Ms. Ingie wrote:

jvalentino wrote:

boudreaulicious wrote:Thanks so much Cathy--that will be much appreciated!!

Anyone out there happen to have a Comal that you might be able to bring?

I have a cast iron 2 burner griddle. Would that help?

I too have a two burner griddle (a griddle that spans two burners). Can bring if you still need it.

My comal that I ordered didnt arrive do that would be great--thx!!!

Ms. Ingie wrote:

jvalentino wrote:

boudreaulicious wrote:Thanks so much Cathy--that will be much appreciated!!

Anyone out there happen to have a Comal that you might be able to bring?

I have a cast iron 2 burner griddle. Would that help?

I too have a two burner griddle (a griddle that spans two burners). Can bring if you still need it.

Hi,

Why not have it in the trunk in case it may be needed.

Thanks!

Regards,
Cathy

I just weighed out portions of Powder for Fermented Pork (Nam Powder) and will bring them along. If anyone is serious about making their own naem, I'll be happy to give you one (while supplies last of course). Each 35g bag is good for 250g of pork plus 125g of pig skin (also need garlic and chilies).

I'll have a 2 burner stove and only need one burner for Humita, I just packed a one burner griddle in the kit that is open for use as well.

Sorry for the late notice...I'll bring a smattering of canned beverages (with and without alcohol).

Hi,

Finished printing name labels, now printing food labels.

If I forgot to print your nametag, I am sorry. I have sometimes forgotten to make one for myself. There are blanks for resolving this issue.

BBQ people are arriving as early as 9:00 am. If you want to hang out, help or chat (if you see they are not so busy), come on over.

People who offered to setup tables and tablecloths, come around 10:30 am. IF you have supplies, try to come 11 or before ...

Otherwise I expect people to begin drifting in with food beginning at 11 or so. Come early, if you want. Drift in later, if that's what you do. Of course, the early bird does get the worm.

Pinata(s) will be around 3:30 or so.

Bring containers to take food home. When you leave, take a modest portion of any one food item. People coming later will want to try it, too.

It;s going to be a swell day. See you all very soon!

Regards,

Anyone that has an extra butane burner or a mini grill or some space on theirs, please bring it or let me know at the 'nic. The tamales should be warm but I may want to heat them thru in the broth once more before serving but wont be able to make it to my storage unit to grab something to do it with. Thanks!

Da Beef wrote:Anyone that has an extra butane burner or a mini grill or some space on theirs, please bring it and let me know at the 'nic. The tamales should be warm but I may want to heat them thru in the broth once more before serving but wont be able to make it to my storage unit to grab something to do it with. Thanks!

Hi,

There are 5 grills and a pizza oven. I expect someone will accommodate you.

Regards,

Not that I've been asked but feel strongly about pp taking food home too early. Suggest post 3 pm, but then, that's just me.

And so it begins....

Da Beef wrote: Coming with me will be 120 Delta Style Hot Tamales and a cooler of my moms old family recipe "thumb juice" which is great as is or mixed with a little bit of some hard liquor.

This post just made me seriously sad that I cannot attend. 120 Delta Style Hot Tamales!!!! That sounds like the bomb!! Made by two top notch guys - Da Beef and jimswside. Have fun today, folks. Who am I kidding?? How can you not have fun at this event?

We got full too early and cut out around 1. But I think we ate more than last year, so we're working on going full tilt boogie. Hello and goodbye to anyone we missed!

I have a boulder in my stomach. But, it was due to the absolutley astounding amounts of fabulous food. I don't think there wasn't anything I tried that I didn't like. Thank you to the organizers and set up people and to those who stayed to clean. There was so much more I wanted to try, but just could not bring myself to it. Thanks to whoever brought the ginger beer; great thing to drink so help settle the stomach.

Thanks again everyone for a perfect day.

As usual (this is only my second picnic), the weather was perfect, and there were far too many excellent dishes to try. Even though I attempted the smallest portions I could, there was no way to sample everything, but everything I did try was outstanding.

There aren't many times I almost wished for a "Roman feather" so I could keep going, but today was definitely one of them. Thanks for all the good flavors!

As always, an awesome event. Thanks so much Cathy2, not only for pulling off another great event, but also for starting this in the first place. Thanks, too, to everyone who pitched in to help.

And thanks to all the people who brought wonderful food to share. There were so many awesome things to try. I know I ran out of stomach space before I ran out of options, and I'm certain I won't remember everything of the things I did eat, but of the things I tried and remember, I loved the humitas, the cheesy boletus dip, the Vietnamese pork sliders, the Korean whelks, the beef heart, the green zebra tomato gazpacho, the pizza (made in a portable wood-fired oven!), the ginger beer, the spit-roasted al pastor pork, the carne asada, the jerk pork, and the beets a la Russe. (What am I forgetting? Well, I'm sure someone else will post it.)

Glorious weather, great food -- and some very smart, very enjoyable conversation with a bunch of great LTHers.

Argh... a foul headache that stood against my chemical arsenal waylaid me, but Chouxfly brought the boys and had a great time. He also brought me a plate of deliciousness that gave me a glimpse of what I was missing, which I gratefully enjoyed once the pain passed. Missed you all!

I hope that someone posts some pictures soon so that I can experience the picnic vicariously. I did not make it to the picnic since I was feeling lousy due to allergies. My husband still brought the kids to the picnic. The kids enjoyed trying the various foods at the picnic and brought me some samples of desserts. While I was making the rosemary-lemon shortbread cookies, I discovered that I am slightly allergic to rosemary. I bought a rosemary plant the other day and had never worked with rosemary this fresh before.

Can one have a food hangover? I think that's what I experienced this morning. nevertheless, yesterday's picnic was amazing and I would do it all over again. It was a foodie's dream. Unfortunately, my stomach couldn't keep pace with the dishes which continued to multiply throughout the afternoon. While I had some truly outstanding food, one dish that I continue to think about is the Vietnamese sausage slider that was being passed around. Juicy and delicious plus beautiful to look at. I also tried heart, pickled tongue and buffalo testicles for the first time. All very good and wonderful for eliciting gasps of horror from people. My three year old was particularly enamored with the 4 layer rainbow cake. The taco stand and accompanying sides, as well as fresh pizza were outstanding. Loved the Thumb juice which I never heard of until yesterday. Best of all, was the company. Met so many new people. Thank you Cathy for organizing; you did a fantastic job.

shorty wrote:I hope that someone posts some pictures soon so that I can experience the picnic vicariously.

I hope to get a full pictorial up sometime today or tomorrow, but as a teaser here's the crew from Taqueria El Te’ache.

Who's the guy on the left with the black sombrero? He looks just like Trey Anastasio of Phish.

Seamus wrote:Who's the guy on the left with the black sombrero? He looks just like Trey Anastasio of Phish.

Yes, that was him. Not

Who's the guy on the left with the black sombrero? He looks just like Trey Anastasio of Phish.

I met him for the first time yesterday, but oddly enough he is friends with my brother (soft boiled) who knows him partly because he really is in a band, Margot and the Nuclear So and So's (here and here)

tylerjwatkins wrote:All tacos considered. Count me in on team taco. I'm making Chorizo & helping out with all things taco. We're talking tacos

This is the guy with the sombrero. I was so careful to get his name right on the nametag. I was worried I would drop the 'j.'

Regards,

I think that was my favorite edition of the picnic evah! The food, the weather and the crowd all came together to make it a memorably special and enjoyable day (the bourbon didn't hurt, either ).

Across the board, the food was delicious and very well-executed. I loved just about everything I ate. What a spectacularly diverse menu it was. And, as others have so accurately noted, the taco stand was truly inspired. I loved everything I had from that stand but more than that, it was just awesome being the beneficiary of the tremendous energy and enthusiasm that was put into it. We're really honored as community to have such giving members. And that goes far beyond the taco stand. It really goes for everyone who put such care, thought, effort and energy into their contributions. What would be a herculean effort for a normal person is just another day in the Forest Preserve, sharing with friends, for an LTHer. I shook my head in amazement when I saw folks like JValentino and Attrill packing up and hauling out their substantial rigs at the end of the day. I've never been prouder of this community -- or more honored to be a part of it -- than I was yesterday.

Thanks again, to everyone who made it such a glorious event!

=R=

A few random thoughts...

1. Cathy has the best weather karma of anyone I think I've ever met. People planning outdoor weddings and street festivals should pay you a fee for your services.
2. Beef heart nam tok is my new favorite food. Thanks BR.
3. No whiskey tastes better than that provided by friends after 9 hours of setting up and delivering a pop-up taco stand. (thanks Ronnie )
4. Breaking down a pop-up taco stand is MUCH easier after consumption of said whiskey.
5. Fropones is a Tepache Master.
6. mbh is a Tortilla Mistress.
7. Laikom is a mad Taquero scientist.
8. Margot and the Nuclear So and So's is a GREAT band and ya'll should check them out. And Tyler is a prince of the drill and the grill.
9. Da Beef should, under no circumstances, be given access to a knife and fire after 4:00 p.m. of any LTH picnic--but it was fun watching him!
10. can't wait til next year (Hawker stand anyone?)

damn, damn, damn: i forgot to look for the thumb juice (among many other things i wished i'd found). could somebody please explain what this is? a google search was useless: the urban dictionary defines it as the saliva left on the thumb of a thumbsucker. as wacky as LTH food can be, i refuse to believe that definition applies here!

ronnie_suburban wrote:I think that was my favorite edition of the picnic evah! The food, the weather and the crowd all came together to make it a memorably special and enjoyable day (the bourbon didn't hurt, either ).

I don't think.. I KNOW!!!

Sensational picnic this year all the way around. Easily the finest collection of LTH picnic vittles of them all. My first five samples were all great - Yoalnd's/Da Beef's MS delta tamales, Fropone's tepache, r_s's Pickled beef tongue, RAB's Vietnamese pork sliders, and Hellodali"s ice cream.

I big thank you to all those LTHers who put so much energy and love into their culinary creations. Really made for one of the best days of the year.

This event keeps getting better every year.

Also, a big thanks to Cathy2.

What a fantastic time! I can't get over the variety of dishes offered, and the tremendous enthusiasm on display. I was lucky to arrive early and watch the incredible construction of the taco stand, the chopping of the cooking wood, the arrangement of the salsas and condiments . . . I still can't believe what an amazing effort that was. I could have simply eaten tacos, salsas, tortillas, etc. all day and been full. Thanks Laikom, boudreaulicious, mbh, rnast, tylerjwatkins . . . really unreal.

Luckily, I ate so much more. I was so hungry when I arrived early and luckily Will Specials were staring at me. Then Ronnie's pickled beef tongue which was fantastic. Biscuits and sorghum from Steve, CrazyC's spicy whelks, RAB's Vietnamese sliders, JValentino's fantastic pizza, Trixie-pea's chicken rice with balachaung, Attrill's corn-a-palooza, JoelF's middle eastern dips, Jazzfood's beautiful edible artistry, borborigmy's delicious miang kham . . . it just went on and on and the efforts were extraordinary. I tried a lot more, and one dish after another was terrific . . . not a dud in the bunch!

I was also very grateful for the people who showed up with items from the farther reaches that I had not been as fortunate to previously try. While I always expected the jim shoe to be a disgusting abomination, I was amazed to find it a delicious sandwich, one that I will now seek out (thanks rene g). DaBeef - thanks for the tamales.

And yet, I saved some room for desserts. HelloDali's ice creams were sensational, though not as wonderful as her hospitality in walking around to serve us. Josephine's fantastic grape layer cake, almost as delicious as her post was memorable. SueF's pastel de nata, Shorty's almond cookies, Teresa's sticky buns, EvA's challah . . . Again, on and on and there was so much I did not even get to try. Though I certainly drank plenty - Laikom's beer (better than most I pay good $$ for), fropone's tepache, etc.

And of course, another highlight was getting to spend time with the people behind all of these dishes, and hearing about everyone's inspirations, and on such a beautiful afternoon. Laikom referred to this as the best day of the year . . . I think I agree, and I just wish next year's picnic was here already.

And of course, a big thanks to Cathy2 . . . thanks a million for organizing!

I actually think this is one of the great parts of the picnic: the "reliving" of it as everyone tries to remember all their favorite dishes. It's so much fun to read the enthusiastic reports -- and to be reminded of things one had -- and to be reminded, too, that, as always, one hardly scratched the surface.

It was another stellar LTH picnic. I really enjoyed the dynamic joy of the Taco gang. What a tremendous gift of your time and talent. It was good to connect again to people I've come to know and care about. It was great to meet new people. All the food offerings were special and appreciated. I'll try to post the one photo that I thought summed up the picnic. If that works, I'll post more!