I just read the Times cooking section on perfect pie crusts, and am wondering, "Where in the world would I find a real live butcher?" Because when the writer says he asked his butcher for beef suet, I am pretty sure he did not just walk up to the counter at Stop & Shop, you know?

Having spent a summer in New York 10 years ago interviewing butchers, and knowing what has happened to some of those neighborhoods since, I'm not sure there are that many left in NY.

I have a butcher, but he didn't have suet the last time I asked, and I ended up making spotted dick with vegetable shortening instead. (Ditto my fish guy when I asked for fish heads. I have access to all these old-fashioned institutions, but they don't have the things that you're supposed to be able to find there!)

Shrift, all miso ingredients can be found in your standard Asian grocery.

Note to self: find standard Asian grocery.

Also, what's with people on the bus? I almost had a full-on Faithesque rage blackout this morning

Today was not a good bus day. First I was standing, and then a seat opened up next to the woman who decided to occupy half of my seat by sitting sideways. Eventually she got off the bus, and I could breathe again, so I rejoiced. Then the bus stopped several blocks away from my destination, and suddenly a brazillion people got on and on and ON. Bus in front of us had a flat tire.

Then came makeup girl and some lady who kept fidgeting and poking me with her elbows, in addition to the claustrophobia of having an entirely too full bus and basically having to crowdsurf to get out the door.

Ditto my fish guy when I asked for fish heads.

What did you want fish heads for? Soup?

Fish heads, fish heads, roly-poly fish heads
Fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum

Either I'll have to dissuade him from the evil genius career plan

Too late.

Of course, in this case, birth might've been been too late.

Whole Foods has miso, too. I'm pretty sure I've also seen it at some of the bigger regular supermarkets.

I'd bet that just about any kosher fish guy would have fish heads. Lots of people use them for gefilte fish.

Huh. So I may have had fish heads without knowing it.

What did you want fish heads for? Soup?

Yup, Marcella Hazan's fish soup/stew. It turns out to have to reserve fish heads in way in advance in my neighborhood, even though they're free, because otherwise little old Italian ladies will snap them up while you're at work. (Or the fish guy will have already turned them into stock, which you can then buy and use instead of making your own, but then you can't put the heads through a food mill and get all the nummy cheeky goodness.)

Mmmmmmm, heads.

Mmmmmmm, heads.

So I take it the can't-stand-the-sight-of-food stage has passed?

I'm having a difficult time keeping my cranky rage from affecting my job performance. Maybe lunch would help.