jo-mel

Dejah -- How sad to think of China Moon all boarded up. It had been such a vital place. Cookbooks!! LOL! I have shelves and shelves of them, also -- most of which are Chinese. People are bug-eyed when they come here! Ben - Gary, thanks for the tip on the new Grace Young book. Sounds like something I would like --- historic information, along with recipes. I plan to look for it.

jokhm -- I googled "Chinese menu translations" and came across these two sites: http://asiarecipe.com/chimenu.html http://onefootprint.com/news/downloads/ch-en-menudoc.doc They both have pin yin, but the first one is limited, as far as variety. The second one is quite complete, however, the pinyin is kinda screwed up. For instance, the first item: Spiced Snow Peas has the pin yin reading as: me iwe ihe la ndo u ------------The spacing throws you off. It should read" mei wei he lan dou Don't know if this helps or hinders!

There's only one worth talking about ---- Peanut butter and bacon on soft rye--- toasted or not. NOTHING like it!

Qing -- What Chinese character site did you use to get those great characters!!??

This is the one I use. Some recipes seem to have either all hoisin or all brown bean, and some have a combo. This is a combination of several recipes that I've come across. Not sweet, not salty, -----just right to my taste. ZHA JIANG MIAN ---------BEIJING NOODLES WITH MEAT SAUCE Ingredients: 1 pound fresh noodles Optional vegetable garnish: 2 Tbsp. oil Blanched bean sprouts 1 Tbsp. minced garlic Julienned cucumber 1 pound ground pork 2 Tbsp. sherry 4 whole scallions, chopped Seasoning sauce: ¼ cup brown bean sauce ¼ cup hoisin sauce ¼ tsp. chili paste with garlic (Optional seasoning sauce: 1/2 cup brown bean sauce 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper) Sauce: 1 cup chicken broth 1 tsp. cornstarch 1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. sesame oil (Optional vegetable garnish blanched bean sprouts julienne cucumber) Preparation: ----Boil the noodles until just tender – about 4 minutes. ----Drain. Mix with a little oil and keep warm. ----Mince the garlic and have ready. ----Pour sherry in a small cup and have ready. ----Chop scallions and have ready. ----Combine seasoning sauce in a cup. ----Combine sauce in a cup. Cooking: Heat a wok. Add oil and heat. Add garlic and stir till aromatic. Don’t burn . Add pork and break up while browning until all pink is gone and pork is somewhat dry. Add sherry and mix in. Add scallions and mix again. Add the seasoning sauce mix and stir well. Stir the sauce to loosen the cornstarch and add to the wok. Stir until all is smooth, thick, and bubbly. Place warmed noodles on a serving platter, pour sauce over and serve. Optional vegetable garnish may be placed on top.

Jo-mel: Mid-Autumn festival this year is on September 28, 2004 (Tuesday). I would hate to see you miss it by one night. The moon would just not be as round. What was I thinking? {{{{{{{batting head}}}}}}} Autumn = September, NOT August!! I know that! I had looked in the NYTimes to see when the full moon was -- forgetting this is still August! Thanks for the correction -- as I probably would be the only person in the world eating mooncakes under the light of the Sturgeon Moon!! LOL!

Dark meat, here too! I've always wondered what the big thing was for white meat. No comparison! People in my cooking class think you are only supposed to use breast meat in Chinese cooking, because that's what the restaurants and take-outs use. I ask them if they think the dark meat is thrown away in China? In a land where allparts of any animal are consumed, wouldn't they use dark meat? Once I did a General's chicken with half white and the other half dark meat, and asked which they liked best. The dark won!! AAMOH, one of this falls classes is entitled "Beyond White Meat Chicken".

Ah -- that poem, ----and that poet! I first heard it when I was studying Chinese, and it has been a favorite ever since. It started my love for Chinese poetry, especially The Golden Age, but also those by Zhou En Lai. I learned "Ye Se' also as "chuang qian ming yue guang--", but my favorite translation is also the most simple : Beside my bed a pool of light--- Is it hoarfrost on the ground? I lift my head and see the moon, I lower my head and think of home. The full moon is the 29th? I'm gonna get me some mooncakes, and go outside with my poems, and read some Li Bai!

Here's another closet mooncake-eater! I don't even need a moon - just tea. (Chinese restaurant tea will do)

Now THAT is using your noodle!!

You are in Yangshuo in August. Not a time many big groups go there, probably. In October, it will be loaded with tourists. I've been down that river 5 times, and the first time, there were very few tourists, but after that it became a frenzy just getting away from the boat-dock streets. How is the heat?

Am I the only one who is going to say something simple like -----"homey"?

What is the e-gullet feeling of Josephs, in Glen Ridge?

Could you just use a pencil and paper and ask the vendor/food server/another customer --- to write down what you order?

Authentic: (Merriam-Webster) 2 a : worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact <paints an authentic picture of our society> b : conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features <an authentic reproduction of a colonial farmhouse> c : made or done the same way as an original <authentic Mexican fare> If pizza has kiwi on it, is it pizza?

The area may not be upscale outside, but I love the inside. All the artifacts that Cecil has on the far wall and over the partition are fascinating. There is a warmth inside that belies outside. But I agree -- another outing would be great! Both forus and for China 46!

The Beijing Language Institute (now called Beijing Language & Cultural Institute) used to have 6-week accelerated Chinese language courses. You might get a start -- or leads -- from there. It was a fall program when I was there.

LOL! Thanks for the Ackroyd skit. I hadn't seen it. Too funny!! I just checked my Volume 1 of Masters. Its coverleaf was long ago protected with sticky transparent paper. V2's cover is tattered and folded neatly inside the book. Volume1 opens up, by itself, to pages 154-155 - "Gratin de Pomme de Terre et Saucisson". I obviously love that recipe, and tomorrow -- on The Great Lady's birthday -- I will make it. Bon Appetit, dear lady!

Chinese food and language -- at the same time! Lucky you! One of my cherished possessions from my visits to China are my food logs. Are you keeping one? Even after all these years, just reading some of them brings the meal back.

~~~~~~~~~Train yourself also to handle hot foods~~~~~~~~~~ Well, I learned well. I'm known to have 'asbestos hands'. Thanks, Teach, and God Bless you!

Trillium -- I also give a thumbs up on Yan-Kit-So's "Classic Cooking of China". A very informative book! Her "Chinese Cooking, Step-by-Step Techniques", when she went by the name Yan Kit Martin, is one I've recommended to beginners. Lots of useful guides in it. She will be missed. Of the other Regional books I have, several stand out, and have great information, but If I had to choose just one it would be "Classic Cooking".

Is 'red yeast rice' still used? Or has red food coloring taken over completely? If I have it correctly, NJ's China46 uses the rice - for, I believe. their Ruby Pork.

1 cup of sugar ( to the 7oz. line, why? "cos Po-Po said so. Love it!!

WOW!! You are going to be a hard act to follow, Dejah!! What love you put into your cooking, your family and your life! It shows in everything you do. I loved that picture of your 'Pride of lions'! LOL!

Dejah -- That is exactly what I am looking for! Thank you soooo much! I will work on it and see if I can do it. That Webshot thing is an on-line site where you can store pictures, but their directions are/were NOT clear. I use Camedia to store my digitals, and will open a special e-gullet folder. Thanks again!!!