Hi Virginia, That happened to me yesterday. One topic he mentioned was hot chilies, and the only connection to that was, I recognized one of his graphics as one I had downloaded when I was looking for a hot chilie for my letterhead. I just ignored the email but I was a little concerned, although I know that was our only connection. Linda At 12:02 PM 25/02/2003 +0000, Virginia Anderson wrote: Hi all, Has anyone else experienced the following? I've just got an email from the Plaiedes Group - Jim DeLillo - saying that I've either ordered something from him (which I have not) or signed up for information (which I have not). It's on one of those irritating HTML emails which keeps trying to connect my machine to the web. The body of the text says that Jim has hired an email marketing company to handle his mail list and that to opt out I have to send a mail to them to desubscribe. Now I thought Jim was one of the stalwarts here, yet someone in his name has given my address to a marketing company. I'm not opting out through the link provided because to unsubscribe I'd have to prove that that address is working, and, in any case, there's no guarantee that my address will not be kept on to be sold to other spam lists. That's how these guys get free, good, addresses. Dave DeWitt got some flack for sending information to Chile Heads a while ago, but he did it right: plain text and with a home-built list which (I hope!!!!) he'll never sell on. I even notified his partner of my change of address as I liked his approach. But Jim, if you're on here and if you've done this, you're making a big mistake. You should have sent a private email to the list or to those who you thought might like to be spammed asking their permission to have their addresses given to a professional marketing company before doing so. I want my name off now and hope that other CH-ers refuse it, too. If the other people on the list didn't get this, then sorry to waste the bandwidth and here's another recipe. It's not CH as written, but it works and could be accentuated by hot additives to its benefit. Grumpily, Virginia --- Virginia from Leicester anderson.lists@ntlworld.com Stifado The Corfu Travel Guide http://www.agni.gr/food_and_wine/stifado.htm This is a meaty stew with beef and baby shallot onions. The best part is the thick sauce which is made slightly sweet by the onions. (Incidentally the correct pronunciation is: Stifatho) (serves 4-6) 1Kg lean beef - cubed; 500g baby shallot onions - peeled; 2 large onions chopped; 3 juicy tomatoes - chopped; 2 table-spoons of tomato paste; 1 whole nutmeg crushed (put it into a bag and hit it with a rolling pin!); 1 cinnamon stick and 3 cloves; 4 garlic cloves - finely chopped; Rosemary sprig; 1 small wineglass of extra-virgin olive oil; 2 glasses of red wine; A good splash of vinegar; Fresh coarsely ground black pepper. 1. Add beef to large frying pan, with: the olive oil, chopped onions, garlic, and cook on a high heat until the meat is sealed and the onions have turned soft. 2. Next, add the chopped tomatoes, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, rosemary and a good pinch of black pepper. Keep stirring while the ingredients blend on a moderate heat. 3. Keep heating while adding the wine, vinegar and tomato paste. Stir well. 4. Turn out into a casserole dish - terracotta is best. Add warm water so as to cover the meat. Cook in oven until the meat is nearly cooked - about one hour. 5. While waiting, peel the baby shallot onions, wash them and shallow fry them in a little olive oil, until soft, not letting them burn. 6. Remove casserole from the oven, and add the shallots (but not the oil) to the simmering meat. Return to oven, and leave until the meat is thoroughly cooked (soft and tender) - add water as needed so that you end up with a thick sauce.