Tea Leaves

Two Winners

We went to Ohio to visit some old friends who we knew at CMU. While there, we made two interesting food discoveries.

Mustard

First, we went to Trader Joe's. We in Pittsburgh are as as yet deprived of this "discount" froo-froo and prepared foods vendor, so we were happy to stop in to get some frozen foods for our friends and do some browsing.

You will recall that I have complaints about the mustard available in this country. In France, Dijon mustard is strong without being vinegary and has spicy kick from the mustard seed. Recently, I've been on a hunt for decent mustard on this continent. I've tried a dozen or so different kinds. Here is a partial list:

1. Roland "Extra Fancy"
2. Fallot
3. Maille
4. Whole foods Organic Special Label Dijon
5. Delouis Fils

Without exception all of these mustards tasted like someone took a tasteless gloppy yellow emulsion and mixed it with vinegar and salt and called it mustard. Even the stuff that is allegedly made in France in the old French way is horrible. I can only imagine the people at the factories that make that stuff cackling with glee as they separate the good stuff from the tasteless yellow shit they ship to the clueless American rubes.

There is now a single exception to this rule: Trader Joe's Dijon Mustard. It has a very strong flavor, maybe even a bit too strong, and that wonderful kick that until now had eluded all other candidates. Since this is America, Trader Joe's will stop carrying this product tomorrow.

Wally Waffle

The next day of this trip, we made a trip to a great breakfast joint called Wally Waffle. Out in the middle of nowhere in Akron, this place has great eggs, good waffles and pancakes, and decent hash browns, ham and sausage. Therefore, it beats out every single local Pittsburgh breakfast joint that we've tried. Everyone who claims to make a decent breakfast in this town should go to Akron to see how it is done.

The big guy who came in from church with the light blue suit on, with matching shirt tie and shoes, also helped the experience a lot. What a great color. Highly recommended.