610524 Wed Apr 08 10:39:09 -0700 2009 33 59 CHOW Feedback 0 4578392 Hi-- How did you like the idea of having an "expert thread" as a companion to the herb gardening story? Was it helpful? Would you like to see us do this again with future stories? Anything that you would like to see done differently? Any types of people you would enjoy chatting with? Thanks so much! Roxanne Webber, Associate Editor, CHOW Wed Apr 08 10:39:09 -0700 2009 142982 Roxanne Webber 1 4578524 I thought it was great. I completely enjoyed it. I will try to think what else I would enjoy. Thx again for the thread. Wed Apr 08 11:19:04 -0700 2009 4578392 232829 kchurchill5 1 4578820 I enjoyed the "expert thread" very much and look forward to incorporating many of the tips shared in my spring/summer gardening plans. As for suggestions for future stories featuring "experts": -cookbook authors answer questions about their original recipes. -restaurant chefs discuss menu development, techniques -chefs who work in the cruise industry take feedback from CH travelers -wine experts take Q's from CH's -an expansion of CHOW's Obsessives segment to include Q&A in CH area I look forward to seeing this idea develop. Wed Apr 08 12:32:59 -0700 2009 4578392 36312 HillJ 2 4578873 Considering I am writing a cookbook and I was a chef at a restaurant, I would enjoy that as well. Maybe and expert in wine would be nice offering simple tips for the beginners as well as the experts. I love good wine, but can't afford it always so I love my local wine place who has weekly wine tastings but always includes inexpensive 15.00 dollars up to 150.00. It is fun to learn and try different things. Also, someone who is knowledgble on the various cuts of meats. Various cuts, and best ways to prepare and ideas for some of those cuts that we don't always use and are underated. Such as the eye of round thread recently. It was amazing and I would of never tried it, but it was great. Wed Apr 08 12:44:57 -0700 2009 4578820 232829 kchurchill5 3 4578921 kchurchill, that's brilliant...an expert butcher would be wonderful! Wed Apr 08 12:57:17 -0700 2009 4578873 36312 HillJ 4 4578934 I agree - and particularly one who was conversant in the names of cuts etc. in different countries. For example, we're always having discussions about what short ribs are called in the U.K., or how to ask one's butcher for them. Wed Apr 08 13:05:21 -0700 2009 4578921 10985 MMRuth 5 4578947 Absolutely, we aren't all US natives. I think that would be really helpful. And not just beef, quail, venison, duck, rabbit, etc etc ... on and on. so much we don't try because we just don't know. Wed Apr 08 13:11:18 -0700 2009 4578934 232829 kchurchill5 6 4578958 I hope this suggestion rec's attention. Even whole fish stumps me from time to time! Any expert fish mongers out there?! Wed Apr 08 13:14:56 -0700 2009 4578947 36312 HillJ 7 4579025 I know a lot about fish living in FL, but that is Gulf and Atlantic fish. Would love to more too. Nice thought. Wed Apr 08 13:31:48 -0700 2009 4578958 232829 kchurchill5 7 4579061 Great ideas, thanks for thinking about it. I'm glad that the "expert thread" concept worked for you and was helpful. Did you like it being posted as a regular thread or would you like to see it more controlled so that it would look like a traditional Q&A format? Wed Apr 08 13:38:32 -0700 2009 4578958 142982 Roxanne Webber 8 4579148 I like it on a regular thread. Other CHs can chime in with additional information as warranted, and this format allows the discussion to flow well, I think. Wed Apr 08 13:54:13 -0700 2009 4579061 10985 MMRuth 8 4579428 Roxanne, I think the best way to provide the largest exposure to this new concept and keep the conversation in tact, rather than have multiple conversations growing under diff Boards or from CHOW to CH linked, would be to select the best Board of origin. For instance, a wine expert would appear where..on the Wine Board, on CHOW, under General Topics. Or under a new Board called Ask the expert? What are your thoughts? Wed Apr 08 15:36:51 -0700 2009 4579061 36312 HillJ 9 4677748 Yes, it makes sense to put the threads on the most relevant board to the expert's topic, rather than create a separate board. My only concern would be that people might not be aware there was an expert thread happening. How could we best let the community know? Maybe a sticky on top of a few main boards? Tue May 12 14:46:11 -0700 2009 4579428 232604 CHOW HQ 10 4678284 Sticky on top would certainly work. Consider adding a headline banner on CHOW too so Chowhounds reading both sides of the site are informed about future Expert Threads. I look forward to future topics! Tue May 12 17:39:03 -0700 2009 4677748 36312 HillJ 10 4683623 Oops that was me, logged in as CHOW HQ to create a list! Just to clarify. Thanks for thinking about it HillJ. Great to hear your ideas. -Roxanne Webber Thu May 14 10:52:05 -0700 2009 4677748 142982 Roxanne Webber 11 4683774 Oh I knew that was you! My pleasure. A fruit tree & berry expert would be wonderful to hear from! Thu May 14 11:30:51 -0700 2009 4683623 36312 HillJ 8 4580775 Regular thread work great for me as MML Ruth said below. Anyone can add to which is always helpful. I think a wide variety of comments rather expert or not is always beneficial. Sometimes tips or hints from others that have helped them can help someone else. Posting a contrary opinion is just that and opinion. If someone only believes or wants to hear from the expert ... just read his ideas. Me, there are many people out there that have excellent ideas. Why not listen to them. Thu Apr 09 06:59:08 -0700 2009 4579061 232829 kchurchill5 1 4578984 This is a complete aside, but - the ingredients section of CHOW is so good, yet there is no direct link to it. You can only find it if you search for an ingredient. I think that it is unfortunate that there aren't easier ways of finding this resource. Wed Apr 08 13:19:38 -0700 2009 4578392 10985 MMRuth 2 4582731 I completely agree, MMRuth, and I'm especially befuddled by the new search engine; before, after you entered a term, you could click on "ingredients," alongside recipes, stories/blogs, etc. in the menu at the top of the page, but now the ingredients category is gone, so I don't know how to access that info even if searching specifically. Grr. Thu Apr 09 16:18:58 -0700 2009 4578984 10074 Caitlin McGrath 1 4579635 Very happy with the "Expert" offering - thanks for this. I'd be interested in learning more about cheeses, personally. Wed Apr 08 16:43:34 -0700 2009 4578392 58039 ElsieDee 1 4579648 I would much prefer a Q&A format wherein the A is from the expert only. In my opinion, it is an insult to the expert when s/he agrees to participate only to have others post contrary opinions. The exchange of experiences and recommendations is the central content of most of the boards and it is entirely appropriate to post differing opinions THERE. But when I visit my doctor I don't want the other patients in the waiting room making the diagnosis. In addition to some of the good suggestions for future expert participation already made, I'd add restaurant etiquette and kitchen design. Wed Apr 08 16:48:19 -0700 2009 4578392 159317 greygarious 2 4579705 Valid concern greyg. Perhaps Roxanne can elaborate on the guidelines or intent for future Expert Threads before the next one begins. Since the indoor herb gardening was a first try, it might be a good idea to better understand the parameters for Q&A discussion. Wed Apr 08 17:06:21 -0700 2009 4579648 36312 HillJ 2 4582469 I agree completely with greygarious. A Q&A format may be needed here. I've had experience with threads on other boards that were moderated by experts, and there was an understanding of good board etiquette: You allow the expert, or moderator, to answer questions FIRST, and then it was ok to chime in with one's own opinion or experience... If you did otherwise you were summarily put in your place by other posters. If it is to be an Expert thread, the expert should be answering the questions first. You have only to read the top portion of Rose Marie's thread to see that a few people had frustrations-at least one never returned to the thread. Side-bar commentary can certainly be useful and add to the conversation (and there's no avoiding it if it's a subject people are passionate about!). But, that being said, it shouldn't become a vehicle for individuals to show up the expert. I loved having Rose Marie's thread, but was disappointed by the poor participation (lack of questions). It was good that a few times she initiated ideas to spark questions. However, I think if a thread-type format is used on CH, the Expert needs to be more available in order to preempt the "resident" experts who are on the board 24/7. I'd enjoy experts on food writing/journalism (not just cookbooks per se) and would imagine that CH might be able to attract some heavy-hitters? Perhaps a pipe-dream, but Michael Ruhlman to field questions about his new book, Ratio, would be awesome! An affineur to discuss cheese, as someone else mentioned, would be great (Further, I think Cheese is worthy of its own board on CH!) And a "Know Your Cuts of Meat" thread/Q&A would also be helpful. This was a great idea and left me wanting more...but some issues do need to be worked out. Thu Apr 09 14:52:27 -0700 2009 4579648 239573 choco_lab38 3 4582506 As a first try I thought the Expert was gracious and mentioned several times how everyone's participation & contributions added value to the indoor herb gardening thread. Something similar but never formally introduced as Expert advice has appeared on CH Boards before. One OP from a US Customs professional and another from a sushi chef. Both OP's resulted in a lot of give & take and personal experience shared. However, if an Ask the Expert post or even a separate ATE Board develops over time (I would hate to see these gems get lost down the search engine road) with the expert including some pre-written starter Q&A's it would help the conversation begin and jump start the intent of the discussion. Pre written questions listed within the OP summary, following some interesting background on the Expert, also keeps discussion on topic and allows the resident expert ample time to answer new questions that develop from CH posters. As for thread etiquette, no argument there. Thu Apr 09 15:05:09 -0700 2009 4582469 36312 HillJ 2 4585577 <But when I visit my doctor I don't want the other patients in the waiting room making the diagnosis.> Brilliant. I'm as guilty as anyone of roaming off-topic because I'm easily distracted, and entranced by the look of my own pixels, but the indoor herb gardening thread got awfully messy, with posts addressing the cultivation of mangoes (which are not herbs, as far as I know, nor are they suitable for indoor cultivation), et al. I got tired of wading through all the recipe swaps and other babble. It's unreasonable to expect that comments be moderated before they are posted, but some self-policing would be most welcome. Leave the hijacking to the Somali pirates. Fri Apr 10 15:34:08 -0700 2009 4579648 13722 small h 3 4585586 Maybe a thread re: citrus and fruit trees, and one for herbs, and one for vegetables would work. I still don't like the moderated one. All should be invited Fri Apr 10 15:37:36 -0700 2009 4585577 232829 kchurchill5 4 4585593 I wholeheartedly agree that there should be dedicated threads to address everyone's particular concerns. But a big ol' mish mosh, where everyone just posts whatever willy-nilly, is counter-productive. Fri Apr 10 15:39:46 -0700 2009 4585586 13722 small h 5 4585623 I still like everyone posting, but just me. Opinions always welcome Fri Apr 10 15:52:14 -0700 2009 4585593 232829 kchurchill5 1 4580808 Yes, I especially loved it because every other time I ever tried to ask an herb-growing question on this site, it got yanked, even from the Not About Food board. So, it really did help immensely and yes, I wish you would do more of this. And, with the trend of folks trying to grow their own food, it's about darned time you allowed such discussion. Thu Apr 09 07:14:30 -0700 2009 4578392 11983 Val 1 4810364 Being an expert on gardening myself.... Hi Roxanne :) Sat Jun 27 04:22:45 -0700 2009 4578392 1088960 JesseDeLuca 1 4916542 May I suggest a resident expert greengrocer/farmer for later in August, or next month? With harvest season in full swing in the Northern Hemisphere, it would be interesting to have expert advice on how to select the best produce at the farmstand/supermarket. Preferably, this would be someone who has experience with locally-grown and heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables as well, as opposed to a supermarket produce manager who is dealing only with the crops supplied by large agribusiness. If this is too broad a topic, I'd suggest an expert in heirloom apples, such as the people at Gould Hill Orchard in NH. Tue Aug 04 10:58:48 -0700 2009 4578392 159317 greygarious