Salted coffee à la Lew Archer

For years I've been thinking that there's a scene in one of Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer novels, where Archer asks someone - a chef or some such - to put salt in coffee that's been forgotten on a coffee machine and reheat it. The salt is supposed to take away the bitter taste that's stuck on the coffee. I've mentioned this scene on one or two forums before - such as the Rara-Avis e-mail list -, but so far no one has verified there really is such a scene in one of Macdonald's novels.

But just the other day I was reading Ask For Me Tomorrow by Margaret Millar (you know, Ross Macdonald's wife) and there the scene was. Well, it wasn't actually what I had had in mind, but still close enough. Lawyer Tom Aragon has a cup of coffee with a woman who's related to the case he's working on and he thinks that a cinch of salt would take the stale aroma out of the coffee. Ask For Me Tomorrow is a book where Ross Macdonald's effect on Margaret Millar is very visible - in fact, some of the scenes could've well been written by Macdonald, especially the ones with Aragon. (The book changes the point of views pretty clumsily, and the ones without Aragon are not as worthy as the ones with him.) So, it's entirely possible that I've been thinking about this book - which I remember reading already in my teens, in the Finnish SAPO series in which Millar's novel came out in 1980 - and just getting it confused with a Macdonald.

Or then there is a similar scene in one of the Lew Archers. Maybe the writing couple did it on purpose. "You put this scene in this book, I put it here in one of mine."

As for putting salt in your coffee, just read this conversation thread.

And by the way, here's a recent post by Steve Lewis about Millar. There's some interesting discussion in the comment section.

Alabama White Sauce

Found this recipe on the White Trash Barbecue blog (great name, that one!), I believe it's the one Patti and Jess mentioned in the previous post's comments.

Grilled Chicken With Alabama White Sauce Chicken:
1 /4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 /2 teaspoon paprika
1 /4 teaspoon chili powder
Dash salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Sauce:
1 /2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 /3 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
Dash hot pepper sauce
Dash salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice

To make the chicken: Combine garlic powder, paprika, chili powder and a dash of salt. Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry; rub seasoning mixture evenly over both sides of chicken.
Heat grill or let coals burn down to white ash. Grill chicken 9 to 12 minutes, until fully cooked and meat thermometer registers 170 degrees, turning midway through cooking.
To make the sauce: Combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth. Serve sauce spooned over grilled chicken or serve as a dipping sauce. Makes 4 servings.

What is that piece of food on the left?

The Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat had a largeish piece on how Americans are getting fatter and fatter, mainly because of the extra large dishes. The article was accompanied by the picture on top. I think it was from Kansas. But just what are those big white chunks, covered with a white sauce, on the left? (What's on the right plate looks absolutely delicious, but I could live three days with that amount of food.)