Written for Men by Men

First of all: Google Books? Who knew? (probably most of you- assuming there are any of you).

I will be making Warren G. Harding's Waffles this weekend.

Four weeks til pickled Green Almonds!

[Photo by Aglaia Kremezi]

A few days ago, I came across this recipe for Pickled Green Almonds as I was searching for a passover-cookie recipe (these were great and easy to make, too; plus, its fun for the whole family, since someone gets to put a single almond on top of each cookie. Though Miss Missy helped on this front, I was thinking that it would be fun for my nephew). I have always wanted to pickle something, because I love pickles and olives, and I'm always fascinated by the realm of non-cooking cooking (I know this is different, but its related, I think). Also, I am always interested in foods that exist in forms other than the ones we're accustomed to. So I read it over and was interested, but didn't really expect to come across any Green Almonds any time soon. However, when I went the next day to Sahadi's to pick up Almonds and Orange Blossom Water (another strange, fun, and amazing-smelling ingredient (and cheap, too!)) what did I find but Green Almonds, sitting in a basket with all of the other nuts and berries (strangely, they were self-serve, and everything else, the workers there will get for you (if you live in New York and haven't been to Sahadi's, its worth the trip- especially if you live six blocks away like I do; if you don't live in New York, I'm Sorry). A woman next to me asked what they were, and then said that where she is from (Greece) they are everywhere, but taste horrible. I wonder if this is one of those cases of someone not making the connection between foods in one form and another, like not realizing that prunes and plums are the same thing. Well, I wouldn't say they are disgusting necessarily, though I would not go out of my way to eat them raw (they taste like a raw green bean, but with a little bit of almost-lemony tanginess) and so therefore I pickled the whole lot. Or at least, I am in the process of pickling them. In four weeks, we'll see how they really taste.

Is Europe bringing back the Automat? No; it never really left

photo by Lucio Tonina/SITOS

We, as humans, have just taken a huge step towards the utopia that the Jetsons live in*: vending machines that make fresh pizza. I know its not a foodarackacycle (i'm appalled that I can't find a picture of this to link to) but we're getting there.
From the NY Times:

Over the last decade, Mr. Torghele, 56, an entrepreneur in this northern Italian city who first made money selling pasta in California, has developed a vending machine that cooks pizza. The machine does not just slip a frozen pizza into a microwave. It actually whips up flour, water, tomato sauce and fresh ingredients to produce a piping hot pizza in about three minutes.

The machine, which Mr. Torghele calls Let’s Pizza, is only the spearhead of a trend. Restaurants reminiscent of the old Horn & Hardart chain in the United States, which are fully automatic, are also showing up around the Continent.

Unlike the old automats (the last Horn & Hardart closed in 1991), which were staffed with workers who refilled the machines with creamed spinach and baked beans as fast as customers pulled them out, these restaurants consist entirely of vending machines.

While Horn & Hardart may have closed down, there are still automats to be had, and right here in New York, at Bamn! at St. Mark's Place - though be warned, human hands still make the food before shoving it into the little warm food-cubbyholes. Also, if you find yourself in Amsterdam, you can always hit up Febo (its grosser than the commercial lets on):




*claims of utopia are debatable, but will be saved for a future post, as The Jetsons are to me what Hamlet is to Stephen Dedalus in Ulysses