Keith Talent

While at a market, I saw a legume for sale that was new to me. Because I was on a caffeine rush, the simple task of writing the name down didn't occur to me, (at least thats the excuse I'm using). I've googled to no avail, maybe someone here can help. It was a biege/tan multsection thing, looked exactly like a larvae. I asked the vendor about it, sadly my grade 11 French wasn't up to the task of following his info. Anyone know of a legume that fits this description? And if so what's it taste like, hows it used, and can they be sourced in North America? Three maybe four sections, the sections have the shape and proportions of potatoes, the whole thing is maybe the size of a babies pinky finger. And it did look exactly like a larvae. Thanks.

Bux - I was suprised at your statement that you've never sauteed the mirepoix for moules mariniere, I googled moules mariniere recipes and the top five pages displayed all call for the onion to be softened, not like that it's all that important, but interesting none the less.

I guess I wasn't clear enough, I said "...does anyone else experience the typical North American germ-aphobia watching the bakery clerk handle cash, make change, grab bakery products and pack them? I considered it French flu innoculations, a little won't hurt and will make you stronger, but it is slightly disconcerting..." The money/hand/bread thing didn't turn me off one little bit, I just found it interesting when viewed from our (overly) hygeinic North Americaian perspective. If that happened anywhere at home, the bakery would be shut faster than I can eat an apricot tart, and then get back in line for another. The blanket thing I will defend though. Seems kinda like wearing a random strangers sweater off the street. Or maybe I'm just being neurotic. Whatever. I'm not so far gone however that I've purchased the "Hotel bed liner" I saw for sale in the Skymall catalogue on the plane. That seems somewhat extreme. And does anyone know why things seem remarakably consistant from bakery to bakery? Pain au chocolat is pain au chocolat pretty much everywhere. And total respect for the bakers if they're turning out everything in those display cases in house, boogles the mind how hard (and efficiently) they're working while the rest of us are either carousing, or sleeping it off.

Wow! France has the (incorrect) steroetype of being haughty and arrogant, while e-gulleters are typlified as helpful and friendly, also incorrect if the sample size was one and raisab was the selected sample. It's weird how the opposites are true. Thanks to all those that answered, perhaps I need to clarify a few points. First in ten days, the two meals above were the only two complete diasaters, the ratio of heaven to trainwrecks is about ten to one. With regards to planning at home via here and other resources, that's not really feasable, outside of a few special destination type spots. We prefer to travel spontaneously, have no idea where we're sleeping that night when we get out of bed in the morning; Thus the need to improve out ability to asceratain quality prior to sitting at the table. Getting lost, wandering is one of the great joys of travel in my opinion, losing that because of the possibility of a few bad meals just wouldn't be worth it. I love France, and I love the food, I was suprised at how bad these two meals were in a country that in previous visits seemed to serve amazing meals at any random place, regardlesss of price or appearance. I always maintained that Paris was a place where a bad meal was impossible, average perhaps, but bad? C'est impossible. Asking a local where to go seems to work very well approx. 50% of the time for us. Occasionally you get directed back into the tourist area, or worse, ask someone that doesn't know/like/care about food and they just give you bad advice. Although when they do tend do get it right, or more accurately you ask the right question of the right person, the results are brilliant. I guess if my initial post sounded cynical, it was caused by the disappointment of seeing the curtain whipped aside and diiscovering the truth that France has some crappy food too, just like everywhere else. Thanks again to everyone that took the time to add their two cents.

How does one go about picking a good simple restaurant in France without outside guidance? No guides, e-gullets etc. Somewhere with good homestyle cooking. We dined, and scare quotes should be around the word dined, in Nuit St. George in a local cafe/brasserie. We were tired of formal restaurants, wanted a break and some good honest homestyle cooking. Went to a place with a daily special of Crepes Champignon, plat choice of either Lapin moutard or bouef and tart au pommes for desert. Place was busy with locals, price was right, we decided to head in. Crepe came, it had strange "machined" looking seams, and the inside was piping hot while the outside was cool. Hmm. Wife suggests it's been microwaved. I dismiss the idea out of hand. "C'mon honey, this is France, there is absolutely no way the local cafe in the heart of the Cote D'Or would microwave anything. Don't be insane. Microwaved! Ha!" I walk to the bathroom, look through the passthrough into the kitchen, where no one is, and see to plates covered in plastic, ready to warm. The "cook" stops chatting with friends at the bar, walks to kitchen, emerges seconds later, five minutes after a distinctive DING is heard, "cook" brings entrees. Damn. How do I avoid accidents like the above in the future? People that say they've lived their lives with no regrets have clearly never dined on boil in the bag entrees in France. Second, we were in Reims, Sunday night, wanted Moules et Frites, never had them in France, only familiar with the North American version. Pick a likely brasserie, crowd again looks local, moules look excellent, lots of people with big black pots on the table. Order and wait with extreme anticipation. If there is anything both my wife and I like better, I'd be hard pressed to guess. Moules arrive, lid lifted, steam rises and I'm hit with...the beach, at low tide. Not the sea, the beach, and a beach in New Jersey too, on a summer day, with no breeze. Moules are anemic rather than plump, beards occasionally trimmed, but not always, and worst of all, barnacles still attached, thus the beach/low tide funk. What the...? Horrid. Add insult and the mirapoix wasn't sauteed, the onions carrots and celery were merely thrown in raw. What the hell? Everyone else in the place seemed to be enjoying them. Anyone explain this? Are mussels really this grim all over France, or was it just an undiscerning crowd?

How do the French pick their bakery of choice? Here's what I mean by that, there are so many boulangeries that at least four or five have to be equidistant from any given locale, how does Mounsier Bagette Buyer chose? They all seem to do a good business, and must have some differentiating characteristic that makes it the bakery of choice, the difference escaped my anglo eye, what is it? And why would you buy bread from the Monoprix? And the pasteries are all made in house at every bakery? My daily Pain au Chocolat or Chauson au Pommes seemed quite similar from every single bakery, even in different towns, yet still maintained a in-house baked quality. Is it the French love of quantifeid standarization (AOC) compelling bakers to follow the state recipe and procedure? And lastly, where are the specialty items made? In house as well? Most bakeries have the tarts and quiches and fancy cakes and cookies, these are all also baked in house? And very lastly, as opposed to the previous lastly which would more accurately be titled second to lastly, does anyone else experience the typical North American germ-aphobia watching the bakery clerk handle cash, make change, grab bakery products and pack them? I considered it French flu innoculations, a little won't hurt and will make you stronger, but it is slightly disconcerting for someone who refuses to touch hotel bedspeads or blankets.

I'm going out for late dim sum tommorow. Bad idea? I'm going to call in sick for the lunch.

My wife has recently become a born again Vegan though, If we bring our own tofu will you throw it in the cassoulet for her? (And no one here is so sarcasm unsavvy that they don't get my ham fisted (mmm, ham fists!) attempts at humour, right?)

Just harrassing you, your repution for generousity proceeds you. I do hope though that someone stands up and loudly declares "THIS FISH IS RAW."

And one other thing, Chef N. I hope you have the mechanics of this thing worked so that you are part of the party. I just went and looked at the menu again, and A) it looks better everytime I see it, and B) how are you doing the entrees without knowing in advance what we want? Did I miss some memo where we needed to specify our selections? My wife will be so pissed with me if I procrastinated on replying to something I needed to and we have to go to Subway down the street to pickup our "entrees".

Hold up. Are you saying there's going to be either a shortage of food or drink at this soiree? If things are going to be in such short supply that cross dressers are willing to risk knocking their wig across the room in a skrag fight to determine ownership of ribs? You're not a host from the Bob Blummer school of (miserly) entertaining that holds as a credo your guests should always want more are you?

There's nothing better than a party where an angry drag queen shows up drunk looking for some retribution. Unfortunatley, Coop is neither a drag queen nor an angry drunk. I've got suspicions about some other attendees however...fingers crossed.

I know who's in charge of next summers YVR/E-mullet Clam Bake down at Spanish Banks.

Thanks for clearing up the Martini thing Daddy, (screw it, I`m not calling you Daddy, the last thing I need is you coming up to me like a drunken Yankee fan all night saying ``who`s your DaddyÉ` It`s a pet peeve with me too. Martini = Plenty of cold gin, and maybe some other stuff too. Martini`s, like cappuchino and cheesecake don`t come in flavours. Martinis come in gin flavour and that`s all. (Edit. Don`t ask what all the weird formatting is about, my computer, like the American electorate, seems to have gone insane.)

I should probably clarify and say my complaints are specifically geared to white Franco/Ital style loaves. Getting good brown bread in Vancouver seems to be no problem, getting a nice baggette or ciabatta slightly more problematic.

I don't know if it's a factor of humidity or something else, but even the best bread in Vancouver seems weak in comparison to bread almost anywhere else. Crust is generally too soft, or if it does have a good crunch, is too thick. Anyone else perceive this, or am I a lone loon? And there isn't a single grocery store in the city that shouldn't be burnt to the ground for the massive crimes against bread they all commit. The Ecco Il Pane take home and bake from Save on Foods is disappointingly poor. I thought it would be much better, five bucks a loaf and you get an insipid flavourless spongey loaf.

Quick sidetrack, and then I'll leave you academically superior types to hash out the timeline of West Coast Chinese food. Daddy-A's reference to the Ho Inn, reminded me of an unfullfilled lifelong quest that it never occured to me to seek resolution of here. When we were kids, we'd frequent the Ho-Inn. The family was bitterly divided on the merits of Foos Ho Ho vs. the Ho-Inn, my branch of the family tree considered Ho-Inn superior. I digress, my favourite dish was "Curry Beef and Potatoes", something I've never seen prepared similarly anywhere else. The potatoes were sliced in 1/8 inch thick slices, most likely deep fried layed on a plate and a thin yellow curry sauce and some sliced beef added to the top. Onion most likely played a role too. Anyone remember this dish? I've never seen it anywhere else prepared in a similar fashion. Occasionally you'll get curry beef and potato hot pot, but the potatoes are cubed and stewed with the beef and curry. Anywhere in town prepare anything along these lines? I'll bet it's been 25 years since I last ate this, and I'm ready for some more. I think the problem finding it is that it from the "Dragon Inn Caucasian School" of chinese cuisine, the same movement that gave us Chop Suey and Sweet and Sour Boneless Pork. I don't really get to those places much anymore.

I suggest the first Richmond meal be at a site of some historic significance, namely the first McDonalds in Canada, at #3 and Granville. Plus they have a kick ass play area, or at least according to my kids they do.

This anti-fast-food snobbery is, well, kinda lame. Actually, scratch that, it's not kinda lame, it's entirely lame. It's seems roughly analagous to the implicit sense of moral superiority dirty hippy vegetarians like to throw at us animal eaters. I'll proudly stand and say there's few things finer than Taco Bell while on a stateside road trip. Double decker taco supreme for me please. McDonalds may be too downmarket for some of us, but to deny they know more about good fries than most pomme frite purveyors in town is the truth. I'll bet that at ANY restarant in Vamcouver, McDonalds fries could be subbed for the house frite on any plate and there wouldn't be a single complaint, nor would anyone suspect it. And don't even get me started on the superiority of In'n'out Burger.

In typical bad luck fashion, Bei Jing Shang Hai Delicacies (a sign you need to look at twice to detrmine what it says, due to the seemingly extraneous spacing, at least to my caucasian eyes,) was closed today. I had so absolutely fantastic Xian lamb soup instead. Hand pulled nnodles, (not cooked long enough) and enough chunks of meaty lamb to warm the hearts of my Scottish inlaws, (although the profusion of cilatro garnish would have sent them running in terror. Only the Scots are actively afraid of raw vegetables.) Broth had great lamb flavour, served in a large ceramic bowl, (I hate styrofoam). Ate cold potato side dish as my side dish. I have no idea what the hell it was, with the exception of damn good. Some root vegetable, certainly not potato, texture of daikon, marinated in sesame oil/cilatro/chilis trinty of Chinese cooking. Really good. I haven't been to the Market in ages, Coop sagely observed that it makes Yaohan look like the Harrods food courts. Time to go back. The whole space has that cool archtectual quality the Chinese seem to specialize in of taking a buildings intended purpose, and through the force of extreme capitalism, bending and shaping it into an unintended space that suits its' purpose better than the architect could have ever put on paper.

Yo Jamie (I thoght you may appreciate a jocular greeting), your erudite grammar fixation is second only to your hyperbole re. the trek required to get to Horseshoe Way. I suggest a GPS in the next Maw family vehicle. If it's taking you more than 20 or 25 minutes to get there from anywhere in the city to Steveston Highway, you may want to reconsider your route. I realize on paper, taking the Lougheed out to that little ferry, crossing the river, zipping down to Highway 10 then following it back to the tunnel may look like it skirts Richmond's notorious traffic, but it really does cost more time than it saves. I kinda like the Nebraska reference though. With the exception that if Richmond had anything besides topography in common with the Cornhusker state, getting a good steak wouldn't be so damn difficult. Perhaps the Richmond Chamber of Commerce should consider a new advert campaign, "Come visit Nebraska-by-the-sea", go after the downmarket money that thinks Carmel-by-the-sea is to ritzy.

Napping is bad because I'm trying to maintain some form of gainfull employment, and I already spend more hours on some stupid food bulletin board than is prudent.

To be fair, the hegemony of Cantonese cooking has kinda pushed other Chinese regional cuisines into the shadows here in Vancouver, so we can (almost) be forgiven our ignorance.

What do you mean by this? What are typical Shanghainese flavours?

Damn my second rate education, it clearly let me down badly in the area of Cambodian spelling conventions. As an excuse, I attended school during the Vander Zalm reign as education minister, so at least I've got a good excuse. I think I should be credited for doing as much as I do. Talk about The Lost Generation...The embarrasing thing is I originally had it down correctly, looked at it and thought that doesn't look right, it needs another vowel somewhere. Doh! Jamie, I like Pearl Castle three/four doors down from Ellie for lunch right now. Corner of Cambie and Sexsmith. 6.95 and the mention of my name gets you Chili chicken, rice, three side salads/pickle dishes, plus two frozen creme filled puff pastry for desert. Room looks more like a hip lounge than a cheap and cheerful lunch joint. Plus, as an added bonus, they play Canto-pop of the type that doesn't make your ears bleed, something I wasn't aware existed. Also, I think they have a Cambie street location for the suburb-phobic, but honestly it's best in my opinion to go full pull, stroll into the location that garners quizitive looks from the clientele seeing a Caucasian walk in. I'm going to check out Gary Soups recco above (well actually after I hit Post it will be below, but it's above right now,) at the Richmond Market for lunch today, word will be forthcoming. Check out Prata Man for takeout Curry Mee on Garden City between Bridgeport and Cambie, in the strip mall with 7-11. As Jeffy Boy originally noted, it's the perfect lunch time heat level, any spicier and you'd want a beer, and personally speaking, that just turns into an afternoon spent napping under my desk.