It's official, I'm old. Had an early dinner at a diner.

Just happened to be out at Lowe's, and decided to grab dinner
on the way home. Dinner? I didn't realize it was only 3:30 in the
afternoon. Eh, what the heck.

What are the early bird specials? I mean, since we're here and
all. I couldn't believe it, lamb shanks and fresh ham were on the
list! The lamb shanks were fantastic, they were so tasty and nicely
done, braised. Two of them. For 10 bucks, made me laugh, it came
with sides. Fresh ham was a tad on the dry side, but still good.

Finally, she took the plates away and said, you get dessert. I had
to laugh, how can they make money this way?? I got carrot cake,
it was good. No way could I finish it.

At any rate, early bird special. I can see how retired people get
used to that action.

nancy

Braised lamb shanks? Diner? The owners must be Greek folks. Sounds
like a good place to go back to.

Just don't ask for fries. Chips are usually OK. :-)

Bob
===========================
In article >,
says...
> It's official, I'm old. Had an early dinner at a diner.
>
> Just happened to be out at Lowe's, and decided to grab dinner
> on the way home. Dinner? I didn't realize it was only 3:30 in the
> afternoon. Eh, what the heck.
>
> What are the early bird specials? I mean, since we're here and
> all. I couldn't believe it, lamb shanks and fresh ham were on the
> list! The lamb shanks were fantastic, they were so tasty and nicely
> done, braised. Two of them. For 10 bucks, made me laugh, it came
> with sides. Fresh ham was a tad on the dry side, but still good.
>
> Finally, she took the plates away and said, you get dessert. I had
> to laugh, how can they make money this way?? I got carrot cake,
> it was good. No way could I finish it.
>
> At any rate, early bird special. I can see how retired people get
> used to that action.
>
> nancy
>

"yetanotherBob" > wrote

> Braised lamb shanks? Diner?

Exactly! I hear Early Bird Specials I'm thinking meatloaf,
fried chicken. They had stuff like that but then ... lamb shanks???
I shouldn't be surprised, earlier this year when I rediscovered
diners, they had osso buco and it was so good.

> The owners must be Greek folks. Sounds
> like a good place to go back to.

Yes, it seems so, they had plenty of things like moussaka on
the menu. I would certainly stop by there again if I found myself
in the neighborhood, and looking for a bite to eat.

> Just don't ask for fries. Chips are usually OK. :-)

No fries, huh. I'll remember that.

nancy

"Nancy Young" > wrote in message
news
>
> "yetanotherBob" > wrote
>
>> Braised lamb shanks? Diner?
>
> Exactly! I hear Early Bird Specials I'm thinking meatloaf,
> fried chicken. They had stuff like that but then ... lamb shanks???
> I shouldn't be surprised, earlier this year when I rediscovered
> diners, they had osso buco and it was so good.
>
>> The owners must be Greek folks. Sounds
>> like a good place to go back to.
>
> Yes, it seems so, they had plenty of things like moussaka on
> the menu. I would certainly stop by there again if I found myself
> in the neighborhood, and looking for a bite to eat.

Forget the "bite to eat". Ask someone in authority if they ever make a
dessert called galaktibourikos. The spelling's probably wrong, but so what?
It's a Greek word anyway. The accent's on the "bour". It's a flan sort of
thing that's to die for.

Nancy Young wrote:

> No fries, huh. I'll remember that.


This is the funniest thing. The fries are terrible at my favorite
family owned Greek restaurant too. Everything else is great, but I've
learned to order the rice and salad with an entree. I thought that was
just a local thing with this particular restaurant, not something known
to Greek restaurants everywhere.


--Lia

Sorry all, I was just making (a perhaps uncalled for) obtuse reference
to an old (but CLASSIC) Saturday Night Live sketch that had John Belushi
and Dan Akroyd behind the counter of a stereotypical Greek diner.

Customers would order ?their food, but when they asked for fries (NOT on
the menu), the response was always, "No fries. Cheeps!". When they
ordered Coke (NOT on the menu), the response was always, "No Coke.
Pepsi!". Etc. Etc. Etc.

I grew up (to whatever extent I ever did) in Chicago, possibly the
birthplace of the "stereotypical Greek diner". Those sketch(es) on SNL
were just hilarious to me, and apparently to many others at the time.

I found a link to the routine:
http://snltranscripts.jt.org/77/77jolympia.phtml

Yiasas! (To Your Health!),
Bob
================================
In article >,
says...
> Nancy Young wrote:
>
> > No fries, huh. I'll remember that.
>
> This is the funniest thing. The fries are terrible at my favorite
> family owned Greek restaurant too. Everything else is great, but I've
> learned to order the rice and salad with an entree. I thought that was
> just a local thing with this particular restaurant, not something known
> to Greek restaurants everywhere.
>
> --Lia
>

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

> > Yes, it seems so, they had plenty of things like moussaka on
> > the menu. I would certainly stop by there again if I found myself
> > in the neighborhood, and looking for a bite to eat.
>
> Forget the "bite to eat". Ask someone in authority if they ever make a
> dessert called galaktibourikos. The spelling's probably wrong, but so what?
> It's a Greek word anyway. The accent's on the "bour". It's a flan sort of
> thing that's to die for.


It's not exactly a flan. It is a custard fortified with semolina
and then poured into a baking pan lined with several sheets of
buttered phyllo and covered in several more layers. I have the
recipe in a greek cook book and the only thing that stopped me
from making it for a long time was that it made so much. I did
not want to be eating all the big batch on my own. I took some to
my mother and to my brother and his kids. My brother said it was
the best thing he had ever had in his life. The kids loved it
too. It's not that hard to make, and worth every bit of effort.

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>
>> > Yes, it seems so, they had plenty of things like moussaka on
>> > the menu. I would certainly stop by there again if I found myself
>> > in the neighborhood, and looking for a bite to eat.
>>
>> Forget the "bite to eat". Ask someone in authority if they ever make a
>> dessert called galaktibourikos. The spelling's probably wrong, but so
>> what?
>> It's a Greek word anyway. The accent's on the "bour". It's a flan sort of
>> thing that's to die for.
>
>
> It's not exactly a flan. It is a custard fortified with semolina
> and then poured into a baking pan lined with several sheets of
> buttered phyllo and covered in several more layers. I have the
> recipe in a greek cook book and the only thing that stopped me
> from making it for a long time was that it made so much. I did
> not want to be eating all the big batch on my own. I took some to
> my mother and to my brother and his kids. My brother said it was
> the best thing he had ever had in his life. The kids loved it
> too. It's not that hard to make, and worth every bit of effort.

The stuff's wickedly delicious. In my 20-ish days, there was a Greek
restaurant that stayed open until 2:00 AM to catch stragglers from a bar a
few doors down. It was run by a guy who must've been the template for John
Belushi's character in the "no coke pepsi" skit on SNL. And, there was this
VERY old woman who spotted a pattern: My drinking buddies would come in for
galaktibourikos, which we'd eat right away, but the gyros - we took those
home for later. She'd yell at us about how we were eating backwards. She
began hiding 2-3 servings of the custard way in the back of the refrigerator
case, thinking we'd eat the main course first if dessert wasn't staring us
in the face. We were onto her trick, though. :-)

"Julia Altshuler" > wrote in message
. ..
> Nancy Young wrote:
>
>> No fries, huh. I'll remember that.
>
>
> This is the funniest thing. The fries are terrible at my favorite family
> owned Greek restaurant too. Everything else is great, but I've learned to
> order the rice and salad with an entree. I thought that was just a local
> thing with this particular restaurant, not something known to Greek
> restaurants everywhere.
>
>
> --Lia
>

There's something about fryers that escapes some cooks. At a bar where I
play music, the owner's almost-son-in-law is a graduate from some cooking
school in California. The guy makes terrific diner food*, but he can't make
french fries, onion rings or chicken wings to save his life.

*I suppose he knows how to make things other than meat loaf, but the
management doesn't think the clientele will shell out the money for anything
fancier.

In article >,
"Nancy Young" > wrote:

> "yetanotherBob" > wrote
>
> > Braised lamb shanks? Diner?
>
> Exactly! I hear Early Bird Specials I'm thinking meatloaf,
> fried chicken. They had stuff like that but then ... lamb shanks???

Are you sure you're not thinking of the blue plate specials? I've
enjoyed the early bird prices at Red Lobster - they had some florentine
seafood thing there long ago. Reduced price until 4:00, I think. I can
do supper at 4:00 :-)
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
"Maligning an individual says more about you than the one you malign."
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller; blahblahblog Barcelona on Foot
http://jamlady.eboard.com

"Melba's Jammin'" > wrote

> "Nancy Young" > wrote:

>> Exactly! I hear Early Bird Specials I'm thinking meatloaf,
>> fried chicken. They had stuff like that but then ... lamb shanks???
>
> Are you sure you're not thinking of the blue plate specials? I've
> enjoyed the early bird prices at Red Lobster - they had some florentine
> seafood thing there long ago. Reduced price until 4:00, I think. I can
> do supper at 4:00 :-)

No, early bird. I didn't really notice the time frame except they
started at 3. I'm not even sure what blue plate specials are. Here
you see early bird specials and, most often, just plain specials.

nancy

"Nancy Young" > wrote in message
. ..
>
> "Melba's Jammin'" > wrote
>
>> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>
>>> Exactly! I hear Early Bird Specials I'm thinking meatloaf,
>>> fried chicken. They had stuff like that but then ... lamb shanks???
>>
>> Are you sure you're not thinking of the blue plate specials? I've
>> enjoyed the early bird prices at Red Lobster - they had some florentine
>> seafood thing there long ago. Reduced price until 4:00, I think. I can
>> do supper at 4:00 :-)
>
> No, early bird. I didn't really notice the time frame except they
> started at 3. I'm not even sure what blue plate specials are. Here
> you see early bird specials and, most often, just plain specials.
>
> nancy
>

What's the difference between an early bird special and a blue plate
special, other than the terminology?

"JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote

> "Nancy Young" > wrote

>> "Melba's Jammin'" > wrote
>>
>>> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>>
>>>> Exactly! I hear Early Bird Specials I'm thinking meatloaf,
>>>> fried chicken. They had stuff like that but then ... lamb shanks???
>>>
>>> Are you sure you're not thinking of the blue plate specials? I've
>>> enjoyed the early bird prices at Red Lobster - they had some florentine
>>> seafood thing there long ago. Reduced price until 4:00, I think. I can
>>> do supper at 4:00 :-)
>>
>> No, early bird. I didn't really notice the time frame except they
>> started at 3. I'm not even sure what blue plate specials are. Here
>> you see early bird specials and, most often, just plain specials.

> What's the difference between an early bird special and a blue plate
> special, other than the terminology?

I don't know, as I said, I am not familiar with the blue plate.
I have heard of it. All I know is early bird is served during the
quiet hours before dinner to fill some seats.

nancy

"Nancy Young" > wrote in message
. ..
>
> "JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote
>
>> "Nancy Young" > wrote
>
>>> "Melba's Jammin'" > wrote
>>>
>>>> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>>>
>>>>> Exactly! I hear Early Bird Specials I'm thinking meatloaf,
>>>>> fried chicken. They had stuff like that but then ... lamb shanks???
>>>>
>>>> Are you sure you're not thinking of the blue plate specials? I've
>>>> enjoyed the early bird prices at Red Lobster - they had some florentine
>>>> seafood thing there long ago. Reduced price until 4:00, I think. I
>>>> can
>>>> do supper at 4:00 :-)
>>>
>>> No, early bird. I didn't really notice the time frame except they
>>> started at 3. I'm not even sure what blue plate specials are. Here
>>> you see early bird specials and, most often, just plain specials.
>
>> What's the difference between an early bird special and a blue plate
>> special, other than the terminology?
>
> I don't know, as I said, I am not familiar with the blue plate.
> I have heard of it. All I know is early bird is served during the
> quiet hours before dinner to fill some seats.
>
> nancy
>

I'll bet you $1.38 that this will generate at least 75 more messages by the
end of the day. :-)

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

> What's the difference between an early bird special and a blue plate
> special, other than the terminology?


And also, is the term early bird used in one part of the country and
blue plate in another?


--Lia

"JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote

> "Nancy Young" > wrote

>> "JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote
>>
>>> "Nancy Young" > wrote
>>
>>>> "Melba's Jammin'" > wrote
>>>>
>>>>> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>> Exactly! I hear Early Bird Specials I'm thinking meatloaf,
>>>>>> fried chicken. They had stuff like that but then ... lamb shanks???
>>>>>
>>>>> Are you sure you're not thinking of the blue plate specials? I've
>>>>> enjoyed the early bird prices at Red Lobster - they had some
>>>>> florentine
>>>>> seafood thing there long ago. Reduced price until 4:00, I think. I
>>>>> can
>>>>> do supper at 4:00 :-)
>>>>
>>>> No, early bird. I didn't really notice the time frame except they
>>>> started at 3. I'm not even sure what blue plate specials are. Here
>>>> you see early bird specials and, most often, just plain specials.
>>
>>> What's the difference between an early bird special and a blue plate
>>> special, other than the terminology?
>>
>> I don't know, as I said, I am not familiar with the blue plate.
>> I have heard of it. All I know is early bird is served during the
>> quiet hours before dinner to fill some seats.

> I'll bet you $1.38 that this will generate at least 75 more messages by
> the end of the day. :-)

Hey, it's Barb's fault! All I know is dinner was cheap and the poor
waitress had to run her butt off. Bread, iced tea plus refill, salad,
mashed potatoes, vegetable and dessert! Tip guidelines went out the
window, of course. The next table over ran her ragged, it was a
bunch of older ladies with many questions and not so good hearing.
Heh. Someone wanted fish because I can say the early bird fish was
either BROILED BLUE FISH, BROILED TROUT or FRIED FLOUNDER.

nancy

Nancy Young said...

>> What's the difference between an early bird special and a blue plate
>> special, other than the terminology?
>
> I don't know, as I said, I am not familiar with the blue plate.
> I have heard of it. All I know is early bird is served during the
> quiet hours before dinner to fill some seats.
>
> nancy


Early-bird specials were for the elderly and retired crowd, mostly on
fixed incomes where they don't have the wealth of a "Diner" menu to
choose from for a fixed everyday price.

Get 'em in and out faster by limiting the food choices, so younger
families and couples who pay more can fill more seats afterwards. On any
given night, the younger crowd will turn over faster making the
restaurant more money per day will still serving everyone.

Or something like that. Ask a waitress?!!!

Andy

"Andy" <q> wrote in message ...
> Nancy Young said...
>
>>> What's the difference between an early bird special and a blue plate
>>> special, other than the terminology?
>>
>> I don't know, as I said, I am not familiar with the blue plate.
>> I have heard of it. All I know is early bird is served during the
>> quiet hours before dinner to fill some seats.
>>
>> nancy
>
>
> Early-bird specials were for the elderly and retired crowd, mostly on
> fixed incomes where they don't have the wealth of a "Diner" menu to
> choose from for a fixed everyday price.


Tangential, but I once razzed my mother in law about how, if she were mugged
and stabbed multiple times, she'd refuse help unless she had a coupon for
the ambulance service. She replied "How did you know"? :-)

"Nancy Young" > wrote in message
. ..
>
> "JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote
>
>> "Nancy Young" > wrote
>
>>> "JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote
>>>
>>>> "Nancy Young" > wrote
>>>
>>>>> "Melba's Jammin'" > wrote
>>>>>
>>>>>> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>> Exactly! I hear Early Bird Specials I'm thinking meatloaf,
>>>>>>> fried chicken. They had stuff like that but then ... lamb shanks???
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Are you sure you're not thinking of the blue plate specials? I've
>>>>>> enjoyed the early bird prices at Red Lobster - they had some
>>>>>> florentine
>>>>>> seafood thing there long ago. Reduced price until 4:00, I think. I
>>>>>> can
>>>>>> do supper at 4:00 :-)
>>>>>
>>>>> No, early bird. I didn't really notice the time frame except they
>>>>> started at 3. I'm not even sure what blue plate specials are. Here
>>>>> you see early bird specials and, most often, just plain specials.
>>>
>>>> What's the difference between an early bird special and a blue plate
>>>> special, other than the terminology?
>>>
>>> I don't know, as I said, I am not familiar with the blue plate.
>>> I have heard of it. All I know is early bird is served during the
>>> quiet hours before dinner to fill some seats.
>
>> I'll bet you $1.38 that this will generate at least 75 more messages by
>> the end of the day. :-)
>
> Hey, it's Barb's fault! All I know is dinner was cheap and the poor
> waitress had to run her butt off. Bread, iced tea plus refill, salad,
> mashed potatoes, vegetable and dessert! Tip guidelines went out the
> window, of course. The next table over ran her ragged, it was a
> bunch of older ladies with many questions and not so good hearing.
> Heh. Someone wanted fish because I can say the early bird fish was
> either BROILED BLUE FISH, BROILED TROUT or FRIED FLOUNDER.
>
> nancy

Tips in diners often *should* be way beyond normal guidelines. I know people
who follow the 15-20% rule for a $3.50 breakfast. What assholes. My son
figured out how wrong that was when he was 15.

"JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote

> "Nancy Young" > wrote

>> Tip guidelines went out the window, of course.

> Tips in diners often *should* be way beyond normal guidelines. I know
> people who follow the 15-20% rule for a $3.50 breakfast. What assholes. My
> son figured out how wrong that was when he was 15.

I'm in complete agreement. For instance, we'd go to New Hampshire
every year, breakfast in the dining room, you'd get all this stuff, numerous
trips to the table for the waitress, and the bill would be in the range of
$5.
I am *not* leaving 75 cents ... or close to it.

I know the flip-side argument is next, leave me out of it.

nancy

"Nancy Young" > wrote in message
. ..
>
> "JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote
>
>> "Nancy Young" > wrote
>
>>> Tip guidelines went out the window, of course.
>
>> Tips in diners often *should* be way beyond normal guidelines. I know
>> people who follow the 15-20% rule for a $3.50 breakfast. What assholes.
>> My son figured out how wrong that was when he was 15.
>
> I'm in complete agreement. For instance, we'd go to New Hampshire
> every year, breakfast in the dining room, you'd get all this stuff,
> numerous
> trips to the table for the waitress, and the bill would be in the range of
> $5.
> I am *not* leaving 75 cents ... or close to it.
>
> I know the flip-side argument is next, leave me out of it.
>
> nancy

Let me guess, and exaggerate (a little): "If them thar waitresses wanna
make more money, they can pull themselves up by the bootstraps and get a
better job, instead of sponging off society. If they weren't so busy making
babies and mainlining heroin blah blah blah..."

"JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote
> "Nancy Young" > wrote

>> "JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote
>>
>>> "Nancy Young" > wrote
>>
>>>> Tip guidelines went out the window, of course.
>>
>>> Tips in diners often *should* be way beyond normal guidelines. I know
>>> people who follow the 15-20% rule for a $3.50 breakfast. What assholes.
>>> My son figured out how wrong that was when he was 15.
>>
>> I'm in complete agreement. For instance, we'd go to New Hampshire
>> every year, breakfast in the dining room, you'd get all this stuff,
>> numerous
>> trips to the table for the waitress, and the bill would be in the range
>> of $5.
>> I am *not* leaving 75 cents ... or close to it.
>>
>> I know the flip-side argument is next, leave me out of it.

> Let me guess, and exaggerate (a little): "If them thar waitresses wanna
> make more money, they can pull themselves up by the bootstraps and get a
> better job, instead of sponging off society. If they weren't so busy
> making babies and mainlining heroin blah blah blah..."

(laugh) No, actually, I expect the 'why should I tip more because the
meal is more expensive' routine.

nancy

"Nancy Young" > wrote in message
. ..
>
> "JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote
>> "Nancy Young" > wrote
>
>>> "JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote
>>>
>>>> "Nancy Young" > wrote
>>>
>>>>> Tip guidelines went out the window, of course.
>>>
>>>> Tips in diners often *should* be way beyond normal guidelines. I know
>>>> people who follow the 15-20% rule for a $3.50 breakfast. What assholes.
>>>> My son figured out how wrong that was when he was 15.
>>>
>>> I'm in complete agreement. For instance, we'd go to New Hampshire
>>> every year, breakfast in the dining room, you'd get all this stuff,
>>> numerous
>>> trips to the table for the waitress, and the bill would be in the range
>>> of $5.
>>> I am *not* leaving 75 cents ... or close to it.
>>>
>>> I know the flip-side argument is next, leave me out of it.
>
>> Let me guess, and exaggerate (a little): "If them thar waitresses wanna
>> make more money, they can pull themselves up by the bootstraps and get a
>> better job, instead of sponging off society. If they weren't so busy
>> making babies and mainlining heroin blah blah blah..."
>
> (laugh) No, actually, I expect the 'why should I tip more because the
> meal is more expensive' routine.
>
> nancy

Sorry. I've been reading too many rants by compassionate Republicans in
another newsgroup.

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

> The stuff's wickedly delicious. In my 20-ish days, there was a Greek
> restaurant that stayed open until 2:00 AM to catch stragglers from a bar a
> few doors down. It was run by a guy who must've been the template for John
> Belushi's character in the "no coke pepsi" skit on SNL. And, there was this
> VERY old woman who spotted a pattern: My drinking buddies would come in for
> galaktibourikos, which we'd eat right away, but the gyros - we took those
> home for later. She'd yell at us about how we were eating backwards. She
> began hiding 2-3 servings of the custard way in the back of the refrigerator
> case, thinking we'd eat the main course first if dessert wasn't staring us
> in the face. We were onto her trick, though. :-)

It is delicious. I find it hard to resist. There are a few Greek
restaurants around here that offer it. I don't know why they sell
it in such huge servings. Something in the order of half the size
would be adequate.

As I mentioned before, I had the recipe but was reluctant to try
it because it looked like it would make a restaurant size. It
calls for 6 egg yolks, six cups of milk and a pound of phyllo
pastry, plus the melted butter for the phyllo, sugar syrup etc.
It seemed like a heck of a lot for just me, since my wife tends
to resist fattening stuff like that.

I finally got the the point where I just had to try it. I was
slightly disappointed in the first batch, but my brother was
amazed at it. The recipe called for semolina or cream of wheat. I
used the cream of wheat. It turned out to be a little to thick
and grainy. The next time I used semolina and it was a much
nicer texture.

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

> Sorry. I've been reading too many rants by compassionate Republicans in
> another newsgroup.
>
You must be exhausted. Since you paint with such a broad sweeping brush,
perhaps you should take yourself out of that group for a meal to try to
relax. Don't forget to tip extra well.. better yet demand contributions
from everyone sitting near by you to add to your tip so you can feel
more worthy.

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>
> >
> > No, early bird. I didn't really notice the time frame except they
> > started at 3. I'm not even sure what blue plate specials are. Here
> > you see early bird specials and, most often, just plain specials.
> >
> > nancy
> >
>
> What's the difference between an early bird special and a blue plate
> special, other than the terminology?


If various sources are right, Blue Plate Special goes back to the
depression era where diners offered a special rate on a meal of
the day, meat and three vegetables, usually served in special
plates that were divided into three. Apparently those special
sectioned plates were only available in blue. Hence the blue
plate special. There is no choices involved in the blue plate
special. It is a combination dish offered at a special price.

The early bird special usually offer several different choices,
but you have to be there in a specified time frame. While the
blue plate special is a way of providing economy of scale, just
cooking a greater amount of one particular dish and passing on
the savings, the early bird special is a way to get people into
the restaurant at times when it would otherwise be empty. You
have to have all the food and staff there anyway. They offer a
little incentive for people to come in during the slow times.
Not only does it provide income that the would not otherwise be
getting at that time, it makes the place look busy enough that it
will draw other diners. People tend not to venture into empty
restaurants , but if they see other people in there they will
assume the food is good.

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>
>> The stuff's wickedly delicious. In my 20-ish days, there was a Greek
>> restaurant that stayed open until 2:00 AM to catch stragglers from a bar
>> a
>> few doors down. It was run by a guy who must've been the template for
>> John
>> Belushi's character in the "no coke pepsi" skit on SNL. And, there was
>> this
>> VERY old woman who spotted a pattern: My drinking buddies would come in
>> for
>> galaktibourikos, which we'd eat right away, but the gyros - we took those
>> home for later. She'd yell at us about how we were eating backwards. She
>> began hiding 2-3 servings of the custard way in the back of the
>> refrigerator
>> case, thinking we'd eat the main course first if dessert wasn't staring
>> us
>> in the face. We were onto her trick, though. :-)
>
> It is delicious. I find it hard to resist. There are a few Greek
> restaurants around here that offer it. I don't know why they sell
> it in such huge servings. Something in the order of half the size
> would be adequate.

Have you no resourcefulness? Have a glass store cut you a 2x4 foot piece of
mirror. Prop it up somehow on the other side of the table. Put on a fake
mustache. You'll think you're sharing the dessert with someone else, and it
won't be so filling.

I am so tired of having to explain things to people.....


:-)

"Goomba38" > wrote in message
. ..
> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>
>> Sorry. I've been reading too many rants by compassionate Republicans in
>> another newsgroup.
> You must be exhausted. Since you paint with such a broad sweeping brush,
> perhaps you should take yourself out of that group for a meal to try to
> relax. Don't forget to tip extra well.. better yet demand contributions
> from everyone sitting near by you to add to your tip so you can feel more
> worthy.


I gave myself a tip last night: I told my son "Clean up this mess or you'll
never see this chicken idea happen again". It works well when it's something
he really wants to eat again in this lifetime.

Nancy Young wrote:

>
> (laugh) No, actually, I expect the 'why should I tip more because the
> meal is more expensive' routine.


Hey.. That's my line. I figure that there is a certain amount of
work that goes into things and use the example of wine. There is
no more work that goes into a waiter bringing a $20 bottle of
wine as there is to a $200 bottle. It's not bad enough that their
mark-up on wines is often 100% or more, but you are expected to
pay 15% or more in addition. If I get a $10 hamburger or a $30
steak it doesn't make enough extra work for the waiter that he
should have to be tipped three times as much. If I go to a place
where there is a live band and dancing I expect that it will cost
more for dinner, the extra charge going to pay the band and for
the dance floor, but that does not mean I should have to pay the
server more.

In article >,
"JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote:

> "Nancy Young" > wrote in message
> . ..
> >
> > "Melba's Jammin'" > wrote
> >
> >> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
> >
> >>> Exactly! I hear Early Bird Specials I'm thinking meatloaf,
> >>> fried chicken. They had stuff like that but then ... lamb shanks???
> >>
> >> Are you sure you're not thinking of the blue plate specials? I've
> >> enjoyed the early bird prices at Red Lobster - they had some florentine
> >> seafood thing there long ago. Reduced price until 4:00, I think. I can
> >> do supper at 4:00 :-)
> >
> > No, early bird. I didn't really notice the time frame except they
> > started at 3. I'm not even sure what blue plate specials are. Here
> > you see early bird specials and, most often, just plain specials.
> >
> > nancy
> >
>
> What's the difference between an early bird special and a blue plate
> special, other than the terminology?

I don't know if there's anything official. :-) I think of the Blue
Plate Special as something not fancy, maybe meatloaf, mashed potatoes
and gravy, green peas and a roll. Or pot roast with veggies, salad,
etc. The Early Bird specials are reduced prices on dinner menu items
before a particular hour of the day. I'm thinking that at Red Lobster
(only place I'm familiar with the idea) there's a lunch menu that is
separate from the dinner menu -- maybe a smaller portion of most of the
dinner menu items. Come after lunch is over (2:00 p.m.?) and you'll
get the dinner menu. Come before 4:00 but after 2:00 and you'll get the
Early Bird prices on dinner menu items. My take on it. Capisce?
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
"Maligning an individual says more about you than the one you malign."
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller; blahblahblog Barcelona on Foot
http://jamlady.eboard.com

In article >,
"Nancy Young" > wrote:
> Hey, it's Barb's fault! All I know is dinner was cheap and the poor
> waitress had to run her butt off. Bread, iced tea plus refill, salad,
> mashed potatoes, vegetable and dessert! Tip guidelines went out the
> window, of course. The next table over ran her ragged, it was a
> bunch of older ladies with many questions and not so good hearing.
> Heh. Someone wanted fish because I can say the early bird fish was
> either BROILED BLUE FISH, BROILED TROUT or FRIED FLOUNDER.
>
> nancy

Yes, why, yes it is! And it's about FOOD (even if only eating it and
not cooking it) and not some damned computer software question, picture
of a pet, a joke, OJ Simpson, or Tom Cruise and his little girl bride.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!! I hope it (the thread) DOES generate 75
responses by the end of the day, as Joe suggested.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
"Maligning an individual says more about you than the one you malign."
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller; blahblahblog Barcelona on Foot
http://jamlady.eboard.com

On Fri, 17 Nov 2006 14:12:33 GMT, jay > wrote:

>On Fri, 17 Nov 2006 14:02:55 GMT, JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>
>>
>> What's the difference between an early bird special and a blue plate
>> special, other than the terminology?
>
>early bird special = discounted.
>
>blue plate = the dish/plate of the day.. not necessarily discounted.


BINGO!!!

Koko
A Yuman being on the net
(posting from San Diego)

>
> Forget the "bite to eat". Ask someone in authority if they ever make a
> dessert called galaktibourikos. The spelling's probably wrong, but so
> what? It's a Greek word anyway. The accent's on the "bour". It's a flan
> sort of thing that's to die for.
>

Galaktoboureko recipe
Syrup
3/4 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 edge of orange rind
1 cinnamon stick

Boil for 10 minutes. Cool. Prepare this before making pastry.

Pastry
2 quarts milk
1 cup farina
6 eggs
3/4 pound unsalted sweet butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
20 phyllo sheets

Heat milk to scalding. Beat eggs until thick. Add farina and mix. Add
mixture to milk with 1/4 pound butter. Heat, stirring, until thickened.
Remove from heat. Add vanilla extract.

Melt remaining butter and butter bottom and sides of a 10 x 14 x 2-inch pan.
Place 10 buttered phyllo leaves in pan. Pour farina mixture in and cover
with remaining phyllo, buttering each leaf as it is laid. Butter the top
sheet very well and score into diamond-shaped pieces. Bake at 350 degrees F
for 50 to 60 minutes. Pour the COOLED syrup over HOT pastry.