PCC blog

Eating: An Art for Everyone!

Words fail me. No, wait, scratch that. Let's try again. It’s not that I lack the words or any number of topics at which to employ them. Unh – uh. Got those aplenty. Today, it’s a lack of good old gumption that’s got this cat’s figurative tongue. I’ve been sitting here for the last little bit, staring at a list of things about which I’ve been itching to spill some ink, but just can’t seem to muster the volition to tease the words into anything resembling a coherent sentence—to say nothing of a paragraph.
 
That doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate (and share) other’s words. Yesterday evening, I was thumbing through the “Food” issue of Lapham’s Quarterly (imho one of the most splendidly intelligent periodicals in current circulation) and found the following gem, from Anthelme Brillat – Savarin’s  The Physiology of Taste. With the exception of couple gender-based role assignments typical of its era (1825), it’s a timely and timeless set of observations on the civilized satisfaction of one of humankind’s essential needs. Problem solved. I’m going to have a beer (Bayern Pilsner, damned fine stuff) and make like Bartleby. Enjoy.
 
I: The universe is nothing without the things that live in it, and everything that lives, eats.
 
II: Animals feed themselves, men eat—but only wise men know the art of eating.
 
III. The destiny of nations depends on how they nourish themselves.
 
IV: Tell me what you eat, and I shall tell you what you are.
 
V: The Creator, while forcing men to eat in order to live, tempts him to do so with appetite and then rewards him with pleasure.
 
VI: Good living is an act of intelligence, by which we choose things which have an agreeable taste rather than those which do not.
 
VII: The pleasures of the table are for every man of every land, and no matter of what place in history or society; they can be a part of all his other pleasures, and they last the longest to console him when he has outlived the rest.
 
VIII: The table is the only place where a man is never bored for the first hour.
 
IX: The discovery of a new dish does more for the human happiness than the discovery of a star.
 
X: Men who stuff themselves and grow tipsy know neither how to eat nor how to drink.
 
XI: The proper progression of courses in a dinner is from the most substantial to the lightest.
 
XII: The proper progression of wines or spirits is from the mildest to the headiest and most aromatic.
 
XIII: It is heresy to insist that we must not mix wines: a man’s palate can grow numb and react dully to even the best bottle after the third glass from it.
 
XIV: A dinner which ends without cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye.
 
XV: We can learn to be cooks, but we must be born knowing how to roast.
 
XVI: The most indispensable quality of a cook is promptness, nad it should be that of the diner as well.
 
XVII: A host who makes all his guests wait for one latecomer is careless of their well-being.
 
XVIII: He who plays host without giving his personal care to the repast is unworthy of having friends to invite to it.
 
XIX The mistress of the house should always makes sure that the coffee is good, nad the master that the wines are of the best.
 
XX: To invite people to dine with us is to make ourselves responsible for their well-being for as long as they are under our roofs.

More about: wine

Baking recipes galore

December is a baker's dream. The oven's heat is more than welcome. Recipes both treasured and new fly between friends and family. Traditions are born and continued. Homes and hearts fill with the scent of fresh-baked cookies, sugar and butter. So what are you waiting for?

Let's get started with recipes. Here are some quick links to frequent reqeusts in our recipe database:

• Cookies
• Cakes
• Pies
• Muffins
• Gluten-free baking recipes
• Vegan baking recipes
• Egg-free baking recipes

Butter. Most bakers already have a favorite, but December's the perfect time of year to explore all your options. PCC's dairy cases are stocked with creamy, delicate butter ideal for baking from Denmark, single-origin butter from France, European-style goat's milk butter and everything in-between. Read more about all these creamy options and more in this Sound Consumer article.

Sugar. Intensify or lighten the sweetness of your baked goods with our range of sugars and alternative sweetners.

Eggs. Yes, you'll find locally raised organic chicken eggs. But have you discovered the loftiness duck eggs can lend your cakes and other baked goods? Learn more.

Flour. Why limit yourself to all-purpose white flour? PCC carries flour from just about every grain and seed imaginable, including brown rice, teff, buckwheat and quinoa. Browse our selection.

Now, get baking! And feel free to share photos of your handiwork with fellow PCC members and shoppers on our Facebook page! 

More about: baking, holidays

New releases! Big scores!

New releases! Big scores!
Rant of the week...
 
New releases! Big scores!
No need to read any further; the subject line says it all. It could be any of dozens of press releases, newsletters and other assorted promo “stuff” that daily pack my inbox. The drill is familiar: read the subject line, delete, done. If I haven’t glazed over at the first exclamation point, the word “score” or “rating” will do the job, every time.
 
But today, maybe it’s my wine curmudgeonly crankiness baring its gleaming canines, maybe I should’ve had that one more cup, who knows, but I just tasted through the lineup being touted with the owner-winemaker a few weeks ago — and well, here’s my snort of derision, in a few hundred words, give or take.
 
They were all winemaker’s wines. As in made. Manipulated. Over-extracted. Over-oaked. Over-hyped. Overpriced. A nursery rhyme played through a phase-shifter, a digital delay and a stack of Marshalls. Loud, with a cool light show. There really isn’t much else to say. Now, I like the guy, don’t have an axe to grind. But bs is bs, no matter how many cases you sell out of, no matter how you pander to the paparazzi, no matter that you’re one of the hipster darlings of the Washington wine biz. The emperor gots no clothes, baby. That dude is nekkid.
 
Funny, as we were tasting the wines, the WineMaker really didn’t have much to utter, either. Just some tech stuff, brix levels at harvest (huge), cases produced (not many, “get you a small allocation, but don’t wait, these are hot, hot, hot…”), pH, alcohol (plenty o’), et cetera, etc., &c. And don’t forget last year’s scores! (This year Parker’s sure to rate ‘em even higher. )93 points WA, 95 points WS, 91 points Enthusiast, blah, blah blah…
 
So, tell me then, what’s 95 taste like? Huh?  "In your own words, please describe…" Other than that it’s a bigger number than, say, 89, what do the digits say, daddio? Here’s a hint: It says that some guy who can’t be troubled to articulate what he tastes likes it a lot, gives it an “A,” that he was in a good mood, the producer schmoozed him, bought an ad in his magazine. Take your pick, but at the end of the day, it just says that Joe Blow likes it x much, it appeals to his very human, very fallible palate, for any of a bazillion, often quite subjective reasons. Does the fact that Joe Blow says it’s a 95 mean that you should like it? The difference between you and Jo Blow is that Joe knows that people are often supremely underconfident when it comes to wine, and they’re happy to pay for someone to show them the way, to tell them what they ought to taste, as it were. If Joe Blow were a book reviewer, or a music critic, how far would the numbers fly? 
 
(Let me add that in my unapologetic, purely subjective assessment, 94 often has just about as much character as a number.)
 
The English language is going to hell in an on-line hand-basket, and right along with it people’s ability to think in anything deeper than marketing content or a sound byte. Our conversations already pack all the depth we can pack into a text message, while we construct our “lifestyles” with “products” purchased on the advice of a few lines of “content.”
 
So, why even bother with the fuzzy white bunny puff piece when a simple number will do? No need to waste actual words on what the over-priced glug in question actually tastes like. Just say that King Bob or Shankin’ Marvin said “93” and that’s good enough for the demographic who prefer chest-beating one-upmanship to character and conviviality. Prose is for bleeding hearts and novel-reading liberal arts types. Cut to the chase, damn the guesswork and the nuanced nonsense. Full speed ahead. Read the numbers, hire a consultant — let the data do the talking.
 
The data, man. No matter how objective the numbers are purported to be, scores are the product of fallible, self-interested humans, making a living telling us that they’ve managed to turn a subjective pleasure into an objective quantification — and that their subjective experience packs more value than yours. Uh-huh.You bet.
 
Fine, if that’s what you like. If you don’t’ have the time or the attention span to actually think, taste, savor — to take pleasure, well… I’m sure that this little screed will generate more than a little ire — and a few howls of righteous indignation. Whatever. Bring it on. But let me add (once again in my very subjective, humble estimation), that when it comes to wine, numbers generally aren’t for people who trust their own palates, their own judgement and who are happy to form their own opinions. Numbers don’t just let you keep up with the Joneses, they tell you what to think so you can be the Joneses.
 
Remember PT Barnum?
 
Drink well, enjoy, Life is short.

More about: wine, wine ratings, wine scores

Get the party started!

December has arrived and with it, a slew of gatherings galore. How will you ever be ready? With help from PCC, of course!

Are you the type who likes to make everything from scratch? Check out our Holiday Recipes selection, with oodles of appetizers, desserts and other ideas. We've also got plenty of tips on building a great cheese platter and pitch-perfect wine pairings. Plan to bake up a storm? Consult our flour selection and don't miss our handy gluten-free baking tips.

For those less inclined to cook, entertain with ease with help from the PCC Deli and Bakery. Reserve one of our party platters, bountiful with local cheese, high-quality meats and vegetables. Order one of our custom cakes to delight your guests, or pick up your favorite fruit pie or our Secret Recipe Fudge. A box of fragrant organic Satsumas will always bring smiles.And for toasting, you can't beat our selection of nogs, from the rich, traditional stuff in glass bottles to delightful coconut nog.

More about: holidays