prasantrin

I'll see if we can pass by GF or another big Target or Wal-mart on the way home. I've been looking in the sandwich bag/plastic wrap section first, then trying the small applicance section, but no luck. I've even checked for price stickers on the shelf indicating they had some, and are just out of stock, but I haven't found any of those, either. Maybe the MSP area really likes their Handi-vacs, so they've cleaned them all out! At least I know they're still out there!

One more thing about fries (whenever you do start doing them, and I know you will eventually, perhaps when you open your fixed location).... People who are ordering your burgers obviously eat meat, so beef tallow would be OK. Some may be allergic to peanuts, though, so anything fried in peanut oil would be a big no-no for them. However, you'll hit the widest audience if you go with something like canola oil (even if a vegetarian won't eat your burgers, they'll eat your fries).

Mea culpa. I'd uploaded it, just didn't move it over - I'd better look and see which others I missed. ← And from left to right starting at roughly 8:00, we have: G Wiv aka Gary (still kicking myself for not getting his namesake spice blend from The Spice House and having him autograph it!) Beth aka Marmish, owner of Milo Pav aka Beth's husband Dance aka Connie's husband Connie aka white_lotus Helen aka G Wiv's wife KarenM's husband (can't remember his name, either!) Karen aka KarenM Cecilia aka my mother Me/Rona aka prasantrin Julie aka santo_grace empty chair belonging to Stacy aka Julie's +1

Is the Reynod's Handi-Vac still being made? I've been to Target. Wal-Mart, Lund's, Whole Foods, and a bunch of other supermarkets in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, and I've yet to find it. I'm leaving tomorrow morning, so it looks like I won't be getting one during this trip!

That's my Gavin impression (a la Kids in the Hall)! OK, I'm actually a lot like Gavin in real life, too, so it's not just an impression... I think one of the table pics is missing--my table! It's all about me, doncha know.

After reading about this place on another board, my mother and I had to try it tonight. We only had three dishes--stuffed chicken wings, yum woo sen, and pad krapow moo. The pad krapow moo was ordered medium, and it was perfectly spiced for us. The flavours were right on, though there could have been more depth. There's a flavour I like it pad krapow, but is optional, and this one didn't have it. (I can't remember what it is, but I know it when I taste it.) The yum woo sen was also very good--not too tart, and not sweet like some places make it. The noodles were perfectly dressed. The only problem was that it was much too spicy for us! We ordered medium, but the guy wrote "medium hot", and if what we had was medium hot, I'd hate to try their hot. We each had a forkful, and my mother ate all the shrimp, lettuce, and cucumber, but the rest of the noodles were untouched. My dad would have loved the heat, but it was definitely not for most non-Thais. I didn't eat the stuffed chicken wing, but my mother said the filling was plentiful and the flavour was good. They use panko as breading, so it looked quite crunchy. We paid $18 for the three--it should have been more (the food pre-tax should have been $18), but the owner took off a couple of dollars because of the yum woo sen. We also got some hor mok to go ($3 for one), but we haven't tried it, yet. Verdict: If you like Thai food, you should try this place. Most of the clientele were Hmong when we were there, but the owners are Thai from Bangkok (or so they told us). Be careful of the heat, though. When they say hot, they really mean hot! ETA: The hor mok is excellent. It's different from what we're used to (it's not a steamed fish mousse made with red curry paste, but this one is more natural-looking and has large chucks of fish in it in addition to the mousse). We're going back to get more tonight, so we can get our friend in Winnipeg to make us a similar kind.

malawry--would it be OK to use reconstituted buttermilk powder, or would it be better to use milk soured with vinegar, or yoghurt? In Japan I don't have access to buttermilk, but I just picked up some Saco (Sacco?) buttermilk powder to bring back to JP with me, so I could use that or one of the other usual substitutes. I love hush puppies (anything fried is good, but fried cornmeal is even better!), and am hoping to make some when I get back home!

Before I get kicked off this tenuous wi-fi connection again... I'd like to offer my and my mother's thanks and appreciation to all who organized the Heartland Gathering and affiliated events. We had a wonderful time meeting everyone, though I am very sorry I seem to have missed "officially" meeting some folks! (I keep reading names and thinking, "S/He was there? I don't remember that!") I'd also like to add a special personal thanks to Marmish for offering her beautiful home for the chocolate workshop (and for introducing me to Milo ), and to Kerry for giving the workshop. My kitty is still uneaten, and is being preserved until it breaks and I have to eat it. And I'm not sure if I offer thanks or curses to Tom for what has become of my mother. The last few days all I hear is bread, bread, bread... "I think I need to buy this big wooden cutting board. It will be perfect for kneading bread!" "Oh, I need those linen napkins. Tom says to use linen napkins or dish towels, and to really press the flour in." "Tom says King Arthur is the best for bread. We should buy some." "Tom says..." You get the picture... Seriously, I have heard nothing but raves about the bread workshop, and my mother is very rarely so unequivocally positive about anything, so props to you, Tom. You've got a huge fan in my mother! And I like how there are two pics of my mom (not an eG member), and only one of 1/2 of the back of my head.

Isn't this a tad bit... By this logic, you don't think Steve can write an authorative book about Asian dining because he wasn't born and raised in Asia? And, that Trevor Corson shouldn't be allowed to write a book about sushi because he's a gaijin. What about David Thompson and Thai cooking? Or, what about Barbara Tropp and Fuschia Dunlop with regards to Chinese cooking? And, dare I say, what about Julia Child and French cooking? Last I checked, Steve's book was about ordering at Asian restaurants in the United States (you can extrapolate to include other countries if you wish, but he's based in the US and most or all of the restaurants he visited were in the US). Much of the discussion in this topic was about how sushi was eaten in Japan. Steve's experience within Japan is (as far as I know) limited. Therefore yes, I do believe Hiroyuki's word is probably more accurate than Steve's. David Thompson lived in Thailand and has studied Thai cooking extensively. The same can be said about the other authors you mentioned with regards to the countries' cuisines about which they wrote. So no, I don't believe my comment was "a tad bit..."

FWIW, someone did imply that above. I like looking at picture of food, and I sometimes take pictures, but only if it's something I feel I want to share with others. For example, when I went to Ryugin, I had not intended to take pictures, but when I saw the food, I was so delighted I wished I had someone with whom I could share that delight. I was dining alone, so the next best thing was to take some pictures and send them to my mother, whom I knew would appreciate the whimsy of the food. Generally, however, I do find picture-taking during meals to be distracting. If someone at a table next to me does it, I notice but don't really care if it's not interrupting my meal. But if I'm dining with one or two other people for the purpose of spending time with them, and am required to wait (in order to eat or converse) while the others take pictures of everyones's food and take notes, I get a little tired of the whole thing. At those times, I tend to think, "It's just food...eat it." That being said, I wish I had taken pictures of the pizza at Spacca Napoli, so I could show the pictures to every single owner of wood-burning oven pizza places in Winnipeg. I want them to see what real Neapolitan-style pizza should at least look like!

We arrived on the Megabus yesterday afternoon and after a brief respite at the hotel, we made our way to Spacca Napoli. It was a long-ish bus ride in rush hour traffic (about 40 minutes), and upon arriving near the restaurant, I saw the sign at the corner of the building, but also saw that the windows were papered up. "Oh no!" I thought. It can't be closed! Luckily, upon walking closer we saw some occupied patio tables and the rest of the restaurant. Whew! I did a brief glance at the specials and the menu. I asked our server about the Bismarck, and it was not available that day. He did offer, however, to add an egg to another pizza I was contemplating ordering if they had fresh eggs available. I thought that was very kind of him to want to fulfill my wish of a runny egg yolk on my pizza. I gratefully declined, and then asked about if they had pizza with anchovies, capers, and olives. They didn't have that, either, but he said they would be happy to make one for me! This time, I accepted. My mother ordered a pizza from the menu--something with mushrooms, sausage, basil, and I don't know what else. I don't remember seeing tomato sauce on it, so it may have been a white pizza. A little background--in Japan pizza napolitana is amazingly good, but in Winnipeg, where I've been spending the summer, not so much so. For the last few weeks I've been craving good pizza, and complaining about how wood-burning ovens in Winnipeg are wasted because they're turning out crap. My mother just rolls her eyes and says something like, "Sure sure, everything in Japan is better." Now she understands what I'm talking about. The crust at Spacca Napoli has that perfect combination of crisp and chew. And it has those lovely uneven burnt bubbles around the crust (one of my bubbles looked like a large facial mole sans hair gone awry). I didn't try my mother's pizza (I do have two leftover pieces waiting for me in our hotel room, though), but she really enjoyed it. It was loaded with toppings, and was too heavy to eat without a fork. I prefer a lighter hand with toppings for this type of crust, but she liked the heaviness. My pizza was almost perfect--my only complaint is that they use whole anchovy fillets. I prefer them to be mashed or chopped, and then sprinkled (so the flavour isn't too concentrated). In Winnipeg, whenever I've asked for chile-inflused olive oil, I've been greeted with a pause and slight confused look, then at one place was told, "No," and at another they gave me something different (garlic, rosemary, sun-dried tomato, and chile infused olive oil). At Spacca Napoli when I asked I was told, "Of course!" :wub" The tiramisu, by the way, is a steal at $4. It was lightly sweetened, and rich without being cloying. After we realized it was only $4, we thought we should have bought more to take home. I'll definitely be back. Perhaps not during this trip, but when I'm back living in Winnipeg and am craving Naples-style pizza, I'll be making a trip to Chicago!

Magus--I'm so sorry to hear about your friend, and your situation. You did a wonderful thing for him. I'm sure you'll start again once you've had time to do some healing. You have some enthusiasm and determination, it's hard to imagine you giving up your dream completely. I hope you'll come back and let us know when you do get back to business. I'll make a trip out to Ann Arbor to help you celebrate when that happens!

Would I be able to squeeze in, as well? I have CTA directions if you're already full, but I swear I don't take up too much room!

Question--how important is it to bring the receipt from payment (on the page it said to print out the receipt and bring it to the event)? Our internet was down before we left Winnipeg, and I didn't get a change to print any of them out. Oops...

I heard Mise would be in the the space currently occupied by Gluttons which, as you mention, is on Corydon, but I wasn't aware it would be moving so soon. It would be a pretty easy walk from The Forks (45 minutes), and you can pass by a number of other restaurants on your way there. The area used to be predominantly Italian, but now there's an assortment of different ethnicities (Vietnamese, Japanese, Greek, etc.) represented. I, personally, wouldn't recommend most of the restaurants on that end of Corydon, though. I don't find any of them to be any more than average. If you walk several blocks west on Corydon from Mise/Gluttons, though, you'll find Eva's Gelato. It's much much better (in my opinion) than the Gelato place in the Little Italy part of Corydon (can't remember the name). At the Forks, itself, I would avoid Sydney's. I went for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and I doubt I will ever return (unless I'm invited and am not paying, which was the case this time). But do try to get some freshly baked whole wheat cinnamon buns from Tall Grass Prairie. Their savoury bread pudding is also very good, as are many of their whole-grain breads. They grind their own wheat, and try to use local ingredients in their breads (wheat, honey, etc.). From The Forks, if you head west on Broadway, you'll find Bombolini's and Amici's. Amici's is the higher end restaurant. Both have serve reliable Italian food--not outstanding, but good. Further on Broadway, past Osborne Street, hang a left on Sherbrook. Walk several more blocks and you'll find Bistro Dansk on the lefthand side. Excellent chicken livers, schnitzel, and if you like nuts, you'll love their hazelnut pie. That would probably be a leisurely 45-ish minute walk from the Forks, I think. North from the Forks along Main Street, you'll get to the Exchange District. On the right-hand side of Main, Tre Visi used to be my top choice for Italian in Winnipeg. My last visit there (last year) was disappointing, but it might be worth a try. There's also a Sri Lankan place in that area that used to be very good. They have a branch at The Forks, but the main restaurant is much better. A new Mexican place, Don Pedro's, opened recently in that area on Market Street. Stay away--far away. On the left-hand side of Main, if you walk a but on Bannatyne, you'll see places like Albert Street Burger--a dive, but very good. On Arthur Street is the Underground Cafe. They're only open during the day, but they have the best Sunburger--a vegetarian burger I'd love to get the recipe for. It's messy, but delicious. Lots of other little places in that area--Mirlycourtois for French is well-spoken of, but my family and I have never had good experiences with the food. Oui is another French Bistro on Bannatyne that's supposed to be good, but I haven't tried it, yet. From that area, Chinatown is north along King Street. Kum Koon Garden has very good dim sum. It's not a great area late at night (aka after dark, which won't be till after 9:30 or 10pm), but during the day you won't have any problems. That goes for most of the "problem areas" of Winnipeg, too. Back to Main Street...south from the Forks, just a bit, is VJ's. Another divey burger place, but they've got good burgers. Keep walking south on Main and it eventually end, splitting off to become St. Mary's Road and Marion Street. This is St. Boniface, the French area of Winnipeg. On Tache you'll find Le Croissant. Great French bread and pastries. Also in the area is In Ferno--tasty, but loud and a bit pretentious (in my opinion). Not a bad choice if you're in the area, though. Along Elice and Sargent Avenues (not too far a walk from downtown), you can get very good Vietnamese food and Indian food. Nhu Quynh on Ellice is our favourite for Vietnamese, but most of the Vietnamese places in that area are good, and Taste of India on Sargent (closer to downtown) is very good for Indian. In Osborne Village, Baked Expectations is well-known for their cheesecakes and cakes. Their schmoo torte is good, but stay away from the chiffon cake. It's hard and heavy! Massawa has good Ethiopian food, but be prepared to wait. Vi-ann's has very good bubble tea, and their Vietnamese food is good, too. I'd avoid the Thai and Japanese restaurants in the area. That's all I can think of right now that's do-able on foot from The Forks. I'll try to write in again if I think of more. If you're going to be in Winnipeg before I leave for Japan, and if you're jones-ing for real Thai food and don't mind company, I could drive you to my favourite Thai place. It's much too far to walk, but it's very very good.

Thanks! I'll check with what my +1 feels most comfortable with, and if she decides she can head forth on her own and have lunch with y'all, I'll contact Santo_Grace. I'm leaving on Tuesday and am getting excited! As an aside, our internet service went down on Saturday, so if anyone wants to contact me, I won't be able to reply until we get into MSP on Tuesday. Unless our service miraculously fixes itself, that is...

Generally, yes. But for large companies like Honda, for example, I think yearly profits are also factored in when determining bonuses, but still not performance. But except perhaps with sales reps, performance is rarely taken into account (we don't even have performance reviews, and when I mentioned the idea of instituting them, everyone balked).

Performance bonuses, generally no. But full-time workers in Japan are often entitled to bi-annual bonuses. Where I work (not a restaurant), one's bonus has nothing to do with performance, but it is based on length of time worked, current salary (which is usually based on length of time worked, not performance) and the rate of inflation. Sometimes part-time workers will get smaller bonuses, but they're usually token amounts.

Some kind of cobbler or crumble would be great. May not be "spectacular", but they're perfect for summer.

Has a meeting place been determined? We're leaving in a few days, and I need to print out directions and stuff before we leave so my +1 can arrive at Niles without too many problems. It's easiest to just print out CTA info so she can have visuals.

So are people expected to arrive by 11:30 rather than 12? I was planning on having lunch at Smoque with my +1, so I could take her part of the way (don't want her to get lost, doncha know), but if workshop participants are expected to have lunch together, there's not much point in my heading out there for lunch.

How long did it take you to get the Aronia de Takazawa reservation? When I tried to go there, they were booked 4 months in advance (plus they don't take singles). I'd go to RyuGin. I really enjoyed it, and am planning to go there again in December.

I never said that, either. But we're talking generalizations, and generally speaking, the level of service that you described would not happen. Does it happen? It may, but it would be rare and it certainly wouldn't be because the waiter is disgruntled over not receiving a tip, or over the possibility of not receiving a tip. (FWIW, because I look relatively young for my age and tend to dress casually, waitstaff assume I'm not going to tip well, and their service reflects this. But I always tip 15-20% in North American regardless of the service, but when it's very bad, I bring it up with management.) I find the work ethic in North America, in general, to be appalling. There are people who care about the work they do, and who work hard, of course. But at least in the service industry, they would be the outliers that chrisamirault mentions.

That would never happen in Japan. As I said above, people in Japan actually take pride in their work, regardless of what they do. That's the biggest difference between the cullture of work in North American and Japan. This is changing, of course, and it's moving more to a North American work ethic, but hopefully a full switch won't happen for a very long time. ETA: And the above is why the Japanese system of no-tipping would never work in the US.

At Per Se the menu states "Service included" below the price (at least on the online menu). You might want to look at various menus online, or restaurant websites, which may tell you the information you're looking for. That way you can see a variety of methods used.