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For many years I have made my beer money by writing and translating for one of China's top trade publications. The editor-in-chief is an old friend. This is one such article of mine which appeared bi-lingually in their flagship magazine, several years ago. I have spared you the Chinese version. I would say it still holds true. In 1985, the organisation I was then working for moved offices to the top floor of an office block in London. I turned up on the Monday morning to find all my files scattered around my new office in cardboard boxes. The phones and computers were yet to be connected. Work was all but impossible. On the way in, I had picked up a coffee and a bacon sandwich from one of the many stalls around the offive building. The coffee tasted like mud and I’m sure the bacon had never met a pig. I sat back in my chair to “enjoy” this late breakfast and stared out of the window. All I could see were the rooftops of the buildings to the immediate north. After day-dreaming for a while, my nose began to twitch. A faint hint of cumin drifted through the window. Or perhaps it was star anise. And Sichuan peppercorns, too. The scent was getting stronger. I began to smell roasting pork – the bacon in my sandwich had no smell. Then, I could smell caramelising honey and duck. The roofs looked the same as they did at 9 am, but the air had changed. It was a symphony of scent and I was sitting at my desk drooling. It was then that I realised that the roofs I had been staring at were those of London’s Chinatown and I could smell a hundred Cantonese restaurants preparing for the day. Today, many years later, every time I visit Hong Kong, I am transported back to that morning. The smells are the same. The Chinatown restaurants were not that great and, on the whole, still aren’t, but by noon I was famished! Fortunately, I was being wined and dined at the company’s expense – but not in Chinatown. An very important guest was visiting and I would take part in a lunch meeting in one of London’s better restaurants – The Boulestin in Covent Garden, which sadly closed in 1999. And there my life changed. My boss considered himself a bit of an oenophile, and as a measure of the client’s importance (or his own pleasure) ordered a couple of bottles of Chateau Talbot 1975. While it is only a 4th cru, it was the first Grand Vin I had drunk. It was a true eye opener. In my ignorance, I had always assumed that anyone who bought wine which cost more than the taxi home was a bit stupid. Now I knew different. I still can’t describe the epiphany I felt. This wasn’t just wine. This was something much, much more important. I can’t remember what I ate, but I remember every sip and savour of those bottles. And so, that day, was born a connection in my mind between fine wine and China – a temporal connection, but not a culinary connection. I was still in the “beer with Chinese; wine with French” school of thought. And to be honest, with very few exceptions, London’s Chinese restaurants are still not noted for the quality of their wine lists. What I didn’t know that fateful day, was that several years and several bottles later I would end up living in China. The move, for work reasons, almost ended my life in wine. In 1996, there was little foreign wine in China. And what wine could be found was, to be kind, very poor. Things have improved enormously. My local supermarket carries wines from across the globe, some of them extremely good. And China is beginning to produce top class wines. But the basic problem still remains. How to combine Chinese food and wine? The internet and the press are full of conflicting advice and often the writers don’t even seem to know what Chinese food is, or how it is served in China. They are talking about American Chinese food, which is something else entirely. Of course, to answer this we have to say “What is Chinese food in China?” which immediately throws up even more problems. Is it the delicate but complex flavours of Cantonese food, or the robust fire of Hunan, or the numbing spice of Sichuan? Perhaps it’s Xinjiang food. Perhaps Beijing duck. Perhaps… Then we have the biggest problem. Serving style. I have been lucky enough to visit European restaurants and sample tasting menus where each course is matched with a different wine, the overall range finely balanced. But then, European food is served serially. One dish after another. We eat the fish, then we eat the meat, then we eat whatever is next. Between each course, the table is cleared and, at formal meals, a new wine served. Each course has its own matched wine. In China, the concept of courses doesn’t really exist. All dishes come together, so that I might have a mouthful of beef follows by a taste of the fish, then a bit of duck, etc. Matching wines to each dish becomes impractical. I can’t have twenty different glasses with twenty different wines in front of me, switching between them with each mouthful, although it might be fun to try. One way round this problem, for many writers in the past, has been to recommend one wine to cover all tastes- usually a dry, fruity white. This can work. Certainly a Bordeaux red is going to overpower the subtleties of Cantonese food, clash with the spiciness of Sichuan or Hunan and give a metallic taste to most vegetable dishes. Riesling or Chenin Blanc are often recommended for Cantonese food and they also sit well with Sichuan. Reds can work with the robust flavours of say, Beijing duck, which is well matched to a burgundy such as Pinot Noir and Bordeaux wines can pair excellently with “red cooked” dishes, provided they are not too spicy. But for a mixed banquet or family style meal, whites are always going to better. There are those who say that a properly cooked Chinese meal incorporates all the flavours and a fine balance is achieved between the salty, the sweet, the spicy and the delicate - and that a European style grape wine interferes with that balance, whereas western cuisine treats the wine more like a sauce integral to the dishes. I don’t quite buy that. For an excellent celebratory breakfast, try champagne and dim sum. In fact, drink champagne with everything – if you can afford to! But it still surprises me that, in China, most imported wines seem to be reds, yet in general whites are much more suitable as dinner wines. So, as a compromise, why not go for a rosé- especially a sparkling rosé? Back, all those years ago, sitting in my office, I didn’t need to worry about all this. A glass of Tsingtao beer was considerably more exotic, and a fine balance to anything the restaurant could serve up. Today, some London’s Chinese restaurants are becoming more than cheap tourist traps and serious owners are carefully developing wine lists that do go a long way to both giving a great drinking experience and complimenting the vastly improved food they are serving. At the end of the day, there are no rules. Drink what you like and experiment.

Stopped at a brewery with a disc golf course AND Caribbean-influenced taco truck near Richmond VA. Talk about full service! 😃 Had to try the oxtail tacos with mango habanero salsa. Unctuously delicious.

Today's pork project is spareribs. I used the Profile's sparerib preset, thus absolving me of any guilt when the meat cannot be chewed. The sparerib parameters are 113C, 6 hours, smoke level 5. I'm using hickory, although there were a few mesquite pellets at the bottom of the hopper that I was too tired to take out. I woke up from my nap at 7:20. I started the smoke a little after 8:00. Dinner should commence a little after 2:00.

7 hours later. No wrap, no sauce. (3 different rubs from very sweet to no sweet/lil heat. I serve sauce table side in case anyone feels the need). Everybody likes a nice smoke ring

Headless fish head curry with mahi mahi.

@Duvel Pleased youve found such wonderful places and thank you for sharing.

Dinner in a small mom & pop type place next to our hotel in the village of Alvignac, close to Rocamadour, after some cave marathon … Some local wine to start with … Mixed salad with - of course - gratinated Rocamadour cheese to share … Pork ribs for little one … The „Alvignac“ plate with duck confit and more Rocamadour for DW … And roasted veal for me … Crepe with salted butter caramel … And the apple/vanilla rendition 🤗 No complaints 🥳

I live under the impression that Nuri is the "overseas" brand name, and pinhais is the local, Portuguese one. You should do the comparison

We stayed in Montepulciano as we drove around Tuscany and Umbria about 10 years ago. So hilly! Not only good wines, but great foods too.

Most recipes say 8-10 minutes to sear duck breast skin side on med high. A week+ ago time I found recipe that said sear, starting with a cold pan, on med low 15-20 min. and it was better. Today I read, sear till NO more fat rendered on low. I did, and it took 25 min. Then I flipped for 5 in. Then rested 7 min. Best we've had as far as crispy skin AND tender meat. Meat a little pinker than picture, but way more cooked than usual, and way more tender. In Tucson I buy frozen, pack of two at a Fry's Supermarket for $16. They aren't huge, but I serve 1 for the two of us, supplement with larger sides of veg, carbs.

Spiced crumble plum cake... The plums were reine claude (greengages) from a nearby tree, and the crumble spices were cardamom, all spice, and sumac. Served with a healthy dollop of mahleb whipped mascarpone cream, it was a big hit.

Hmmm... Lidl had a smoker going for about £80 at the same time I bought the ceramic grill. Now I'm wondering...

Nephew is moving to Chicago for grad school this week, so I have been letting him pick the dinners in the lead up to his departure. Steak tacos (he grilled chicken for myself and my sister) Burgers another night. He grilled beef ones, and I made shawarma flavored veggie burgers for my sister and me, pictured here. The flavor was good but the texture needs some help. I'll keep working on it. Paneer and cauliflower curries And fish and chips

First harvest of my Everleaf Genovese basil plant. I've got another basil (different variety) and an oregano that need harvested still. For reference, this pile is the same size as the cantaloupe on the counter.

Sambal grouper..... Cucumber salad

The verdict is in! The new CSO and turbo roast feature is fantastic. I used the same temperature/time setting as usual with the old CSO using the same type of fish cooked the same way. The fish in the new oven had a crisper crust but was still moist and juicy inside. Both my wife and I agreed that the fish was better this time than normal. I'm a believer!

@gfweb your fried chicken looks fantastic

3 racks of pork ribs on the Traeger for dinner tonight (and leftovers)

Braised Romano beans with anchovy, chile flakes, and fancy olive oil from Sunlight and Breadcrumbs by Renee Erickson with a fried egg on top. A very luxurious and flavorful version of these silky beans!

There is an unrelated drink called Viva Maria so this has been renamed in Kindred Cocktails to Viva Maria! #2

@rotuts my plan this time was to take it out of the foil to finish off in the cooker for another half an hour, but it was evident the meat was fall-apart cooked at this point, and would not take any messing about.

Once I'm more confident about the temperature control, I'll do that again. The grill is too small for indirect heat methods. I have cooked without foil, with good results, but I'm trying different things out. I haven't tried different woods for smoke and flavour yet.

I would put the A4 on the high setting and not cover for crispness. Or you could slight cock the lid a bit to allow steam to come out and keep most heat in. The lid really works well to keep the steam in, to the detriment of crispiness.

@blue_dolphin perfect toast on your breakfast sandwich. Moe's breakfast. I still had half the small Sterling Silver roast from a couple of days ago so I put it in the Breville PC this morning and turned it into a pot roast. Made Moe a couple of small sandwiches on homemade rolls.

Fan in the oven ceiling.