I'm exploring options for less strenuous
travel for Lilli.

You might take a look at a company called Road Scholar. They have a

Bonnie has gone on these and may already have
suggested the company to Lilli. It seems to be
an option. For the next year we're going to
places with good transportation and medical care
options (for both of us). More domestic travel,
probably, or almost (looking at a couple Canadian
destinations, for example).

number of tours to a large variety of places, both domestic and international. The basic theme is that they bring in local experts to
give talks, and then take you out to see what they are talking about.

Lilli did go on one such, sponsored by a local
college, and was sorely disappointed, because
it was so shoddily run, but a company with a
proven track record and a lot of experience
no doubt will do a better job.

We went on two back to back tours with them. One in New Orleans and the
next one in Lafayette. Both of those had us staying in the same hotel
for the entire tour, and then using a bus and/or walking to get to the

I've done runout tours before, basing in one
city and taking various conveyances to other
places, but they've always been concert tours,
and there was always a paycheck at the end of
the bus ride. Not super sure about doing that
for sightseeing.

other places. The food scene was a cut above our normal, but probably a
cut below yours (except for lunch at Commander's Palace). Most

There are a zillion second-tier places I've not
had the opportunity to sample in New Orleans but
would like to - the Gumbo Shop, Evangeline's, Coop's,
and of course Superior Seafood. If I ever find myself
in that city with echo people, I'd be tempted by
Dooky Chase's as well.

important for your purpose is that the publish a activity level for each
tour -- from sedate to olympic (not what they call it, but you get the
idea). I'm most inclined to look next at a variety of single city tours
of theirs versus multiple location venues.

For now, single city things we can do on
our own. Maybe a few years hence.

Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey, "A Taste of India"

Formerly better known as an actress, she's

And then there is the actress Hedy Lamarr who had a patent in a
technology closely related to where I used to work.

Two other titbits, if you will.

Her brainstorming partner was the pianist
and composer George Antheil.

She also invented a predecessor to Fizzies.

I wonder if anyone here has ever had Iberian pork? I have seen it

Need you ask.

touted on some of the cooking shows we watch and wonder what the big
deal is. Actually, I would even ask if anyone here has ever even seen

How much did you have, and what did you have to pay for it?

I've had it a bunch of times; the cheapest
way to get it is at happy hour at the bar
at Jaleo, where you used to be able to get
a sample of cuts for ten bucks or so (a
roll with a slice of the jamon was 4 or 5
at the time). It was fine, sort of like
a good prosciutto. Here's my report of a
couple of my encounters:

I am still not so sure about why jamon
Iberico is esteemed above other hams -
sure, it's balanced, not too salty, with
a nutty note to the fat from the pigs'
feed (and on the couple occasions I've
had the top of the line Iberico de bellota,
it's different, maybe more delicate, but
I'd not say better), but is it twice as
wonderful as Italian or even Canadian
prosciutto? Nah.

And from Jaleo -

Iberico de bellota mini hamburguesas (also
$6) was one, singular 2 oz pork patty on a
pretty decent sweet slider roll with a big
slice of roasted red pepper and some pickled
vegetables, including one dilly bean. The
pork actually had some flavor and reminded
me of the pork we had as kids, with a bit of
sweetness from the famous diet of acorns or
somesuch rubbish. If you made a nice fatty
mince all from the prism-shaped strip of
fatty dark meat on the edge of a decent pork
loin roast, it would taste sort of like this.
I took one bite with the vegetables and
discovered that they obscured the goodness
of the meat; so I took them off.

P.S. I just checked the price of the charcuterie
plate at Jaleo - it's now $40. You can still get
the sandwichy thing for 5 or 6, though.

It's good, at least the flavor; it tends not
to be as fat as I'd like, even though it's
better at that than Smithfield or Armour or Swift.

I had the Smithfield dry cured ham once -- and never again.

You have to treat the dry-cured differently
from normal ham. The normal way is to soak it
in the bathtub for a couple days and scrape the
yuck off the outside, then bake it in cider or
some other liquid in a slow oven. You can also
slice it very thin and eat it as is, soaked or
unsoaked, but it's bizarrely salty and rather
gamy that way.

This recipe does not specify which sort of mushrooms to use. We have graduated from using the typical white button mushrooms to using the
baby portabella mushrooms. Essentially the same price and they have
more flavor. Maybe someday we will go up another notch:-}}

To what? Firm button mushrooms, brown or white,
are ideal for this recipe.

Title: EMPRESS MUSHROOMS

A pleasant enough stuffed mushroom recipe,
nothing imperial about it.

16 md Mushrooms

12 oz or so, a pound tops.

Source: Great Chefs of San Francisco, Avon Books, 1984
Chef: Adriana Giramonti, Giramonti Restaurant, San Francisco,

A very homestyle cook - wholesome food, but
I never figured out what was so special.

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

Title: Mushrooms In Lemon Marinade
Categories: Side-dish
Yield: 6 Servings

1 lb Small mushrooms **
3 tb Olive oil
3 Garlic cloves, minced or
Pressed
1 tb Minced fresh basil ***
2 tb Minced fresh parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and black pepper to
Taste

** (she used small buttons and quartered crimini) *** or marjoram (1 tsp
dried)

Wash mushrooms. In a heavy skillet, heat the olive oil. Saute the
garlic,
taking care not to scorch it. Add the mushrooms and herbs, and saute,
stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Add the lemon juice and toss well.
Cook for 1 additional minute. Pour the mushrooms and juice into a
serving
bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or cold. Makes 6 to 8
servings.

Source: John Geckles

Submitted to The Dinner Table by John Geckles

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