Anthony Bourdain went to Ireland recently, where he toured Belfast and chatted with at least a dozen men I would have sex with. More to the point, he ate some steak & kidney pie, and visited Chef Paul Rankin, who uses kimchi in his dishes, as well as “great Irish ingredients,” like loin of lamb and spiced potatoes.
-Julie
![I thought the Spitzer Spritzer was good, but Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop topped that today with their latest edition to their sandwich menu, “Sandwich #9, Hot Tongue on Rye.” After placing my order for lunch, I chatted with owner Josh Konecky about his marketing genius:
Me: So, who came up with the sandwich? Josh Konecky, owner [He is wearing his customary ponytail, and a loud shirt bearing the print of hundreds of swirling cups of coffee]: Spitzer came up with it. [pause]. No, I came up with it. Did you already order? Me: Yeah. I didn’t order the tongue. Konecky: What’d you order? The chicken? Me: No, the roast beef. Konecky: A lot of people don’t like tongue. Tongue is delicious! Funny how people will eat one part of the cow, but not another. Me: So how many have you sold today? Konecky: A couple. [Gestures to the lunch counter]. Someone’s eating one over there right now. [Another regular walks in.] Jim, you gonna order The Spitzer? Jim: [Looks up at a neon orange sign advertising the sandwich, “You just gotta try Sandwich No. 9,” clenches fist, grins and softly taps the counter with his fist]. Yeah, I’ll have mine with mustard!
—Renata](http://media.tumblr.com/ij7JEOmZJ6j74nwvwZ9vihFU_500.jpg)
I thought the Spitzer Spritzer was good, but Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop topped that today with their latest edition to their sandwich menu, “Sandwich #9, Hot Tongue on Rye.” After placing my order for lunch, I chatted with owner Josh Konecky about his marketing genius:
Me: So, who came up with the sandwich?
Josh Konecky, owner [He is wearing his customary ponytail, and a loud
shirt bearing the print of hundreds of swirling cups of coffee]: Spitzer came up with it. [pause]. No, I came up with it. Did you already order?
Me: Yeah. I didn’t order the tongue.
Konecky: What’d you order? The chicken?
Me: No, the roast beef.
Konecky: A lot of people don’t like tongue. Tongue is delicious! Funny how people will eat one part of the cow, but not another.
Me: So how many have you sold today?
Konecky: A couple. [Gestures to the lunch counter]. Someone’s eating one over there right now. [Another regular walks in.] Jim, you gonna order The Spitzer?
Jim: [Looks up at a neon orange sign advertising the sandwich, “You
just gotta try Sandwich No. 9,” clenches fist, grins and softly taps
the counter with his fist]. Yeah, I’ll have mine with mustard!
—Renata
Monday night, after the news first broke that New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer had been a client of an illegal prostitution ring, I was walking along Berry Street in Williamsburg and spotted this sign in the window of Teddy’s Bar and Grill.
—Renata
Scarier than Fast Food Nation, with the added bonus of repeated viewings ensuring legal insanity.
-Julie
“ActivaTM TG is THE WORLD LEADER in food transglutaminase!”
I stumbled upon this product while checking out L’Epicerie’s “Molecular Gastronomy” division of products. After all, who couldn’t use a few syringes in the utensil tray? Watermelon caviar can’t make itself.
Transglutaminase is a “naturally occurring enzyme that acts to link proteins,” says Ajinomoto, the Japanese company that makes the product. Or as L’Epicerie puts it, “meat glue.”
Some of the more mundane uses are “improving texture of cheese” or “reducing water loss in yogurt,” but obviously, glueing one type of meat to another, or making spaghetti out of shrimp - the REAL applications of transglutaminase - are far sexier. “Attach bacon to the surface of meat” cries Ajinomoto or “sandwich ham, turkey, and bacon in one piece” gushes L’Epicerie.
I’m imagining how transglutaminase could revolutionize turducken.
—Renata
