman out. So finally this weekend I made the decision to do it and she sort of beat me to the punch. We seem to have enough in common to be good together and enough different to keep it interesting. She is really into food and wine and I have to admit that is a bit of a turn on for me. There is something really sexy about women that eat bunny without apology. I'm hoping this will turn out to be more than just a few dates, but I guess I will have to wait and see. This is about the best I have felt since moving here. Maybe if I cook for her that will seal the deal to keep her around.

Permalink: Things_couldn_t_be_better.html
Words: 138
Location: Buffalo, NY

02/24/08 12:04 - 25ºF - ID#43447

Bush Drunk

These videos kept me amused this morning

this one is probably my favorite though

Permalink: Bush_Drunk.html
Words: 28
Location: Buffalo, NY

02/23/08 10:31 - 19ºF - ID#43434

Europa Bistro

Last night I went to this place for the second time and I have found it worthy of a good review. This is probably my favorite restaurant I have been to in Buffalo as of yet. It is a tiny little place on Elmwood, they have about 5 or 6 tables and a small bar that can seat about 9. Although it is a small place they have a pretty large beer and wine selection. They probably have more Polish beers than I have ever seen at a restaurant before. Excluding anywhere in Poland of course.

Their menu is nothing short of spectacular. They have traditional dishes from all over Europe but quite a bit of it from the Eastern part. Last night I had Cassoulet which is a French Stew made of pork sausages, duck confit, duck fat and the impossible to find Tarbais Beans. This is a labor intensive dish to make, especially if they are making their own confit. It was so delicious, but it was so large I couldn't even come close to finishing it.

Last week for lunch I had the Pork Rillets, which is another French dish which is usually made with pork belly and is spreadable on baguette. Theirs was a little different, they made it with pork shoulder and it was more like a very upscale pulled pork sandwich, but delicious nonetheless. They have some dishes that I love there. I can't wait to try all of them out. They also have daily dinner specials and soups. The only thing that doesn't sound good to me is the Lambic float for dessert. There is something kinda sketchy to me about mixing Gelato into my beer. Service there is very pleasant, quick and not even remotely stuffy. Prices are actually lower than I would have expected. Although the only other time I have ever seen Cassoulet on a menu was in NYC, the price was steep at $23. It is a bargain at Europa Bistro for only $13. Here is their website for further information although the menu is slightly larger and different than the one they have posted.