prasantrin

Please add me as a maybe. My usual +1 will be abroad this summer, so I'm not sure if it will be worth it for me to do it solo.

I think a DSLR might not be the way for you to go. It's a significant investment and not necessarily a prudent one if you're mostly using it to take photos of food for eG. Not only that, but you've indicated "[t]urning the flash on and off is as advanced as I get in manipulating the camera and I get a headache just thinking about Photoshop." It takes time and effort to learn to use a DSLR properly and it seems to me that you'd like something that provides more instant gratification. If you're serious about creating good photos (not only of food, but of other subjects, as well), you'd be better off learning how to use your current camera and all of its functions first (and of course practising composing shots and learning about lighting). Then if you haven't lost interest in photography after you've done that, upgrade to a DSLR and you can learn even more. The manual for your camera is readily available online at the Canon website. If you really want to improve your shots, download it and start using your camera as though you were using it for the first time.

Merguez is not exclusively Moroccan. It's made all across North Africa, so perhaps lamb is more commonly used in one of the other countries in North Africa.

You may have to accept that your camera's sensor isn't going to give you the quality of shots you want. I'm not in any way saying your camera is bad (it's a good camera for its price point), but if you want vibrant indoor shots without using photoshop, you may have to invest in something more expensive. But if you don't want to do that (and you certainly don't have to), then be happy with the shots you're getting using natural light (your lighting seems a bit subdued in that picture--was it very sunny that day and was the sun shining through the window?), and do some post-processing when needed. You said you were only after "okay", and the chile picture falls under that category. Do you really want more? You could also build a light box to help with the lighting, but if you're only after "okay", then why bother?

I think it's a bit premature to be planning gifts and foods to serve. With every single well-organized exchange in which I've been involved, a month or so before leaving, the students receive an information package which includes mini-biographies of all the members of the homestay family. It's best to wait until your son receives that, and then think about what the family might enjoy. (But I've also been involved in one or two disorganized exchanges where the host families hadn't even been decided until a week or two before departure, and those were with US-based schools.) That being said, Osaka-style okonomiyaki, curry, and nikujaga are usually sure bets. Very few furreners dislike those things, and nikujaga in particular is very familiar to people who don't know much about Japanese food. If he does nikujaga, I would suggest bringing a bottle of good quality mirin that he can leave behind for the family, as those are hard to find. For Osaka-style okonomiyaki, consider sticking a nagaimo into his luggage, and okonomiyaki sauce (which I find to be outrageously expensive outside Japan considering what it is). Also, gyoza can be a fun way to involve the host family members in the making of the dinner, and all the ingredients including the wrappers are readily found in East Asian markets. As for what to bring back for you, beans are a good choice if you like them. Also, dried chiles are light, and not as readily available in Japan. Then son2 can experiment with more Mexican-type foods when he returns.

I would bet a well-trained Japanese mixologist could free-pour 1 1/2 ounces with as much accuracy as most people measuring with a jigger. As with apprenticeships in any craft in Japan, there's an attention to detail and precision expected, and should an apprentice not be able to measure up, s/he won't be allowed to become a professional. That leads apprentices to practise, practise, and then practise more until they reach that level.

Correction--Ozersky said he didn't do well socially so meat was his companion, Perlow said obsession with food makes up for something missing in his life, Plotnicki said it was an escape from the confinement life imposes, and Shaw said it was like sex for people like him and Ozersky (he was kind enough to speak on behalf of Ozersky) who didn't do so well with the ladies.

I didn't see it as "gee-whiz" at all. From what I remember, he left the food forum world largely because he was disgusted with it and the attitudes of many of the people in it (and who ran it). He was attempting to get answers to questions he had had for some time. Like, "WTF, it's just food. Why the hell would you do the things you do to other people just over food?" And he got his answer from what I heard in the show. It's all about making up for being powerless (in whatever way) in the non-virtual world. Whether it be powerless with women, powerless socially. . .whatever. Simplistic, but not entirely inaccurate. So, let me get this straight, you are proposing that the reason guys blog is that they can't get laid? Of course, Tony is a real ladies man. Did you even watch the show? I can't remember anything Perlow said, but Plotnicki said he didn't do so well socially, and FG said people like him didn't do so well with the ladies. All three of them said the obsession with food was in part to fulfill something missing in their lives. I didn't say it, they did.

I didn't see it as "gee-whiz" at all. From what I remember, he left the food forum world largely because he was disgusted with it and the attitudes of many of the people in it (and who ran it). He was attempting to get answers to questions he had had for some time. Like, "WTF, it's just food. Why the hell would you do the things you do to other people just over food?" And he got his answer from what I heard in the show. It's all about making up for being powerless (in whatever way) in the non-virtual world. Whether it be powerless with women, powerless socially. . .whatever. Simplistic, but not entirely inaccurate.

I agree-I saw a very unflattering portrait of food bloggers, and I don't think it was all due to editing. My mother overhead one of the comments made on the show (I was watching via YouTube) and said, "Who said that? Bourdain? Wow, that's very arrogant!" We were rather disgusted by those segments, quite honestly. But the cheese and wagyu segements. . . boy would I ever like a good steak followed by a nice cheese plate right now!

What a lovely idea! I love your mango pudding - I'd be interested to know how you would package that up for giving? Maybe in fancy little jars? Why, pudding cups of course! They come complete with lids! If I go that route, I'd probably use aluminium ones. Not as pretty, but more environmentally friendly (since I know people won't be re-using the cups the way I do, but they'll just throw them out). Giving the ingredients along with the final product is a great idea. I did something similar once with the ingredients for sangria, and it went over smashingly. But I'm quite sure none of the planned recipients will be making whatever I give them. None of them bake except the Italian restaurant folks! Not even my neighbour! The women in the office at school might, though, so perhaps I'll cobble something together for them, depending on what I make. They'd appreciate it, I'm sure! About packaging--I'm not too good at making things look pretty. That's usually when I pull out my "I'm a foreigner even though I don't look like one" card, and people usually give me a pass. It helps that I actually make things they like and enjoy eating (unlike the other furrener baker in my workplace). But I will definitely be wrapping whatever I made somehow. I have a lot of cake boxes, etc. leftover from the baking classes I took, so it'll be a good way to get rid of some of them. Helen--do you think the restaurant owners and dry-cleaners might think it's a little weird that I'm giving them gifts? I'm a regular, and they're quite friendly with me. I just don't want to cross any lines or anything.

I'm getting ready to leave Japan after 6 (sometimes very long) years. I want to give little "thank you presents" to some people whom I have come to appreciate. These include people like the owners of my favourite local restaurant, my dry cleaners, the security guards at my workplace, etc. etc. I wanted to make them something, but don't know what's appropriate. I was thinking of my lemon pound cake (always very popular) or mango pudding (I have a lot of mango puree to use up). I could also do brownies--I have a lot of unsweetened chocolate to use, too. There's also an option of caramels or buttercrunch toffee. Any suggestions? When I bake I usually lessen the sugar to accommodate Japanese tastes, so I'm not so worried about finding things they'll like (although specific suggestions for the security guards might be helpful--I don't know how keen they are about sweets). Or would it be very inappropriate to give this type of present in Japan?

You'd better tell the Japanese none of the domestic salmon is really domestic, then. From the ever accurate source Wiki: You're right that the Japanese have never developed a knife specifically for use on smoked fish, but they've never needed to. They were able to do quite well with the knives they had already developed, so there was no need to fashion a new one. And you're right that smoked salmon is not found naturally in Japan, but then it is not found naturally in any country as it's a processed food. They do, indeed, eat lox or similarly cured salmon in Japan, and judging from what can be found in grocery stores, it's consumed relatively frequently. I have no doubt that a Western-made knife made specifically for slicing smoked salmon will work splendidly, nor do I doubt some of the Japanese knives could do an equally splendid job.

Thanks for the reply! I only spent about 48 hours in the area, and part of that time was wasted in San Fernando trying to see the Giant Lantern Festival. We ended up eating at a buffet place specializing in Pampangan foods that night. The only other place I remember eating at was a Vietnamese place in the basement of Rockwell. It was fine for a mid-morning breakfast. I wanted tocino, but none of the restaurants around there really serve Filipino breakfast food. We did a taste test of various ensaimada from home bakers. That was probably the most fun I had during the trip, even if it involved running around the area to pick them up!

Breadcrumbs are easily made at home, but I'd never make Japanese panko. It's a different animal, and I'm not even sure it can be made at home.

Ghee?

Just a FYI--I finally found a western-type leek at Hankyu Department Store. Y680!! And an acorn squash was Y1280!! No, they weren't organic, just imported from the good ol' US of A.

I just rolled it on a floured surface. I made sure my rolling pin was well-floured, as well, and I moved the dough around to make sure it didn't stick to the surface (adding a light dusting of flour when needed). As long as the butter in your dough is still cool, you can roll it out right away. But if your house is warm, you're better of refrigerating it for a bit. Depending on how warm your house is, when you take your dough out of the fridge, you may be ready to roll it in just 5 or 10 minutes. During late spring in Japan, I have to start rolling within that period of time because it's so warm in my apartment, but during winter, I have to let it sit out for at least 20 minutes, sometimes more, because it's so cold (sometimes it's only about 10 degrees celsius in my apartment).

After letting the dough sit in the fridge, did you let it sit out to warm up a bit before rolling it out? It doesn't tell you to in the recipe, but normally you let the dough sit on the counter for half an hour or so before you begin to roll it out. I didn't have an problems with the dough (except my too large pieces of butter leaking out), and it rolled out very easily. The bottom of my crust didn't brown very much, either. I used a pyrex pie plate, so it should have browned nicely. I'm guessing it didn't because of all the melted butter.

Thanks! Maybe the recipe I found was 1/2 a recipe. That's OK since I'm cooking for one!

My book won't arrive until January, but I found the recipe for the cauliflower soup online. Question--in the book does he recommend a weight for 1 head of cauliflower? In Japan cauliflower heads are awfully small (and expensive), so I think 1 head might be too little. It would be so much easier if there were a weight!

Another thought for leftover risotto is to bread it and fry in little patties or balls. A cube of some sort of cheese in the center makes it perfect. Of course probably not helpful in the weight loss area! Arancini! I love love love arancini. Arancini traditionally has ragu in the middle (plus cheese--it's always better with cheese). There's also suppli, but I can't remember the difference. Fried stuff is always good; fried stuff with cheese is even better. I wish I had a Thermomix to make risotto just so I could make arancini with the leftovers!

In other words, Filipino. Thanks for asking!

I ordered it and Momofuku from Amazon.com last week, and even paid for expedited shippping to Japan. Momofuku is due to arrive the day before I leave for holidays (hopefully it will arrive earlier, so I can make sure it gets delivere), but Ad Hoc probably won't be delivered until February. By that time, I'll have packed up all my stuff to move back to Canada! Darn backorders!

Here's a picture of the potato-pancake-like dish I had. I see it also had feta cheese on it. I think shrimp would go really well with it, too. Just use lightly poached or steamed shrimp and toss it with the topping.