People ask this of SNAP recipients all the time. They assume, "well, they just get all this free food! They can totally share for my party!" It's bullshit because those allotments don't go very far. I hate this attitude.

Oh the friend is TOTALLY acting out her insecurities. However, she needs to either keep her mouth shut about the (completely irreversible) life choices of the letter-writer or stay away until she figures her shit out. Most people I work with in my job are in the letter-writer's demographic, and it boils my blood when…

Ugh, thank you for telling the third letter writer to tell her friend to jump in a lake. I work with her demographic every day, and the fact that she is going to college and working to improve her situation is AMAZING. I can't stand people who aren't supportive of people trying to better themselves. The friend of the…

Oh come on. I'm not supposed to be at least a little shocked when my 50-something educated middle-class in-laws bust out canned sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving?? And then act like they didn't know sweet potatoes DON'T naturally occur in cans? I'm sorry, but that shit is just sad. Also, not knowing what basic vegetables…

Dude. I don't know. I don't know the answer to any of these questions! I was/still am so confused about this whole "box" thing! I hear them talking about them at work all the time, too. The boxes. So confusing.

I HIGHLY recommend you get this book: http://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Every…

I always thought the same thing about recipes - if you can read you can cook. But really, some people can't. My sister-in-law is a prime example. I had to demonstrate to her the difference between boiling and simmering water. She didn't know that meat had to be thawed before you cook it. For real. She decided to…

I've been wanting an opportunity to teach cooking classes to adults. I can not believe the number of people I know who don't know how to prepare a fresh vegetable or cook a simple meal from scratch. I brought a pasta casserole to a work potluck one time, and two people on separate instances asked me which "box" I…

Jez, I just want to say thanks for continuing to cover this story when all other American media outlets seem to have forgotten.

Coach wasn't always that way. It used to be that Coach bags were very simply designed, very utilitarian, and made to last for years and years. My mother carried them for ever until they became a status symbol and started getting so horribly tacky. The quality dropped, too.

Yeah. This list is pretty full of shit. ESPECIALLY to have those abominations of ketchup and sugar known as "Kansas City Ribs" above beautiful, succulent Texas style brisket. This guy clearly has no idea what he's talking about.

Thank you. Chicago style "pizza" might be a delicious invention, but it is not pizza. It is a casserole baked in a round pan with vaguely Italian flavorings. New York pizza much more closely resembles Napoli pizza, where pizza freaking originated anyway. Anyone who would boast Chicago pizza over New York pizza is…

Oh *F* 'em, let 'em unfriend me. I'm having a schadenfreude-filled day on good old Facebook.

Sorry, I forgot to answer one of your questions. No, the show never really got off the ground. After I left, she did end up with one season on our local PBS station and, I believe, a season on a station somewhere in Louisiana. Every now and then she pops up with a recipe in the local newspaper, but they are always…

We worked on the show for about a year and a half, then another six months filming and editing. There is a lot of planning that goes into making those shows, and she was constantly adding extra stuff that we would then have to scramble around to find a way to do on little to no budget. For example, one day the…

Perfect! Thank you!

Yes, she laid me on in front of my mother, my 2 aunts, and my sister. Also present were: her husband, her daughter, her granddaughter, and her court-appointed CASA kid. (!) We were in a nice brunch restaurant. The waiter happened to be refilling our water at the time.

No Guy stories, unfortunately. Everything I have heard is second hand. The impression I get is that he's kind of a douchecanoe, but most people let him film their restaurants and put up with it because it's such good publicity.

So glad you read my post! I think most of the chefs on TV do have some narcissism going on or else they just be, you know, cooking somewhere. However, I think the successful ones are fairly level and controlled, at least enough to be focused on the theme of their shows. I got to meet Bobby Flay while working for CL,…

I am SO disappointed I didn't see this thread earlier. I will probably be buried in the gray because I can't seem to get out of it no matter how hard I try, but I had to share my story. I hope someone sees it.