The Carnivore Project

Fish in a Barrel

Test Mustards & Game Pie

Mustard is one of those annoying condiments that travels in mobs. Like the old Denis Leary routine about tequila, you let one in, and it sneaks in six or seven of its friends... As a result, there's always the awkward point in one's shopping cycle where the fridge is filled with naught but mustard (and, in our case, a half-empty bottle of tonic water).

Being scientifically-natured, we decided to figure out which of these sulfurous refugees was actually the tastiest. Helpfully, we had an award-winning Poachers Game Pie on-hand. The pie itself (our 'Control', if you will) was delicious. The skilled judges (that is, us), called it 'subtle', 'meaty' and 'smooth-textured' with a nice 'gamey aftertaste'. 

We appraised five mustards (we should clean our fridge more) - each one was judged for Heat, Flavor and Texture, then given an overall ranking.

The five contenders:

- Grey Poupon Old Style

- Maille a l'Estragon

- Mikado English Mustard

- French's Classic Yellow Mustard

- Moutardes de Beaune Edmond Fallot (Tarragon Dijon)

The results are after the jump...

Abel & Cole and the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie

There.  Isn't that pretty?  Even with an apple on top of it, that's a fine specimen of a Melton Mowbray pork pie, isn't it?  The fine folks over at Abel & Cole sent us a couple of lovely pies to try last week.  Our review of the game pie (which will double as a mustard taste-test!) is forthcoming, but you can read all about that beautiful (organic!) pork pie right here.

Tipping Prompts?

Some US restaurants have started 'helping' foreign diners with cards that explain tipping. Is this a step too far? Or only fair, given the cultural differences when it comes to tipping? (Debate over at Zagat)

My gut feel - it seems a little gauche. I'm fully empathetic to the plight of the service industry, and how annoying it would be to have ill-tipping (through ignorance or spite) diners, but tipping is still ostensibly optional. Tipping is something a social contract, not a legal one - else it would be embedded in the cost of the meal itself (like in the UK). To remind diners of the 'rules' of tipping is like a pregnant woman aggressively demanding that she get a seat on the train. Yes, she should have one, but the act of asking makes everyone defensive about it...