Blow That Dough! -2021

[braumeister]

And in Argentina, beef is so delicious and so cheap, the standard practice of folks I visited there is to buy 2 pounds in the morning, eat what you like during the day, and then give the rest to the dog in the evening. Repeat the next day.

I don't know if it's for real or not, but I remember seeing a statistic that the average Brazilian ate five times the amount of beef as the average American. And the average Argentine ate three times the amount of the average Brazilian!

Of course they are all grass fed cattle there, which certainly makes a difference, and there was none of the standard aging that we see here. When I bought beef at the butcher shop in the afternoon, it was likely that the cow had met its maker that morning.

 

[Koolau]

I will never forget my first time in Munich, 1976 when I was walking down a street and saw a line of Germans out on the sidewalk waiting to get into some store. As I got closer I saw that it was a McDonalds, and they were having a big promotion of the brand new ViertelPfunder (Quarter Pounder) that week. The locals were entranced by it and couldn't wait to try this new exotic treat.

Me? I couldn't wait to get to the next block and find a decent place to eat.

Pulp Fiction would have been forever diminished had Vincent been in Munich instead of Paris when he learned about the Quarter Pounder with Cheese. (ViertelPfundr with cheese just would NOT be the same as Royale with cheese.) YMMV

 

[Music Lover]

In the craft beer world, the saying is "Bud Light is to beer as Velveeta is to cheese."

There are a lot of good craft beers....unfortunately, there are far more awful ones. But, maybe it's just me

 

[jcfradio]

Of course they are all grass fed cattle there, which certainly makes a difference, and there was none of the standard aging that we see here. When I bought beef at the butcher shop in the afternoon, it was likely that the cow had met its maker that morning.

I actually saw a show recently (it might have been on BBC?) that was trying to understand why Argentine beef was so good. In their investigation, they found that something like 75 % of their beef is feedlot finished (not much different from North America) and that the real reason for its great taste (which I agree with from several trips there) was due to the way that they cook it slowly over wood embers.

 

[ERD50]

In the craft beer world, the saying is "Bud Light is to beer as Velveeta is to cheese."

The way I always heard it told (and I'll need to self-moderate here) is :" Bud Light (or Coors/Miller, etc) is like making love in a canoe. It's eff-ing close to water!".

There are a lot of good craft beers....unfortunately, there are far more awful ones. But, maybe it's just me

And, IMO, that's the beauty of it. There is a wide variety, some you may hate. But when it comes to just about anything, I'd rather be given a choice where I might think 40% of it is just awful, but 1% is fantastic, than to be given a choice of 100% bland, non-offensive but nothing wonderful either.

I figure if I don't occasionally just hate a podcast or a song or other work by some creative individual, I sense they aren't trying hard enough. Makes the great stuff all the better. IMO.

-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

...
One, in a small town Bamberg, was called Rauchbier, the mug of brew I had in a basement beer joint, was served with a small tube containing hot water, which we used to stir the beer with to warm it up.
Try that with the usual 'merkin beer.

That's not done any more, but there are still two well known breweries in Bamberg making Rauchbier. (Rauch means smoked, because the the malt is dried over open wood fires).

Wonderful stuff, but probably an acquired taste since it has never spread much beyond the city of Bamberg.

I never heard of a tube of hot water served with the beer, though cutting the smokiness of a Rauchbier might make sense.

I recall having a couple smoked beers decades ago, and I thought they were just awful -cloying, campfire smoky. Swore them off. Then the first sanctioned home-brew competition that I was a steward at, a judge overheard me say that, and suggested I try one from his table (he was judging the smoked beer category). It was great, subtle, but definitely smokey, cherry-wood sort of sense to it. Hmmmmm.

So I now will enjoy one from time to time, if they are well done. A local micro-brewery here does a great job with them, appropriately named "Scorched Earth Brewing".

Foraging Swine | Scorched Earth Brewing

-ERD50

 

[RobbieB]

McDonalds, quarter pounders and velveeta, bud light or coors - miller have no purpose in this Blow That Dough thread.

When I arrived in So Cal in 1979, the local store was hosting the "beer wars", it was Coors vs Bud and a six pack (back then) was $1.60. Cheaper than Coke. Cheaper than water.

It was pick up a case of whatever was on sale. I always had beer in the fridge. Sometimes no food, but always beer. I preferred Coors, but I wasn't going to spend a buck more if bud was on sale.

To return, that was in my younger, broker, more frugal days and today I don't buy any of that stuff.

"Welcome to piss water beer company" - from Take this job and Shove it.

 

[Ronstar]

Haven’t bought a Miller, Budweiser or Coors product in years. Did buy a 4 pack of New Holland Dragons Milk today for around $13.50. It makes sense to blow dough on good beer.

 

[Souschef]

We have a local brewery called TopaTopa, named after a local mountain. I used to go get my growler filled there until I found I could buy 12 oz cans of it at Trader Joe The one I liked best was Chief's Peak IPA.
Funny story. Some time ago I was at another microbrewery near my son. I got there after lunch and there was a guy selling bratwurst outside. I looked at how many he had left over, and offered $20 for the lot. He said ,"sold" LOL
Another subject: I have been fascinated by the stories of the Jambon Iberica, so tomorrow I am going to order a 2 oz sliced package from Amazon. DW and I will see what it is all about.

 

[NW-Bound]

Another subject: I have been fascinated by the stories of the Jambon Iberica, so tomorrow I am going to order a 2 oz sliced package from Amazon. DW and I will see what it is all about.

Sorry to say, but it's Jamón Ibérico. Jambon is French.

There are two types: Ibérico de Cebo and Ibérico de Bellota. They are both from Iberian pigs; the first are raised on farm feed, while the second are free ranging and feed themselves with acorn and grass.

... is it true that Jamón Ibérico de Bellota is better than Jamón Ibérico de Cebo? No, they’re just different products. Jamón Ibérico de Bellota is more expensive because it costs more to produce but this does not mean that you will like it more. If you like your ham less juicy, Ibérico de Cebo is a more suitable option for you.

 

[Sunset]

That's not done any more, but there are still two well known breweries in Bamberg making Rauchbier. (Rauch means smoked, because the the malt is dried over open wood fires).

Wonderful stuff, but probably an acquired taste since it has never spread much beyond the city of Bamberg.

I tried the smoked beer in Bamberg, at supposedly the original old place where it was accidentally invented. Of course I don't like beer, so I didn't like it either.
Silly me buying things I don't like

 

[audreyh1]

Oh yeah! This is the life!

 

[NW-Bound]

Oh yeah! This is the life!

Looks good!

But you forget to show a glass of wine to go with it.

Maybe a glass of jerez? When you buy a glass of jerez in Spain, the bar tender may carve you a small complimentary slice of jamon, but the more common type and not the expensive iberico though.

 

[Souschef]

I tried the smoked beer in Bamberg, at supposedly the original old place where it was accidentally invented. Of course I don't like beer, so I didn't like it either.
Silly me buying things I don't like

I had it in Bamberg, but when I bought some here in CA, and offered it to a friend, he said, well, I do not have to try that again.
There is a brewpub in Vancouver that serves a similar beer. I am a scotch drinker, so I am sort of used to a smoky taste.

 

[audreyh1]

Looks good!

But you forget to show a glass of wine to go with it.

Maybe a glass of jerez? When you buy a glass of jerez in Spain, the bar tender may carve you a small complimentary slice of jamon, but the more common type and not the expensive iberico though.

Yes, as it happens I’m drinking Fino with this, but didn’t want to try to include the wine glass in the photo.

We’ve been making good progress with the jamón carving.

 

[NW-Bound]

I am reminded of an evening in Toledo some years ago. We went to a bar-restaurant looking for dinner. It was off-season, hence cold, and it got dark early. And we were hungry from walking all around the hill-top town all day.

As the Spanish have dinner very late, like 9-10 pm, the restaurant was not opened. We were sitting at the bar at 7pm, waiting and hungry. I ordered a glass of jerez, and the bartender cut me a small slice of jamon (I snapped a photo of him carving, and still have it somewhere).

Anyway, the sherry and the bitty jamon only made me hungrier, and we started to help ourselves with the green olives in a jar on top of the bar, and couldn't stop. The bartender didn't say anything (we were sure he would charge us later). Spanish olives were awfully good, and now we wanted more substantial food. So, we started to point to various tapas he had in the glass counter, and had our dinner right there instead of waiting for the restaurant to open as originally planned. The tapas were cold, and not really fancy stuff (I don't even remember what they were), but for a hungry couple they were all great.

It was a good dinner and memorable nevertheless. We were the only customers in that small bar besides the bartender, as it was off-season. We managed to communicate with the bartender, us speaking no Spanish and him knowing little English.

Just look up my diary, and it was in late Jan 2007.

 

[corn18]

It is impossible to stick to my diet when I open this thread. Please stop posting pics of delicious foods.

 

[NW-Bound]

It is impossible to stick to my diet when I open this thread. Please stop posting pics of delicious foods.

Eating expensive food helps reduce calorie intake, I would think, unless one has an unlimited food budget.

 

[audreyh1]

It is impossible to stick to my diet when I open this thread. Please stop posting pics of delicious foods.

If you are not eating delicious food, you are on the wrong diet!!!

 

[NW-Bound]

If you are not eating delicious food, you are on the wrong diet!!!

Sure. But let's not forget that delicioso is a subjective matter.

What if someone likes to gorge on inexpensive bacon, instead of the expensive jamon de bellota?

By the way, come to think of it, jamon is way more expensive than prosciutto, it makes the latter look like peasant's food.

 

[audreyh1]

Wow, HEB had an impressive selection of whole briskets today!

 

[NW-Bound]

Wagyu beef for $6.99/lb?

 

[REWahoo]

Note the label says "American Style" Wagyu beef...

 

[NW-Bound]

Note the label says "American Style" Wagyu beef...

I know. But still.

I do not see Wagyu beef around here. Or perhaps I have not looked hard enough.

PS. Saw some Argentina grassfed strip loin just now for $5.99. Wanted to get some, but the two fridges are full. Darn, we keep buying more food than we can eat. The way my wife hoards food, people would think we were from the Great Depression era.

 

[NW-Bound]

Well, I guess I don't really know what Wagyu beef means or entails.

Recently, I read an article about Angus beef. The gist of the article is "What's the big deal?"

It said that a huge percentage of the beef (forget the number) is Angus beef already. It's like saying "wine made from grape", as the peasant Ligurians liked to say, as told in a book that I am reading.

Well, I have to talk about that book, but it belongs in another thread.