prasantrin

When I said "official" I should have said "standard", in the sense of one way that is accepted by all, and used by all. The Hepburn system is, by the way, a method of transcribing rather than transliterating, which is what we were discussing with the use of n vs m. That's pretty much what I said. That's an entirely different kind of example. The [n] and [m] we are discussing are allophones--different versions of the same sound (what you would be referring to as "sound changes"). Substituting one sound for the other, and you'd still have the same meaning for the same word. The "zu" and "dzu" you allude to with "kudzu" are phonemes--these are not the result of sound changes, and if you substitute one for the other, you'd have entirely different words.

Sure, but a true Canadian uses only distilled white vinegar, preferably Heinz. Nothing but the best! I wonder if McD's still gives out vinegar packets if asked. I'll have to try it out this summer.

[m] is a bilabial nasal (a sound produced with both lips while restricting air from coming out of the nose) [n] is an alveolar nasal (produced by placing the tongue on the alveolar ridge--that ridge on the roof of your mouth--while restricting air from coming out of the nose) In many languages, sounds normally pronounced as [n] will become [m] when followed by other bilabial sounds ( bilabial stops/plosives and [p], and perhaps the bilabial fricative in Japanese--normally transcribed as "f" like "fu", though I don't know if there's a word in Japanese than has ~nfu~ in it). It's because it's more natural for the mouth (lips and tongue) to move that way. In Japanese, what is normally transcribed as syllable-final "n" can be writtten as either "m" or "n" and be considered "correct". Anyway, it's not entirely correct to say that "Tampopo" is more correctly spelled than "Tanpopo" or vice versa because if one were to "correctly spell" it, it would be written in hiragana, not in the Roman alphabet. As far as I know, there is no "official" rule of transcribing Japanese words into English sounds, and as I teacher I have seen a number of variations even in English textbooks (is it "Fu" or "Hu"? "Tsu" or "Tu"?). Transliterations are rarely perfect replicas of the transcriptions of the words.

I had to wait to reply until I could talk to a higher-up in the school. She (the Head of Discipline) pretty much said what you said. A lot of people, especially younger people, will eat and walk but older people still find it rude. Should anyone deem a particular action rude, then our students (or teachers) shouldn't do it, at least not while they are still under the care of the school. Note: In Japan, students are considered to be under the care of the school from the time they leave their houses until the moment they step in their homes. Even if they go shopping after school (which they aren't supposed to do), or go to juku immediately after school, they are still under the school's care. She said that most people understand that there are different rules for special occasions (festivals) and everyday life. Eating while walking is one of those things that's acceptable during festivals but not in everyday life. But in the minds of the higher ups of our school, if the students are allowed to break the rules in one area (even if it's OK), they are more likely to break that rule elsewhere, and break other rules, as well. Also, there are still those people who think eating while walking is rude anywhere, anytime, and the school is being considerate of them, as well. I brought up the idea that it might be dangerous, and she also mentioned the story of the boy who died. But also said the possibility of injury had no bearing on them telling the students not to eat while walking during the festival, since the death of that boy was an isolated incident. FWIW, I think the reasoning that it's dangerous to eat while walking is somewhat lame. I've seen the way kids behave while eating at home or in restaurants, and they are just as likely to hurt themselves while sitting in a chair (rocking it back and forth, holding their chopsticks in their mouths) than while walking.

Mustaffa is one of my favourite places in Singapore, and it's the only shopping place I always visit. Do be careful about buying certain dry goods there--rice, possibly other grains, as well. I was once trying to choose some basmati rice, only to notice all the black bugs crawling through almost every single container of the stuff. If the rice is infected, chances are the flours and such are, as well.

Has anyone tried Juicy citrus? I had some at a co-workers house. It was lovely! Similar to Sweetie, but it's not the same. It's yellow, like a grapefruit, and about the same size as a slightly large orange. I wanted to buy some, but they were Y189 at my local grocery store.

That is my second favourite yuzu drink. Coca Cola puts out a seasonal (I think it's seasonal) Hachimitsu Yuzu drink, served either hot or cold. It's a little lighter than the Dydo one, but also harder to find.

I wrote to Sherry Grindeland (the author of the article in the Seattle Times) and she said to make the recipe exactly as printed--don't whip the egg whites, don't add any leavening--it is a dense cake, as others have pointed out.

Yes and yes. How do people know what they're doing well if you don't tell them? Or what they should fix?

In 2003, Really Nice listed the prices of lunch at the French Laundry. Have they changed at all in the last three years? Their website says $210, including service, but doesn't clarify if it's the price for lunch, dinner, or both. I'll probably be in the area in August, and I'm planning where to eat. French Laundry is most definitely high on my list (if I can find someone to go with me), but I need to balance my budget (there are other places to eat, too!) and plan accordingly. If one should use Open Table to reserve, does the 10am start time still apply?

There was nothing else in the pastry. You could get other flavours (all apple-based, I think--apple and prune, apple and walnuts, apple and pear, etc.), but it was just the cake layer and apple mixture (in phyllo-like dough). It was so simple. I liked it even more than the Opera Tort I had! I think the cake might have been sponge cake. I had a small Touriere (just to taste it), so it was only about 1" in diameter and I ate it so quickly it was difficult to dissect it! I'll have to look at the RLB recipe. The cake portion really was very helpful in keeping the phyllo crisp. Without it, it would have been very soggy, I think. The possible North African origin is interesting. It did remind me of some of the little snacks I ate in Morocco, but I was told those were Chinese-influenced. The world is such a small place! Oh, I should add that I think the fillings used were from cans, not homemade. There were cans of the different fillings in the shop window--they were proudly displaying them, not hiding them. This shop is the only shop in Japan licensed to make these Tourtiere, so I guess they want everyone to know they're using the real thing.

I thought it was shriveled up chicken skin. Nothing is worse than seeing those little goose bumps on boiled/poached/braised chicken skin. All the more reason to fry everything!!!

I'm guessing those report covers are to protect the maps from food stains??

I went out for tea with a friend yesterday and we ended up at a French tea shop called 2eme (located in Chinatown in Kobe, Japan, of all places). The specialty of this shop was tourtiere de gascogne--they look like beggars' purses made with phyllo, and inside the little purse there's a layer of cake at the bottom and some caramelized apples (they had a few other fillings, but I had the plain apple). I thought perhaps they were a traditional pastry of Gascogne, but I found the tourtiere de gascogne website. It seems to be a trademarked product. Does anyone know anything about these little pastries? Are they, in fact, a traditional sweet from Gascogne, or are they a modern invention? Has anyone ever made them before?

It is my understanding that should a person lie on a resume, and get a job with that resume, s/he can (if the lie is discovered) be fired as well as sued for damages. It's not just an ethical issue, it's a legal one, as well.

I would go so far as to say most people still think it's rude to eat while walking. It's even a rule at the school at which I work. Related story... One of the temples near my school has a big festival every year, with many many vendors lining the road. The day the festival started, it was announced during chapel (which also acts as our morning assembly) that we should not eat while walking. Well, my co-worker and I disregarded this rule--"Who the hell goes to a festival and doesn't eat while walking?" we said. The next day, one of the Japanese teachers told me that some of her homeroom students said they tried really hard not to eat while walking, but then they saw me eating while walking!!! And wasn't it unfair? Those little snots ratted me out!

What I've learned is that you can eat it while sitting, but you shouldn't eat it while standing (unless you're at a street fair) and you definitely shouldn't eat while walking. I've done all of them, though. I think it may have been your choice of location that would be more problematic--had you sat on a bench or chair, it would have been a little more acceptable. But I, for one, enjoy playing the "gaijin" card and I even eat on trains!

Thank you! The next time I'm in Philadelphia, you can expect to see me! I'll be the one ordering Kir to be made with real Bordelaise Cassis (if only I could find some here!).

I made it yesterday! Not the quiche, just the crust. I used a pastry cutter first, then my hand mixer, and I still had some lumps of butter in the dough. In the instructions, it clearly says not to leave any lumps of butter, but I just can't work them all into the dough unless I do some serious kneading. Since you've used a hand mixer, too, did you have any lumps of butter in yours, and if you did, did your crust still turn out OK?

And I just happen to have some apricot jam! I'm not giving in on my search yet, though. I'm sure Chinese Plum Sauce exists somewhere in Japan! There may even be a Japanese version, but I'm always wary of Japanese versions of Chinese foods--they just don't have the flavours I'm used to.

Is there a substitute you can suggest for Plum Sauce? I wanted to make the Sweet and Sour Spareribs (using pork), but haven't been able to find plum sauce, yet. I'm still looking, though...

There was A&W in Bali!!??? Crap! I'd have made a special trip if I had known, but I never left Ubud... The A&Ws in Japan are all in Okinawa. They do have onion rings, and root beer, so I guess it's time I visited Okinawa! They're opening new ones all the time, so you never know when it might happen! Maybe I'll hit Mos Burger after I go to the gym today (bringing this back on topic). I can burn all those burger calories more efficiently if I eat after I exercise!

According to the website, they have a regular Ikea cafeteria--Swedish meatballs, salmon, breakfast, princess cake, but no Daim cake (from what I could see) . they also have an Ikea food store at the exit, so you can buy all the Swedish food you want just before you leave!

Kua'Aina, baby. They've got much better onion rings than any other place I've tried. You can even get onion rings instead of fries there, but you only get 3 (sometimes 4 if a couple are small). I'm out to find an A&W with onion rings. There must be one somewhere in Japan! I like the buns at Mos because they toast them. That's the best part of their burgers. I'll have to try Freshness Burger. I've only seen a picture of a Freshness Burger, and it wasn't pretty so I've resisted going there. But maybe it's time to give them a try.

The only cocktail I ever drink is Kir--not because I don't like other cocktails, but because it's simple, clean, and isn't very strong (alcohol is a strong trigger for my IBS). Would you look down on me for ordering one? You can be honest, I really don't mind, since I know I'm not a sophisticated drinker. But I'm just wondering what bartenders think of the lowly Kir. As an aside, I've met plenty of bartenders and waitstaff who have no clue what Kir is (though sometimes they might know Kir Royale...), and it's one of the easiest in the book!