Wimpy

*Sigh* Tora-san, you're making me home sick. I had better call my mom up in Edou and see if I can mooch a free set of airline tickets to fly home.... Cherry Blossom season is coming up (ok ok, I'm more interested in the food, but it will be a good excuse). By the way, where in the Tokyo area do you live?

Funny Akiko-san, yaki-imo used to be one of my favorite winter foods as well. When I was young, they would still wander the streets of Tokyo in motorized carts hawking roasted sweet potato on the megaphone crowing "Yaaaaaakiiiiiiiiimoooooooooo"! Sadly, the itinerant sellers are a rarity nowadays, except for special festival days. Except I liked mine with hot butter and some sprinkled sugar, not with soy sauce. Oh- and I like mine roasted whole, not pre-sliced.

Oops. Sorry Jin-san. Was scanning the thread at the office.

Hey Bon-san! Long time no see. Where have you been? Yup Jinmyo- I think that's just run of the mill shoyu. I would imagine the gourmet stuff is made by small, local manufacturers way out in the boonies (just as gourmet natto is made by small producers).

Fukujinzuke!

Rakkyou!

Yup, Jin-san hit it on the head. There is no point to Konnyaku if all it does is mimic other foods and poorly at that. The mouthfeel is a bit like cold blubber and it doesn't go anywhere despite vigorous chewing!

So Torakris- you mean the konnyaku potato was even more boring than the processed konnyaku such that the latter was preferable? Hard to believe..... And how pray tell, did it get to Japan from Indonesia 1500 years ago?

Ok- konnyaku is the one thing I think as no purpose other than as filler for those on a diet. It's tasteless, rubbery and well, weird. I don't think it even takes in any flavorings effectively or pairs well with sauces like, say, tofu. I figure it's a remnant of the pre-industrial days in Japan where the poor had to eat something. I understand its made from lotus flour.

Thanks for the tip Suzanne! I noticed you were reading my thread and so put off going to sleep till you posted (it's 12:30AM Singapore time) as I know you're a professional cook. As for veggies, need to see what is available. I'm in the tropics so there's no such thing as seasonal veggies in the US/European sense. However, everything is flown in from Australia anyway and their quality is pretty good, despite the distance travelled. Re roast potatoes, it seems simple to cook, but I never know what kind of potato to get (can't tell waxy from the mealy kind). I suppose a risotto would be too heavy (and non-traditional I suppose, but we live after all in rice-eating Asia)...

You're right Anna. I noticed Jackal advocates not using flavoring, by which I suppose he meant my heretical use of garlic (which is not unusual with other cuts of beef in Provencal dishes such as peberonata) and not my use of salt... Btw, Cooks Illustrated suggests aging it for up to 4 days in the fridge before roasting. Might give that a try.

Without starting another colonial fracas between you Yanks and Poms (and now I am assuming Jackal that you're an eater of limes, based on the UK link), Tommy is right in that the statement is untrue, at least with respect to my being American. But back to what really matters.... thanks for your input re. not to use seasoning. I've never tried it without some salt at least, but suppose it all runs off anyway in the cooking process. I suppose if you make do without any seasonings, the accompanying sauce becomes that much more important. I've never been happy with au jus sauces, as I find them rather thinly flavored. Need to see if there's something a bit more substantial i.e. more demi glace based, as a sauce....

I'm hosting dinner for 8-10 this coming Friday. Centerpiece will be an Angus ribeye roast (boneless) weighing approx. 3.5kgs (that's a tad over 7 lbs). I need suggestions for a very flavorful dry rub/seasoning I can apply for it. It's such a huge hunk of meat that i doubt the flavor will permeate very deeply, but if the seasoning forms a nice crust on the outside, it will taste good in combination with juicy cuts from the center. I usually just use large grain seasalt and garlic (after brushing oil on surface), but it usually just runs off into the pan. What works best for you? Also, am always challenged when planning menus. I was thinking of a mesclun salad with port/fig dressing with pine nuts and a piece of pan fried foie gras, but the wife is saying that it may be too heavy given my roast beef main course. Also, the choice of starch and vegetable accompaniment is under debate. Am not a big fan of yorkshire pudding. As for veggies, I thought Joel Robuchon's ratatouille would give a nice tomatoey/fresh contrast to the beef. Suggestions welcome! Oh yeah- and dessert....I suppose Creme Brulee or Panna Cotta is too heavy? This menu planning shit is hard!

Anthony- Thanks for that tip. Might give them a call when I'm there again in March. Enjoyed your books btw, Kitchen Confidential most of all. Just too bad I dont' get the Food Network here in Singapore to watch your continued struggle between the riches of Mammon and artistic truth....

Wilfrid- The Yanks should know what canned corned beef is- their supermarkets are stacked with them next to cans of Spam and deviled ham. God knows I bought enough of them when I went to college there... I agree with you as to taste, I actually am used to the canned version having grown up in a semi-Filipino family (just as I have grown up with Spam) and in certain situations, it is in fact much better suited than the real corned beef. Eating it cold, with bread as you point out, is one example. One could argue the Filipino's affinity for canned corned beef and Spam is America's lasting postwar legacy to our island nation. It may seem sad to some, but corned beef and spam, especially those imported from the US, are considered festive foods/gifts during Christmas time to the middle to lower classes in the Philippines. By the way, both meats are paired with that other lasting US legacy- tomato ketchup (preferably Heinz). Which gets me thinking how fortunate I am to have had the opportunity to taste both canned and cured versions...

Gee Suvir- I hope for your sake that it was indeed ages past since you've had that drink. From what I read in the papers recently, the Ganges river water had something like 5000 times the raw waste matter (read: sewage) considered safe by the World Health Organization! Unless of course, you got the water from the base of the Himalayas, where the river starts.

Thanks Adam. I've always been curious about the Victoria Market, unfortunately business keeps getting in the way of visiting them. Off topic, do you also know where to get (retail) what would be the equivalent of USDA prime beef in either Melbourne or Sydney? Btw, I've tried the Vlados steak house in Melbourne and quite enjoyed their grassfed porterhouse!

Hi guys- I cover Australia for my company based in Singapore (venture capital) and typically spend a week a month in Oz, hitting at least Melbourne and Sydney with an occaisonal side trip to Brisbane. Can you point me to any specialist cheese shops worth going to for artisanal Ozzie cheeses? I've been the to basemend of David Jones, but nowhere else. Thanks!

Torakris- My mom and I used to corner the natto supply at home all the time coz my younger brother and my gai-jin dad couldn't stand it! Lucky for us! Luckily, we have plenty of natto supply here in Singapore where I am now based. There's a huge Japanese expat community here so they have large supermarkets (e.g. Isetan and Takashimaya) filled to the brim with japanese products, including potatoes from hokkaido, and the like, and yes, natto. Sad part is that my gai-jin wife disallows natto at the table when she is present, so I must skulk in the corners of the home at odd hours to enjoy my little treat.

Torakris- That's the way my Edo-ko (Tokyo-born) Mom taught me. Tissue- one whole chicken egg may be a bit too much for first timers- I mean it's pretty slimey already without. A classier version is to use one raw quail's egg and plop in the middle of the natto. Make sure egg is fresh! Oh and by the way, best thing to drink with it is green tea or other hot teas to clear the palate of the slimey feel. Cold water won't do it.

Purists in Valencia may look down on the "internationalized" paella which often mix chicken with seafood and yes, chorizo. Traditional paella typically does not mix meat from the land with fruit from the sea. However, to each his/her own, I say, and I have had fabulous versions of both the purist's paella and the all in one type. There is something to be said for the less opulent, yet very savory versions in spain which focus on usually one type of flavor e.g. asparagus only, chicken only, snails... Chorizo btw, is fabulous. My favorite is the Gran Doblon, which is a large bore piece of cured sausage which goes great with fresh bread and manchego cheese. However, for paella, one would use the thinner types such as chorizo pamplona. On their own, quickly stir fried chorizo slices make a wonderful tapas.

Here's the way I eat Natto (pretty standard): cook rice (only Japanese will do for best results and only freshly cooked) toast sheet of seaweed (same as used for sushi) over gas burner slice green onion into very fine discs get bonito flakes (katsuo-bushi) get one fresh, raw egg get mixing bowl, throw in natto, green onion, one raw egg, and mix vigorously and season with soy sauce and mustard (until nice and frothy) add bonito flakes put rice in donburi, pour natto mix over rice, shred toasted seaweed with scissors over the whole thing Heaven! PS instead of raw egg, you can throw in grated tororo-imo aka yama-imo or chopped up blanched okra

Thanks all of you on the CA board and please keep the recommendations coming. I will probably have to fly in 4 or more times a year, so will definitely have the opportunity to try out all the places.

Hi guys- I travel alot on business, mostly to Australia and points in Asia (as I am based in Singapore). Recently however, I have been appointed to the board of directors of a startup based in Larkspur CA (Marin County). When on business and travelling alone, I hate dining out as I find there is something sad about eating "all by my lonesome". What I do like to do when travelling alone, is eating in the privacy of my hotel room with delicacies bought in local groceries or restaurants with take out service. Can anyone recommend any good grocers or decent take out food in the Larkspur area? My best find was the Woodland Market in Kentfield. The only other one like it that I know of is Draeger's Market (way down south in San Mateo). They had pretty good prepared foods and fantastic portion sized fruit cobblers. I am also always bowled over by the sheer overabundance of American fruit and vegetable sections! Any suggestion?

Bux- I recall reading an MBA case study that Godiva was owned by the Campbell Soup Company, which turned me off instantly. I always felt the quality did not do justice to its great brand equity. We get Michel Cluizel assorted pralines and bonbons here in Singapore in a shop just across the street. They're pretty good. Has anyone tried?