- Kelly Alexander, The Daily Meal
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You walk into a cocktail party, knowing nobody. You make yourself a cocktail, look around the room, and spot another person, silently standing there, sipping their gin and tonic and surveying the scene. S/he looks like a nice, so why not strike up a conversation?
But what do you say? "What up bro?" or "Hey there, beautiful?"
Yeah, that will really get you somewhere .
Typically, when you're attending a cocktail party where you know no one, coming up with a way to get conversation going is up to you. This usually means a fair share of queries like "How do you know the host?" or "Are you from around here?" The next time you host a cocktail or dinner party, take a cue from the Purcell Sisters who always plan a conversation kick-starter that ties in with the party's theme to ensure their guests make new friends and have a good time.
To ready their cocktail party conversation kick-starters, the Purcell Sisters will set up a table near the door with blank name tag stickers,
Read More »from 11 Great Conversation Kick-StartersAnyone willing to acknowledge they know me will tell you two things about me: One, I'm not as funny as I think I am, and two, the chance of me staying on a diet for more than a week is as likely as Transformers winning an Oscar. So when I decided to become a vegan for a month, the consensus amongst friends was I wouldn't make it to the end of the first day.
Their doubt was reasonable considering I consume cheese like it's my second job and that my love of pork belly borders on obsessive. To everyone's surprise, including my own, I managed to go without meat, dairy, and eggs well past the designated month. (Read the four-part series: Going Vegan)
Once friends and family saw that even a carnivore like me could stick to veganism and lose weight in the process, they asked for tips on how to adopt an animal-free diet. Some were curious for ethical reasons. Others were concerned about their health or the environment. Whatever your reason for choosing a plant-based diet, here are 10 tips to
- Matt McCue, The Daily Meal
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News broke recently of a hefty $25 million lawsuit being filed by a former pastry chef at The Oak Room at The Plaza in New York City against chef Eric Hara for some particularly nasty sexual harassment allegations. But sexual misconduct isn't the only issue that gets many chefs in legal trouble. Mishandling tips, missing appearances, allegations of copyright infringement, libel on TV - there are plenty of legal pitfalls for chefs to fall into. And while you're more likely to hear about suits involving celebrity chefs (who hasn't sued Todd English or Gordon Ramsay?), it's not just famous chefs that get in hot water.
I saw this firsthand in 2007 when I worked in both kitchens featured in one of New York City's biggest restaurant lawsuits in years. Chef Rebecca Charles sued her former sous-chef Ed McFarland for allegedly ripping off the lobster roll concept that kick-started the city's love affair with the New England staple (though it wasn't the first time a former Pearl cook left and
When it comes to grilling, most people think of the requisite burgers and dogs, maybe some corn or chicken thrown in there. But what about the sweet world of grilled fruit? In its prime during the summer months, fruit gains a smoky-sweetness from the grill and pairs well in both sweet and savory dishes.
What fruits work well on the grill? Tropical fruits like bananas, pineapples, mangos, melons like cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon (try it with a bit of smoky salt or feta), stone fruits like peaches, nectarines, and cherries, and even pears and apples - so basically almost any fruit. Plus, fruits are very nutritious and are low in fat and calories but packed full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, so they are great healthy foods to add to the barbecue spread. (Credit: Istock/kenishierotie)
Though most fruit can just be eaten raw, grilling adds a new component to the mix so we picked up a copy of the newly released Fire it Up, which has over 400 grill recipes and an excellent
