Susan in FL

In this preview of the next eG foodblog, we are going to stray from the tradition of mystery about the blogger's identity. It's a change of pace and a celebration. Swisskaese's outstanding blog will end late Saturday night, 19 August, and will remain open into Sunday. The next one will run Monday through Friday, with the possibility (blogger's time permitting) of starting a day earlier and/or ending a day later. We recently passed the three year anniversary of the eG foodblogs' beginning. It was the summer of 2003. Here's the teaser photo. Happy Birthday, eG Foodblogs!

I now have some fresh ducks eggs. I found an Asain market that carries them. I did an eG search and was happy to find this topic. I wanted to ask that if anybody else has more ideas to add to these good ones, please do post. And, another question... The market also carries duck eggs that have baby ducks in them. I like to try new things, so I bought one. The lady told me that most people boil them slowly. I'm not sure if I am going to get up the nerve to do this, but I want to. Can anyone please give input? Has anyone eaten eggs with baby duck in them? If so, how, and why? The "why" may sound like a stupid question, but I am wondering if it's an Asian tradition of some kind, or if there is any reason other than my own (to try something unusual) for anyone to eat this. BTW, I ate chicken feet last night in a Chinese restaurant in the same area of Orlando. That was a new one on me.

This is off to a very good start. Thanks to everyone for handling the discussions so far with sensitivity and consideration (and good humor always helps). A question came in via PM and I am reposting it and the reply, as an example of an appropriate food-related question in connection with the current situation.

I am pleased to welcome you to Swisskaese's second eG foodblog. Click here to view the previous blog brought to us by her and Tapenade. This very interesting foodblog was long in the planning. In fact, Swisskaese was scheduled to do this blog many weeks before the mideast crisis was taking place as close to her home as it is now. It is because of the unrest that she and I decided for me to post the opening to her blog. Under these circumstances, there might be an increased potential for viewers to post politics-related comments or questions, or post something that would lead discussion in that direction (perhaps unintentionally). I remind us all to follow the eG Society's policies and guidelines. Please pay particular attention to the Decorum and Topicality Guidelines and give much consideration to what you post, in order to maintain a focus on issues pertaining to food and drink. Please understand that the blog will be closely monitored. We will moderate as necessary to maintain the focus on our core subject of food and to assure that it remains civil. We hope you enjoy this very special eG foodblog. Swisskaese's country's terrain is made up of five vegetation zones: Euro-Siberian, with plantlife found in Europe, Russia and Siberia; Mediterranean, with conditions similar to those in other countries on the Sea; Irano-Turanian, with land similar to the steppe-lands that stretch through Iran, Turkestan and Inner Asia to Inner Mongolia; Sahara-Arabian, pure desert of the kind found in the Sahara, the Arabian Peninsula and parts of southern Iran; and Sudanese, which has tropical vegetation, confined to small enclaves and oases. This widely diverse landscape offers ideal home environments for a particularly rich assortment of plant, animal, bird and insect life.

Usually not much bothers me. I guess I'm fortunate in that regard.

What she said... Congrats, thank you for posting, and I have often had that same wish for the recipes online.

I am enjoying this so much, and the way your time zone is ahead of us, it's a real treat to get up in the morning and know there will be really good posts to read! My morning routine this week includes reading your blog while I drink my coffee. The restaurant has a cool website. Thanks for the links. Do you and your husband have a favorite brand, or favorite brandS, of vodka? Not now obviously, but do you drink it straight mostly?

I second that! Please do place some of your items up for bid, to sell them on eBay, and donate all or a portion of your proceeds to the eGullet Society. ← You mean there's something else to do with the immersion blender I got for Christmas besides watch it collect dust in the laundry room? ← Yes m'am. And I may very well bid on it, and be the one to WIN it, and buy it from you!

I second that! Please do place some of your items up for bid, to sell them on eBay, and donate all or a portion of your proceeds to the eGullet Society. All you have to do is click the "Sell" button on eBay's site to begin selling on behalf of the Society. It's as simple as that. If you never visit eBay, just click here, and then take a look at the easy steps on the right side of that page. If you need any help at all, send an email to AuctionHelp@eGullet.org. Like Susan said, it is a good cause, and it's an easy way to make a donation to our good cause.

She surely is off to a great start. This blog from around the world is fantastic, and the next one will be, too... And as another teaser about the next one, I'll add this photo to the juice man photo, to give you a clue about some of the food you will see next week.

Steve, I am really grateful for your help! Pho Quyen sounds perfect for the food and the location. We are staying close to the MOSI, too, so this should fall into place nicely. It's good to hear that you liked the exhibit, as well. I'm really looking forward to it. Thanks again.

Thanks, I'm glad to see the photos start! Would you guys be willing to let us know who's who in some of the pictures? It would be cool to have faces to attach to names.

I've been gathering recommendations and reviews, and it just might turn into a weekend of Asian eats. Can anybody add to my info by letting me know what they think the best Vietnamese restaurant in Tampa is?

July has passed, but I am still tasting some holiday beers. One of the most pleasant surprises for me was the Pyramid Snowcap. This was much better than I remember it, when it was new. I failed to post about this right after I drank it, or take notes, so I can't say much more than that. I am happy to say I do have more of this, and I'll try to remember to write about it more quickly next time. Today I had the 2000 and the 2005 SNCAs side by side. The 2000 was a little darker, more of a brown color, and cloudier. It has less head and some sourness. It tasted better with food (a Thai style chicken salad) than alone. I did not finish this bottle of beer, because what poured out from nearer to the bottom of the bottle was not so good. The 2005 was more orangy in its clarity and color. It didn't have a lot more head than the 2000, but it was noticeable. No sourness, and good flavors of citrus and apricots (notice how I so confidently stated that about the apricots). It might have lost a little of its body next to the food, but was still really good, and I did finish it.

Hi, OrlandoMan. I agree about Victoria & Albert's. One question: Do they not call the servers Victoria and Albert anymore? It was two years ago that I was there and they did then.

Absolutely wonderful so far Alina, as I knew it would be, and as everyone who knows your posts would expect from you! I hope you enjoy this as much as all the rest of us.

That will help, Steve! Thanks. So far, we have tentative plans for sushi (I think I'm leaning more toward Toki than Yoko's) and Thai in Tampa, and Ming's Bistro for Chinese in Orlando. The weekend would be complete if we were to find a highly recommended Vietnamese restaurant! (Any Tampa Vietnamese ideas?)

.....Talk about teaser posts!

Thanks, it's only two miles from where we're staying. They have a pretty cool website, with radio online including Thai oldies!

If anybody is checking out recent posts in the FL forum, you're probably getting the idea that I'm making some tentative Tampa dining plans, and looking for suggestions for good Asian food in Tampa. I am. My sister-in-law and I are going to see the Bodies exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry, so that's the general area next weekend. We haven't narrowed it down for what kind of Asian food yet, and as much as we both love all kinds, we might eat Asian the whole weekend. We do have probable plans for good Chinese (not an egg roll or moo goo gai pan on the menu!) in Orlando on our way home, so most likely we won't pick that in Tampa. We probably won't be searching for carpaccio after seeing the exhibit, but who knows... Any ideas or updated recommendations are appreciated.

I'm soon off to Tampa again, and wondering if there are any updates to the recommendations for Thai. I think that our hotel is close to Jasmine Thai, but I would really like to try something different. Perhaps it will be Thai Pan Alley this time. Wouldn't it be nice if there were so many good places to choose from, it will be hard to decide...

Thanks! My sister-in-law and I are going to Tampa next weekend and we might want a sushi restaurant. Does anybody have any other suggestions that might rival Yoko's?

You're warm, especially one of you. And now a preview of the next blog, as well: We will virtually remain on the same side of the earth for another week, though we will travel to a different country. I am thrilled with every eG foodblog, and how each one has a uniqueness and standout feature. I think you will agree with me during the week of 13 August through 19 August that the blog will stand out as one of the most interesting eG foodblogs to date. Juice, Anyone?

I've still been drinking some Christmas in July beers, even though it's not July anymore... which reminds me that I'm behind in posting about them. Last night was Bass Ale on draft at happy hour, then Carlsberg when I got home and took the granddog out, and then Aprihop with mediocre Chinese take-out for dinner.

Our tag team foodblog officially ends late tomorrow night, 5 August 2006. However, there will be a special one-day extension for additional photos to be posted by CaliPoutine after she returns home, and for closing comments and thanks. The next eG foodblog runs from Sunday the 6th through Saturday the 12th. There is not much I can say that will not give this one away. We will be leaving North America this time, and traveling to the other side of the world. Be on the lookout for the start of this one. It is guaranteed to please!