Who says that those historical designations and resolutions approved by state legislatures and widely mocked as inconsequential are as meaningless as critics claim? Last year, the Maryland General Assembly designated little-known Smith Island cake as Maryland's official state confection, and the guffaws could be heard from Annapolis to Tangier Sound.

But guess what's happened since then? All the publicity has touched off a cottage industry that stretches all the way from the Smith Island village of Ewell to Salisbury and West Ocean City, where a company called Original Smith Island Cake Company opened last week.

The 15 different flavored cakes baked by the OSICC should not to be confused with the Smith Island cakes made by Classic Cakes or the ones produced by actual Smith Islanders. Anyway you look at it, that's a lot of dessert.

Continue reading "Eating their cakes and baking them, too" »

Posted by Peter Jensen at 2:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Food
        

Peter, you are an ignorant peasant. Your insistence on all-American condiments for the all-American hamburger is exactly the sort of with-us-or-against-us attitude that President Obama ran against. In the land of the free, there is no such thing as a right or wrong condiment - or too many condiments, for that matter - on a burger. I draw your attention to the Fifth Third burger being served at a minor league ballpark in Michigan that, in addition to its five one-third pound patties of beef, includes nacho cheese, chili, salsa, lettuce, tomato and, just to add a little pizzaz, crunched up tortilla chips. None of those appears on your approved condiment list, but what, I ask you, could be more American than that?

But back to the matter of Dijon mustard. The most popular brand, Grey Poupon, is owned by Kraft, the same people who brought you neon orange mac and cheese in a box. How snooty can it be? And tackling the issue on taste alone, I submit to you, the only better vehicle for Dijon mustard than a hamburger is its ubiquitous companion: the French fry. You can keep your ketchup.

Posted by Andy Green at 1:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Food
        

To be president of the United States is to live life in a bubble. You are haunted by the press corps, every move is scrutinized, every word, inflection, gesture examined under an Internet-connected microscope.

Knowing this, how could President Barack Obama -- or any red-blooded American with a shred of self-respect -- ask for Dijon mustard with his hamburger?

Oh, it was bad enough that Mr. Obama ordered his burger medium well like some food-safety scaredy-cat but everyone knows that "a spicy mustard" is not an appropriate condiment for such all-American fare. Ketchup, that's the ticket, and maybe mayonnaise. Even a dab of yellow mustard is acceptable, or Thousand Island dressing if you must, but -- Dijon?

Granted, President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden weren't exactly dining at Burger King at lunch Tuesday. They stopped by an Arlington, Va. restaurant that serves, among other things, a burger with foie gras, and doesn't carry french fries on the menu.

Dijon has its place. It's terrific in salad dressings, a nice addition to a cold-cut sandwich, and wonderful on smoked sausage. But, Mr. President, what kind of example are you setting when you slather a hot French mustard on good (and probably hormone- and antibiotic-enriched) American beef?

Continue reading "Whatever happened to ketchup?" »

Posted by Peter Jensen at 1:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: Food