sizzleteeth

I have no opinion on the man and will offer no opinion on the show - what I will offer an opinion on is expectations--. There is a time in everyone’s life when they just do whatever it is that they do, they ARE what they live and there is no target to hit other than whatever your personal internal goal is – then you become known to the outside world – and whatever it is that causes this transformation becomes the fixation point for everyone – if you are a cold faced killer you can never be anything but that without going through a shedding process, in which you will be attacked from all sides. To give generally well known examples - like Arnold going from Terminator to Kindergarten cop or Metallica going from their old style to their new style. To give lesser known examples, like GVSB or Jawbox going from small indie bands to major label bands – sometimes you end up doing things that seem to contradict what brought you into existence in the first place and therefore end up looking like a hypocrite – and all those people that expect you to be a killer, when they see you being soft and sensitive, will cringe. Then there are the Fugazis of the world, who grow and progress without ever really directly contradicting what it is that they stood for in the first place in any large way and then they die off being remembered for what they were. They never reach the point of transformation that is necessary in order to not become a stagnant repetition of a cycle. What has to be accepted sometimes, especially in writing because it is a fixed point in time that endures centuries, is that these people are no longer what they are when it was written – maybe even at the time of writing what it is they wrote – they are looking back on something that they were – that they no longer are – or looking outward to something they would like to be but are never to become. Unfortunately what happens sometimes, is that in order to meet the expectations set forth in the beginning, you end up creating a shell that is nothing more than an attempt to reproduce artificially something that once existed by default – and that will never be the same as the real thing. I suppose it is up to whomever it is to decide whether or not this is something they can live with. Every person on this forum, including myself, is a sellout in some way shape or form. We all compromise what we would want or would do if we had it our way entirely and we all support the system that requires us to sell out – don’t mistake a compromise for someone actually WANTING things to be that way. Sometimes there are only 2 choices, make a deal – or have nothing.

Perfect - the liqueur I should be able to get - didn't know that existed and I'll try to find the preserved cherry blossoms and experiment with both. Hiroyuki you are helpful as always.

Even if it doesn't help in making it - fabulous resource, I imagine I'll order just to try them all... thanks. There are 3 distinctions in what I've had: 1. A red bean mochi wrapped in cherry leaf 2. A red bean filled with a cherry blossom mochi exterior 3. A cherry blossom ice cream containing no mochi I am most interested in the 3rd if anyone has had this.

While in Osaka I was treated to Cherry Blossom Mochi and Cherry Blossom Ice Cream... the latter of which tasted oddly like carrot cake in some strange way. I need to be able to re-create this ice cream for someone - though obviously not exactly. Though I'm sure the basic ingredients are the same as any ice cream - can anyone help with the specifics of the unique ingredients and can you tell me where I might order them? Any help will be appreciated.

This made me remember one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen. At the aquarium in Osaka - in the gift shop - they had an entire section dedicated to Western silverware - forks, knives and spoons.

Considering all of the different opinions involving said corn based product posted here, perhaps it would be beneficial to have some type of "match making" service - all of your products could be prepackaged and vacuum sealed in plastic bags that come ready to boil - instead of browsing and choosing a product - you fill out a profile that asks you questions about your background and matches you with the appropriate grit products based on that information - these products are then shipped to you via FedEx and the spoon is sort of like the gift you get for signing up and $10 off coupons to Dollywood. It could all be online - and - (I wholeheartedly apologize for this in advance) - could be called eHominy.

Reminds me of a story.... Friend of mine was in the park across the street from where I used to live in my home town. There were a bunch of kids playing and one of the little girls at the park struck up a conversation with my friend and they somehow got on the subject of God and the Devil - this child could not have been more than 7 but had obviously been highly educated on the subject of religion and seemed very intelligent for her age. The end of the exchange went something like this: Girl: I bet you don't even know what the devil looks like!!! Aaron: Sure I do... he's scary and red and has a pointy tail and carries a big pitchfork Girl: Nuh uh fool... the Devil is beautiful... cause he used to be an Angel My friend was totally floored by that remark - for some reason that has stuck with me. Suppose it applies well to food - as some of the most evil things you can eat - are the hardest to pass up.

A decent balsamic vinegar with at least 6 years on it... even better reduced slowly over medium heat with some brown sugar until it thickens slightly - or reduced with the cherries - or both.

The answer is yes..... Yes, I would top my mashed potatoes with a blueberry smiley face. :) Actually blueberry mashed potatoes could work out pretty well depending on how you made them. Say, leftover mashed potatoe pancakes with blueberry compote and sour cream? In KY ( at least where I'm from)... butter and sugar and milk and even raisins are common. I like them all ways from plain to cheese (especially with BBQ) to sweet to fruit and I eat them with whatever steel, wooden, ceramic and as a last resort... plastic utensil I can get my hands on - depending on who made them - they may or may not be more solid or liquid - so in some cases a fork is just not practical. I don't eat much sugar anymore but there was a day when sausage, scrambled eggs with cheese and grits with brown sugar and raisins and a glass of iced tea that was at least 1/4 sugar was an ideal breakfast.

The Escoffier Cookbook The Physiology of Taste - Jean Anthelme (Brillat-Savarin) is a very interesting read. And if I can ever find an English translation of Les Classiques De La Table, which was co-authored by Brillat-Savarin, Louis (Marquis de Cussy), Alexandre Balthazar (Grimod De La Reyniere), Marie Antoine Careme, and Alexander Dumas – I’d snatch that up in a second as I’m sure it contains an untold wealth of information from the depths of French cuisine that, if for nothing else, would be interesting. Cussy alone was said to have more than 350 + recipes for chicken. {edit}: Sorry... 366, one for each day of the year... including leap years.. or so I read.

Not sure how accurate they are - but I've always liked these explanations: Edit: BTW - this is what I was referencing when talking about this in the daily N thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...56entry556656

Yeah... here it is: http://www.chefsresource.com/tea-vinegar.html

Tea smoked chicken is a fairly common dish. Strong iced tea can be bitter beyond words while a tea that is not strong enough would lend no flavor. Try an aggressive tea that you don't have to make "strong" - like Lapsang Souchang - which in itself is a smoked tea and has an extremely smokey leathery flavor that would be complimented well by the acid of vinegar - my favorite tea in fact. I actually believe there is a company that makes a Lapsang Rice Vinegar even. Beyond that - picking a fragrant tea and smoking the chicken - then adding whatever sauce and finishing would work well.

Exiles: Now in this faraway land Strange that the palms of my hands Should be damp with expectancy Spring, and the air's turning mild City lights and the glimpse of a child Of the alleyway infantry Friends - do they know what I mean? Rain and the gathering green Of an afternoon out of town But lord I had to go The trail was laid too slow behind me To face the call of fame Or make a drunkard's name for me Though now this better life Has brought a different understanding And from these endless days Shall come a broader sympathy And though I count the hours To be alone's no injury My home was a place by the sand Cliffs and a military band Blew an air of normality

One of my favorite albums of all time. King Crimson: "Larks' Tongues in Aspic"

BTW here is the multicouse Hinai Jidori chicken menu at Imaiya that I had - unbelievable. Every dish isn't pictured, but most of the skewers are there and the list of dishes. This is on the Imaiya site. http://www.imaiya.co.jp/english/menu/course.html

Yes the cooking classes were arranged - but also optional - Intrepid is really cool - it's like traveling with some friends - it's logistically easier than doing it by yourself but physically harder - no car service, no 4 star hotels, no luxury what-so-ever, no tour guide with a bullhorn, no sticking out like sore thumbs - just you and your backpack which you carry while walking further and more than you ever had or ever would. There are so many times when, had I gone totally on my own, I would have hopped in a cab and bypassed hundreds of things - but even when the train station was across town - you walked, with your heavy ass pack - I felt bad for a few people because I packed pretty light and there were some carrying a heavy load. I'll answer any questions about Soba making I can. Takayama was my favorite place overall and is what I would classify as the "real Japan" - meaning I 'd bet if you put all the towns in Japan side by side - they would heavily resemble Takayama more than Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima or Kyoto. Going to those places, while really cool and essential to experience the full spectrum, are really high in contrast compared to the majority - like going to New York City and Chicago and thinking that is what the rest of America is like - not even close - they are based on the core of smaller American towns with layers of extreme twists on top. Thousands of smaller towns, all with their own local flavor is America - Takayama and places like it are Japan - in my eyes. The larger cities are also important parts of the greater whole, but are more isolated examples. I also say that because on the trains I traversed a huge distance over half the length of the country and what did I see out the window? Places like Takayama, countryside - small towns. I only stayed at 1 hotel in Tokyo - the rest Ryokan and a Monastary in Koyasan - I'll have to get together all the names and post them - I think I have cards for all of them. Will do that this week. I would recommend them all. (edit) : modified a statement I later didn't completely agree with myself

Thank you!! The market in Osaka was definitely my favorite as far as food markets went and is exactly as you describe. As far a Tsukiji - I dunno - the "frozen" tuna auction actually had a path for onlookers while the "fresh" did not - I was actually waved in by a guy in the fresh side for what reason I am not sure - but I'm pretty sure I actually heard him say the english words "Fuck it". So I walked the tuna floor between the aisles. It is a wonder outsiders aren't killed or maimed ther more often with all the swinging sharp objects and the motorized vehicles nearly colliding at every corner - you have to watch your ass or you're going to lose a limb.

I experienced many Ryokan meals that had many Kaiseki elements, that is another strong thing I came away with - that the whole of Western haute cuisine is very derivative of hundreds of years old Kaiseki - not that this is a bad thing - just an observation. These meals used the best quality local ingredients in season, served in highly decorated small portions (but always with edible garnishes) in a deliberate progression spanning the spectrum of available ingredients - some meals like this in Kyoto were priced as high as $500 per person and included sensory elements present to do just that - induce calm, restfulness and harmony. The sound of a waterfall beneath you and the open air of the forest around you - the smell of certain flowers and the combination of certain colors. Kaiseki evolved around the tea ceremony which in itself is a very harmonious restful experience. All in all, harmony with nature and the deliberate taking of your time were all elements that were highly exalted. Bear in mind it was easy to walk up to a street stall and eat Yakitori in 5 minutes - but even that was prepared with great care and high quality ingredients. The service at nearly every place I ate was indicitative of places that here would charge many times as much just for said service - this went from a $10 meal to a $50 meal - in many cases I never even poured my own drink or got to the bottom of a cup of tea. I dunno if others have had different experiences - but on the whole this was mine. BTW - Thanks Pan.

In every place there were elements of old and new, but the elements of new never seemed more than surface apparitions, the same attempt I speak of to conform to a theme but in a different way - almost a mask to hide the true depth - to depart from it even. The newer parts of Osaka felt like Miami and it wasn't until I entered the food market that I began to feel the roots of the city. I would almost go as far as to say it was the real Osaka - under the mask. Perhaps that is an extreme point of view. I saw many elements of Western influence in many places, but it was like they weren't serious - like it was a masquerade ball and when they go home they take off the costumes - it was very ironic. Like acknowledging that toys are toys and imitating them as toys and not a serious objects - I don't know if that makes any sense to you. It's like some places in Japan are deliberately attempting to escape from their serious and traditional past. The coffee was placed in the top container - the water was poured in and steeped the coffee and dripped through the tube into the bottom container - then the top container was removed - no idea if that is completely accurate. Coffee was everywhere - much to my liking. Even in the most remote location. Indeed, and I hope each and every one of you do - here or elsewhere. before going to a new place, most people have preconceptions. i have many of japan and this quote is particularly interesting to me since i have always imagined japan to be quite conforming. I suppose it depends on where you go and what you look for - first of all my first answer in this post applies heavily to this question - but I went to many places that seemed to simply exist as is and were not trying to be anything, it is a difficult line to decipher. Nowhere did I feel pretention or competition in the sense that we know it - but that could have been me. I've always contended that I would never want to do what I love for money - but I saw something here that I rarely see - people doing things that they would do anyway - and they just happened to make money at it - rather than putting together a plan to produce an environment designed to make money. Obviously that existed in some places - but on the whole I felt a sense of pride and a dedication to quality in even the smallest and insignificant of tasks, without hope of recognition or thanks. Yes, Vegas is a perfect example - where you can see a fake Venice designed for the sole purpose of profit - and if it was not profitable it would not exist. Please be aware that I cannot say that everything is free from this in Japan, obviously it does exist - but as I said before - in some places it seems not to be the focus at all - and in the places it does - it does not seem quite so serious - but again that could just be me. Thank you.

Allright I just about have the best of jet lag. I have to say that this trip has held the most astonishing, bizarre and wonderful things I have ever experienced. I have attempted to capture some of this feeling in the photos, but no photo or video could convey the senses that would need to be felt to fully understand the contexts. What made it so much more moving was something I have never heard described by anyone, and the only thing I know to call it is "safe white noise". I barely speak enough Japanese dealing with food to get by and I read almost none - so I could not read any sign, understood no advertisement or commercial written or otherwise and overheard no conversation I could decipher. It seems like I remember experiencing this as a child, before I understood anything and simply relied on my instincts and ignored irrelevent information. All of these things combined with the heartfelt kindness of the Japanese people and the utter safeness and peacefulness of their environment made everywhere I went nearly completely free of negative energy - since I did not understand many of the sights and sounds that were undoubtedly comparable to anything anywhere else - in that context they became simply a backdrop of undecipherable hum and vision - which made everything easier to focus on. In some environments this would be a scary thing, but in Japan I saw many travelers simply lie on the sidewalk with their bags around them and sleep, anytime anything was dropped it was returned, tips were refused even when offered, help was offered without asking by strangers who would go as far as to lead you where you were going. Even if someone is thinking negative thoughts - they are smiling and helpful. There were so many things that were so incredibly genuine that it made me feel like in the states I live in a plastic world where nothing is real and everything is a calculated attempt to conform to a stereotype or theme - to reproduce artificially an environment that exists elsewhere by default. Organic versus mechanical, fluid versus rigid. I understand that in the context of my trip I could only see so deep - but it wasn't so much what I saw as what I felt - and I trust that more. So anyway, that is really all I have to say - if anyone would like any specifics or has any questions I will be happy to answer in detail. If there are none - that is fine as well.

I’d say the one major and possibly greatest advantage that restaurant environments hold is also their greatest disadvantage… elementary math. Disadvantage: Sheer number of courses and people to be served. Say a restaurant seats 60 and has tasting menus of 8, 10 and 12 courses respectively and let’s say they have 2 seatings over a 4 hour period from 6 to 10 pm – we’ll take the median number and say each person gets 10 dishes. So that’s 120 people x 10 dishes = 1200 dishes 1200 dishes divided by 4 hours = 300 dishes an hour 300 dishes divided by 60 minutes = 5 dishes per minute, 1 dish every 12 seconds Which means there must be at least 5 cooks plating for 1 entire minute to be spent plating your dish. Throw in all the ingredient prep and items that must be prepared over the course of the day and items that must be prepared at the time at plating for those 1200 dishes and cleaning up after all of it – you have one hell of a day. Not much real care (in terms of what you would put in at home) can be taken at this speed. Many restaurants do much, much, much more than this in terms of covers and number of dishes – but not over much more time, I’d say my numbers are actually below the average in the tasting menu category. Advantage: Sheer number of people working in the kitchen and volume handled by equipment. It’s not uncommon for 10 to 15 people to be in a kitchen, which is 15 pairs of hands and 15 minds and 15 sets of eyes – which makes some things (at this speed) not really possible to do at home. Though one could do just about anything that can be done in a restaurant at home provided they have the equipment and the skill – it would just take more time. Don’t forget that a few people, at a much slower pace, created most of the dishes you’re eating. Then documented them to the smallest detail so that they can be mass-produced at break neck speed with as much accuracy as possible at said speed. That would even go for the ice cream you bought at Jewel. Equipment is a huge factor in speed and by virtue of its design sometimes produces things that would be difficult to reproduce at home. If you’ve ever looked at the blade on a Vita-Prep vs. a consumer blender you’ll understand why it can puree just about anything 3 times as fast and smoother than you can with your Cuisinart, if you’ve ever read through the directions on the PacoJet website you’d know you can just drop whole ingredients into a canister – freeze them and then push a button and it will shave them into a sorbet with a texture you could not reproduce in an ice cream maker at home. Your burner is going to take much longer to bring a million quart stock-pot to a simmer and struggle to keep it there, etc. So I think the main advantages and disadvantages of both home and restaurant cooking are the same. Volume and speed (people and equipment) is a restaurant's greatest advantage and disadvantage - lack of volume and speed (people and equipment) are a home cook’s greatest advantage and disadvantage. It all depends on the context. Access to ingredients, skill, money and resources are arguable – some home cooks have all of these things on near equal footing with restaurants – some do not. {edit}: Then again - somebody is keeping Cuisine Solutions in business.

Thought this might be helpful to people as well – since we haven’t really addressed the “chef to farmer” connection… I believe that many people have the perception that many of these places exist solely to cater to restaurants – with a few exceptions – that is not largely the case. The point of origin of most of this stuff is just regular people. Farmers who are just that… farmers, many of whom have abandoned the mechanized methods of factory farming – which at one time was a very rare thing. A great many of them sell to the public, albeit locally, through local farmers markets and on-farm stores that you physically must travel to… while some do also take orders and ship by phone or participate in local coops. To find them all you need to do is find a directory of growers in your area – like this one (and many others): http://www.theorganicpages.com/topo/search...ad363c6ed39612d http://www.theorganicpages.com/topo/commer...rmgrownproducts Usually townships have such directories pertaining only to that area, where you can see where the farmers markets are - then you can buy locally and direct – high quality, sustainable raised food around your town – in addition to internet sources. If you want Millbrook Venison for instance: http://www.millbrooknyonline.com/sources/wineries.html Or Wil Hi lamb: http://www.sheepandwool.com/vendors%2004%20S%20to%20z.htm Though there are still many places that buy items you just can’t find on any farm like Buddha’s Hand or Cape Gooseberries and then offer them for sale: http://www.melissas.com/catalog/index.cfm?info=no I grew up on a small farm in Kentucky. I have eaten on a daily basis, vegetables out of the ground/off the plant - into the pan… eggs from the nests of free roaming chickens… beef from a side in our deep freeze from cattle that walked around all day eating grass and had names… smoke house cured ham from Amish country… peaches off the tree… bluegill, catfish, bass, trout I caught on my own line and cleaned with my own knife from a lake in my grandfather’s back yard… crayfish I caught with my own hands… quail, dove, deer, rabbit hunted that morning. Still... there is nothing special about me, this is common practice by millions. Your knowledge of such food need not come from expensive restaurants or culinary schools. If one has the attitude that something is not possible then they have already defeated themselves from the inside – nothing in the outside world need raise a hand to them. Cut out the middlemen once in awhile. {edit}: Here's an even better national directory: http://www.foodroutes.org/