Feedback & The Mexican Eggroll

This just in from Julia Beckner-Covert, a good friend, avid fan of food, and G.M. Hopkins-basher.

Antonio,

I really enjoyed your blog. What does blog stand for? I love your traditional stance regarding fish tacos, they have gone through the americanization process that many foods go through, a marketing ploy which entails adding cheese and another dairy product, namely sour cream.

My biggest food complaint is when places like Chiles and their ilk (TGI Fridays, Red Robin, Appleby's, all that shit) make these appetizers that are like "Mexican Eggrolls" or whatever. I hate those places. Doesn't that sound disgusting? Mexican Eggrolls?

Well, Julia, actually--though I oppose Chilis and their ilk, I'm a fan of "fusion" food as long as it's cheap and unpretentious. I have no problem with the idea of a "Mexican Eggroll"--of course, I probably won't ever eat one because I won't ever be caught in Chilis. That said, this weekend, my Mom brought me a platter of "egg rolls" that she had concocted by mixing Jimmy Dean sausage (a favorite of Vanilla Ice--for those of you who have been catching "The Surreal Life") and packaged "coleslaw mix"--sausage, cabbage & carrots, and some fresh ginger. Deep-fried to greasy goodness. Actually, they weren't too impressive, but my mother has never been the most impressive cook. I wasn't hand-rolling pasta at age 12 because I loved my mom's cooking.

Anyway, I ate the eggrolls. I had to gussy up the rather sickly sweet plum sauce she provided with a little Lee Kum Kee chili-garlic sauce--an indispensable condiment for any refrigerator.