You go out to Evanston to pick up your husband at work and take him to lunch at Mustard's Last Stand. You bought the Groupon for the place because it seems like one of those classic Chicago hot dog stands that you should go to at some point in your life.

It turns out to be completely underwhelming, and you realize there's still time in his lunch hour to run over to Edzo's to cleanse your palate of the mediocrity.

Good girl. Mustard's is a dump. Blech!

I was looking up places to get fingerprinted (nothing bad!) and realized everything was on the south side. Then I noticed that one place is near Lem's BBQ, one place is near Original Rainbow Cone, this one's near Pleasant House, there's three near Chinatown...

Then I saw that there is one place that fingerprints in Skokie, but it held no interest for me.

I'm looking for the button marked "Like" to push in support of Pie Lady!

Geo

In mentioning that you prefer celery salt on fries when at a hot dog stand, you begin to realize you lack celery salt in your home, but you do have Kosher salt, truffle salt, canning salt, Table salt,portugese saltcream, vulcan fire salt, smoked salt, and Tony Chahere's Creole Seasoning (seasoned salt).

How many different salts do you have?

Edited to add table salt.

Last time I counted, 17. Let me see which I can remember (there are 4 or 5 new ones that were gifts):

1. Table salt
2. Diamond Crystal Kosher
3. Maldon
4. Smoked Maldon
5. Fleur de sel
6. Vulcan fire salt
7. Porcini salt
8. White truffle salt
9. Popcorn salt
10. Hawaiian black salt
11. Hawaiian red salt
12. Himalayan pink salt
13. Murray River flake salt (very much like maldon)
14. Alder smoked salt (crazily pungent, I've been afraid to use it).
15. Portuguese 'cream' sea salt
16. Another black sea salt I can't remember the name of
17. Another salt I don't remember the name of. Something grey maybe?

I think that's it... I'm leaving out the salt-based blends/rubs like back of the yards, etc, of course.

Table salt, kosher salt and Greek sea salt....I'm more of a mustard collector.

abe_froeman wrote:Table salt, kosher salt and Greek sea salt....I'm more of a mustard collector.

Don't make me start counting mustards, too... that list might be even longer.

Whoops, I forgot table salt.

pairs4life wrote:Whoops, I forgot table salt.

and I just realized I forgot penzey's szechuan pepper-salt. whoops.

gleam wrote:

abe_froeman wrote:Table salt, kosher salt and Greek sea salt....I'm more of a mustard collector.

Don't make me start counting mustards, too... that list might be even longer.

The funny thing is that I'm not someone who puts mustard on everything. But when I use it, I want the exact one to match what goes with whatever I'm eating.

Is there such thing as a sommelier for mustard?

abe_froeman wrote:

gleam wrote:

abe_froeman wrote:Table salt, kosher salt and Greek sea salt....I'm more of a mustard collector.

Don't make me start counting mustards, too... that list might be even longer.

The funny thing is that I'm not someone who puts mustard on everything. But when I use it, I want the exact one to match what goes with whatever I'm eating.

Is there such thing as a sommelier for mustard?

Same. The Mustard Museum needs to start up a version of the butterball turkey hotline.

File under:
Either ethakka appam
or what-have-I-done?

gleam wrote:Don't make me start counting mustards...

My personal banner quotation of the day.

sazerac wrote:File under:
Either ethakka appam
or what-have-I-done?

Adorable & Priceless.

sazerac wrote:File under:
Either ethakka appam
or what-have-I-done?

I'd file under
Either cuter than one would think possible
or precious moments.

...you're driving near Elmhurst Rd. & Touhy when you see a white brick building with a sign that reads House of Smoke and you think, Ooo! A new rib joint!

Pie Lady wrote:...you're driving near Elmhurst Rd. & Touhy when you see a white brick building with a sign that reads House of Smoke and you think, Ooo! A new rib joint!

I agree. However, they sell cigarettes.

It's a damn shame.

...an unexpectedly good week goes like this:

- your neighbors go on vacation to Wisconsin and e-mail you saying they'll come back through Elburn, and would be happy to bring you anything from Ream's.

- in addition to your order, they bring back a smoked sausage stick for your son, not really a food explorer, who loves it.

- your wife suggests you all go back there the following weekend.

...you put leftover buttercream in your oatmeal.

I vote we extend honorary LTH membership to Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks, whose new tattoo honors his hometown favorite, Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. See it here.

While watching the news of a demonstration going up Halsted Street near a police station. I piped up this was very likely across from Ed's Potsticker House.

My Mom said, "Of course, you would know which restaurant was nearby."

What can I say ...

I'm the same way. I'm directionally challenged, but when someone clarifies by saying "it's near x bakery" I remember right away.

Your proudest moment in weeks was when you figured out how to take pre-poached (and ice-water cooled) eggs to work and rewarm them in hot water and Styrofoam cup (usually used for tea). Runny yolk at the work cafeteria? Yes.

I think that's it... I'm leaving out the salt-based blends/rubs like back of the yards, etc, of course.

HAH! Before the salt fad I used to smoke my own using kosher salt. I was lax in starting up a company but it was funny that I sent a few jars to my father's church when he lived in another state and ended up selling 500 jars of two different flavors two years later.
Now I just get some at a store

I was eating a stack of pancakes the other day and thought how nice it would be if I had some eggs to go with it. But then I wouldn't have enough to make a pie.

It's now two days later and I realized that since I didn't have time to bake anyway, and now I can't decide between two pies, I guess I'll buy more eggs and make both.

...you think you might try to squeeze in a trip to the state fair during an already busy weekend just to try a deep-fried chocolate mint cookie.

Come on, doesn't it sound great?

I just made chicken stir fry with red and orange peppers, white onion, zucchini, chicken thigh chunks, sesame oil, oyster sauce, ponzu, fresh garlic, chili garlic sauce...

all fried up in leftover bacon drippings.

And it was AWESOME.

When your 80 year old neighbor asks for a ride to the beauty parlor and you try and be nice by seeing if she wants to grocery shop on the way back. You end up spending the next five hours taking her to many ethnic groceries and produce places that "she never knew existed even having lived in the town for 80 years". As well as being told by your wife an hour after you got home that the three of you are doing a longer trip in a couple of days to some places a little further away.

exvaxman wrote:When your 80 year old neighbor asks for a ride to the beauty parlor and you try and be nice by seeing if she wants to grocery shop on the way back. You end up spending the next five hours taking her to many ethnic groceries and produce places that "she never knew existed even having lived in the town for 80 years". As well as being told by your wife an hour after you got home that the three of you are doing a longer trip in a couple of days to some places a little further away.

You are an enthusiast, which accounts for just about everyone here!