Quality Men's Shoes?

So, a friend would like to buy shoes for his husband and asked me for advice. I don't have any, so I turn to my widely knowledgeable friends for help.

Now, my friend has a very simple approach to shoes. About once a year he goes to Payless and plunks down $19.99 for a pair of black lace-ups and wears them until they get holes in the soles a year later, when he repeats the process. His husband has a similar process, but doesn't like cheap shoes. So he goes to Bass or Timberland or wherever and plunks down $100 for a pair of black lace-ups and wears them until they get holes in the soles a year later, when he repeats the process.

The question is, are there actually men's shoes of sufficient quality that they would not fall apart in a year or so of constant wear? Can one plunk down $200 or $400 or whatever and actually get shoes that are better?

Any suggestions?

Quality Men's Shoes?

So, a friend would like to buy shoes for his husband and asked me for advice. I don't have any, so I turn to my widely knowledgeable friends for help.

Now, my friend has a very simple approach to shoes. About once a year he goes to Payless and plunks down $19.99 for a pair of black lace-ups and wears them until they get holes in the soles a year later, when he repeats the process. His husband has a similar process, but doesn't like cheap shoes. So he goes to Bass or Timberland or wherever and plunks down $100 for a pair of black lace-ups and wears them until they get holes in the soles a year later, when he repeats the process.

The question is, are there actually men's shoes of sufficient quality that they would not fall apart in a year or so of constant wear? Can one plunk down $200 or $400 or whatever and actually get shoes that are better?

Any suggestions?

I'd Like to Give the World Some Soup

I have a pot of freshly made Moosewood Hungarian mushroom soup. This soup is high on my list of The Best Things Ever. It is creamy and tangy and rich and marvelous. Everyone I have ever served it to, loves it. It is the food of the gods. Every time I make it, I fail to understand why I don't make it more regularly (3-4 times a year just isn't enough!). I don't understand why it's not a staple of modern cuisine. Why isn't it in the soup rotation at every sandwich shop? Why doesn't Au Bon Pain make this stuff by the truckload? It's that good.

I'd Like to Give the World Some Soup

I have a pot of freshly made Moosewood Hungarian mushroom soup. This soup is high on my list of The Best Things Ever. It is creamy and tangy and rich and marvelous. Everyone I have ever served it to, loves it. It is the food of the gods. Every time I make it, I fail to understand why I don't make it more regularly (3-4 times a year just isn't enough!). I don't understand why it's not a staple of modern cuisine. Why isn't it in the soup rotation at every sandwich shop? Why doesn't Au Bon Pain make this stuff by the truckload? It's that good.

HUNGARIAN MUSHROOM SOUP
adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook

INGREDIENTS
2 cups chopped onion
4 Tbsp. butter
12 oz. thinly sliced mushrooms
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 tsp. dill
3 Tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp. tamari
2 cups stock or water
½ cup sour cream
2 tsp. lemon juice
salt & pepper
fresh chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS
• Pull out the milk and sour cream to let them come to room temperature.
• Melt 2 Tbsp of butter in a large pot over low heat while you chop the onions. Add them to the pot, stir into the butter and turn up the heat to medium. Add some salt and black pepper. Stir occasionally while you slice the mushrooms. If you have the time, let the onions go until they’re golden brown.
• Add the sliced mushrooms¹ to the onions and stir together. Sautee for 10-15 minutes. Add paprika, dill², tamari and ½ cup of water/stock³. Stir and simmer for 10-15 minutes while you make the roux.
• In a small saucepan, melt 2 Tbsp. of butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour, adding more flour until it’s the consistency of cookie dough, and cook until mix turns golden brown. Add In the milk, a little bit at a time, stirring until smooth and thick. Then add to the soup pot, along with the rest of the water/stock.
• Simmer for 15 minutes more. Taste and add additional paprika, dill and tamari as needed.
• Put the sour cream in a bowl and add some of the hot soup to it and whisk them together⁴.
• Add the lemon juice, adjust paprika, dill and tamari, then serve, garnishing with parsley.


NOTES
¹You can play with how sliced you want them. I used to slice them very thinly by hand, but lately I've enjoyed pureeing the soup before serving. It mostly depends on what kind of texture you're in the mood for. What mushrooms you use is up to you--I actually like it with plain button mushrooms, but other people like a mix of more exotic types.
²I usually use significantly more of both paprika and dill, but it’s good to start with some and then adjust to taste.
³Water is actually not very good, but the original recipe does call for it. If you’re trying to make it vegetarian, mushroom stock is good (Pemberton Farms carries Pacific Natural Foods brand mushroom broth, which is delicious). Other vegetable stock tends to be too heavy on tomato flavor for my taste. If you’re willing to do meat, then I prefer beef stock, but chicken stock will also work and some people prefer it.
⁴Bringing the sour cream up to the temperature of the soup before adding to the main body helps to keep it from being clumpy and grainy. If you’re making this ahead of time, stop before adding the sour cream and refrigerate. When you are ready to eat it, whisk the sour cream into the cold soup and reheat over medium heat.