[First Job Interview]

I wish you good luck!

Thanks.

["Asian Knife" an impulse buy]

that's not a cleaver, that's a vegetable knife

Technically no - it's not a cleaver and is not used as such. We almost need a new name, for these "hybrid" cutting tools as "vegetable knife" doesn't quite ring true either. It was labelled "Asian knife" but I am sure that is just a marketing choice. I think it very interesting that knives in the West take certain forms and perform certain functions while those in the East adopt different forms and functions and then there's the fusion thing in knives as well as food!

well oddly enough, the Asians don't call it an Asian knife when they use it.

They call it a vegetable knife *LOL*

Usually these knives, when labelled in English, are called cleavers with a rating of 1 to 3 concerning its size and weight.

[First Job Interview]

I appreciate the input, and having a pen IS important. However, how much money you spend on a pen speaks only for your pocket book. I had a Bic pen, reliable but cheap. If I could afford an expensive pen then I probaly wouldn't be in the market for a job. Class is based on character, not pens.

Also, if anyone is interested, I had my interview this morning. Out of about 100 or so resumes, he told me he interviewed only 4 people (me being number 3). It went very well and we got along. Joked a bit, talked shop, and I had him laughing a coupel of times. He said he'll call me Saturday to let me know what he has decided.

My job duties, if I get it, will include prepairing shellfish and produce, making salad, and plating desserts.

I never did end up using my pen though...

[PC Food Brand]

The PC frozen Indian and Thai dinners are good quality and well priced. As frozen dinners go, among the best I have ever had.

Are you sure about that? My fiance once got the PC Thai dinner and couldn't even finish it. However, I must admit I personally didn't try it. I haven't eat any kind of ready made dinner since college and plan to keep it that way.

["Asian Knife" an impulse buy]

I have a similar type 3 cleaver, manufactured by Three Rams Brand. It too is cheap and probably won't last a lifetime but it is VERY comfortable. Made from stainless steel, even the handle.

[Unusual ice cream and sorbet flavors]

This doesn't seem "weird" to me, but I make green tea ice cream from matcha tea all the time.

[First Job Interview]

And on the "neat and clean" stuff: no jangly jewelry (sorry, I forget which gender you are); no strong perfume/after shave.  If your hair is long, make sure you can demonstrate how you'll keep it out of the way.

No jewelry. Short hair. I am well-groomed, and I dress respectably. However, I do have a visible tattoo - a tiny red star on my hand. How does the restraunt indrusty look upon things such as tattoos? When I worked for city hall, no one cared. However, when I worked at a RADIO station my boss was very bothered by it.

EDIT: I guess it doesn't matter much because I can't remove it.

Ask them if they know that "signatory" is not the same as "signature." NO, don't do that; you'll come off as a smart-ass.    But why DO they say that on the menu on the website???

[First Job Interview]

He didn't tell me until he'd gotten his first promotion.

[What Pantry Item Are You Never Out Of?]

RICE! Basmanti, arborio, genmai, mochi, Japanese short grain, long grain, jasmine, Spanish, wild, etc... If it is rice then I have it and lots to boot! I eat rice nearly every day!

[PC Food Brand]

Inspired by this thread, what are people's opinions on the PC brand of food? I am not too keen on much of it, yet, in grocery stores they count for the bulk majority of organic food. (Organic food being something important in my household.)

[Those silly cupboards over the 'fridge]

When we moved into our current place, the first thing to go were the cupboards, along with the rest of the kitchen and rebuilt from the sewer drainage pipes up! We replaced our cupboards with white shelves.

[Q&A: The Kitchen Scale Manifesto]

Well I couldn't think of anything over 2kg that's I'd need to meassure. However, I suppose one should always be prepaired...

[First Job Interview]

I have my first culinary job interview at the Sweet Basil Cafe for the position of a prep cook. If anyone here runs a kitchen and has done hiring, could you give me some pointers to impress the chef/owner?

[Q&A: The Kitchen Scale Manifesto]

For Canadian eGulleteers, check out canadianweigh.com for some great scales. This tutorial has prompted me to get this one.

[Never try a new recipe for guests?]

I do it all the time, but for guests who are close friends and/or family. This is because my fiance is very picky (only eats boneless chicken, beef, and pork), and I have no one to serve "exotic" food except my friends and family.

[First time pasta maker]

Everyone should take this pro-pasta energy and put it into battling the hoard of Atkins Diet fanatics.

[Dinner! 2004]

Friday:

Baba Ghannouge and pita bread to start. Skewers of lamb souvlaki and fresh veggies and mushrooms with home made tzatziki with a rice pilaf.

[LAMB!]

You won Jackal, I'll give it a try this Easterand post the results. Maybe take some pictures too.

[Tahini]

Yes, I am looking for a recipe for just tahini; the condiment. I'll just experiment and post the result. Thanks for all the other recipes though!

[LAMB!]

Lamb is pretty tolerant, so easy to spit roast.

- Try and enclose the spit and the fire so it acts as a slow oven - rig up some sort of roof and side shield. Corrugated iron works well.

- Secure the lamb to the spit well - its an off-centre slippery load when its hot, with much less structural integrity cooked than uncooked. You want it to turn with the spit, not drop into the fire. It helps if you can get the butcher not to split the breastbone, otherwise you will need to wire it together

- Quarter of a turn every 15 minutes

- The meat is at the ends, so you need a small fire at each end and nothing (or the gravy pan) in the middle

Use a meat thermometer - 55C for rare 65C for well done

Usually takes 4-6 hours.

From what section of the lamb do you take the tempature reading from?

And when securing the lamb to the spit, do you tie its legs to the spit of do you skewer it? If you skewer it where do you put the spit through, in the mouth and out the ass?

[Tahini]

I am looking for a good homemade tahini recipe. Despite being only sesame seeds and oil, I've seen a lot of variations with the seed to oil ratio and some recipes call for water and/or salt.

[Pork Belly]

anyway,  what is Yuan sauce?... Yuan ain't no Chinese Dynasty I ever heard of... better ring my grandma and find out...

It's Japanese acctually, and since I am at work I don't have the exact recipe in front of me to quote but it is basically a mixture of yuzu zest and juice (or line in a pinch), shoyu, sake, and mirin.

However, there was a Yuan dynesty, existed around 1330 AD.

EDIT: It is also sometimes called Yuanyaki.

[Pork Belly]

I rub it with a salt and garlic paste and then roast it. I then marinate the cooked pork with yuan sauce over night. Slice into paper-thin pieces and serve with additional yuan sauce for dipping.

[Thai Sticky Rice and Mango]

I use coconut cream, the thick part of coconut milk that floats to the surface when chilled, and add sugar to taste. I then reduce this to thicken it and pour it over the rice and mongos, garnished with shredded lime rind.

[Veggies and Dip]

Well I just spoke with the mother and grandmother, and they've agrred to Skordalia (Greek walnut-garlic dip), Tapenade Verte (French green olive spread), Baba Ghanooge (Egyptian eggplant dip), and hummis. In addition to veggies there'll be pita wedges and small baguettes. (And of course these Czech open-faced sandwhiches that I won't even try and spell. Okay, maybe one attempt... hlabichky... )