(continued)

Ana0:
Are your kids tastes as developed as Calvin Trillin's used to be? Do they bring bagels with them to Chinese restaurants?

Eric Asimov:
My son likes Chinese restaurants. He likes to line up as many crawly creatures...shrimp w/heads, duckfeet, etc, on the side as the rest of us eat.

GordonSt:
Eric, While this is a probably a sacriligeous question in this group, do you ever get bored of writing about food? Like you get up in the morning and say to yourself "I want to write about Bosnia not brussel sprouts."

Eric Asimov:
Gordon, welcome back. I'm grateful every day I can write about food and not bosnia, although I might get bored of writing about bosnian food.

ruby5:
Well, besides Bosnia -- is there any one thing (besides food) you'd love to cover?

Eric Asimov:
Rock and Roll, basketball, movies, baseball. Austin, Texas, bureau chief. Eiffel Tower correspondant. I could go on and on.

GordonSt:
Eric, You've got to work that baseball interest. Have your editors send you on national tour to review stadium food.

Pinky11:
They serve sushi in stadiums now!! It would be interesting to compare stadium food between say LA and Boston. Sushi vs. Baked Beans?

Eric Asimov:
Gordon, a dream assignment!

FrederickCooke:
Who has the best tapas in New York?

Pinky11:
That's a good question Frederick. RE: best tapas. My absolute favorite in El Cid in Chelsea. Any comment on that.

Eric Asimov:
Frederick, I'm convinced that tapas doesn't work in the U.S. It's a local custom in Spain that has no reason for being here, so most tapas places aren't very good. That said, I love El Cid on West 15th Street.

Eric Asimov:
Pinky, you are so bright!

ruby5:
Why can't tapas work here? And does your son eat the shrimps' heads?

Eric Asimov:
Ruby, in Spain they eat tapas early in the evening to tide them over until the late dinner. Since we don't divide the eating in that way, the custom serves little purpose here, except in the sense that "grazing'' was once popular. I don't mean that it isn't fun to order several small plates of food as a novelty, but it's not a way of life.

Eric Asimov:
He doesn't eat shrimp heads, but he does put orange juice in his cheerios, which I'm proud of. He's the adventurous one. My younger boy is a dedicated ketchup lover.

GordonSt:
This conversation has given me quite an appetite. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in Boston, where the whole city closes at 10:00. But if I was in the City, and it was 2:00 am, where is the best place I could find?

Pinky11:
Gordon, even in Boston you can go to Chinatown. It never sleeps. Go for a good bowl of noodles. Mmmmm...

GordonSt:
Good point Pinky. There is Chinatown and the Blue Diner. But overall, Boston is the saddest late night excuse for a "big" city in the country.

Eric Asimov:
Gordon, are you looking for late night in NYC? I'd go to Chinatown, or to Florent in the Meatpacking District.

Ana0:
Do you cook yourself very often, and what do you like to make?

Eric Asimov:
Ana, I love to cook, but I hardly ever get a chance to. I have a great recipe for spaghetti carbonara, which I so rarely find in restaurants.

ruby5:
Shouldn't we all eat little meals all the time?

Eric Asimov:
Yes Ruby, with our little hands we could take tiny bites!

Eric Asimov:
I'm told my time is almost up. I've really enjoyed meeting you all, and Gordon, keep a mental map of those golden arches!

Ana0:
Thanks, Eric.

Pinky11:
Nice talking to you Eric. And thanks!

ruby5:
So long -- see you around -- I'll be eating some tiny food now.....

ruby5:
Thank you Eric.

Eric Asimov:
OK, bye everybody. Hope to come back sometime.

FrederickCooke:
Thanks Eric!

Frederick Cooke:
Thanks for showing up everyone -- we'll be posting the chat transcript on the venue in the next day or so. In anticipation of Chinese New Year next month's chat will be with Susanna Foo, acclaimed chef of Susanna Foo Chinese Cuisine in Philadelphia. It will be taking place on February 4th at 9 p.m. EST -- don't forget to stop by!