Perhaps it was World War II. Or supply-and-demand shenanigans. More likely, it was food-splattered ceilings that caused the demise of the pressure cooker. At least that's what's dissuaded me from the dreaded pot. Until now. The pressure cooker was once quite popular. Its ability to render cheap cuts of meat tender in record time made it a favorite of post-Depression-era cooks.

VIRGINIA BEACH He was a father of three young daughters and an attorney with the knowledge to make things happen. When Michael Inman was told about an effort to form a group for runaway girls in the 1980s, he stepped aboard. Several pastors from different churches agreed they needed to find a place for the girls to be sheltered and counseled.

VIRGINIA BEACH "The Nutty Betty" ($6) haunts me - in a good way. This peculiar sandwich of cream cheese blended with roasted nuts - pecans, almonds, walnuts, macadamias and hazels - topped with bacon and tomato on homemade raisin bread is something special. It is slightly sweet, yet savory with a rich nutty crunch. Oh, my!

Consider some of the world's most exotic foods. Perigord truffles from France. Moose milk cheese from Sweden. White caviar from Iran. One could arguably add to this list tundra swan from Virginia. The former delicacies can be bought - if your budget can handle $500 for a pound of cheese or $23,000 for a tin of caviar.

Think you could identify a pinot noir wine in a blind taste test?
Don't answer until you've considered the recent news from a court in southern France. A judge found that fraud within the Languedoc wine industry led E&J Gallo to buy millions of dollars worth of faux pinot - it was mostly merlot and syrah - and sell it as Red Bicyclette Pinot Noir Vin de Pays d'Oc ($10).

It's Saturday afternoon, and I'm driving up the Eastern Shore with a bit of a chip on my shoulder - and a mission to right a very serious wrong. If all goes as planned, when I arrive at Sting-Ray's Restaurant near Cape Charles, Michael Stern will be waiting for me and I will school him on a serious matter.

By Phyllis Johnson
Correspondent
CHESAPEAKE
If Mexican food is a favorite of yours, you may already be coming to Plaza Azteca on Dock Landing Road.
The restaurant has a variety of platters that are different from other Mexican fare. They include Shrimp Potato Enchilada, Pollo Sonora (chicken with mushrooms, onions and cheese sauce served with rice, beans and tortillas) and Lobster Enchilada.

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For a second year, the Desserts First: Girl Scout Cookies All Grown Up event revealed different ways of looking at - and eating - the organization's signature cookies.

NORFOLK Tasty combinations of chicken, lamb and beef, grilled on a kabob or in a savory, tender stew, await inside Kabob House in Wards Corner.