The coffee did add some texture. The cookies grew on me a bit. But I was a little disappointed with the chips. I guess I expected more salt. (This reminds me: I put peanut butter and maple syrup on vanilla ice cream last night and it was fantastic.) Anyway, I agree that I like a wide margin between my virtuous snacks and my naughty snacks. If you are into naughty snacks, you should give the compost cookie a whirl.

I surely did caleb bo baleb. I am sure there was a little jelly essence condensing on my window panes. I am glad I am not the only one who has experienced jelly “do over” mode. Home-made grape jelly really is eye-popping, though-- totally worth it.

@drfugawe, We used to call ourselves “Deli Dogs” and “Kitchen Cats.” And fighting like the proverbial cats and dogs was precisely what we did at times. In part, that was because most people who worked the counter were college students and those who worked the line were not. There must be a way of making more of what we learn about class and experience during those early jobs.

Gourmet went on a trompe l’oeil rampage too: http://www.gourmet.com/diaryofafoodie/video/2008/02/209_trompeloeil_preview

I have been eating venison for about twelve years now and though I struggled initially to find recipes for the meat (because I was unaccustomed to preparing meat in general), I am now a great fan. My favorite is still pan fried quickly on top of a green salad and roasted french-fry cut potatoes, a recipe I first encountered in Belgium.

Thanks for reading!

Sadly, I am a chronic undercooker. It’s a joke in our household: “If Joan says the potatoes are done, wait ten more minutes.”

You’re hitting the nail on the head, as I believe you already know. Please keep hammering. From your friend who lives near farms (and farmers!) and also struggles with the “feed the bulldog/do things the right way” conundrum.

_Eating Animals_ made a big impact on me as well. Though I am still eating venison, wild caught local fish and locally raised bison and chicken, I continue to tip the balance toward vegetarianism (I have to admit I am too mentally lazy to touch veganism, so far...). I have had the discussion about the morality of eating non-human animals with myself so many times, I have to chuckle every time I wonder about it. Yes, we have canines; yes, we need protein; those facts suggest meat eating is defensible. Nonetheless, the energy and imagination devoted to creating healthy vegetarian meals is admirable. And people who actually think about where their food comes from are vital to the more sustainable world so many of us pine for. So I support you fully in your work (because it is work) and when I hear people defending some form of the status quo, I can’t help but feel they are reacting to feeling threatened or judged by vegetarians. I know that I have felt that way in the past. Good luck in your quest.

I like the phrase “wild kitchen.” I did not find any morels this year, but did get some fiddleheads. The nettles were there, but I sort of ignored them, for reasons I can’t explain.

Thanks for the book recommendation, Sarah. I will check it out. I am glad to know there are so many articulate people thinking through these issues with such passion and sincerity. This gives me hope that Cooking 2.0 (or 5.0?) will play a role in transforming North American society.

There are more than a dozen fantastic interventions on this topic in the Fasenfest canon, but this one is still my favorite: http://www.culinate.com/mix/dinner_guest/what_is_householding.

I sometimes think that we North Americans truly believe that effort is a sign of error. Perhaps fetishistic athleticism contradicts this point, but our general insecurity about what leisure looks like has played a role in populating our houses with devices that claim to save us labor, as if avoiding labor were the only purpose of life.

I think if we reform our attitude toward work, we would go a long way toward creating a saner, more generous and sensuous infrastructure. Then, even if it’s been a long day, we would so look forward to connecting with home in the form of onions or bacon or tomatoes, that our fatigue would float away. It seems possible, though it is quite hard to imagine. Objects, though sometimes unpredictable and certainly perishable, are beautiful; cooking, in the end, is touching and manipulating that great variety of objects and making them part of ourselves. How do we get that message embedded in our habitus? I guess that is another question I am trying to ask.

Hi Harriet. I love your blog. Devin and I went back yesterday and learned that they had banned crockpots from the capitol. Yes, you heard it here first. Crockpots may be the true linchpin of any social movement.

Thanks, Britin. I have been following the closure of the ‘little village’ and the subsequent struggles of the remaining sixty protesters to remain on site with interest. Yikes, emotions are running high. There was a terrific editorial in the LA times that you might be interested in: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-bakopolous-wisconsin-labor-20110223,0,3039942.story. Thanks again for reading; your comments were the best part of my day.

Here’s your list plus a few my facebook friends added (alphabetically) and tell me this list wouldn’t make a fun cookbook conceit/challenge:
apple pie, apple sauce, apricot jam, apricot liqueur, BBQ sauce, breast milk, eggs, foie gras, hot sauce, lip gloss, marmalade, peanut butter, snow globe. The baba ghanoush made it through; the snow globe would clearly present difficulties. Thanks so much everyone for making my food-wasting grief quite a bit lighter.

Thanks, Debra. I have thought many times that it’s a shame to conceal some of that beautiful tableware rather than letting it out to play all the time. It’s good that you raise that issue.

Beautiful essay. My friends and I used to gather figs and mulberries when I lived in Portland. In fact, my friend Glynnis drew a street fruit map that I still ponder fondly.

It has stunned me how many people have disclosed to me what side of this divide they find themselves on. I would point out that I actually bake more than I cook. However, it is also true that though I still try to finesse the details I think I can get away with, I am much more apt to keep a book or recipe card handy. In any case, I am glad you all have grown into your cooking styles and learned to respect the cooks on the other side of the fence.

Tim Tams are not something I have seen a recipe for, Margarate, but I am sure there is an intrepid culinary re-tooler somewhere on this site who would be willing to try and replicate the recipe for home consumption. Otherwise, as Hank points out, you can try them out in their Pepperidge Farm incarnation. In the meantime, this recipe (http://www.culinate.com/books/collections/all_books/favorite_food_at_home/whole_wheat_shortbread_cookies) and certainly looks it would go with tea.

Hullo! Of course, you are a Tim Tammer. I tried to find you on fb, but no luck yet. All is well in the Middle West. This blog has been a lovely way to work out my foodiness, plus I found a recipe for a rhubarb cosmopolitan that I may well road test tonight.

Thanks, DawnHeather! Or do you prefer one over the other?) I totally forgot the Numeroff book. Picture books deserve their own separate category.