4/10/2008
Melton Mowbray gets PGI status
A very old interest of mine, the Melton Mowbray pork pie, has finally won European PGI protection. The real story here, as I first discussed about four years ago, is that the proposed geographical indication essentially shut one of two main competitors out of the market. It was a business ploy rather than some sort of artisanal impulse towards tradition. With the competitor now apparently safely situated in the protected area, all is apparently well.
4/09/2008
Buyer Uncertainty
Via Larry Ribstein, I see this paper on "Buyer Uncertainty and Two-Part Pricing: Theory with Evidence from Outsourcing and New York Restaurants".
I have not throughly studied the economic theory as yet, but there is definitely something wrong with the empirics here, apparently because the authors didn't think enough about how people order in restaurants.
The idea is this: the researchers noticed that appetizers, desserts, and soups cost more (6-20% more) in comparison to main dishes at restaurants categorized as "romantic" in Zagat's guides than at restaurants categorized as "business dining". From this fact, the researchers extract the theory that restaurants are responding to a sort of uncertainty. Because couples on a "first date" don't know whether they are going to like each other, the authors argue, first date restaurants price "ancillary courses" more aggresively than the obligatory main course, because by the time the couple decides to order an ancillary, they'll have decided they like each other or not, and will thus be willing to pay a premium.
I can't even count the number of things wrong with these empirics when you look at them through the lens of New York restaurants.
1. The ancillary courses used as examples are totally disimiliar - one orders soups and appetizers before or at the same time as the main course, and only dessert afterward. The fact that the empirical results are the same across all three strikes me as fishy. I suppose one might argue that by the time the couples gets to the restaurant they know whether they like each other or not, but in New York you often meet your date at the table.
2. Business meals are often also highly uncertain affairs. You might be making a pitch for a client, or meeting an adversary for some hard words. If it goes badly, shazam! Just a main dish.
3. There are deep structural differences between business dining and dates. One of the most obvious is that business is typically done at lunch, and dating at night. And it is almost certainly much more common to have just a dish at lunch than at dinner, so restaurants might respond to that by attempting to extract more value from the main dish, and then discount the ancillaries to lure lunchers into buying additional courses.
I have not throughly studied the economic theory as yet, but there is definitely something wrong with the empirics here, apparently because the authors didn't think enough about how people order in restaurants.
The idea is this: the researchers noticed that appetizers, desserts, and soups cost more (6-20% more) in comparison to main dishes at restaurants categorized as "romantic" in Zagat's guides than at restaurants categorized as "business dining". From this fact, the researchers extract the theory that restaurants are responding to a sort of uncertainty. Because couples on a "first date" don't know whether they are going to like each other, the authors argue, first date restaurants price "ancillary courses" more aggresively than the obligatory main course, because by the time the couple decides to order an ancillary, they'll have decided they like each other or not, and will thus be willing to pay a premium.
I can't even count the number of things wrong with these empirics when you look at them through the lens of New York restaurants.
1. The ancillary courses used as examples are totally disimiliar - one orders soups and appetizers before or at the same time as the main course, and only dessert afterward. The fact that the empirical results are the same across all three strikes me as fishy. I suppose one might argue that by the time the couples gets to the restaurant they know whether they like each other or not, but in New York you often meet your date at the table.
2. Business meals are often also highly uncertain affairs. You might be making a pitch for a client, or meeting an adversary for some hard words. If it goes badly, shazam! Just a main dish.
3. There are deep structural differences between business dining and dates. One of the most obvious is that business is typically done at lunch, and dating at night. And it is almost certainly much more common to have just a dish at lunch than at dinner, so restaurants might respond to that by attempting to extract more value from the main dish, and then discount the ancillaries to lure lunchers into buying additional courses.
A cool note on Pate au choux
Listening to Colameco's food talk show on the radio this morning, his guest (the pastry chef at Gotham Bar & Grill) mentions that a great way to know whether a choux pastry has been beaten sufficiently (a choux pastry is made by boiling water or milk, adding butter, then flour, then cooking the newly formed ball until it dries over the heat, and then beating yolks into the mixture) is that it falls off, rather than sticks to, the Kitchen-Aid paddle or whisk.
4/08/2008
Thoughts for the Day
1. The increase in the number and sophistication of food blogs since I was last writing actively in 2005 is staggering.
1a. I have no value add in the world of (a) describe recipe (b) take picture of recipe. I'll still do that, because I enjoy it, but there are people who are better at both elements than I am.
1b. My value add in this market (to the extent I have one) is in depth of knowledge, and lively but formal, writing. Target is Steingarten rather than, say, Clotilde. Which is to say, in the things I used to write on the old Crescat Sententia. Whether that effort is popular or not, I don't know/care.
2. Aran has made a beautiful Japanese inflected opera. If I had to make a criticism (and I would probably be better off not), I would say the layers of cake are thicker, and the layers of cream thinner, than I would like. But it is beautiful nonetheless.
1a. I have no value add in the world of (a) describe recipe (b) take picture of recipe. I'll still do that, because I enjoy it, but there are people who are better at both elements than I am.
1b. My value add in this market (to the extent I have one) is in depth of knowledge, and lively but formal, writing. Target is Steingarten rather than, say, Clotilde. Which is to say, in the things I used to write on the old Crescat Sententia. Whether that effort is popular or not, I don't know/care.
2. Aran has made a beautiful Japanese inflected opera. If I had to make a criticism (and I would probably be better off not), I would say the layers of cake are thicker, and the layers of cream thinner, than I would like. But it is beautiful nonetheless.
Colameco has a radio show?
One of the least appreciated food personalities in New York, Mike Colameco, apparently has a radio show! It's wonderful, and it's archived.
4/07/2008
Queso Fresco
To jump onto an old soapbox of mine, Belle of John & Belle draws our attention to the success of a small cheese maker in Mexico with microfinance. I don't really have much of an opinion about the main issue of "for-profit" lenders getting into the microfinance business, but I do want to note that our own FDA thinks that Alejandra Abúndez's cheeses (among others) are unsafe to eat (see the bottom of the handout). Forget whether she'll survive paying 90% interest - at least Mexico lets her try.
Weekend Meal
Possibly my favorite way with fish (other, of course, than the fryer, but I'm not supposed to admit that, I think) is to cook it in pappillote - that is to say, in a parchment paper envelope. The fish steams perfectly, seemingly without effort, a ready made sauce is made from the lemon and olive oil one uses to dress the fish and vegetables, and clean-up is almost instantaneous. The actual mix of fish, veg, and accompaniments are entirely up to you and what's available at the fishmonger, of course, but in this case I used some nice grouper, small sweet peppers, bok choi, and dandelion leaves. Some potatoes cut into thick coins and then baked for an hour for a golden, dark, crust were the perfect side dish.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
