prasantrin

Thanks for speaking up! It's nice to hear from someone who has actually tried it. Have you had any other instant coffee with which you can compare it to? I read a review that said while it wasn't as good as freshly-brewed coffee, it was better than other instant brands. Were you by chance able to see the ingredient list? I'm wondering if they add some "extras" to it to make it more like freshly-brewed coffee.

I agree. I live in Japan where I can get most anything, so I can buy and use almost any cookbook. But certain cookbooks that have a lot of recipes which use very country-specific items (butter-flavoured Crisco in the US, for example), are pretty much off my list for now. Although I'm in a different country, the same sentiment can apply to anyone who lives in a region with more limited availability of "ethnic" ingredients. For me, if I think I want to make about 75% of the recipes (not that I would ever make that many--I'm too lazy, but it's just the desire that counts), and then can make, using ingredients available to me, at least half those (not that I'd make that many, either), then I'd buy the book. I missed the "you don't write" part and just saw the title, so I thought, "There's a cookbook like that? I need to buy it!" I've got a bottle of pomegranate molasses in my pantry that's about 4 years old. I've only got 13 months left in Japan to use it up, and I don't know what I want to do with it! (I bought it for a recipe from FoodMan's eGCI course on Lebanese cooking, and haven't touched it since.)

I'm with you on the richness! I rarely eat carbonara because of that, and ditto for fettucine alfredo, too! (the real kind, not the gloopy North American kind). I find, though, that squeezing a wee bit of lemon juice on your plated carbonara or alfredo helps cut the richness and makes it a wee bit more interesting. Must be similar to what the wine did for C. sapidus' version. But shhh, don't tell anyone I do such a heathenistic thing! (is that a word?) That pictures sure does make it look good, though! Great job C. sapidus! I'd have eaten some, even if I don't really like carbonara.

You've got four plates and four sets of cutlery! Did you have a foursome staying in that room (that bed was certainly big enough!), or did they provide separate sets for the fruits and sweets? Sigh! I miss fancy schmancy hotel service. I tell ya, it's hard being poor! I will save up my pennies (or yens) to stay at the Four Seasons next time. Or maybe save my pennies for a Four Seasons time share. They do that, don't they?

I thought that was a stripper pole!

I have more than once stated my objection to tipping (although I do tip 15-20% on average and yes, I have worked as a server), but to say that you need "literally the most basic skills known to man" to be a server is in my opinion, incorrect. To be a good server[/g], you also need a high level of people skills--you need to be able to read your customer, buffer and resolve complaints, etc. etc. Those can be difficult skills to develop, and many many people in this world do not possess them at all. But does being a server mean a person already making minimum wage should make 15+% in addition to their base wage while those in similar positions (retail sales) don't get tips? I don't think so. For those working in states paying less than minimum wage, then sure. As for chasing down customers who don't leave good tips, it's wrong to do so if your intent is to ridicule them or make them feel embarrassed or bad. I think that just makes the server look bad as a person in addition to as a server.

I could be wrong, but I think for Dan the ethical issue is using eggs that aren't cage-free in his baking business, vs using cage-free eggs that may result in a higher amount of waste (and expense). I think you (Dan) need to consult with whatever rabbinical kosher supervisory board you will be under when/if your catering business becomes kosher. Show them the eggs, or have them explain the difference between a blood spot and a protein spot (or have them show you the difference). Also discuss with them the issues raised on the website slkinsey linked to. There are a whole bunch of "ifs" that would allow you to continue using cage-free eggs as long as the supervisory board agrees (there was something about eggs from chickens that live in rooster-free environments, for example). Also, are your cage-free eggs rated A or AA and from a supermarket? From http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/english/Journal/broyde-1.htm

I'm back again. I'm just about to do the first cooking of some fries I cut. I'll boil, then dry and put them on a rack to dry more. I'll do the first fry tomorrow evening. After I do the first fry, I'll definitely be doing a second fry of some of them shortly after. But for the rest, can I hold them again for a day or two without much loss of quality, even though I've already held them for a day after the initial cooking? Pam wrote she used to do the first fry, then freeze them until needed. Can I do that with this method, too? So it would be: boil--dry--fridge overnight fry on low--drain freeze for an unknown period of time (no too long, but longer than a week, probably), then do second fry from frozen or hold in fridge overnight (or two), then do second fry. And about the freezing, I thought potatoes were supposed to deteriote when frozen. Is that different with fried potatoes?

Are you only looking for US-based people, or do Canadians count, too? We're probably the largest market outside the US for US cookbooks, after all. I'm from Winnipeg, which has a population of 650 000, add another 50 000 if you want to include surrounding municipalities. --Pomegranate molasses: can get it, but not so easily. Would have to go to a specialty store (Winnipeg is not that large, though, it it probably wouldn't be more than a 20-minute drive to find it). --Sumac--never looked, but probably same answer as above --Aleppo pepper (Turkish-style red pepper)--never looked, but probably same answer as above --creme fraiche--either specialty store, or if I'm lucky, my local big box supermarket might have it (but I've not looked--clotted cream is available at my local big box store, though) --Mexican crema--no --Spanish smoked paprika--specialty store --miso paste--easy (local big box supermarkets carry it) --sherry vinegar--easy --duck (fresh or frozen)--frozen is easy, fresh I'm not so sure. I should add that the frozen duck most readily available is usually utility grade, which means parts may be missing. If any of your recipes call for a beautiful perfect duck, the that may be more difficult. (When I was younger, I'd help my dad go through all the ducks in the freezer case to find the one that seemed least deformed. It was kind of fun at the time. . .) --duck fat--never seen it--I would think more difficult and maybe not at all --pancetta--easy --less common pig parts: trotters, unsmoked hocks, cheeks, slab bacon, skin--chinatown, some meat markets, etc. Easily accessible, in my opinion, but I know a lot of Winnipegers who wouldn't know where to find them.

Looking at that pictures made the hair on my arms stand! They look kind of creepy--do I really need to eat one? It seems they're more common in the northern part of Luzon, which is farther north than we'll be going, but I'll keep an eye out for them.

I have a little onsen tamago maker that I got for Christmas from a friend, and it makes the most perfect onsen tamago (for someone who doesn't have an onsen or immersion circulator handy, that is). It takes a heck of a lot longer than 5 minutes, though!

Which other part? There were so many, it's difficult to understand to which part you are referring. I thought the part with Augusto's family was rather painful to watch--I could feel the discomfort through my computer screen. But I did like watching Augusto's uncle cook.

In my experience, it's much less spicy and much more gloopier. I prefer the Chinese version, but once in a great while, I like a bit of the Japanese version, too. They also do mabonasu, using eggplant rather than tofu.

I read the title and thought, "Yup, you've got a pretty good chance of getting VD in Thailand!" Shouldn't you finish your past visits before continuing with the present? Then again, it's much easier to post while it's fresh on the brain! Must try to remember Cambodia. . .

There are so many variables, I don't think it's quite so cut and dry. Let's say he wanted to close the store, anyway. The choice is to close it himself, and get no other financial benefit, or to sell it despite the possibility of it getting ruined or closed. At least with the latter, he could have a slightly more comfortable retirement (or do whatever else he needed to do with the money). Regardless, I think the best option is to sell to Warren Buffet. Look what he's done with See's! I forgot to mention--I'm very disappointed that I never got the chance to try Joseph Schmidt's chocolates. They were on my list, but never got checked off.

On MarketMan's blog, you can read a defense of Augusto. FWIW, Augusto was born and raised in the US--first generation American. The Philippines had never been his home, but like many first generation Filipino-Americans, his family still has strong ties to the country. The trip was, as I read, and chance for Augusto to reconnect to the country, and perhaps that may explain some of his somberness (or lack of overt enthusiasm). I'd love to see the episode before my trip in March, but that seems unlikely. ETA--watched the episode online (comparing what I saw to the info on No Reservations' website, I think some parts were missing, though). After seeing it, I very much understood where Augusto's (and his family's) reticence was coming from.

Also are Bite Club and Cache, both of which were started when the owners were still relatively active members. You'll find Bite Club stuff on the New York board, and I think Cache is on the Pacific Northwest board (and they both have websites).

I don't know where (if) there's a baking disaster topic, so I'm sticking this here. Tonight I decided I needed banana bread, so I looked up CI's recipe. Looked easy and fast enough, so I went for it. Mixed everything up and thought, "Hmmmm, this recipe is a little drier than most banana bread recipes." Poured the batter in a parchment-lined pan and stuck it in the oven. Less than 30 seconds later, I noticed a pot on the stove--forgot to put in the melted butter! No wonder it was so dry! Stopped the oven, scraped the batter back into the bowl and mixed in the melted butter. Lined the pan with new parchment paper and baked it again. Then I realized I used twice as much butter as I should have!! That's 170 grams instead of 85!! More butter doesn't make better banana bread. You'd think it would, but. . . not so much. Who said banana bread was supposed to be easy? :sigh:

I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but when I do drink coffee I expect it to be good. I find it hard to believe that any instant coffee, much less Starbuck's instant coffee, could be better than individual-serving drip packs.

I have a rule I'd like to add, though I'm not sure others would agree. Anchovies on pizza should not be large whole filets, but should be cut into manageable pieces and judiciously dispersed. There's nothing worse than taking a bite of pizza and getting a mouthful of anchovy and only anchovy. It's like swallowing a couple of tablespoons of fish sauce straight.

He did the fetal duck egg on another episode--I think Vietnam way back on A Cook's Tour.

I think the more stuff there is, the poorer quality the fish (and/or maker). But I can see how stuff like that would do well in ND.

I remember having taco pizza way back when I was maybe in elementary school or junior high school. It wasn't uncommon in Winnipeg, either, as I remember a few local places (almost all pizza places in Winnipeg were more or less local back then--no Pizza Hut or Dominos) having it. I think it had tomato sauce, ground beef, and cheese, and then after baking fresh tomatoes, lettuce, and taco-flavoured tortilla chips were added. I though it was good back then, but I don't know if I'd have the same opinion now.

I think it was Alton Brown, but I could be wrong about that. I vaguely remember something about stapling the bag closed, too, and also shaking the kernels with a bit of oil after putting them into the bag. I used to use that method, but I still prefer stove-top popping, especially if I'm eating the popcorn plain.

Great American Spice Company. Google and you're bound to find more options.