I'll never eat corned beef and cabbage again
Waaaay back in the dark days before Midnight Sun, I was a food critic. Bet you didn't know that.
Yes indeed, for about two years, I was the takeout food columnist, and I also reviewed restaurants for The Sun's annual Dining Guide. That was back when we had a Dining Guide.
It's been a while since I regularly wrote food reviews, and I was ready for another challenge.
So when Kate Shatzkin, the editor of the Taste section and the blogger extraordinaire behind Charm City Moms, asked me to write about corned beef and cabbage (the piece came out today), I jumped at the chance.
Little did I know what was in store ...
To be honest, I hadn't eaten that much corned beef and cabbage before this. I've had my share of corned beef sandwiches, and growing up, I would occasionally have corned beef when I was out and about. It was by no means a regular thing. And after this little corned beef binge, I can't say I'll ever order the dish again.
I ate five orders of corned beef cabbage in three days. Chew on that for a second. Five orders. Three days.
At one point, I actually felt physically ill -- not in the food poisoning sense, but in the sluggish, I-can't-go-on-eating-this sense. Know what I mean?
People seem to think that being a restaurant reviewer is one of the best jobs in the whole wide world. After being one for a couple of years, I don't know about that.
After all, there are only so many adjectives to begin with. You try writing about hamburgers without using the word "juicy," or Indian food without using the word "spicy." It's tricky business, I tell you.
Well, the piece is finished, and I learned a lot about corned beef and cabbage along the way. I'd say I learned enough for a lifetime.
(Sun photo by Karl Merton Ferron)
I've been The Baltimore Sun's nightlife and local entertainment reporter for a couple years, and it's surprising how much the scene has grown in that time. Most of Baltimore's bars and clubs are unpretentious places with fairly cheap drinks and plenty of character. I like dancing and think this city needs more clubs, but nothing beats having a cold, locally brewed beer with friends in a comfortably full corner bar.
Comments
Sam, we need you! Please consider slowing down on the red meat intake. Let me know if you want/need the cell number of my Mom's cardiologist.
I remember when you were the Sun's takeout critic. That was in the "pre-photo of columnist" days, for obvious reasons.
This review explains your FB post with the same headline. Did I just bust you for recycling headlines?
Posted by: Courtney B. | March 11, 2009 11:21 AM
Ryan's Daughter in Belvedere Square has some AWESOME corned beef and cabbage...not that you're going to eat that anytime soon... ;-)
Posted by: Joe Ross | March 11, 2009 12:57 PM
Sam,
Are you actually obligated to eat the entire meal from each eatery?
Most people seem to find cabbage rather gassy.
Corned Beef Brisket and Cabbage article, I assume, is for St. Patrick’s Day. Curious association to Irish as it has a Jewish tradition. My Grandmother was born and raised in Erie and having beef of any sort was an extremely rare occurrence. The meats they ate usually were lamb or pork, which they didn’t eat with the frequency we now eat meat of any sort.
Wikipedia for more details on Corned Beef: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corned_beef
St. Patrick, who was Welsh, if interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick
Or
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/holidays/st_patricks_day.htm
Posted by: GDA | March 11, 2009 1:29 PM
Courtney, I'm not recycling -- the blogs are automatically imported to the Facebook page with the same headlines.
GDA, thankfully, I'm not required to eat the entire meal. Otherwise, I might not be here right now.
Posted by: Sam Sessa | March 11, 2009 9:06 PM
VintageCotton.com is running a special where you get a free Drunk Leprechaun St. Patrick's Day T-shirt when you buy another Irish t-shirt! http://www.VintageCotton.com
Posted by: Ricardo Cabeza | March 11, 2009 10:37 PM
Thanks for clarifying.
Posted by: Courtney B. | March 12, 2009 9:08 AM