Posted on 03/23/2006 11:53:14 AM PST by Physicist
Law librarian Rick Ramponi's collection of 3,000 regional cookbooks --including "Talk About Good" from the Lafayette, La., Junior League and "Shalom on the Range," which celebrates southwestern Jewish cuisine -- was manageable while he lived in a large house in Kalorama.
But when he moved to a one-bedroom Dupont Circle apartment with a partner who collects large art and architecture books, Ramponi had to exile those cherished culinary texts to a pair of rented storage units several blocks away.
Since 2002, he has spent more than $5,000 to keep them there, which "may be more than they are all worth," he concedes. "But there is a sentimental attachment and I associate them with places I've been, people I know."
Accountant Jennifer Kimball, who is studying for a master's degree in English, and policy analyst Matt Cail, who has a pair of master's degrees, call themselves "huge bibliophiles." Thus their chief requirement when condo shopping two years ago was enough wall space for shelves to hold their books. Already they have run out of space in their Alexandria flat. "Next year we will start looking for a house to buy that has room for children," she says. And books.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
You are prolly correct.
The Momma site of them all - the catalog pages of the Library of Congress itself: http://www.loc.gov.
No, absinthe was already passe', but it's amazing to me to see how many drinks have changed completely over the years. He must have four pages of mint julep recipes, and NONE involve bourbon, which doesn't seem possible.
Books, books, books, and mac n' cheese. This guy had life figured OUT. :)
I googled "Hummingbirds and Radishes" and found it for sale on several websites, from $7.50 (very good) to $32.50 (don't even think about paying that much!). Here's one:
http://pages.tias.com/12156/PictPage/1922608550.html
I've done that several times. A lot of that problem comes from the fact that in many cases, titles and cover art between British and American editions change. Whenever I see a book that I am even remotely interested in, I buy it. Experience has taught me that I almost always regret not doing so, as the book is often impossible to find later.
Thank you! I hope I can get my hands on it now. And thanks for your reply to my absinthe question.
I've been fascinated by the resurgence in popularity of the *illegal* drink in the news lately in such diverse quarters, so I'd been studying the sazerac cocktail, bitters, other Old New Orleans things. Alas, I no longer drink alcohol, so can't do any taste testing, except to use some Pernod cooked in a few dishes, but have been intrigued, nonetheless.
As to mint juleps, I've studied those, too, lol. "Back in the day." Someone once gave me a nice set of silver julep tumblers and I had wanted to find something comparable to serve in them. Still looking, actually.
If they didn't use bourbon in that book, what did they use? Rye whiskey, rye whiskey? Sippin' whiskey? You reminded me of another "comb-bound" cookbook I love, from which I am also separated, so can't reference it. It had a whole "Derby Day" section with lots of cute ideas for party favors, drinks, food, everything.
It wasn't from KY, either. I'm *thinking* it was from the Junior League of Memphis and is one of those that goes way back, too. It had my all-time favorite "company" dish that is so fun. It's Cornish Game Hens in Salt Clay. Takes all day to prep 6-8 of the little critters, but well worth it to liven up a party.
You make salt clay like our little "relief maps" we did in school, then wrap each bird up in it, for baking. Birds are stuffed with an apricot-studded dressing. After wrapping and before baking, all guests come in the kitchen or wherever and you provide acrylic paints and let them paint any design they want on the clay for their bird. Very fun - even geezers, accountants and engineers get into the spirit of it.
When they bake, the colors stay the same, though the clay browns. When they're done, you wrap each in a cloth napkin and put into its own little basket. At the table, you pass a "silver" hammer and let each guest smash open the clay on their "gift," while the napkin catches the smithereens. The hens themselves are out of sight, so moist and tender like cooked in those clay cookers that were a fad a while back. Thanks for the info!
Ah, Cornish hens.... back in the days when I was a Martha Stewart acolyte, and taking hostages, I made my poor husband de-bone eight of the critters for a dinner party. There were no bones left except for the wings and legs. The first one took him over half an hour, and the time reduced with each one until he had it down to ten minutes. That was about 17 years ago, and he's barely been able to look at one since. :)
And we won't dwell on the stuffed snow peas, either.
That sounds really good, though I'm no cilantro fan, myself. Berth 55 does not batter fry the fish for their tacos, it's grilled and sliced, more like you'd do it for fajitas. Sauce is whatever you prefer; just grab what you like at the condiment table and pour it on. Berth 55 uses lettuce, not cabbage, in the tacos, though, IIRC, you CAN get fresh cole Slaw, too, so they might swap cabbage for lettuce if you asked. Hey, this is California; the tacos aren't even listed on the 'official' menu, but you can get them anyway, so they'd likely custom-craft them however you'd like if you just asked. In my experience, they're really flexible.
Also, a lot of their customers are big, burly longshoremen from the big shipping terminals nearby; not the kind of guys you generally like to say "No" to.
And...I gotta stop talking about this 'cuz I'm way too far from Long Beach to have any chance at a Berth 55 fish taco anytime soon.
The love of books is the only hobby that is also classed as a mental illness.
Any other confirmed bibliopaths out there?
Gentle readers,
I have added you to the Bibliopath pinglist, either because you were on it, you asked to be on it, or you stuck your neck out on this thread.
If you don't want to be on this list because you're an anti-literate philistine, or simply not among the afflicted, just tell me to strike you from the Life of Book.
If you're an incorrigible bibliopath, bibliophile, bibliomane, or bibliotaph, and are happy to have been pinged, do nothing. You're on the list.
If you haven't been pinged, but look with envy upon our symposium of the anointed, erudite, and edacious, petition for addition.
Didn't you already ping to this thread in Post 2?
My vote is to name it: The Gustav Hasford Memorial Pinglist...
Sounds good to me. As long as it's not high-volume and affects my reading.
Okay, can't hurt. Actually I have gotten a couple of inadvertent suggestions on FR for additions to my increasingly eclectic library.
Does the "Daily Racing Form" count....?
Thank you!
Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation
:-)
Now shut the @#$$ up so I can go back to my reading. ;-D
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