Text 12848, 191 rader
Skriven 2014-05-01 13:35:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Kommentar till en text av NANCY BACKUS
Ärende: to the moon 585
=======================
NB> Perhaps naively, or somewhat cynically, I've mostly thought that there
NB> was no real privacy anyway... and what was known probably wouldn't end
NB> up being a detriment... (yes, the first is cynically, the latter more
NB> naive, probably)...
I was about to say ... sort of an inverse fox and grapes.
NB> systems, as I figured I'd never collect enough points before they
NB> expired to be of any use... :)
They let you get magazines. Not that you need magazines.
ML> of the system, and instead of the 5-10 percent discount that
ML> the award ticket system offers get at least double that, plus
ML> the opportunity to enjoy experiences I wouldn't have been
ML> able to afford at all.
NB> There is that, and the better one knows a system, the better one can
NB> use it to one's own betterment... :)
There are now all these sites - Airfare Watchdog, Boarding
Area, Flyertalk, whose stock in trade is the secrets and
loopholes that people like me have used to get advantageous
results (legally); they make their money telling tales out
of school, and then all the folks unleash themselves on the
marketplace and screw everything up pretty instantaneously.
It's owing in large part to this phenomenon that I now have
to pay $10000 a year to get privileges that used to be free.
C'est la vie.
ML> Plus there has been instilled in my
ML> brain a feeling of proprietorship regarding the (not too
ML> proud-making) United Continental Holding Company.
NB> Part of the thinking behind rewards systems of any kind... develop
NB> loyalties so as to build up the reward...
And then get screwed as the reward disappears. Among other
things I'm supposed to get from my latest milestone is free
club access for life, but that privilege seems recently to
have gone away. I do still get to use clubs outside the US
for free for life, but that's, what, one trip in 20?
Discover apparently thinks
NB> that I'm made of money, or wish to be thought of so, as they just
NB> unveiled a new short-term program where, if I spend $3500/month for
NB> the next 6? maybe only 4? months, they'll give me an additional $500
NB> rebate credit to my card...
Look on the Internet for "manufactured spending." Lilli
used to spend a few thousand a month on the dollar coins,
which she then had her husband load into the car and take
back to the bank for a full cash-in refund. I believe that
is unfair, though it is legal and was at the time okay
under the rules. There are other things one can do.
ML> Speaking of which, Annie told me the other day that Liz the
ML> chef referred to me as "my Michael," rather peculiar since I
ML> don't see her much at all - evidenced by the fact that this
NB> Probably the same usage of the possessive as what I've used to
NB> describe a particular person that has some specific connection to us vs
NB> others of the same name...
Problem is until recently it was "our," which I find
slightly less aggressive.
ML> morning I greeted her mother (whom I see about as much as I
ML> see Liz) on the airplane, and she initially didn't remember
ML> who I was. Only fair, as I'd forgotten her name.
NB> You did remember her as Liz's mom...? ;)
Oh, sure. "Hey, aren't you Liz's mom?"
ML> They being Congress (both parties it seems, with the Dems
ML> being less unfavorable to ground transport).
NB> I had thought it was more neglect of the trains rather than active
NB> destruction, but I could well be misremembering
There have been active efforts to get rid of the service.
ML> Boston 6 hours ... early. Of course, owing to this front
ML> forecast to go through Philly about now, I got up 7 hr
ML> early and got to the airport 6 1/2 hr early. Then with a
ML> half-hour delay, here I am.
NB> And were you famished and parched...?
I had a glass of Louis Latour Bourgogne Blanc Cuvee LSF,
which was watery but otherwise typical, and what was
advertised as 1 1/2 lb of mussels steamed in garlic butter
and white wine - I thought the serving a tad short, but
the weight might have included the broth.
;) And is there proper
NB> sustenance available, or didn't it matter anyway, as you could make
NB> your way to your intended destination early as well...?
I could have done this, but it wasn't as much fun, and I
would have had to contact my ride at work, et cetera.
ML> Duck hash with double-yolk fried egg
NB> And here I thought that it was going to use double-yolked eggs... not
NB> simply simulate them... ;)
Double-yolked eggs are not common most places.
Caviar Oscietre, nage corsee, langoustines
Categories: French, shellfish, pretentious
Serves: 4
h - For the Oscietre caviar
2 hearts of romaine
Coral of 1 lobster (unfertilized lobster roe)
2 3/4 oz Ossetra caviar
lemon juice
sea salt
EVOO
h - For the pate pastilla
8 3/4 oz flour
10 1/2 oz water
1 3/4 oz egg white
1 3/4 oz EVOO
1/3 oz fine salt
h - For the langoustines
10 lg langoustines
citric acid
h - For the nage corsee
17 1/2 oz langoustine claws
1 3/4 oz minced shallot
4 c dry white wine
4 c cream
1 Tb coriander seeds
1 Tb black pepper
1 stalk celery
1 carrot
1 3/4 oz shallot (additional)
1 yellow lemon
Tabasco to taste
sea salt to taste
olive oil for cooking
Wash the hearts of romaine and cut into 3" wedges.
When it is time to serve, dress with lemon juice,
EVOO, and sea salt. Take out the coral from the
lobster and mix it with a little bit of water.
Keep some raw coral on the side. Cook the rest of
it in the microwave, chop, and refrigerate until
ready to use.
Combine flour, egg whites, water, salt, and oil in
a bowl. Whisk everything to obtain a soft dough.
Drain. Spread the dough as thin as possible, and
bake at 350F until you see some air bubbles on the
dough, but it is still very soft. Cut the dough
into 4" squares. Refrigerate.
Shell the langoustines, clean the sand, and cut
them in half head to tail. Put a little bit of
citric acid on the langoustines. Roll them on
squared pastilla pasta whose corners have been
cut to avoid uniformity. Add some lobster coral
on one border. Deep fry in oil at 375F for 10 sec.
Drain well.
In a cast iron pan, saute the minced shallot in
olive oil. Add the crushed langoustine claws and
deglaze with the white wine. Reduce by half and
add the liquid cream. Cover and simmer over low
heat until you reach the desired consistency.
Strain. In a pan, saute the celery stalk, carrot,
shallot, and peeled, sliced lemon. Add the cream
base, black pepper, and coriander. Let infuse for
15 min, then drain and chill. To finish, add a few
drops of Tabasco, lemon juice, and salt and pepper
to taste. Refrigerate. Reserve half of the cream
base and emulsify in a bowl.
Gently mix the emulsified langoustine cream with a
bit of cooked lobster coral and caviar. Place in a
Chinese cup. Put the rest of the langoustine cream
(not emulsified) in a grease-proof paper cone and
use cone to draw decorative lines on oval
presentation platters. Build a tower using 5
langoustine pasta for volume. Add the lettuce on
top of the tower and top with three domes of
caviar. Present the plate with the Chinese cup on
the side.
adapted from Jean-Francois Piege, Les Ambassadeurs,
Hotel de Crillon, Paris
___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
* Origin: Fidonet Since 1991 bbs.docsnetservices.com (1:123/140)
|