bobmac

I almost always cook steak that's just out of the freezer, and I once did a small roast that way on the grill and it was great. I think unground beef is pretty safe.

Thanks for all the thoughtful, informative answers. This is what's great about this site. And maybe I have been too influenced by the anti-carbo craze.

Somebody here recommended brining, but I also want some of the flavors I get from my dry rub. The brine is a vanilla, sugar, salt and pepper mix.

A lot of this corresponds to what I see Chinese people eating in restaurants -- lots of rice. But I understand that in some ways white rice (which is what I see around here) is not all that healthful and that the Chinese have a high incidence of diabetes. I suspect (somebody help me here) that the poor in China probably don't refine their rice but eat it brown. My local restaurant now offers brown for a dollar extra. Isn't white rice nutritionally similar to white bread? Or is it a genetic or adaptive thing? Some people aren't bothered by refined carbos; they send me into a tailspin about an hour later.

1. I suspect my local Thai restaurant has been corrupted; they always give us chopsticks. 2. Detlefchef, could you tell is more about the dish that started all this? My mouth is watering.

Recently we had dinner in our favorite local Chinese place where the fare is less greasy and oily than most of the local spots, but I still detected a fair amount of sugar in the dishes, and my Chinese cookbooks always seem to call for sugar and cornstarch. I suspect Chinese cooking at home might be different, and I also don't see a lot of overweight Chinese people.

I would guess that you could microwave them or fry them like polenta.

For an old Boston experience you might want to try Jacob Wirth's, which has been there forever. The menu doesn't have as much German food as it once did, but there's still some, along with a great beer list. Another oldie is the Union Oyster House. Sit at the raw bar where Daniel Webster once sat, and enjoy the clams and oysters. However, I've heard bad reports about the rest of the food there. Durgin Park was once a Boston must, but is now a tourist joint to be avoided. The waitstaffs' legendary brusquness became downright rudeness the last time I was forced to go there. Nobody needs it. For something different at lunch you might want to try Boston Speed's hotdog wagon in Newmarket Square. Speed is a legend in his own time. And I heartily second Toscanini's. Their burnt caramel is to die for.

So what is authentic Chinese/Chinese cooking? I took classes with Nina Simonds and have several of her books. Since she apprenticed in China, I've assumed her stuff is the real deal. She does occasionally offer a recipe that uses ingredients not common in China, but cooked in the manner a Chinese chef might employ, the sort of thing I believe chef koo is referring to. Also, tell me more about authentic moo shu, please. I take it to mean it has more eggs, hence the name.

While I'm hardly an expert on Chinese cuisine, I think you make an excellent point, it's about principals. That having been said, do you think certain basics, available about anywhere, helped define the cuisine -- ginger, garlic, scallions, soy sauce, black beans, etc.? Also, I'd be interested in having you elaborate on: "but in actual fact the principals i find are being more strictly adhered to than the top of the line chinese restaurants." And what do you recommend in Vancouver?

I quit smoking nine years ago and would urge anybody else to do likewise. I, too, loved Marlboros, but I didn't quit in time to avoid emphysema, and lung cancer killed my sister. And after a while you don't miss the butts. OK, so enough preaching. Does food taste any better now that I have quit? No.

Adrian's in Truro (we haven't been in a while) and Vining's Bistro in Chatham.

The "cash only" thread got me thinking about this. Many years ago, it used to be thought of as proper and considerate of the waitstaff, to tip with cash, even if you were paying with a credit card. Any thoughts on this?

I wanted to avoid the saturated fat in ghee. Then I realized the amount per serving was going to be negligible.

How serious a crime is substituting safflower oil for ghee in a fairly spicy curry? I'm trying to save on fat and figure the predominant flavor will be the spices.

OK, to be more specific, I'm looking for something that's special to Vancouver, like San Francisco sour dough, Maine lobster, etc. From the responses I'm getting a sense there are some good Chinese places there; the equal of Toronto?

We're looking for don't-miss places unique to Vancouver, not tourist stops. I'm still kicking myself for missing Schwartz's in Montreal.

I have a very faint memory of the Chuck Wagon -- pub grub as I recall, not bad for what it was. There was a long-time restaurant run by Bob and Ken Fisher, called, I believe Ken and Bob's or maybe Bob and Ken's. I can't believe a city the size of Brockton doesn't have better restaurants. Capeway Manor just closed and I recall that as being good.

Trish, No, I had a sister Judy. Does everybody still know everybody? I had the impression it had grown. I haven't lived there for 30-something years.

Trish, I am also originally from West Bridgewater. Heading back there for my mother's burial service and a friend who visits there often also recommended Christo's. We were hoping for something a little more formal, not that there's anything wrong with Christo's, and finally decided to eat back in Boston. As for Cape Cod Cafe pizza, it's the best. Our friend regularly gets it for us. Unfortunately, if you freeze it and reheat it, it's not like fresh, but ... I've been trying to figure out for years what their secret is. Of course, Christo's pizza isn't bad either.

Looking for a place for lunch.

"Seinfeld!? Three!?"

Dorchester is tricky. There's some high crime parts, so check before you go. The JFK Library neighborhood is perfectly safe, but if the weather is nasty it's quite a walk from the T stop.

Corned beef and cabbage was something the Irish picked up from the Yankees. I understand that in Ireland, bacon was more traditional. My wife once worked at a place where they served corned beef and cabbage on March 17, and when one of her Jewish colleagues tasted it she said: "No wonder you people drink."

Jeffrey Steingarten says and old bird (he specifies rooster, but I can't see why an old hen would be much different) is the only way to go with coq au vin.