Adventures in Eating

Fall's persimmons are like candy on a tree

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

A few weeks ago, John "Perry" Jones called from Courtland. "If you want to take a picture of some pretty persimmons, better come now." His trees, he said, were bearing the best crop he'd seen since they were planted four years back.

Taking our lives in our hands: canned snails from a discount store

Tracie.L — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Had persimmons or kiwis still been in high season, I would never have eaten snails from a can I bought at a discount store. In fact, right up until deadline, I searched for a substitute “adventure” that would help me avoid snails from a can from a discount store.

Vietnamese staple pho warms diners with brothy goodness

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Once I said to my grandmother that I planned to lose 10 pounds. She laughed and said, "I've been trying to lose 10 pounds for 70 years!" Today, my grandma is 101, and she is still concerned about her weight. But really, this time of year, who isn't?

Traditional Jewish food comes in two very different versions

Tracie.L — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:00:34 -0500

Perhaps you, too, have pondered those orange-topped jars on grocery store shelves, the ones filled with pale, oversized meatball-looking things swimming in a murky broth.

Dominican restaurant prepares perfectly balanced, tasty octopus

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:35 -0500

People, if you've conquered calamari, it's time to move on. Not so long ago, calamari, or squid, was considered exotic eating in South Hampton Roads. Today, fried or sauteed squid is almost as common on local restaurant menus as French fries. Calamari's cousin, octopus? Not so much.

Lingering over a pot of flowering tea does a world of good

Tracie.L — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:00:59 -0500

What do you feel like?

When waiters pose that question, they’re wondering what you’d like to eat. When Christina Li asks , she’s coming from another continent altogether.

Diners, you'll never guess what's in that surprise sushi dish

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Here's a culinary adventure that I could have done without. But with the stock market in a seemingly endless swoon, I couldn't help but wonder: Would Americans eventually have to turn to Spam? Could we? Should we?

Hearty and affordable Latin lunches in the 757

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Here's a tough one. It's lunch. You're hungry. Money is tight. Would you rather shoot through the drive-thru, or, for the same price or less, pop on over to Latin America? What about Jamaica, mon? Pupusas, anyone? How about a jerk chicken patty? Or, for the more adventuresome lunchtime palate, curried goat or cow's feet?

Try frying up a little alligator ball

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Stealth seemed in order for this adventure. As I stood behind my kitchen counter preparing dinner, my fifth-grader and I debated the answer to a math problem and which part of a particular sentence was the predicate. I avoided all talk of dinner.

Absinthe...The green fairy is back

Tracie.L — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:08 -0400

Recently, I was a guest at one of those relaxingly long dinner parties. It started with cocktails before sundown, ended well into the night. Just as the evening reached its ebb, I pounced and announced that nightcaps were mandatory. Absinthe nightcaps.

After all, I had a deadline.