Is anyone watching Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares? I saw a few episodes of this in England this past summer, and now he is doing an American version. I know he has a foul mouth and a violent temper. I've never watched Hell's Kitchen cause watching a grown man yell at and demean people and throw pots and pans isn't my idea of entertainment. But so far he has been absolutely spot on with his observations and criticisms of some of the American eating establishments he has visited and turned around. He seems very perceptive about the weak spots at each restaurant and knows exactly who to point the finger at!

LOL!! Sorry, Trevor, I was teasing!! Of course it's great for Capital to get their goods seen. Probably helps that they're located very near where the show was filmed. What I meant was that Top Chef has had GE Monogram and now has KitchenAid Architect. Surely product placement. For which the corporations provide the appliances and often monetary consideration as well. They also get vocal acknowledgement and close ups on the badges at a contracted rate. And, if the chefs don't like cooking on residential appliances, the grousing is never aired. Whereas, the contestants on NFNS get Culinarians, which from what I've seen on your website and from the raves from folks here who are cooking on them, is a superior kind of residential unit. For sure, there's lots of power, which the restaurant trained among them will like. What I meant was lucky them!

Mitch, it's my understanding that the white asparagus is a variety, but it's covered up while growing, so the stuff never gets green, the chlorophyll needs sunlight to make it green I guess. I've never had in it Germany, having never been to Germany, but I had the white stuff here a couple of times and thought that I just didn't understand what the fuss was about. So it's different in Germany? Does it have a flavor of asparagus or is it totally different? The white I had tasted like mild asparagus, but it was a lot tougher. I think it would be a real trick to keep it covered, since a stalk of asparagus can grow so fast that it's not there now and 12 hours later, it's full grown. coconut, I'd be glad to have you visit! It was 93F here yesterday, we had five days of record breaking heat and now today it's 30 degrees cooler, odd weather. If you don't make it on time for asparagus they also grow peaches, apricots, blueberries, have a great place for smoked fish and are just starting to go the vineyard route since they have the Lake's microclimate. Hart is about 45 miles West of me, very nearly right on the lakeshore, in a very agricultural county. Total county population is somewhere around 26,000, Hart city population is 1900 people. In the summer there are thousands more for the beaches and the sand dunes where we go dune hopping with the Jeep. This weekend, though, it's all asparagus. I understand that the local organic and hormone free dairy, Country Dairy, has some asparagus ice cream. Now, I like asparagus but I'm a bit leery about that... Annie

My DH was watching and I finally got sucked in for the last few episodes -- so I didn't watch all the lead-ups. One thing that occurred to me . . . until recently, and for the last 32 years, I lived in a small resort town. We had one grocery store, except for a glorious 2-year period with a real supermarket, with specialty foods -- it closed. So if my one store didn't carry an ingredient, or was out, I faced a 40 minute trip to find it, or change my menu -- which in reality, is what I did. For out-of-the-ordinary ingredients, I just had to plan ahead -- for my out of town shopping trips. Harissa -- not a chance! I wonder how many other fans live in areas where Jeffrey's exotic ingredients would be difficult to obtain. Incidentally, I'm now in a town with 4 (count 'em!!) supermarkets, the smallest of which is larger than my former one!! Oh, my!!!