Commander in beef

I was glad to see <a href=http://www.behindtheburner.com/expert/michael_white.html">Michael white</a> show up here. (He's one of my favorite chefs.) The sad thing is hardly anyone I talk to knows about him. It was nice to see him here. :D

I ,like Blauberg have changed parties in mid-stream. Part of Obama strategy was to have people believe McCain was a second Bush, swaying more votes his way. Then Obama next strategy was to have the voters believe that McCain was going senile when asked the question,"how many homes do you own" and he didnt' know. the fact is his wife is the wealthy one and has many homes in which McCain didn't think it was suppose to be the focus point for this campaign His focus is on the troubled economy.

I hope the broader media picks up on Jacques Pepin's comments and holds him accountable. If Pepin was mocking McCain's loss of teeth due to beatings by the Viet Cong, then Pepin is just a disgraceful individual. If his comments were just a "jocular jab at a geriatric" as Craig Samuels suggests, then readers should know that Pepin was born in 1935 which makes him OLDER THAN MCCAIN!

Is Erik Blauberg insane? Let's see, he wanted Clinton, but gosh darn, she didn't make it to the finals, so instead of voting for the guy who agrees with her on 95% of the issues, he's gonna votes for the guy who disagrees with her on 95%, and used her name (along with the rest of the Republicans) as the butt of jokes throughout the Republican primary. I'm curious why Blauberg votes in the first place, since the actual issues don't appear to be of any importance to him.

And KellyJ, don't assume what my politics are just because I am not single sighted, having the ability to look at various sides of a situation. I actually like(d) McCain, Obama, and Clinton, each for their various strengths. The fact that I can understand that everything that ends up in print isn't exactly a flawless interpretation, and know that it's that which appears the most sensational that will end up in print anyway, has nothing to do with politics and everything common sense.

KellyJ, I think you missed my point. Who knows whether or not Mr. Pepin actually knew the extent of the injuries suffered by Senator McCain? Are you assuming that Pepin knew about the Senator's severe dental injuries and made the joke in spite of it? I once made the mistake of joking with a friend about the colors that he had decided to put on. I brazenly asked him, "What are you, COLOR BLIND??" His reply was a good humored, "Yes." Ooops. I didn't know. Maybe Pepin didn't know either.

One thing I find telling is that the cooks who support McCain are eager to cook their best for BOTH candidates.

Bklynstuff, it's beyond insensitive (to people who have any sense, at least) to make such a reference about someone whose teeth were lost in beatings. What's next, cooking Bob Dole a meal he'd give his right arm for? Oh wait, Dole's old too, and some old people lose the use of their limbs. And he's a Republican. So I guess it's OK.

As I bubble up from the subhuman depths to offer my insight I can only hope that the enlightened commenters responding to soundbites can understand that humor, when viewed through the lens of political rhetoric, can sometimes seem more angry than intended (as senator McCain sometimes does: http://www.salon.com/news/1998/06/25newsb.html )

No, no hatred for McCain here. I actually admire his bi-partisan antics, the dedication that he has shown in duty, and his refusal to bow to pressure, from his time in the military through the majority of his political service. He does seem a little “conservativey” lately, though. What do I hate is pure partisanship and green Jell-O molds (the kind with grapes and pineapples in it). I’m not even sure if Monsieur Pepin was talking about McCain’s actual dental issues, but the age percept dental loss

Listen, my mom and McCain are the same age and she has a few “post-original teeth” (and likes green Jell-O). Oops. Did I just throw my mother under the bus? I’m just saying that it’s possible that Jacques’ joke was just a jocular jab at a geriatric. Ps. My interview included fifteen minutes of conversation and more than fifteen dishes mentioned. I think I also advised Barack Hussein against eating any Middle Eastern food for a few months. Oh. And I love bahn mi.

Uh, people, the Jacques Pepin "teeth" quip was obviously about age. We all know Senator McCain is a man of advanced years. People make old man jokes about him everyday and it appears that Mr. Pepin was just following suit. On a side note, Jacques Pepin is not responsible for knowing all the injuries Senator McCain sustained as a prisoner. Jeesh. Sue Torres just has no sense of humor. Craig Samuel isn't "subhuman". I like green Jello and I mean, war prisoner or not, who can hate Vietnamese food?

So, Ms. Torres, are you saying that your cooking is indistinguishable from dog food? Or are you saying you have given your customers dog food before and have a recipe for it? I really can't think of a way that Ms. Torres' answer could possibly reflect well on her as the chef her patrons trust not to tamper with their food.

Kudos to the short-order cook for his gracious reply, proving yet again that you don't have to be a snooty French chef to have class. Idelfonso, you can cook for me anytime. M. Pepin, go shuck yourself.

Hey Jacques, That's great - really funny! I get it - it's because McCain's old! Whew, busted a gut on that one. You do know why McCain has dental problems, right? Because the North Vietnamese beat the hell out of him for years. But don't worry about that - you're funny!

Craig Samuel sounds like a true subhuman as well. What horrific, purebred hatred these people exhibit.

I'm sorry, but I laughed out loud when I read Ildefonso's comment "He's young but he has experience." What experience? The man was elected to the Senate in 2004.

Funny how the "Short-order cook" was by far the most magnanimous in accepting a silly magazine challenge that was ripe for a rabid Pavlovian response. As said below, stay classy Jacques! What a sad, sorry, small human. To be French and have the gall to mock a US serviceman should be grounds for immediate deportation.

So nice to see Miss Torres and Mr. Pépin so classy in their comments towards Senator McCain. Which is why I live in classless San Diego.

Nice nasty comments from some of the Obama supporters.... Dog food chili and making fun of McCain's teeth (as pointed out by others, his teeth were broken by the North Vietnamese) Maybe he wants to make some cracks about cooking with a gas oven to a Holocaust survivor for his next trick?

Mr. Pepin's description on the FCI website says "With his combination of personal warmth, humor, and extraordinary experience and knowledge, Chef Jacques has been a powerful presenter and priceless resource at The FCI since 1988." I find myself wondering how much of the website contains similar errors...

My my. The charming and urbane Chef Pepin has an ugly, nasty mess seething under the crusty surface of that pot on the back burner. My distaste at this recollection will require that his several cookbooks in my collection find new homes elsewhere, perhaps for best at the trash dump. I really thought highly of the guy.

Disgusting, hateful comments by Jacques and Sue. Real classy and mature... Jacques' comments are particularly bad, given McCain's experience as a POW.

Chef Pepin, here is how Sen. McCain lost so many of his teeth: “In 1968 he was offered early release, and when he refused, because others had been there longer, his captors went at him again; he suffered cracked ribs, teeth broken off at the gum line, and torture with ropes that lashed his arms behind his back and that were progressively tightened all through the night.” -- Source: Vanity Fair, February 2007 Not only are you older than McCain, you are far, far more hateful. exurbanleague.com

Years ago someone gave me a Jacques Pepin cookbook. I haven't made any recipes from it yet. Now I may never. Very classy, Mssr. Pepin. Fifty years in this country and you can make jokes about a man's torture. You aren't worthy of tying McCain's shoes, let alone popping a Swanson's in the microwave for him. (And I'm no McCain fan.)

Ms. Torres, may be an "executive chef", but she certainly is a first class blowhard with her noxious and fatuous response as to what she'd serve McCain. Perhaps Ms. Torres isn't acquainted with a historic dish called "humble pie" - look it up sometime Ms. T. As for Mister Pépin, well, he's French, apparently. We still make allowances for the French in this country.

It takes real class to turn a fun, admittedly political, question in to a disgusting personal attack. So, stay classy, Jacques and Sue! Stay classy.

Given how bad Sue Torres crappy food sucks, how would anyone know the difference between one of her inedible entrees and dog food? As for Pepin, I would think a cowardly Frenchman--and after all, we went to Vietnam to clean up their mess--would think twice before mocking a brave man like McCain. In any case, Pepin's food is also low grade garbage. He should do the wold a favor and stick his head in an oven.

And to think that it's the French who colonized Vietnam and created the firestorm that led to McCain's capture. In this country for 50 years, and he knows nothing about its history or the people who have fought for it. What a shame, that Pepin!

Let Mr. Pepin know that Sen McCain donated his teeth to the Viet Cong. They've since been replaced. Perhaps he can think of something else to prepare.

Loved Pepin's comment: perhaps he could hover over McCain during the meal and make snide comments about how it's a shame that his North Vietnamese torturers left McCain any teeth at all. French Culinary Institute, right?