199 replies to this topic

[mizducky]

Oh, by the way: Frank Zappa is actually sorta-kinda-semi-on-topic for this blog, because while he was born in Baltimore, he grew up in, spent the rest of his life (aside from touring) in, and, despite his best efforts, was indelibly shaped by Southern California. He even lived in San Diego for awhile as a kid. I've met people here in San Diego who knew him way back in the day--one who had his dad as a substitute teacher, another who actually had the young Frank himself as a babysitter. (How's that for an interesting thought?) Southern California references as well as food references are rife throughout his music, from celebrating the turkey farmers who used to populate Sun Village (just outside Palmdale) to dissing the speed freaks who hung out at the local Winchell's Donuts at 3am. Anyway, thought I'd throw that in. Carry on, folks!

[kalypso]

Ummm..............does the SD Visitors & Convention Bureau know that you're loose on the town

[Octaveman]

Awesome pics...seriously. Not only are you blogging your day of food and neighborhood travel you're also introducing Sun Diego to those abound. Looking forward to more pics through the eyes of your camera. I've heard of Hodad's but never been. That burger has my name written all over it. Have you ever been to the farmers market in Coronado on Tuesdays? No arts/crafts...all food, flowers and herbs. I go every week.

[mizducky]

Ummm..............does the SD Visitors & Convention Bureau know that you're loose on the town 

Alas, I wish they did--I think they should contract me to do their PR!

Awesome pics...seriously.  Not only are you blogging your day of food and neighborhood travel you're also introducing Sun Diego to those abound.  Looking forward to more pics through the eyes of your camera.  I've heard of Hodad's but never been.  That burger has my name written all over it.  Have you ever been to the farmers market in Coronado on Tuesdays?  No arts/crafts...all food, flowers and herbs.  I go every week.

Many thanks! I'm still getting used to the new camera--I think the reason why a few shots are blurry is that it's a tiny thing, and I'm still trying to figure out how best to hold it so that it stays motionless when I hit the shutter, without getting a finger in front of the lens or some damn thing.

As to the Coronado farmer's market, alas no, haven't been to that one yet either. I adore farmer's markets, flea markets, all those sorts of things, but in recent years with the arthritis and all, anything that involves walking more than a block or two has become a bit of a challenge. I've been arguing with myself for some time now about getting one of those little electric scooters--they're a bit pricey and a bit of a bother to shlep, plus I've seen how screwed up from heavy use the ones in stores can get, so I've been loathe to invest in one. Next week, right after this blog ends, I'm supposed to start a brand new exercise/physical therapy program through my HMO, so maybe that'll help with the mobility issues--and then, no farmer's market will be safe from me! BWA-Hahahahah!!!

[IrishCream]

I am just floored by how wonderful your blog has been so far. I haven't missed SD since I left at 18...until now! You know things about that town I never dreamed of. Your pictures of the landscape are stunning.

Please keep showing us markets if you can. I find them much more interesting than restaurants...they are more universal. And I love your fridge. Looks just like mine.

And by the way, Zappa was my hero...I have every album and saw him in concert many times. Oh, I miss him.

Thank you, mizducky!

[Pontormo]

Wow! Your thread on Deadline Eating kind of gave away the answer when Soba posted his styrofoam teaser-shot. It's great to enter these places with you, MizD.

I don't know which of the photographs I like the best so far; it's a toss-up among the fridge, door flung open, the sunset, the bird's eye view of a genuine Southern California food co-op and the burger joint.

You may have told your story long ago on eGullet, but I plead ignorance. I've grown to appreciate how much Asian foods and cooking are central to your life & wonder if there is more to the tale.

Edited by Pontormo, 19 January 2006 - 07:52 AM.

[MarketStEl]

Oh, and we haven't had any Traditional Inside-of-Fridge shots in the past blog or so that I recall, so--brace yourselves: it's the Chaos Fridge!

Oh, I can match that.

But what's that jar of peanut butter doing inside it? That stuff will keep just fine at room temperature.

BTW, Ellen, you're too funky and clever to be truly Caucasian. Besides, you don't eat or make Green Bean Casserole.

Edited to add:

Okay, now I have to concentrate on a little actual paid work (one of my great struggles as a work-at-home freelancer is to stay focused).

I can relate. But the commute to work can't be beat!

--Sandy, not working on two resumes, a cover letter and two job applications as he types this

Edited by MarketStEl, 19 January 2006 - 07:43 AM.

[Rachel Perlow]

How does your food co-op work? Do you have to put in sweat equity?

[OnigiriFB]

Aw man I missed that part of San Diego when I was down there. I think I might have to take a detour and come down from LA in July. THe sunset was gorgeous!

[Toliver]

Thanks for the visit to Hodad's! It brought a tear to my eye and hunger pangs to my stomach. The onion rings at Hodad's are awesome, as well.
You've captured the essence of OB in your visit. Frank Zappa would have been at home there. It's also no surprise that OB is home to the only dog-friendly beach (called Dog Beach, of course) on the San Diego coastline where dogs are allowed to roam leash-free. Just watch where you step in the sand.

edited to clarify.

Edited by Toliver, 19 January 2006 - 09:48 AM.

[mizducky]

Good morning, all! I'm up bright and early (for me, at least), and nursing a bit of an achy-breaky bod after hiking around the OB farmer's market yesterday, but still am planning to do some more local food travelogue for y'all today. There is one advantage to SoCal car culture, I will admit--for those of us a bit on the disabled side, we can at least count on being able to drive right up to, and (usually) find a disabled parking spot right next to, almost anywhere we need to go. (And because I work at home and thus don't car-commute as Sandy pointed out, I feel a little less guilty burning a few extra dinosaurs to get around and about.)

Once again, many thanks for your positive feedback. As I joked to Fearless Housemate last night, I'm feeling a Sally Fields moment coming on: "You like me! You really like me!"

Catching up on a few comments and questions:

Please keep showing us markets if you can.  I find them much more interesting than restaurants...they are more universal.

Will do. As a matter of fact, I've got a couple of markets in mind for today...

You may have told your story long ago on eGullet, but I plead ignorance.  I've grown to appreciate how much Asian foods and cooking are central to your life & wonder if there is more to the tale.

Y'know, there really isn't a whole lot more to tell. I've just been totally in love with Asian food for as long as I can remember--literally so: one of my very earliest childhood memories, verified as going back to before I was 2 years old, is of my parents taking me to a Chinese restaurant for the very first time (it was called China Pearl, in Pearl River NY, just a handful of miles from my home at the time in Blauvelt--even the lighting in that place is engraved on my memory). And that was the first of innumerable family Chinese restaurant feeds throughout my youth--my family was definitely part of that trend, famed in song and comedy routine, of Jewish-American fondness for Chinese food. (In fact, I think the last time this came up I posted a link to this most excellent article on that trend; while I don't agree with every single point made in that article, I still think it's one of the most thoughtful discussions of the trend I've yet seen.)

Anyway, after many restaurant outings, and many explorations of New York City's Chinatown (another fond memory: of my dad and I having lunch in the venerable Wo Hop basement noodle house--say what you will, folks, I still cherish that ol' greasy spoon!), I continued and expanded my explorations into various Asian cuisines when I moved to the Boston area, where my repertoire expanded to include Vietnamese, Indian, Korean, and Japanese (yep, I was eating sushi back in the 1970s before it became "fashionable" ). Another formative experience: living in an international women's grad student dorm, and watching and learning from the Chinese and Korean students as we cooked our meals in the big shared kitchen (and they watched and learned from me, too: I recall having a rapt audience as I demonstrated how to make pan gravy).

Then when I moved to Seattle I got exposed to Thai food (favorite Thai restaurant in the Seattle area: Bai Tong, right outside SeaTac Airport), had my first exposure to Filipino food, spent large hunks of time in Seattle's International District--especially the huge Uwajimaya market--and just generally soaked up the growing Pacific Rim food sensibility happening up there. And now I'm just continuing my learnings down here.

And those learnings most definitely include eGullet--my knowledge has grown exponentially thanks to the many eGulleteers living in and/or hailing from Asian cultures who have so generously shared their recipes and cultural lore. So--many thanks and deep respect to all who have given of those lessons so freely, it really means a whole lot to me!

Anyway, from the very first, even with the heavily Americanized food that was my first experience, there has been something about Asian cuisines that has deeply resonated with me. I do love all kinds of food, but I could happily confine myself to the (admittedly huge!) world of Asian cuisines for the rest of my life and never feel deprived.

But what's that jar of peanut butter doing inside {the refrigerator}?  That stuff will keep just fine at room temperature.

BTW, Ellen, you're too funky and clever to be truly Caucasian.  Besides, you don't eat or make Green Bean Casserole.

I dunno, sometimes the peanut butter just winds up in there because it's convenient. Or something. And thanks for the validation of my ethnic funkitude, man ... at this point in my life, I consider it my mission to make every day just a little more funkadelic.

How does your food co-op work? Do you have to put in sweat equity?

No sweat equity at this one--they maintain a paid staff to do the daily work of the store; all the board and committee and event tasks, however, remain volunteer. I pay $15 in dues annually, which entitles me to avoid the non-member 10% mark-up (yes, the co-op is open to the public). This seems to be the pattern with a number of food co-ops that I have known over the years, to have started out as a wild-and-woolly all-volunteer operation back in the late 60s/early 70s, only to move to this more consumerist model partly as a response to member/owners' busier lives, and partly to compete successfully against privately-owned natural foods chains such as Whole Paycheck, erm Foods. You can read more about the OB co-op, and their beautiful environmentally-sensitive building, right here.

Edited by mizducky, 19 January 2006 - 11:20 AM.

[rooftop1000]

Would you believe I dated a nice Jewish boy from Blauvelt NY....wonder if he liked Chinese food


tracey

[mizducky]

Would you believe I dated a nice Jewish boy from Blauvelt NY....wonder if he liked Chinese food

Heh. Y'know, I've run into all kinds of people with connections to Nyack, the town we moved to when I was eight, but I think you may be the first person I've run into with any sort of connection to Blauvelt, the town I lived in before that. I dunno what Blauvelt looks like these days, but when I was a kid I remember it as sort of a "sneeze and you'll miss it" kind of place ... while Nyack seems to have gotten discovered and has taken off.

Anyway--I am back from today's round of explorations, a little early because my bod started giving off creaky-joint distress signals. But I got some more fun photos ... back in a bit when I've whipped my report into shape.

[patti]

I love old cookware, and have my share of it interspersed with the newer fru-fru stuff.  Your beloved saucepan kinda looks like something from the Wagner Ware Magnalite line.  Is it?  I've admired those from afar for years but never been willing to cough up the money on eBay.

Y'know, that's exactly what it is--has "Magnaware" stamped right into the bottom. I can't ever remember what I paid for it, but I can tell you it was probably ridiculously cheap. Whoever I got it from obviously didn't realize what they had.

Magnalite! Favorite of old-fashioned Cajun cooks in south Louisiana. It's good stuff, even better when inherited.

Great start, mizducky, can't wait to read more!

[mizducky]

What's up B? Wa-sa-bi
I'm searchin' the city for sci-fi wasabi
The start button has been pushed already
Obi-Wan Kenobi is waiting for me
--Cibo Matto, "Sci-Fi Wasabi", Stereotypa A

As kalypso has pointed out, the stretch of Mission Gorge Road that runs through my soon-to-be-new neighborhood is home to a bazillion fast-food emporia of various degrees of inspiration or lack thereof. I suppose this is to be expected of a city that is the corporate headquarters for this sterling enterprise:


But still, as kalypso also mentioned, there are a number of real gems among the cubic zirconia, and so today's mission was to visit a few of the ones she had cited, some of which I had already researched by way of Google and such.

First off: I am always interested in finding a (relatively) cheap but still good sushi joint, so I decided my first stop would be lunch at Jump Tokyo:


This place is wedged into a large busy strip mall right at the head of the overly-complicated and heavily-trafficked intersection of Friar's Road and Mission Gorge Road, and it took a little skill to get into the parking lot without having my head handed to me. However, I made it inside with head still safely attached to body, to find a soothing pleasant-looking dining room:


Notice all those pieces of paper taped to the walls behind the sushi bar? I don't think I recall seeing that anywhere before. Each hand-written sheet lists a roll named after somebody--like "Bob's Roll" or "Jack's Roll" or etc.--with its price. I'm guessing those are rolls created in honor of various regulars? Next time I'll be sure to actually sit at the bar and see if I can find out. This first visit, I decided to sit at a table rather than right at the sushi bar the better to get away with whipping the camera out. Still, I had a pretty good sightline to the bar to watch the sushi chef in action. He seemed a methodical yet affable sort, at a guess around age 40--that is, not a (possibly untrained) kid.

(I'm really getting off on the "Harriet the Spy" aspect of this whole blog food photography thing, by the way. At one point this afternoon the whole thing started striking me as so funny that I started giggling in the car. What can I say? I'm easily amused. ).

In an attempt to keep this lunch still vaguely within the realms of cheep eatz, I decide to go with one of the lunch specials--the 2nd sushi lunch plate, consisting of spicy tuna roll, five pieces of nigiri, plus a miso soup starter. The soup:


Nice flavor. Only a couple of tiny tofu cubes. Some slices of scallions, and a couple of pieces of seaweed (I was guessing wakame).

The lunch platter:


In addition to the roll, we've got ebi (cooked shrimp), sake (salmon), ?I'm guessing tai (snapper), maguro (tuna), and unagi (eel). The nigiri was all nicely made and the fish well-flavored--the maguro was perhaps a little more heavily doused in sauce than I usually prefer. The spicy tuna roll was very good, with a light but noticeable taste of sesame oil leading, and the spiciness sneaking up on you afterward.

I found myself wanting a little bit more, and decided to order a salmon skin hand roll:


This was very pretty, and tasty, but not quite what I was expecting, as I could find no actual salmon *skin* in it, just bits of hot grilled (skinless) smoked salmon. And again the chef put in a little more sauce than I preferred--in fact, it started dripping out the bottom of the cone as I was chowing down on it. Maybe this is what I get for sitting at a table rather than going right up to the bar, making friends with itamae-san, and letting him get to know that this Caucasian girl isn't afraid of the stuff that often makes other Anglos go "euw."

With the additional roll and my iced tea, this meal came to $18 and change--definitely higher than what is usually considered cheep eatz range--but then again, sushi is always pricey, so for a sushi meal I consider this pretty reasonable. Like I said, I do want to come back with a bigger budget and do the bar, so that I can really let the itamae do his thing. I get the vibe that it would be worth my while.

There are several other food joints in this strip mall that I also need to come back for. I noticed that Troy's, the Greek place next door, had come up with an interesting way to give some personality to an outdoor dining area that sticks into the parking lot:

(Monty Python voice: "Bring me a shrubbery!!!" )

Next stop on my list: that vegetable market I'd noticed on my first visit to the neighborhood, Farmer's Outlet--after a few more death-defying traffic maneuvers, I finally found the well-hidden entrance to its parking lot, and made my way to the entrance:


Inside, the place was pretty big, and had a nice, though not particularly unusual, stock of produce:


But what really turned me on was their non-perishable grocery items, which included a bunch of ethnic ingredients--not only Mexican, but also Middle Eastern, Indian, etc.:

(I had more photos of the ethnic bounty, but alas they did not come out at all.)

So--that was a nice find! And perhaps the produce will be more prolific come summer.

Okay, next stop, the well-ballyhooed Iowa Meat Farms:


They had this cute li'l guy welcoming you into the parking lot:


And inside, a huge and impressive meat counter--this is a hair less than half of the fresh meat bounty:


In addition, there are a couple of freezer chests, plus several shelving units and chill-chests of sauces, condiments, and general grocery items. They didn't have any fresh pork belly, but they did have some in one of the freezer chests, and at $2.49/lb they succeeded in underpricing 99 Ranch. Their other items are not necessarily tight-wad bargains, but to judge from the looks of the stuff, their prices are definitely in line with the quality of what you'd be getting. I think I see a splurge on a beef rib roast somewhere in my future.

Okay, at this point my bod was giving out definite distress signals, plus it was past 3:30pm and I did *NOT* want to get caught up in the beginnings of rush hour, so I beat a hasty retreat back up the I-15 towards Clairemont Mesa and home.

But I did pull it together to make one final stop--just for you, Ling, a patisserie!


This place opened up a little over a year ago in a strip mall about a half-mile from my current abode, and I hadn't had an excuse to drop in until now--so, thanks, Ling! The whole little mall is dominated by Middle-Eastern/Persian-oriented businesses; but while the handsome young proprietor appears to be of that ethnic group, his bakery offerings have a distinctly European look to them:


And here is what I got there:

The cream horn is dusted with chopped pistachios; the large chocolate cake item has a cappucino flavoring; and the little cake roll, the proprietor threw in as a free sample. Erm, the cream horn and the cake roll are already gone now. Like I said, I usually don't seek pastries out without prompting, but if they're around, I have no problem eating 'em.

Okay, time to contemplate a nice soak in a hot bath ... and a nice simple dinner in. This galivanting around doing the foodie-reporter thing is hard work! (But it's so much fun...)

[helenjp]

I am definitely having fun here, thank you Mizducky. Of course, I'm totally distracted by the non-food alien culture things such as PARKING IN FRONT OF A RESTAURANT. When I'm in Japan, I forget about the whole concept of strip mall parking, roadside parking, etc. (Japan is more of a park-across-the-tiny-intersection-and-block-four-roads-at-once kind of place).

I do like that stand (lacquered, no less!) you showed us for temaki sushi - rather like an icecream cone stand.

Enjoying your comments on the influence (impact? ) of shared kitchens/cooking. Maybe because it's not dinner-party cooking, it's all the more interesting for housemates/dorm mates. If I ever wrote a book, I think I'd want to dedicate it to One-Pot Dinners Observed.

As one freelancer to another, do you take extra pleasure in eating out or shopping in markets rather than ordering in or dashing through supermarkets just for the delight of crawling out of your cave and looking at other live human beings, or is that not an issue?

[mizducky]

I am definitely having fun here, thank you Mizducky. Of course, I'm totally distracted by the non-food alien culture things such as PARKING IN FRONT OF A RESTAURANT. When I'm in Japan, I forget about the whole concept of strip mall parking, roadside parking, etc. (Japan is more of a park-across-the-tiny-intersection-and-block-four-roads-at-once kind of place).

Heh. The "they paved paradise and put up a parking lot" aspect of West Coast US car culture definitely takes some getting used to--especially since I spent so many years associated with East Coast cities (New York, Boston) where you basically either walked or took mass transit everywhere. One of the biggest things I miss about Boston and Cambridge are what beautiful walking cities they were--there, a sidewalk cafe really *is* a sidewalk cafe, not a parking-lot-side cafe. Seattle at least had a whole bunch of walker-friendly neighborhoods. San Diego just has a relative few--OB is one of them, which is another reason why I like it so.

As one freelancer to another, do you take extra pleasure in eating out or shopping in markets rather than ordering in or dashing through supermarkets just for the delight of crawling out of your cave and looking at other live human beings, or is that not an issue?

Oh, it's *totally* an issue! Sometimes, especially when I'm slaving at a particularly huge deadline, I can look up and go, "waitaminnit, have I even been out of pajamas and out of the house in the past three days?" And I totally use food errands to make sure I get out of the house and face something besides a computer screen all day. It's one of many reasons why I can easily spend an hour or more dawdling my way through a supermarket--that, and, well, I just like *looking* at all the stuff and thinking of interesting things I can make with it. (I confess I'm that way in hardware stores too--it can take one of Home Depot's crowbars to get me out of the darned store--but that, to paraphrase one of my favorite TV food personalities, is a topic for another board. )

[Rebecca263]

...  One of the biggest things I miss about Boston and Cambridge are what beautiful walking cities they were--there, a sidewalk cafe really *is* a sidewalk cafe, not a parking-lot-side cafe.

Hey, not ALL East Coast cities are walking cities, Mademoiselle Canard. I've moved to Englishtown in NJ this past year, and I MISS South Beach SO MUCH! The only thing I can do here without my car is eat mediocre ice cream, semi decent Asian, or go through the local junk shop. Now that's not so bad compared to the rest of this area, I know, but back home I could go months without driving if I wanted to! Does your new neighborhood have any walking distance areas of intrigue?

[Smithy]

But what really turned me on was their non-perishable grocery items, which included a bunch of ethnic ingredients--not only Mexican, but also Middle Eastern, Indian, etc.:

(I had more photos of the ethnic bounty, but alas they did not come out at all.)

Ya know, even here in Duluth we have displays like that, admittedly smaller, but they're there. I zero in on those by smell alone. I haven't worked out what that precise smell is that's so distinctive, so tantalizing. It isn't sweet, it isn't hot, it isn't - well, it isn't basil, oregano, chili, or cumin. Or thyme, saffron, cloves or fruit. What the heck is it? I don't know, but it grabs my attention from 2 aisles over, every time. It's luscious. Any ideas what that precise odor combination is?

They had this cute li'l guy welcoming you into the parking lot:

That is soooo California. I grew up in the Central Valley, where orange juice was sold from stands made like giant oranges that dotted the landscape along Highway 99. They're all gone now, but I still see the odd relic, like Bob's Big Boy. Or your cow.

[OnigiriFB]

Nice to see you can get some good Iowan meats out there. One thing I'll miss if I move away from Iowa is the great meats and dairy we have. This is the only place I've lived where I will actually drink the milk. Is the meat at your market expensive? It looks a little more than what I would pay here but thats probably a given. The sushi looked divine btw. *sigh*

[chardgirl]

Miz Ducky: I've just discovered your blog and I'm enjoying it! Asian food, budget gourmand, San Diego (I attended UCSD), AND Frank Zappa references... (Mr. Chardgirl loves FZ: I'm looking forward to sharing this with him.)

Blog on M. D. !

(I had my first chicken feet in a tiny dim sum joint in a strip mall near down town San Diego in 1984....)

cg

[mizducky]

Okay--it's audience participation time!

So I've got this 2.5-lb hunk of pork belly I picked up at Iowa Meat Farms this afternoon. My intention is to cook it Saturday evening (it's currently defrosting, wrapped, in the fridge, so I figure it will be ready to roll by Saturday afternoon). Now the question becomes: what exactly to make with it?

The last time I cooked pork belly, I used this recipe and was well pleased with it. I could do this again--it's been several months since the last go--but why repeat myself when I could do something different? Plus I'd really like to do something that gets the skin all crispy. (Yep, the skin is still intact, I checked.)

This recipe purports to produce crispy skin, but it strike me as being a bit on the fussy side, plus I don't think Fearless Housemate would be happy with confronting a nekkid hunk o' pork belly lying around on a plate in the fridge.

This one certainly has simplicity to recommend it. And I imagine I could use substitute some other spicing if I so desired--not that I have anything against fennel seed.

But somehow I want a happier medium between minimalism and fussing. There's a pork belly recipe halfway down on this page that looks like it's in that groove. And I like soy/five spice powder seasoning. So I might wind up doing that ...

... or I might try something suggested by one of you out there.

So--any opinions? Let me know!

Oh yeah--the reason why I'm looking on the web rather than in a book for this: believe it or not, I actually don't own all that many cookbooks, and those I have, lack recipes for pork belly. I've been a net-geek for literally a couple of decades, and it's really spoiled me in some ways--for reference work, it often seems so much easier to Google than to buy, shlep, and pore through books, especially since so many book indexers seem to do a slap-dash job (sez the veteran tech writer who has seen slap-dash contract indexers in action for twice the bux per hour she was getting paid ... ).

[OnigiriFB]

You could do the recipe I did in the regrettable dinner thread your remarked on. It won't give you crispy skin but it is delicious. You stew pork belly in a five-spice powder and soy sauce marinade. Let me know if you would like the recipe and I'll go dig it out.



Edited to add picture in case you forgot.

Edited by OnigiriFB, 19 January 2006 - 09:57 PM.

[Rebecca263]

OOh, OnigiriFB, that has eggs in it, right? It looks amazing!

[mizducky]

Hey, not ALL East Coast cities are walking cities, Mademoiselle Canard. I've moved to Englishtown in NJ this past year, and I MISS South Beach SO MUCH! The only thing I can do here without my car is eat mediocre ice cream, semi decent Asian, or go through the local junk shop. Now that's not so bad compared to the rest of this area, I know, but back home I could go months without driving if I wanted to! Does your new neighborhood have any walking distance areas of intrigue?

That's a bummer about Englishtown--somehow, I thought it was far enough out of the Metro-New York Suburbia orbit to follow the small-town pattern rather than the suburbia pattern. And you're right--suburbia around East Coast cities can also be parking lot/strip mall purgatory, which is why I ran screaming from my childhood home in suburbia as soon as I was able to engineer my escape.

As to my new neighborhood: the main drag, alas, would make a really ugly walking neighborhood. However, once you get away from that into the residential area, it really is quite charming. Plus I'm also within a few miles of another hunk of major terrific urban greenspace, Mission Trails Regional Park, where I think at least a few of the trails are flat enough that I can try working out on them. I'm hoping, as I progress in this new exercise/physical therapy thing I'm starting next week, that I can start taking advantage of that.

And if all else fails, I guess I could do the mall-walker thing at the nearby humongous shopping malls (shudder!). Although I can't totally slag off the Mission Valley area shopping malls--after all, the Fashion Valley Mall is where Alton Brown has done his San Diego stops on his last couple of cooking demo/book-signing tours.

[mizducky]

You could do the recipe I did in the regrettable dinner thread your remarked on. It won't give you crispy skin but it is delicious. You stew pork belly in a five-spice powder and soy sauce marinade. Let me know if you would like the recipe and I'll go dig it out. 

Oh yeah--I remember that one! I still think it looks darned delicious, not regrettable at all! Like I said, I think I'm more leaning towards a crispy treatment than a braise this time around, but I sure wouldn't mind having your recipe for future reference ... or in case I decide to change my mind and go for a braise again anyway.

[dockhl]

MD~
You might like this one :
Aromatic Pork Belly Hot Pot

I tried posting it before with all sorts of credits and sources and was told it violated copyright laws. Is that true? Isn't it public domain when it is posted on the Web, especially if you are told where it is coming from?

Whatever. you might like it, given your predilection ofr Asian style goodies........

[Rebecca263]

Crispy crispy.... is there any way to BBQ the little tummy?

[mizducky]

MD~
You might like this one :
Aromatic Pork Belly Hot Pot

I tried posting it before with all sorts of credits and sources and was told it violated copyright laws. Is that true? Isn't it public domain when it is posted on the Web, especially if you are told where it is coming from?

Whatever. you might like it, given your predilection ofr Asian style goodies........

Heheheh ... great minds think alike--that's actually the first recipe linked in my audience-participation announcement post, the one I actually cooked the last time and liked so well.

About public domain--alas, just because something is on the web does NOT make it public domain. Public domain, regardless of whether an item appears on paper or in electronic format, generally means the author's copyright on the piece in question has officially run out on it. I dunno how long that takes for recipes, and they keep changing up the laws on full-length book works, but I think it used to be something like at least 50 to 70 years? Anyway, it's a danged loooooong time, whatever it is. The bottom line is that copyright laws are in full force for all authored works regardless of format, and unless you see a piece (recipe, text, graphics, photo, whatever) specifically labeled as public domain, the safest thing is to assume that it is not, and is not legal to reproduce unless one has received explicit and documented permission from the author to do so. In this case, since this recipe is on the BBC website and has the chef/creator's name right on it, it's pretty safe to assume that it's completely and totally copyrighted right to its very last period and pixel (and that Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall probably got financially compensated in some way by the BBC for the right to reproduce his recipe on their website). However, it's perfectly legal to link to it to our hearts' content--and that's the beauty of the Web, innit?

[mizducky]

Crispy crispy.... is there any way to BBQ the little tummy?

Alas, I currently do not own a barbeque grill. Shocking, I know--I guess I'm not living up the the SoCal ideal here. But at least the apartment complex I'll be moving to has a community grill right in the courtyard.

Edited by mizducky, 20 January 2006 - 01:37 AM.