Sleepy_Dragon

Sorry about my late reply, I've been busy with finals, glad they're over now. Anyway, thanks torakris and Hiroyuki for such detailed and helpful explanations and examples. It's nice to have a better idea about how the social mores work. Pat

Hm, I never pay attention to the brand name of the snack, I just go after anything that looks like a good combination of crunchy, savory, sweet, spicy and briney. I think it's the briney oceanic taste that I like best, and if it has whole dried little fish in it, I'm game. I once got a snack that was entirely comprised of small dried red crabs. I liked them at first, but couldn't eat too much of it because the fibrousness of the shells eventually got to me. Pat

I have not learned to like natto yet, but I'm working on it. So far I've tried it three times without success. But, all this suffering will be worth it eventually just on account of how nutritious it is! Or so I keep telling myself. Pat, stubborn

Give the Masalisa Tea House in Ballard a try if you're into homey carefully prepared Japanese lunches, plus home made desserts and a huge selection of teas. 2213 NW Market St #100 Pat

lol this thread is a crack-up. But now I'm craving mangoes. Pretty sure I've never had the nectar of the gods style of mangoes available in India, but some of us just gotta settle for what we can get. Pat, gone shopping

Ok, then for waitstaff a simple ありがとうございます (arigatou gozaimasu) is appropriate? Ok, that makes sense. Then what should one say to an initially quiet itamae they are visiting for the first time? I remembered to say gochisousamadeshita last night, though forgot the itadakmasu until my conversation partners said it, then I said it in mid-scoop of agenasu. Oops. Another interesting thing is they both used うまい (umai) instead of おいしい (oishii) even though they're both women. I asked them about the gender thing and one of them said her grandmother would never use うまい and really dislikes it when she uses it, but otherwise nowadays it's ok. They both liked うまえ more because it sounds more emphatic. One is in her early 20's, the other in her late 20's. Pat

Any chance you can share the address? I've wanted to try paan for the longest time, but can't find the ingredients locally, and inquiries to namaste.com didn't get anywhere. Pat

There's also Uwajimaya in the International District for getting fish still swimming in the tank. In the wintertime, they also have live uni (sea urchin) as well. Mmmmm! Pat

Thank you torakris and Hiroyuki for these very helpful explanations, they were what I was thinking of when I'd asked about different situations. Also, うまい (umai)was the word I was trying to remember! Now I can lay that nagging memory to rest. I might even have a chance to use some of this tomorrow night. My conversation partners emailed me to make plans for all of us to go out for dinner at a local Japanese restaurant, so that's what I will be doing after school. Ok, so if I were to go to a restaurant by myself, upon receiving the food from the waiter, would I not say いただきます (itadakimasu) because I'm alone? What about when sitting at a sushi bar as the itamae places each pair of nigirizushi in front of me? Is it いただきます(itadakimasu) for each, or something else? Pat

Is there any way to tell what the country of origin is on the apples? As for apples getting imported, I don't know, hardly anything tastes as good like that compared to getting it locally grown. I know much of our cherry crop goes to Japan as well, though I have no idea how good they are by the time they get into stores. Washington state = Rainier cherries, which I see Japanese tourists here buy up with great excitement when the season hits. Pat

Of course, there is no rush, and thank you. Pat

What are some things you could say to express how much you enjoyed a meal at a restaurant? What about in someone's home? Usually I just say: おいしかったです。ありがとうございます。(It was delicious. Thank you.) What other things would be appropriate in different situations? I also recall my Japanese teacher mentioning there are gendered versions too (including the specific word for delicious?), but I don't remember what they are. Pat

This site has some recipes on it, but mostly I go for the author's food articles: Yoshiharu Doi: English, Japanese. Pat (edited to add English + Japanese links)

Interesting. The kanji for kara is the same though, for karatou (person who likes alcohol) and karai (hot/spicy). Why is that? I really should figure out how to input kanji and kana with this PC at some point. Pat

Thanks for all that info, peppertrail. Interesting stuff. Though to be honest I've never noticed asafetida helping at all in the flatulence department, especially for channa dal. But I keep adding it with a heart full of hope! Among other things. Plus it tastes good anyway. whippy: The brand I've got right now is powdered L.G. as well. The one before this batch was Laxmi brand, and wasn't as nice. Pat

Ah. Is it because it's hard to grow or otherwise overharvested, or more due to geopolitical reasons? And what about taste, if any? Pat

joong zie = bamboo leaf, no mai gai = lotus leaf. They lend different bouquets to the filling. Pat

I'm one of the late starters, and certainly not a chef yet, what with being in culinary school now at the age of 32. So, technically I don't get to answer "Why a chef?" but as far as pursuing this now, I'd say it's partially drive and partially being a misfit. Nobody cares if you're a weirdo, in the kitchen all that matters is that you produce, and do it to expectations each and every time. I don't know if I'm going to be any good at this. But I do know it's in my blood, and I'll do whatever it takes, and I genuinely do give a shit how every little thing goes out because it's food and food means everything. If I'm found lacking, it won't be because I slacked or didn't give 200%. I'm probably the only person in my class who genuinely likes tourneing potatoes, and having a few dozen pounds to do is one of my ideas of fun. So is coming in early and staying late to prepare something extra special, or to pitch in during an emergency. I already know what the biggest challenge is going to be for me, and it's not the work itself. It's managing other people. And it makes me wish the whole cooking show and celebrity chef phenomenon had never happened, because they add yet another layer of difficult to manage people into an already difficult mix. Pat

Yeah, the yogurt tenderizes the chicken and adds to the succulence, which makes for such a great combination with the flash roasting. Back when I first had tandoori chicken, for the longest time I'd thought the secret was whatever exotic spices used to produce that red color. Maybe it sounds silly, but finding out that it was only food coloring somehow clued me to the possibility that it could be something I could actually make. Speaking of that red, here's something I've wondered about: does anyone know if the food coloring was always the same manufactured stuff, or was it at one time comprised of cockscomb flowers (mawal) which got substituted somewhere down the line for food coloring in order to cut the expense or difficulty of procurement? Pat (edited to add question)

I had thought it was because the men are pressured into giving up sweets once they hit their teenaged years because it was considered unmanly. But, the coffee or dark chocolate ones are considered manly enough to eat. Is this the case, Hiroyuki? Also remember an episode of Ranma 1/2 where Ranma in girl form was gobbling up a parfait in front of Akane, who asked (paraphrasing) "You never had parfait before?", and Ranma said "Guys don't eat this, but when I'm a girl it doesn't count." And from then on he uses his "ability" to gender-change as an excuse to scarf sweets. Anyway, I like Men's Pocky the best as well. I can eat an entire box of that, whereas the classic Pocky in the red box is a bit too sweet for me; a couple sticks of that and I'm good for the day. Pat

Yes. And ginger tea is great for upset stomachs, it's the first thing I make for myself when I have one. Some people like to add honey and lemon to the tea but I prefer it straight, about 1 tablespoon minced ginger per cup of hot water, steeped until cloudy and strong. Pat

The flour coating would just give the paneer a nice golden crust when fried, if that's what you want. It's also another level of taste and texture complexity in that the crust will absorb the sauce and taste a little different from the paneer inside. As for adding seasonings and flavorings, I don't know, it seems wrong to me, as wrong as pasta flavored at the doughmaking stage. I also don't like messing around with tofu and think it's best in as unadulterated a form as possible. Maybe something could be worked out in terms of separate yet complementary tastes, like choosing one type of taste for the paneer, and another for the gravy around it, and only adding the paneer right before serving. But for that kind of taste experience, the whole overall seems like it would have to be mellow, because of how subtle paneer itself is. thinking aloud, Pat

The stuff I've been getting must be seriously adulterated, I've never noticed any issues like this! I just keep mine in a glass jar sealed with a glass and rubber ring stopper. Pat

There was another thread with suggestions here. And to reiterate mine, Silver Fork on 3800 Rainier Ave S. Get the grits! Pat

Sosio's has always done right by me as well, though I like Frank's too because they've got more organic items. Sosio's has been the only ones to carry maitake mushrooms. So savory and umami. Pat