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Being very familiar with Chinese Muslim Food please consider that the amount of Muslim Immigrants from China until the 1960's was negligent. The food is interesting, tasty but so very different to what rhe NYC Jewish customer expects that it would be quite difficult to woo that market, especially since it's welcomed with open arms the Korean, Sushi and other more familiar in many ways cusines. The closest to the Jewish market evidenced in Seattle has been the acceptance of one "Glatt Kosher" Chinese Restaurant that is a Chinese Vegan Restaurant called the Bamboo Garden that is overseen by the Seattle Vad. I'm glad that I was able to convince the oporators to open a branch here from Honolulu. Even more interesting it is also the only successfull Kosher Restaurant in Seattle to sustain it's business for so long. I do attribute this to the fact the the majority of it's customers are Vegeterians and Vegans who also enthusiastically welcomed the opening. Plus Parking and a good location and competent staff. The Lamb dishes served at our Taiwan, Szechuan, Shanganise, Malay and Hakka Restaurants are very similar to the Halal type of Lamb dishes served at Muslim Restaurants as well as Indian and Pakistan. There is a Han Population who enjoys the Goat and Lamb sold at "Ranch 99 Markets, Mexican Markets and our many Halal Butcher Shopes but we still haven't had any specialty places open yet. Irwin

I have such fond memories of Moshe Peking. It was the "fancy" kosher chinese place (as opposed to Bernstein's which was the regular place). For special occasions like birthdays, we would drive into Manhattan for dinner there. Mom would always order the Chicken Almond Ding. In terms of how long after meat you can eat dairy, there are different minhagim, customs, dependent on where your family comes from. It can be as little as one hour or as long 6 hours. There's really no restriction for going from dairy to meat so long as you brush your teeth and rinse out your mouth. I won't go into the exceptions. Chicken Almond Ding was part of the next step of NYC Chinese Menu evolution. If i'm not mistaken it began on NY's upper west side as the next step after Subgum variations which were the first step ups from Chop Suey. I can remember when the only option on the menus if you wanted actual slices of chicken was "Moo Goo Gai Pan", the next step was 1/2 a breast split and severd as "Almond Chicken", or Lemon Chicken". This was about the time the Hunan Restaurants started on the UWS and just after the "Sun Luck's", started to upscale the market. If i'm not mistaking there even started to be upscale Chinese Restaurants on the East Side during the late 60's. Now I've been told that there are several "Sushi Chinese Restaurants" wonder whats next ?" Korean Sushi Chinese Mongolian Barbque" Glatt Kosher in Bensonhurst. Probably have two book tables weeks in advance. Kosher Chinese was quite easy to adapt by using veal for pork, chicken for chicken, squab for squab, duck for duck, Halibut and Seabass for most seafood adaptations, spices, seasoning, tofu, veggies and almost everything else could be improvised and several of the places are quite good. Actually Veal is quite similar is taste and character for almost all Cantonese Dishes like Roast Veal Filet, Veal Spare Ribs, Pot Stickers, Won Ton, Egg Rolls and almost everything is pretty good tasting Kosherized. This of course must have made the Chinese Restaurants attempt to become interesting to new markets, which they've obviously done. It's interesting how quick they adapt, now it not unusual for any place to promote that they feature Cantonese, Peking, Szechwan, Hunan and Mandarin with occassional Hakka and Mongolian Dishes. Only in America. Irwin

Weequahic salad = pronounced "Week-wake," named for a reknowned diner in NJ, similar to a health salad, cabbage and other veggies in a vinegar-sugar marinade. Gehakte leber = chopped liver Zisse rossel = sweet-sour pickled beet salad We live less than a mile from Bob Jones. Our next door neighbor is a VP. He and his family are extremely friendly, decent people, and we do not -- as the cliche goes -- discuss religion, sex or politics. However, even then I will give them the benefit of the doubt because I am the resident flaming liberal of our local op-ed page, so they know where I stand on all the fundamentalist flashpoint issues. (If you're interested in reading a column I wrote after Dubya spoke at BJU during the 2000 campaign: http://marcmusing.com/whatami_inwalking.html) Despite their wackiness, the folks at BJU are not a monolith. Some of them, like our neighbors, are pretty easygoing folks who, if they condemn you to hell, do it at 40 decibels behind your back. Others, particularly fire-breathing upperclassmen, preach damnation tag-team style from the downtown corners of Main and Coffee nonstop all Saturday afternoon at 140 decibels. Just another cool Shabbos afternoon activity . . . Blessings on your fressings! OOOOPS ! OOOOOPS ! I THOUGHT I WAS QUOTING FROM THE "SANTA RABBI". Reb Marc: You are the most special Rabbi that i've ever come across. Your Santa posting should be sent to for publication to every religious or secular publication. There is no more articulate from the heart experssion of giving and getting the love and meaningfull feelings that we all attempt to express whatever holiday we celebrate. Thank you for making my Holiday special for 2003. Of course it may soon become a tradition that every official Santa should first become a learned Rabbi or at least been Bar Mitzvahed just to spread the love with a real Mitzvah of feeling. Irwin

Almost everyplace that the Catholic Church has had any influence. Especially Peking and Shanghai. Those Monks and Priests had strong influences on the cusine where ever they traveled in Asia. This is important since the movement of spices through out this region even before the Black Ships was done by incorperating the skills of Navigators whom at that time were generally Portugese no matter what flags or overland traveling was done they had the ability to get you there. Irwin

The method that allows the Roast to retain moisture, without drying out is one that requires a little extra time and effort but will gain you allocades. Whatever stuffing your intending to use should be made ahead of time seperately and placed intothe Roast about a 1/2 hour before its finished for appearence. Dried Apricots and Chestnuts and even Oysters add o the stuffings decadence if thats what your trying to attain. For the Roast it's important to elevate it from the bottom of your roasting pan so that the Heat can circulate around the Crown Roast by placing it upon a raised open grill. Cover the bottom of your Pan with a liquid base, I prefer to use a Pork Stock Made from the Trimmings and Bone Cutting in Forming the Crown Roast, but even a Chicken Stock can be utilized. This should just below the level or your Grill Grids. It's important to slow Cook the Crown Roast at a oven temperature of 225 degrees. Cooking this way with your moisture base will reduce shrinkage of your Roast and allow it to retain Moisture and become juicy and tender without drying out. When your Roast his cooked to a temperature of 125/130 degrees by a internal thermometer or thru a oven probe, remove from the oven and allow the Roast to set before putting into the Cavity the Stuffing. During this time the Temperature may rise slightly. After setting the Stuffing in place, Cover the individual rib bones with Foil to prevent burning. Drain of most of the Fluids and Fats Remaining in your Roasting Pan, leaving evough to cover the bottom into a container to be used to prepare your Au Jus or Gravy. Add some wine of your choice to the roasting pan bottom, just enough to leave about 1/4 inch of liquid. Place the Roast after spraying or brushing with butter or Oil the Surfaces. Back into the 225 degree oven. Let it Roast about 20/30 minutes to start cooking again after the setting and placing stuffing period. Then put your oven to the Broiling Setting for about 4/6 minutes or just long enough to start to nicely brown of the outside of your stuffing and Roast. Next set temperature of oven to 350 degress. After about 30/40 minutes at this temperature your thermometer or probe should show internal temperature of 145/150 degrees. Turn off oven and remove Roast. It should look beautifully reowned and still be juicy and moist, the internal temperature will raise about 6/9 degrees while the roast is setting before being carved. During this setting period, scrape the drippings and liquid from the bottom of the pan, incorperate these with the ones your previously placed into the container, first trying to skim away the fat on the surface. Place these together into a pot and bring to a boil on your stove, after boiling strain the liquid, then return to the pot and thicken slightly with corn starch or roux and season to taste. It will compliment your Roast and Stuffing upon serving. Enjoy and please post your results if you've tried this method. It's worked well when serving Crown Roast for many large Banquets. Irwin

Irwin, It's my experience that at a finishing temperature of 215º, as you suggest, this meat is beyond slicing, but ok for shredding. Is that your experience? woodburner Woodburner: Since I generally use a Whole Packer Trimmed Brisket for my method of cooking and not a leaner Flat cut trimmed brisket it requires the higher internal temperature to break down enough collegin, due to the additional fat cover on the brisket. This was the temperture level used by the Winners of many of the Barbeque Cookouts that i've judged or researched on thru the years and it's also used often in Texas in Restaurants featuring Briskets. If the Brisket is allowed to set after being brought to the temperature the Meat doesn't fall apart and slices easily starting from the point end to the finish. This is the same method using in cutting Deli Kosher Corned Beef, that if sliced differently also will shred. This temperature is also generally used for many Pot Roasted Beef Cuts such as Bottom Round and Chuck or Shoulder Roasts that are also Sliced for Service. It's also true that this temperture is correct for Shredding Beef and it's often done that way for many Mexican Dishes and Chilli's by just pulling or cross cutting and shredding, tastes good that way also, especially when sauced. Irwin

Jon is correct that Portugese Bakery items are incorperated into Chinese Culture. The Egg Tarts served at Portugese Bakeries in Newark, NJ, Portugel . Cape Cod are made with more taste and finese then the Chinese versions ans I would recommend trying Portugese recipes. The Portugese influence into Asia is not onlyfrom Macau, but extends thru the Philippines, Malaysia and thru out China. The majority of Sweet or Savory Dum Sim items such as Steamed Breads, Nut Sponges, Curry Puffs and many Batterered or Coated Deep Fried treats are Portugese. In Japan, "Pan" meaning bread, as well as "Tempura" are both attributed to the original bakers who jumped ship [black Ships] in Okinawa and Japan and introduced these items into the culture. One interesting thought is that the popularity of Custard Tarts into the Hong Kong markets coincided with the utilization of adaptations of "Birds Custard Powder" manufactured in England [now a Kraft Company] is a Custard Powder that contains no Eggs. Ingrdients are Cornflour, Salt, Flavorings and Annatto for Color. This is still what is most often used almost everywhere for the Custard Filling for the Tarts. Many upscale Chinese Restaurants and Bakeries are now making the Custard from whole eggs, so it tastes much better, but the mare reason for the switch is that a 1 pound container of the Birds Custard Powder not costs almost $5.00 and they realize that it less expensive to make the real Custard at a lower price with better ingredients.

Save those digits Irwin. This should help: Maybe you could just cut and paste it right here on this board?? Irwin's Writings woodburner Cut & Paste is again something beyond my expertise. I'm able to dig out most things available on the internet, but most remedial things i've little or no experience in like utilizing links, scanning or digital photography. Eve4n my color printer is set up only for black. Thank you very much for entering the link onto eGullet. I tried several times thru properties but wasn't successfull. Sometimes i'm lucky. Irwin

Hmmm, this sounds suspiciously like the health salad my would buy from the appetizing store. I've been trying various Health Food Store Salads for years and so far none have even come close. Most recently from Metro Markets, Whole Foods and PCC all seattle area stores. Just a few months ago: Russ & Daughters, Zabars and several other NYC places. It's easy to put together, but requires enough expertise to allow for variations of ingredients to adjust the sasonings to keep the tasre consistant. It's something that requires that someone be in charge that cares about consistant results that has experience and versatility. Even though it seems simple it's not a formula type of product like whats used in Baking. Items like Cabbage must be treated different, especially during different times of the year. Irwin

MsK: I responded to a similar posting on Chowhound in July 03, 2003 on the General Topic Board: "Slow Dry Roast for a Beef Brisket". This recipe response that I posted received over 30 positive email responses and i've also gotten email from posters who tried it for this Chanacuah with success. This is a fall apart in the mouth, effective recipe. If your not able to find this recipe, since i'm not computer savy enough to provide a link i'll attempt to one finger type in onto eGullet for your benefit. Irwin

Is this the dish my mother-in-law makes and calls "vinaigrette" (say it mit an ahk-sent please)? Beets, pickles, white beans, etc. The Claremont/Weequaic Salad was very different. The major ingredients were Shredded Cabbage, Carrots, Cukes and Green Peppers. The seasoning was Pepper, Salt, Sugar and White Vinegar mixed together in a sweet sour mixture to taste and pickled together in a Barrels [55 Gallons]. I used this same mixture without the Cucumbers as our Lindy Salad in Hong Kong when we opened there in 1965 with great customer satisfaction. We also included a 5 Bean Salad as well. These salads are very pleasant low calorie and very tasty. Onions were always a option, but they would esculate the pickling process and accenuate the tastes, same with Garlic but i like it's effect. Irwin

I certainly appreciate the article but somehow feel that the Authors missed far to many points. [1] That price was the most important point [2] Enjoying the Forbidden Fruits: IE: Lobster Cantonese, the cheapest best tasting Lobster anywhere Shrimp with Lobster Sauce or Shrimp with Chinese Vegetables or Butterfly Shrimp Roast Pork Cantonese, Pork Spareribs, Roast Pork with Chinese Vegetables Egg Foo Young, Fried Rice, Lo Mein, Chop Suey, Chow Mein in all variations Won Ton Soup, Egg Drop Soup, Fortune Cookies, Ice Cream and Jello These were the basic's of Jewish NYC Chinese Food in the 1950s and 60's. The next step was SubGum Chow Mein and subtle variations thru the 60's. The introduction of Kosher Style Chinese Food at Schmulka Bernsteins together with Kosher Pizza started the spread into the Kosher Community. Many Jews still kept Kosher at home, but somehow rationalized that eating Chinese on special occassions was okay. My inlaws kept Kosher at home, but on Saturdays since the owned a business on the lower east side were closed but reguarly ate Chinese Food out at restaurants, never brought take out home or for some reason never ate Ham or mixed Meat with Dairy. Somehow this didn't apply to Ice Cream at Chinese Restaurants or Pork, Shrimps or Lobster but Ham or Pork Chops wasn't allowed. I never understood that rationale. It also was extended to Nathans at Coney Island or Lundys Restaurant at Sheepshead Bay where the Shore Dinner was permited with it Chowder, Lobster, Steamed Clams and again Ice Cream on the Pie a La Mode oh I also forget Juniors Restaurant on Flatbush Avenue also met the criteria. I remember that when I opened Lindys in Hong Kong that my comment to Walter Cronkite on CBS news that we opened Lindy's in Hong Kong because if you saw a lot of Chinese Restaurants in NYC ir ment you were in a Jewish Neighborhood that opening in Hong Kong was only a way to get even was repeated Coast to Coast over 5 times by popular demand, plus the NY Times, Newsweek and Time Magazine. Irwin I'm going to reinterate my explanations that were conclusions from what we considered a through investigation of the popularity of Chinese Food in most major metro neighborhoods before developing a Kosher Chinese Menu for Schmulka Bernsteins on the lower east side. As i've tried to esplain previously the most important reason was PRICE. During the considerable growth of the NYC Chinese Food into Jewish Neighborhoods. [There is a considerable difference between NYC Chinese Food and any others served thruout the states] this was caused because of the value/price ratio sitting in a place close to home. [Remember walking was how you got to the restaurant, cars were not yet as common]. If you went to a deli/restaurant to eat with your family generally about 5/6 including adults and children it was more expensive then eating at almost any Chinese Restaurants. At a deli ordering several hot dogs, couple bowls of soup, several sandwiches, knishes or french fries was more expensive then a Chinese Dinner for 4 or so, that was enough food for everyone that included Egg Rolls, Roast Port, Spare Ribs and a couple of chices from "A" and "B" with desserts and fortune cookies, plenty of tea with waiter service. Lobster was only slightly more expensive. "OUH VEH, What a Deal, plus veryone was stuffed and contented. There was no such thing about being opened Sundays, every place opened for eating was sure to be open on Sunday, especially the Jewish Style, Dairy or Kosher places. As incomes, car ownership and suburbs expanted so did the Chinese Restaurants more elaborate, with more exciting extensive menus but still in the Jewish areas, and since price wasn't so important still popular because they were family orientated provided delivery, stayed open later and made the custiomers welcomed. The competition was the Cookies type Steak Joints, Giant Diners and the causalties became the Delis and more awful to me the appetizing stores and dairy restaurants. Later on evolved the more prestigious Chinese Restaurants and the so called Ethinic Chinese Restaurants and finally the ethinic operations in China Town that catered to the new Chinese Immigrants and of course the modernized Jewish customers. Always ready to frese and enjoy. I comfortably state my case, and am willing to defent my points without anything but a full tummy and over 50 years of eating everywhere in the world. Irwin

For the kind of vist you'll be making i'd like to recommend that you order a copy of "Seoul Food Finder" by Andrew & Jinny Salmon published by Cookand. The website follows: www.cookand.net My issue is from 2001 and was purchased in Korea. It contains detailed reviews of over 140 restaurants in the general area, and i've found it very accurate. Check if there a more recent update as Cookand Magazine is the top food publication in Korea. Irwin

jo-mei: That version of African Chicken is very different to the Hong Kong/ Macau Chicken Dishes most popular. Africian Chicken or "Pipi-Piri Chicken as it's commonly called is one type. Portugese Chicken is the other more commonly served. The "Portugese Chicken" was first introduced in the Towngas Cookery Book in 1962 by the Hong Kong and China Gas Company. This was the first Cookbook published and cross referenced by English to Chinese and Chinese to English utilizing local Cantonese translations. Many of the Baked and Casserole type dishes were incorporated into the them stylish Chinese/European Style Cafes becoming popular in the Colony. The Africian Chicken was a street side specialy in Macau where a whole Chicken was often Butterflied, after being mariniated in Piri-Piri Sauce [Hot-Hot in Portugese] cooked over coals and served, or featured in most Macau Restaurants. The Portugese Chicken was a Chicken Cassarole with onions, potatoes, evaporated milk, boiled eggs, coconut cream, mushrooms and flour with concentrated chicken broth, peanut oil, a touch of saffron, chinese "F arDue" wine, Spring Onions, Ginger, Maggi Sauce, Soy Sauce, salt and pepper. This recipe remains pretty much the same even after all these years and its still popular. If anyones really interested in the details i'd be glad to dig out a copy of the cookbook and write it verbatim. Irwin

By the way since you mentioned Bob Jones thought you'd be amused that almost every week we'd get a group together with "Father Devine"- over from Newark for a bountifull meal where he'd say grace in yoddish with a big smile. Generally took several Cheesecakes back to Newark.

Weequahic salad = pronounced "Week-wake," named for a reknowned diner in NJ, similar to a health salad, cabbage and other veggies in a vinegar-sugar marinade. Gehakte leber = chopped liver Zisse rossel = sweet-sour pickled beet salad We live less than a mile from Bob Jones. Our next door neighbor is a VP. He and his family are extremely friendly, decent people, and we do not -- as the cliche goes -- discuss religion, sex or politics. However, even then I will give them the benefit of the doubt because I am the resident flaming liberal of our local op-ed page, so they know where I stand on all the fundamentalist flashpoint issues. (If you're interested in reading a column I wrote after Dubya spoke at BJU during the 2000 campaign: http://marcmusing.com/whatami_inwalking.html) Despite their wackiness, the folks at BJU are not a monolith. Some of them, like our neighbors, are pretty easygoing folks who, if they condemn you to hell, do it at 40 decibels behind your back. Others, particularly fire-breathing upperclassmen, preach damnation tag-team style from the downtown corners of Main and Coffee nonstop all Saturday afternoon at 140 decibels. Just another cool Shabbos afternoon activity . . . Blessings on your fressings! Rabbi: Now i'm sure our fressing paths crossed. The Weequaic Diner in NewarK NJ was owned by the Baum Brothers, for wHom I worked for several years just before and after the WeeQuaic Diner closed and Morris Baum continued to operate the Claremont Diner in Verona NJ whom many posters on this board remember from before it burned down.. Both place served the Health Salad at every table complimentry together with on premise made 1/2 & 1/2 and Sour Pickles. For several years this location was considered the busiest high volume Restaurant of it's size in America. It wasn't unusual to serve 2500 customers on any weekend day or holiday. The Bakery generally sold retail over 800/1000 rye breads and on Fridays over 1500 Chalahs. It was originally a standard diner with about 100 seats but was expanded to over 330 seats with parking for over 600 cars, The food, deserts and bakery products were second to none even with the high volume. We would prepare in excess of 5000 pounds of shrimp for weekends, together with 500 or more pounds of chopped liver. Many suppliers serviced us 7 days a week. It was a wonderfull experience even though I had to commute from Brooklyn daily. Irwin

All it takes is two Magical words if i'm not mistaken. "SHABOS GOY". Irwin

The Chinese have a expression that seems so perfect for your application. To do this correctly you must rub two fingers up and down your cheek. Next elevate your head slightly. Finally state clearly with feeling "BIG NOSE". Then quickly enjoy some "giggling". While this is taking place i'll be grabing up all the Macaroons that didn't make first place. So while you get to only eat "THE ONE", i'll enjoy all the other ones. Irwin

Michael: That was a mid afternoon Snack for my wife and my self. Believe it ? For Lunch in those days I'd scraff: Bowl Matzoh Ball Soup, Pastrami Sandwich, Slice Garlic Wurst , Knish and bottles of Dr Browns Celery and Cream Soda. Someday i'll tell you how my eating habits wound up after about 50 years full time. Irwin

I certainly appreciate the article but somehow feel that the Authors missed far to many points. [1] That price was the most important point [2] Enjoying the Forbidden Fruits: IE: Lobster Cantonese, the cheapest best tasting Lobster anywhere Shrimp with Lobster Sauce or Shrimp with Chinese Vegetables or Butterfly Shrimp Roast Pork Cantonese, Pork Spareribs, Roast Pork with Chinese Vegetables Egg Foo Young, Fried Rice, Lo Mein, Chop Suey, Chow Mein in all variations Won Ton Soup, Egg Drop Soup, Fortune Cookies, Ice Cream and Jello These were the basic's of Jewish NYC Chinese Food in the 1950s and 60's. The next step was SubGum Chow Mein and subtle variations thru the 60's. The introduction of Kosher Style Chinese Food at Schmulka Bernsteins together with Kosher Pizza started the spread into the Kosher Community. Many Jews still kept Kosher at home, but somehow rationalized that eating Chinese on special occassions was okay. My inlaws kept Kosher at home, but on Saturdays since the owned a business on the lower east side were closed but reguarly ate Chinese Food out at restaurants, never brought take out home or for some reason never ate Ham or mixed Meat with Dairy. Somehow this didn't apply to Ice Cream at Chinese Restaurants or Pork, Shrimps or Lobster but Ham or Pork Chops wasn't allowed. I never understood that rationale. It also was extended to Nathans at Coney Island or Lundys Restaurant at Sheepshead Bay where the Shore Dinner was permited with it Chowder, Lobster, Steamed Clams and again Ice Cream on the Pie a La Mode oh I also forget Juniors Restaurant on Flatbush Avenue also met the criteria. I remember that when I opened Lindys in Hong Kong that my comment to Walter Cronkite on CBS news that we opened Lindy's in Hong Kong because if you saw a lot of Chinese Restaurants in NYC ir ment you were in a Jewish Neighborhood that opening in Hong Kong was only a way to get even was repeated Coast to Coast over 5 times by popular demand, plus the NY Times, Newsweek and Time Magazine. Irwin

Whenever I used to go to Katz's for a Snack? I followed the custom learned from my Father-in-Law who owned a business on Eldridge Street. They generally ordered a Pastrami on Rye and a side order of Chopped Liver that always came with Sliced Rye Bread. This was reassembled at the table into several combination sandwiches of Pastrami and Chopped Liver. During the week at lunchtime it wasn't unusual to see this being put together on more then a few tables. The other sides that seemed popular were Coleslaw, Potato Salad or French Fries. The Coles Law or Potato Salad were often also incorperated into the Sandwiches the French Fries were a inbdulgence with ketchup for big eaters. A lot of these guys shared regular tables at lunch for years, something like a lunch at Katz's Club. Irwin

Sun-Ki: The sign on the outside of the Sushi/Prime Rib Restaurant when the Original Mekong opened just stated "PRIME RIB", carved to order and "SUSHI" if it had any other name I don't remember what it was. The Chef/Owners both worked at the Hawaiian Village where they both had full time Breakfast/Lunch jobs that got them out early enough to open for dinner daily. They did a good job but appearently were under capitolized. Keo's original Family Market was open for several years prior to begining the Restaurant business. They had terrifuic fresh vegetables and herbs locally grown by refugees specially for the shop, plus authentic imports. I still have several bottles from 2 cases of Vietnams most Famous Fish Sauce that I've presented to Grand Mas on special occasions that bring tears and memories back. The name of the saue is "PHU-QUOC", Fish Sauce and it comes in a unusal appearently hand made bottle with a tightly sealed cap. It was made from a Factory located on the River that was a causalty of the war. The taste and flavor is much better then any other Fish Sauces i've ever tried. I remember eating dinner at Keo's with both Jim Nabor , Alan Carr and Cheryl Ladd where she was able to eat much hotter dishes then anybody else with gusto, showing no effect while everyone else suffered runny noses except my wife and Cheryl. Irwin

In England the Holiday Turkey is often a Bird that you order at the end of November from your Butcher, who then especially if they are locared in any of the Traditional Public Markets with receive your Turkey in all it's feathered Glory and Hand it on the Wall of his stall or Shop after weighing and taging the bird with your name. Since the majority of these shops have littne or no heating the Turkeys will hang on the walls to age until you arrange to pick it up just before the Holiday when the Butcher will remove the Feathers, Dress and Truss the Bird for your Roasting. The first time that I was served this type of Hung Turkey I expected it to taste like other types of Game that had been Hung that I wasn't able to actually manage to eat, like the Queens Grouse [WOW] or Dressed Hare or Pheasant [acceptable]. But the Turkey possably due to it's size, or the time of the year weather wise has always been DELICIOUS. Its juicy, tender and yummy. Nothing Gamy or Aged in it's taste. Plus the Birds don't have any addatives, injections or flavor enhancers so common in Domestic Turkeys. For years at various Restaurants that i've been involved with we purchase the Largest Free Range Turkeys available, arrange to have them Kosher Killed and using the Chinese Fan/Air Drying Method Hang them for about 8/10 days in a Walk In Aging Refrigerator prior to Roasting. It doesn't take long for these Restaurants to full up for the Holidays they are serving this Turkey as word of mouth and customers enjoyment of the Dinners seem to bring them back annually.

In retrospect after thinking about my previous post I remembered that the Thai Restaurant that I attributed to Keo's was in fact the "Mekong Thai Restaurant" that opened at the Sushi/Prime Rib location that may have been on South Bretania not King. Keos was on Kalakala Avenue, where it was always popular. I'd only eat there when we could find nearby parking. But it was Hollywood West in Honolulu. The few times that i've sent friends to eat at his restaurants recently the comments were that meals were high priced and nothing special. These were from people who are familiar with the Thai restaurants in Seattle and San Francisco. So yesterday I sent visiting friends there to try a meal and they agreed that it seemed high priced and not as good as the Thai places they eat at in NYC. Irwin

Louisa: I'm familiar with the differences of both types of Macaroons. Laduree's are picture perfect, elegant and delicious. Our evolved American Variations are most of the time at best mediocre, sometimes interesting but except for the few pastry shops capable of making the authentic types rarely available. My ideal "Macaroon", is what was available in Paris at the Jewish Bakeries, they offered both the French Style and a adaptation that to me was more satisfying and better tasting then what was prepared anywhere else in Europe. For some reason the Jewish Bakeries were more interested in what tastes good then in the elegance or appearence. It seemed during my infrequent visits, none recently. That they were to busy turning out the merchandise for lined up customers then contriving to seem special. I haven't been back personally since one of the Bakeries had the misfortune of being located where there was a bombing several years ago, but i understand they've rebuilt and reopened. Please take the time to check these Bakeries out, and please post your impressions as they've been in business successfully for many years in a very competative market with very little publicity or promotion just doing their thing. Irwin