dougery

CheGuevara, I agree, but there are those moments that aren't memorable. This is from the same place I worked at from a post on another thread. I don't think these burns were very honorable : ) "It was a busy weekend, and we were short staffed in the kitchen. Our GM was not the most well liked guy to say the least. He was trying to help us out (he rarely helped in the kitchen) at the deep fryer. Oil level was getting a little low so he thought he would be proactive and refill it. We had these huge 50lb blocks of lard that we put into the fryers (I think you know where I'm going with this). He decided to just drop the whole thing in (actually drop), needless to say, the fryer overflowed and also splashed everywhere, but mostly on the front of his pants. He immediately dropped his pants and underwear in the middle of the kitchen at which time the all of the servers (mostly women) came running in due to the screaming. It was quite the site to say the least. Our GM hopping around around with his pants around his ankles and the entire service team standing around in shock. The GM went to the hospital and ended up with some scars but a full recovery otherwise. I think in the end he ended up more emotionally scarred from the smiles and giggling he got from the wait staff for the coming years. "

First kitchen burn was as a cook in high school for the "Royal Fork". Hot baking pan full of beef liver and oil was coming out of the convection oven, I hit the door with the pan and it spashed on my hand. I've got the scar and laugh about it when people ask me "where did that come from?" and my answer is "bad liver". Burns are a part of being in a busy kitchen and part of the kitchen lifestyle. You can't always bring your A-game, or for that matter your B-game, to work day in and day out (Cooks never stay up late, party on Friday, then have to work a long shift the next day do they : ) I wouldn't necessarily call it a badge of "honor" but I would call it a permanent reminder.

You know, I still question my sanity due to my new opinion of Spam. To answer your question, I don't know.

From "The Freshman" Semi food related, live food at the moment: Clark Kellogg: But it's an endangered species! Carmine Sabatini: Not any more. It's in New Jersey, it's fine.

Yes, daikon is a Japanese term. I checked a website and radishes are part of the turnip family. http://www.uga.edu/vegetable/turnip.html It's time to go back to turnip college!

Now I'm confused. I always thought Daikon was a radish not a turnip.

Your story reminds me of when I used to work at a buffet back in highschool. It was a busy weekend, and we were short staffed in the kitchen. Our GM was not the most well liked guy to say the least. He was trying to help us out (he rarely helped in the kitchen) at the deep fryer. Oil level was getting a little low so he thought he would be proactive and refill it. We had these huge 50lb blocks of lard that we put into the fryers (I think you know where I'm going with this). He decided to just drop the whole thing in (actually drop), needless to say, the fryer overflowed and also splashed everywhere, but mostly on the front of his pants. He immediately dropped his pants and underwear in the middle of the kitchen at which time the all of the servers (mostly women) came running in due to the screaming. It was quite the site to say the least. Our GM hopping around around with his pants around his ankles and the entire service team standing around in shock. The GM went to the hospital and ended up with some scars but a full recovery otherwise. I think in the end he ended up more emotionally scarred from the smiles and giggling he got from the wait staff for the coming years.

Really? Lo Bak Gau is made with Daikon not a turnip? I've always called them turnip cakes. So use Daikon in the recipe eh?

Ok, I'm going to do a little thinking out loud here: I think a great number of our aversions to foods can be contributed more to cultural habits and traditions. Our upbringing and exposure to certain foods outline what is acceptable and what is not (this goes for tastes, textures, odors). This example is a bit extreme but let's say I travelled to South America and visited an aboriginal tribe which still practiced canibalism, I can guarantee you I would be disgusted. I'm sure the smell of cooking flesh (if they do cook it) and the site of it would make me vomit. I've been culturally conditioned to the fact that this is wrong in everyway, but to them it is an honor and pleasure. The thought of eating an ancestor is not only acceptable but an expectation. They will be in essence "living on" within them. Can this be an acquired taste? Maybe if I lost my mind and if I lived there long enough to understand and absorb the traditions but it's possible. Have we been socially programmed in some way to dislike certain textures, tastes, odors and foods? To be honest with you, I don't know... I am not a professional in this field so give it to me!

Ok Pickles, I'll give your recipe a try. When I eat it, I'll sit here and read through these articles (rsincere's offered some good inspiration). I'll consider it a major accomplishment if I can make it through 4 bites. Addendum: beef liver, floured and and pan fried in butter with sauted Walla Walla's. I used to hate it (perhaps "hate" is an understatement) but it kind of grew on me.

That's interesting... My dislikes are texture related too. Pumpkin pie, uni, raw oysters. It makes me wonder what characteristic is the most common one which contributes to the dislike of foods. Really offensive things aside (cow pies etc) I find textures to be the most decisive factor. Smell I can deal with, tastes I can aquire, but I just can't get over certain textures. Usually mushy, gelatinous, grainy stuff... come to think of it, mashed potatoes were never really that high on my list of foods.

It's the texture of pumkin pie! It's like having a mouthull of cold, sweet mashed potatoes with sugar and cream... I'll try it again this Thanksgiving but I fear the outcome looks bleak...

Bizzaro's - in Wallingford Le Gourmand - bottom of market street Salute's - northwest of the U-village, Toyoda Sushi - Lake City Way Costa's - Freemont Sarafina's - Eastlake The Pink Door - Downtown Il Terrazzo Carmine - pioneer square Luau polynesian food - between Greenlake and Wallingford Sechuanese(sp?) - Chinese Hot Pot (Go during the Winter) Redmond Sea Garden - ID Seattle Top Gun - ID Seattle fast food: Red Mill Burgers - Greenwood Picora's Pizza - Madison? Dick's Burgers - Wallingford, Ballard, Capitol Hill Pagliacci's Pizza - Delivery and dine-in on Cap Hill Musashi's Sushi and Teriyaki - Wallingford (not fast food but not expensive) I'm getting tired, I'll add more later

I second Yasuko's. Extra pork with salad and a big cup of hot Chinese mustard!

I've always gone to DeLaurenti's at the Pike Place Market. Decent assortment of olive oils and vinegars.

I'm not a huge fan of Salmon. It's rare to get one that is cooked correctly, but by far I think Sockeye is the best. Very tender and high fat content. Chinook is pretty good too.

And they drove colorfully painted Hum-V's

Boy Schielke, you totally slaughtered the name! lol Uwajimaya

In the case of Spam, it wasn't so much trying it until I liked it. I think what changed my feelings about spam was my first trip to Hawaii, I was immersed in an environment that made Spam seem (believe it or not) exotic and new. I immediately started loving Spam musubi (Spam on rice wrapped with nori). I now make this for picnics all the time! I also fell in love with Portuguese sausage on that trip. First time I ever had, but not the last.

Olives... I totally forgot about olives. I used to hate em too. Also Spam. Until I went to Hawaii I couldn't stand the stuff, now I love it!

I agree with you whole heartedly. I just wonder how my mother did what she did with what she had for soooo many years? I'm spoiled with the tools I have, so it makes it that much more mind boggling how she did it! I think parent's almost always do things better than their children (at least I think that is what most of us want to believe deep down).

Natto Raw Oysters Kim-Chee Pumpkin Pie Although Natto and Kim-chee smell really bad, I really like them both (I wonder if I'm trying to re-live childhood odors?) I'm still working on trying to acquire a taste for Oysters and Pumpkin pie. I'm starting to like deep fried oysters but prepared any other way I have a rough time. Every year I try to appreciate an savour pumpkin pie (this year I got through 2 bites) but I still can't do it. Even if it's covered with whipped cream. Any others?

It actually sounds like you eat it in similar fashion to Japanese Natto (fermented soy beans). The beans smell bad, and are really disgusting to most people, but I love it. These dishes are definitely acquired tastes.

slightly off topic, but after reading this thread (and even my own earlier post for that matter) the first thing that comes to mind is: My mother cooked the best food for her entire life. She and her best friend used to cook together all of the time, then her friends daughter opened a well respected Japanese restaurant in Seattle which utilizes some of the same recipes. My mother is known for her cooking and expertise in the kitchen. I have to admit, some of the best food has come from her kitchen and these are her seven items: 10" cast iron skillet 7" cast iron skillet 10 cup rice cooker (she used to use her Revereware for this for a long time) 12" Revere Ware skillet 4qt? Revere Ware Sauce pan 2qt Revere Ware Sauce Pan Roasting pan and rack Her favorite knife was an VERY inexpensive vegetable knife with a rotten handle. I look back at my list of cookware (which probably cost at least 20X more) and look at the quality of food I create. I'm not a bad cook by all means but my mother and her "questionable quality" cookware can create the most amazingly high quality dishes that will literally (no lie) put restaurants to shame! Yes, quality cookware is important, but really... to what degree?

Water my plants with left over deepfry oil.