prasantrin

If I'm alone, or dining at home with close family members, I'll cut several pieces (or the whole thing, depending on how big it is) at once, and hold my fork in my right hand. If I'm in public, or dining with non-family members, I'll cut one piece at a time, and hold my fork in my left hand. When I'm alone I'll also stuff powdered doughnuts in my mouth so I get powdered sugar all over my face, and lick my fingers, but that's a whole other thread...

I've never seen them for sale, even at Filipino grocery stores. You might want to ask the restaurants you've been frequenting where they get theirs (they probably bring them in from the Phil.), and if they'd be willing to sell you one. If that fails, find a Filipino friend who'll be visiting the Phil. soon, and ask them to pick one up for you. I might be going in the spring, so I could do it (but would be sending it to you from Japan).

I love it. I should note that I've only used the "cappuccino" milk foamer once (just because I accidentally pushed the foamer down, and couldn't figure out how to get it back up), so if you're thinking of using it for that, I can't give an informed review. It did seem to foam the milk very well (not that I'm an expert on foaming), though. The milk coffee it makes is very good milk coffee, and it's great that I don't have to worry about timing anymore (I used to microwave my milk and make single cups of coffee, so often my coffee would cool a little waiting for the milk to heat, or vice versa). It's very easy to use and makes a perfect amount of milk coffee for my 0.5L Dunoon Cat Mug. My only complaint is that sometimes I get some some very fine coffee grounds in my coffee--like the chocolate milk powder that sits in the bottom of your cup if you've ever made Nestle Quick. Much finer than undissolved chocolate milk powder, but not as pleasant. I think I just need more practice putting the coffee in the filter, or perhaps I should use a slightly coarser ground of coffee. I would highly recommend watching the user video on the Bialetti commercial website before using it. I found the English directions in the manual to be a bit lacking. But then, I had never used a moka before, so I was a complete newbie with these types of coffee makers. edited for spelling and additional content.

Not only has scanning resulted in less accuracy, but it has also resulted in poorer customer service. If not for scanning, cashiers and the like (and yes, I have worked as a cashier--in fact, it was my dream job as a five year old) would actually have to use their brains, and would therefore require brains and perhaps even some common sense. No offense intended to all those presently working as cashiers...

Regarding care of a Moka pot, I have a Mukka Express (don't worry, I didn't get the cheesy cow-print one), in which one must put milk in the upper part of the maker. So far, I've been washing the upper part with soap to help get rid of the milk residue. For this type of maker, would you still suggest not using soap? I don't use soap in the water holder, or to wash the screen, or the black frother thing--those I just rinse out with water. But sometimes the milk residue is a bit tough to get out, even when I wash it right away. I've been using pre-ground Illy espresso. The milk coffee I make has a slightly more bitter flavour that the Illy I get in my favourite Italian restaurant, but I'm guessing it's because of the nature of the Mukka. I'll try Lavazza next time.

Ditto about the window-paning. When I was taking a bread-baking class, I would try the window-pane thing and not be able to get it (and would therefore want to knead longer), but then my teacher would try it, and the dough was fine. Window-paning is a technique in itself, and it takes practice to do it properly.

Some people! A friend recently told me a story of being invited to an acquaintance's son's birthday party. She bought him a gift, spending more than she would have for her own son. They ordered pizza and when the party was over, the acquaintance asked everyone for money to pay for the pizza. That was when my friend decided her acquaintance would soon become a stranger...

When I was at grad school in the US, I loved Stonyfield Farms with the cream on top. At one potluck breakfast, I skimmed all the cream off before the others could get to it...(none of them appreciated the cream, anyway...or so I keep telling myself )

As dls' reply suggests, there may have been a valid reason for asking you for your ID. I'd call or write to the manager about your experience and request an explanation. I've been asked for ID at Surdyk's in MSP by someone whom I think was younger than I. Do you think I could have asked her for ID, too? Surely if they must confirm that I, the buyer, is of legal age, then I have a responsibility to ensure the seller is also of legal age. I'm 36, incidentally, and I fully expect to be carded (at least in the US) until I'm in my 50s, maybe even my 60s! It's the price one pays for good genes and supple Asian skin.

I didn't think that was what this thread was about, at all. I thought herbicidal was trying to get others to advertise the highlights of their cities' food scenes, so that if, for example, I were going to Boise, Idaho, I could come to this thread and read what a local thinks is best in their city. Winnipeg, my hometown, has great cheap "ethnic" food due to its large immigrant population. If you ever have to go to Winnipeg, you'll at least have that to look forward to. And while you'll never get anything close to the fine dining of larger cities, you can get very good food (at Winnipeg's versions of fine dining establishments) for far more reasonable prices. Now, if you ever come to Winnipeg, you'll know to either go for the cheap ethnic place, or a more expensive not-quite-fine-dining place, but you'll know not to expect the likes of West in Vancouver (not that I've been there), Alinea in Chicago (not been there, either), or Per Se in New York (ditto).

Last weekend I made Korova cookies and peanut butter cookies (recipe by Ling in RG). Both super easy, and they both went over very very well. And peanut butter cookies are practically breakfast, with all that protein from the peanut butter! And happy belated birthday!! I think you shouldn't post pics of the cakes you make--it'll make me too hungry and jealous! All your food looks fab, by the way!

I saved the rest of the cookies for some of my students (they're seniors and I had my last class with them yesterday). We played a game and the winning teams in each class got peanut butter cookies, and they loved them! And these are Japanese kids, who generally don't care for peanut butter! Definitely a winner recipe, even if you don't like peanut butter!

That's probably why she became a biter... I loved your bagel pictures, but they made me so jealous! Would you ever suggest making the dough by hand, or is a mixer absolutely necessary. I don't have a stand mixer, and am not likely to get one while living in Japan, but I want a decent bagel!!!

What an interesting topic, which brings up another question (for me). I had always assumed tips were shared with boh, but now it seems I was mistaken. If I were to leave a tip for boh in addition to leaving one for foh, would I leave less of a tip for foh than I normally would (back when I assumed it was shared amongst all? For example--let's say I tip $20 on a $100 bill. Should I give $10 to foh, and $10 to boh, or $20 to foh, and then a bit more for boh? The latter, I admit, would want to make me give up on dining out altogether...

I've decided that if I'm going to stay a fourth year in Japan, I need to get me a grinder and make some sausage. Now do I get me an electric grinder or a hand-cranked one? I vaguely remember an acquaintance telling me to stay away from hand-cranked, because by the time I get the meat ground, it'll be warm. (Also, I have tendinitis in both my elbows, and carpal tunnel in my left wrist.) What do you sausage-making gods and goddesses suggest? I can't stand just looking at all the sausages being made in this cook-off. I need to participate!

There's a Canadian TV show called Loving Spoonfuls where the host goes to the houses of grandmothers' and cooks with them. It was on for three seasons, but is no longer on the air. It was a great show. Edited to add: According to their website, it was on for four seasons, and will soon be rebroadcast on CBC. And the show was about cooking, but the grandmothers also talked about their lives (their lives in the "old country", why they came to Canada, etc. etc.), and that's one of the things that made the show so interesting. Most, though not all, of the grandmothers were immigrants so the show focused on "ethnic" foods.

It depends... What time is their reservation? If it's the first seating of the evening, it's easier to seat 16 people, so it wouldn't be so much of a problem in terms of logistics. However, tables of 16, in my experience, tend to stay longer than smaller tables, so you run the risk of having them hog 4 tables for much longer than anticipated, especially since 16 people are very rarely all on time (thereby risking the loss of other customers, and additional tips for the waitstaff). If you do decide to accept her request, I would suggest letting her know there will be a limited seating period, and an autograt. If the reservation is later (the last seating, for example), it might be very difficult to put together a table for 16. In this case, you could tell them if there are enough tables available at that time, you would be happy to seat them together, though it may not be possible, and if more than x number of people are seated together, there will be an autograt. But if I were in your place, I would say no (unless I were desperate for business). She's being sneaky and manipulative. That right there tells me it's going to be a difficult and demanding table. Not worth it, in my opinion.

They may still be available in Japan. I see vacuum pots around a lot, but have never looked very closely at them. I could send you one (shipping is a risk, though--but I could pack the box in a well-padded bigger box to help protect it) for merely the cost of the pot and shipping. If I can find one, that is...

In your interview with Susan, you said What do you think are the positives (and/or negatives) of having food "celebrities"? By "celebrity", I mean both those with popular cooking shows who are average cooks, and those professional chefs who stress showmanship over skill. Are they an asset or a detriment to teaching people to really cook (both the skills and the art of cooking)?

I made Korova cookies yesterday, too! I limited myself to just one for dessert, along with one peanut butter cookie (Ling's recipe in RG). I also had both for dessert yesterday and my friend, for whom I brought them, raved about them. Korova cookies go especially well with Mariage Freres coconut tea, by the way.

If comparing British sausages and US hot dogs, I think a fairer comparison would be the British sausage roll vs. the US hot dog. What's the societal significance of a sausage roll? Is it eaten in a similar manner as a hot dog (which is what I would imagine--with your hands, on the go or as a quick meal/snack). Do British people have a fondness for sausage rolls the way Americans love their hot dogs? For example, if I were to diss a sausage roll, would a Brit come to its defence with the same passion that an American might defend a hot dog? I'm not American, and I don't have any particular attachment to hot dogs, though I do love a good sausage roll. Come to think of it, I don't think many Canadians are very attached to hot dogs and many would definitely prefer a good sausage roll.

I remember a time when you were doing both Cooking Live and Cooking Live Primetime. It seemed to be such a hectic time for you (doing both shows, plus running home in between to have dinner with your family), but you were always so put together. How did you ever manage to do all that, plus work at Gourmet, and still say sane? Do you have any fond memories of that time, or being so busy, was it mostly a blur? Any good funny moments or bloopers from the shows that you'd like to share? (I do remember a pan getting too hot, and the guest chef using one of the dish towels to wipe the oil out of the pan...it made me cringe!)

I once went to a restaurant and asked if they could make me Kir (not on the menu). They knew what it was, and they graciously obliged. I got cocktail glass filled with white wine, about a teaspoon of creme de cassis, and a few ice cubes... At another restaurant Kir was actually on the menu. If it's on the menu, they must know how to make it, right? Another cocktail glass filled with white wine, slight more creme de cassis than the other place, and crushed ice.

Thanks! The dough is sitting in my fridge as I type (actually, there was no room in my fridge so it's on my balcony--who says 5C weather isn't good for anything?). I'm going to bake a few off to bring to a friend for lunch. I just made some Korova dough, too.

I don't know what you already serve, so forgive me if I repeat anything... One of my favourite bakeries does a Croque Monsieur (with bechamel, of course!). They reheat it in a toaster oven and it comes out perfectly rich and gooey and just...divine! Parco Cafe in Nashville does a salmon sandwich--chunks of salmon, mixed with chunky vegetables and marinated in an oil/vinegar/herb dressing. They also have an eggplant sandwich that was amazing. I still have dreams about it, and I'm dying to get back to Nashville to try their new place.