February 2010 Archives

One of the critical life lessons I learned from my Italian family is how to value food. Specifically, I was taught: 

1., how to cook and the closely associated idea of, 

2., why food is important and should be taken seriously.  

My mother taught me the mechanics of making all sorts of foods from scratch, ranging from pasta to risotto and roasted baby goat to pan seared swordfish.  And at the same time, I learned how important it was to make time for preparing food and, thereafter, sharing it at a communal table with family and friends (and to repeat the process as much as possible).  I equate the latter lesson I was taught as an Italian boy to the importance of reading and scholarly endeavors in the Jewish tradition, for example.  The idea of food being important and necessary for a good quality life is in my blood and I can't imagine living any other way (I know people who place incredible value on Yankee baseball or shiny new car every three years; misguided values or to each his own?).

In turn, it comes as a great shock and disappointment when one looks around and sees a culture of fast food, obesity, and the general lack of importance in relation to consuming homemade food in the US.  Specifically, we hear many reasons from the so-called "food experts", including the notion that buying quality ingredients to produce fresh and homemade food is an expensive endeavor in the United States (ask a European how expensive food can be).  And, moreover, it's more economical for a family of four to purchase dinner and lunch from McDonald's, for example, then to go out and buy fresh food (this isn't the view of the food expert).  What the experts are implying is that poor people choose fast food and other high calorie meals because they have no choice and are priced out from shopping for fruits, vegetables, fish, meats, grains, etc.  

To the latter assertion I say, "that's nonsense!"  And, yes, I'm going to turn to the recent immigrants storybook to illustrate that one doesn't not need to spend a fortune to eat well and, moreover, that a family of four can take his or her fast food budget and prepare "from scratch" meals that are quick, cheap, and taste good (eating well doesn't equate to great spending power, as the folks at SeriousEats.com seem to suggest when responding to one of Pollan's eating tips). 

Let's take the price of an average meal at McDonalds for four and say that the Smith family will consume 4 medium size French fries, 3 cheeseburgers, 1 6 piece chicken McNugget, and 4 medium sizes Cokes (let's assume dinner will cost about $20; I don't have access to a menu with prices so I just estimated).  With that same $20 I can head to my local independent market (some would call it a gourmet market) and purchase the following items for dinner (I actually bought these items for dinner two days ago):

- 1 pounds of wild flounder fillet for $9.99 per pound or $10.00

- 1 box of artisan ravioli from Vitamia in Lodi, NJ (16 total ravioli) for  $4.50

- 2 medium sized Bok Choy heads (about 2lbs for 99 cents a poud) for $2.00

- 1 loaf of Sullivan Street bread (this is a large bread which will last a few days) for $3.50

- Total: $20.00

With the above ingredients I made baked flounder with breadcrumbs, lemon zest, and olive oil, ravioli with already prepared homemade tomato sauce, and sautéed bok choy with garlic and olive oil.  We consumed the bread with our fish and vegetable.  We did finish up our meal with two fresh pears and two oranges that were purchased during a different trip to the market.  The meal fed 4 adults (with an appropriate sized portion of fish, vegetable, and bread per person and we started the meal with 4 ravioli per serving).  

Our meal was tasty, satisfying, made with fresh ingredients, and for the exception of the ravioli and bread, prepared at home.  You could certainly make your own bread and pasta at home, and keep price down, but for a Mon-Fri type of meal this is the sort of "pre packaged" items that are ok to buy, in my view.

(photo: Artisan ravioli made by Vitamia in Lodi, NJ with homemade tomato sauce with mushrooms, made a few nights earlier: 1 pound for $4.50 ).

(The unit comes in many colors and is perfectly sized.  The two simple buttons are large and easy to use.  The LCD screen is huge and there's no guessing the amount when scrambling in your kitchen preparing a dinner party) 

(Kind of looks like a space ship from Star Trek Generations)  

My hands on skill set, however, is limited.  I can count my home improvement skills on a single hand (and I include painting and mowing the lawn high on the list; not very impressive tasks).  In turn, I often work with my father on running most of the home improvement projects on our 80+ year old home.  And while I've picked up the occasional hands on skill from my father, I've learned to love and master the second most important home ownership skill set; namely, negotiating with contractors.  

Even with a large family-based home improvement network it's often necessary to contract out large jobs given a special skill set, piece of equipment, or simple lack of time to get the project done yourself.  A necessary home improvement project you may need to outsource to an expert may include pouring a new cement sidewalk, laying a new asphalt driveway, installing a new roof, sanding and installing new hardwood floors, tiling a bathroom, or removing a large tree from your local street (see above). 

When it comes to outsourcing a home improvement project and , in turn, negotiating with contractors and tradesmen here are 12 home grown tips keep in mind.  By utilizing the tips below you'll be certain to get the best price and highest quality tradesmen to work on your project:

1. Avoid amateurs and new businesses.  Young and inexperienced individuals and businesses often charge less for a given service and while you may save a few bucks on that new exterior paint job or new furnace for example, you'll end up paying more over the life of the service or item installed.  Hire a bunch of college students to paint your home, for example, and they'll often skimp on the preparation side of exterior painting which includes finely sanding the given surface.  And if you paint on a surface not prepared correctly, you'll need to paint again the following year.     

2. Get at least three bids or estimates.  If you don't have at least three estimates for a home improvement project you'll have no basis to compare what a job should cost.  Moreover, when you talk to as many specialists as possible you'll begin to learn what it's going to take to build a new deck or put in a new roof (and with knowledge comes the ability to negotiate).

3. Avoid hiring a general contractor most of time.  Most general contractors are not hands on and as a homeowner you'll basically be paying a single individual to act as a glorified coordinator.  You can skip the GC mark up and contact the individual tradesmen directly.  Yes, you'll need to spend some time researching who you need to call to get a particular home renovation project completed, but you'll save big by bypassing a general contractor.  I've often been told by general contractors when I push them on pricing that, "hey, I have to make some money here, Vince"  My reply, "go and find someone else to make money on I'm not going to need your services!"  

4. Avoid using "experts" or installers from big box stores like Home Depot and Lowes.  It may seem convenient to hire the local carpet or window installers from Home Depot but there are plenty of horror stories I've heard and the expertise level is often very low with the aforementioned crews.    

5. Ask folks in your neighborhood for recommendations on the top carpenters, plumbers, and electricians in your area.  If you're lucky enough to have a mom and pop hardware store in your town then ask the owner for tips on good tradesmen in the area.  And don't forget to check out completed jobs in your neighborhood (your standard for what constitutes good work may be higher than the 80 year old Mrs. Smith down the block).  Also, don't forget to check local online message boards and visit the Better Business Bearru web site.  

6. Negotiate fiercely and make it a point to tell the contractor you're not desperate to get the project done and you're looking for the best price and a quality job.   If you know you need a new roof then don't wait until you have water coming in from your second floor ceiling to get bids and select a roofer.  If you know someone more knowledgeable than yourself then have them at your house when meeting a contractor to get an estimate.  And as I said earlier, prepare yourself with a bit of research so that you can talk specifics about the job you are looking to get done.  If you get a strange vibe or a bid comes in too high or too low then tell the contractor to take a hike (remember this is a business transaction and you're not looking to become best of friends).  

7. When getting down to an estimate let the contractor give you a bid without much in the way of negotiations (you don't want to reveal too much about what you're willing to pay); at this point, you want to get a baseline price on what s/he is charging for the given service/work.  Get the estimate in writing and move on to the next scheduled estimate or contractor.  After going through several estimates and work samples, you'll have a sense for who you'd like to use.  Have the contractor come over again (don't negotiate on the phone) and tell him you'd like to move forward but that his quote is beyond what you expected and can afford.  Usually the contractor will reduce his estimate by about 10 percent.  State that it's still too high and that you've received 3-4 other estimates for similar work.  The contractor will probably come down again.  Next, tell him you'll pay for the entire project in cash and also do any of the prep work or demo work necessary (if you don't have cash to get the work done, you may want to think twice about being a home owner and maintaining a home).  The contractor should come down again.  Finally, tell him you're willing to recommend his service to friends and family.  His final estimate should be between 20%-30% lower than his first quote (depending on the size of the job).    

8. Before accepting any bid check out the contractors work on at least two similar projects and, if possible have a conversation with the home owners who used the given contractor.  Ask the home owner if the contractor did the work himself or relied on a crew and if they showed up on time and worked neatly.  Finally, ask if the project was completed on time and if s/he met your expectations from a end product and work process perspective.

9. Put as little money down at the beginning of the project as possible. If the contractor screams desperation that he needs money to secure supplies or materials then the contractor is probably not right for you.  If the job is large, then you may want to promise the contractor a small amount (maybe 10-20 percent of the total job) at some mid point milestone.  Remember, you need to have some incentive so that the contractor shows up every day and finishes the job on time.  My standard line to contractors who ask for money upfront is, "why should I give you money if you haven't given my anything in return?"

10. Get everything in writing and be compulsive about the details.  Have the contractor document begin and end time (even if it's an estimate), materials used, who will do the work, insurance, warranty on service and materials, etc.

11. If you've selected a contractor try to be home for at least a few hours during the first day of work and then at random times during the project lifecycle.  Check the contractors work and ask questions.  If the contractor is not doing something according to what you specified in the contract or what you verbally agreed to ask him or her to correct the issue.  Don't expect to have thing go your way if you don't manage the work or contractor in some capacity.  Before making your final payment inspect the work.

12. If the contractor wants to put up a sign advertising his or her work on your front lawn tell the contractor you don't offer free marketing services so s/he can either reduce his estimate again or keep his, "another quality job done by ABC Corp." in his pick up truck.  If at the end of the project the contractor has done a great job ask for some business cards and pass around to friends and family.

Remember that most older homes in the US will need constant home improvement work (here are 5 areas not to ignore) and that learning how to complete a given job or project yourself (if done correctly and with quality) can save you thousands of dollars per year.  If you must use a contractor, then treat the negotiation and the project as a sort of game where your end goal is to get the highest quality work done and the lowest possible price point (in other words, love to haggle!).

I was flipping through the latest issue of the New Yorker and an article by Malcom Gladwell caught my eye, as it usually does whenever I see his name in the table of contents.  Gladwell writes clearly and as deeply as a popularizer of big ideas can so I look forward to his articles (you'll never get all the details with writers like Pinker, Dennett, and Gladwell because they often write for a mass audience - this is just a small critique).

Gladwell's piece was on the drinking habits of two distinct people; the Cambra of Bolivia and the Italian-Americans of New Haven, CT (circa mid 1940's).  The reference to the latter group caught my eye and I read intently as Gladwell points out that for both the Bolivians and Italian - Americans a great deal of alcohol is consumed on a day-to-day basis, but unlike many other ethnic groups, the propensity for alcoholism is low (versus the Irish - American class in New Haven, CT of the same generation, for example).  Gladwell attributes the idea of "drinking responsibly" to cultural norms in the aforementioned groups that don't tell it's members: "drink and get loud or violent", "drink until you can't stand up", or "drink when you have a problem" as is the case for some college students, tailgating sports fans, or unhappy suburban dads.  

(photo: thanks to Dr. K; close up of "bloom" during brewing process)

(photo: thanks to Dr. K; part of unit that collects coffee)

(photo: with the first pour of water using my trusty Krups electrical hot water kettle, a must have for any kitchen)

(photo: close up of glass and wood/leather handle)

(photo: packaging has an Apple-like feel, very simple and elegant)

(photo: Scordoni awaits grapefruit juice and a quick stir)

(photo: tarallini made with red pepper flake)

(photo: Aroma Antico tarallini and aroma stix <or bread sticks> made with red pepper flake, sesame seed, and fennel seed)

(photo: tarallini made with black pepper)

(photo: aroma stix made with extra virgin olive and tons of sesame seeds)

With the above notion in mind, I've partnered with a new eCommerce shop called the OpenSky Project to help recommend products that I've personally used and endorse (read: really, really love).  Having written on the topics of living a practical life and saving money (it's, after all, what my immigrant parents taught me) earning an endorsement or recommendation from Scordo.com is no easy feat.  In fact, the items that you'll see in my personal OpenSky storefront have all been stellar performers in my household for years.  And none of the OpenSky shopkeepers are paid to promote any of the products sold in his/her shop; this is what makes the OpenSky so special and unique (you'll only see products that have been tested, used, and approved by passionate experts in their respective fields).  

For example, you'll see shops from Michael Ruhlman (the well known food expert) and KathEats.com (a blogger who shares her personal recipes, tips, and healthy lifestyle views).  What Kathie and Michael have in common is that the "stuff" they're selling is the stuff they use and love (period) - with no gimmicks or runarounds.  I hope you get the sense that I share the same viewpoint, namely, that my endorsement means I want to help share some of my favorite consumer products with my readers.

You can read more about OpenSky here, including a little bit about their operating principle and beliefs.

My storefront will continue to grow and I hope to begin offering some of the speciality items I've written about including salami, pasta, wine, coffee products, and other great home and garden items.  For now, you can have a look at the chef's knife I use to prepare all of my southern Italian meals (I've owned it for 10+ years) or the cutting board that I meticulously maintain after each use (it's 12 years young).  I also recommend a few larger kitchen appliances like my favorite hot water kettle (you'll be amazed at much I use the device, including coffee, tea, boiling water for pasta, etc.), mixer, and food processor.  

Have a look at the Scordo.com storefront on OpenSky and, if you need something for your home or kitchen, see if I have a suggestion (I promise only to share what I have used and tested in my own house).  

(photo: incorporating olive oil, garlic, and parsley with spaghettini)

(photo: Rustichella pasta line up)

(photo: getting ready to chop garlic and parsley)

(photo: raw garlic)

(photo: parsley ready to chop)

(photo: slowly frying some sliced garlic and red pepper flakes with extra virgin olive oil)

(photo: adding salt to pasta water at the boil)

(photo: measuring pasta)

(photo: drain pasta and save some of the starchy water for the condiment)

(photo: do you think he will grow to like pasta?)