Daddy-A

Jason, I've been participating in on-line communities in one form or another for almost 20 years now. I wish all BBS's, chat rooms and message boards had a DO and DON'T list like the one you posted. Should be mandatory reading, regardless of whether or not you work in the restaurant industry. Thanks, A.

The Dragon Inn, The Rickshaw ... kinda like "Bigh Night" for Chinese. I feel somehow cheated There's a terrific Szechuan place near us called "The Pepper House". If you stick to their spicey items it's really good, otherwise (to quote Mooshmouse) MEH. As an aside, this is why I like eG. I'm always learning something new ... A.

Jamie, Jamie, Jamie ... always the stalwart guardian of our culinary honour. I was wondering who was going to be the first to pipe in on that comment Thank you Gary ... I was looking for clarification on your "knowledge base" remark. Having admitted my lack of knowledge on this subject up-thread, I have to agree. The only "authentic" Chinese meal I believe I have ever enjoyed was an after-hours nosh with my high-school friend Chris Ho at his uncle's place, The Ho Inn. I was the only non-Chinese in a group of about 30. Anytime something was put in front of me, Chris would either nod yes or shake his head no. In retrospect, I wish someone would have at least explained what I was eating, instead of chuckling at the hung mao. A.

I was so inspired by this thread, I had my cabinet shop build me this: It's 24" x 18" x 1.25" thick end grain maple. Laminations are 3/4" a 1.25". After 5 coats of oil, It's still soaking it up! A.

A little OT perhaps? Having said that .... ... has anyone seen the "extras" on the Supersize Me DVD? You'll never eat those fries again! Getting back on topic ... I've never been to William Tell either I mention that because based on all the press it's been receiving (anniversary and all) it sounds like I'm one of the few who hasn't. A.

I'm hoping I can find a nice red to go with that on Thursday See above. A.

Huh? Say it again, slowly, please. ← Using legs means that dust & crap can get underneath your cabinets ... getting a broom in there can be a pain. Re: the ladder-box - If you look back at the picture I posted, imagine the shorter cross pieces are sitting 3/4" off the ground but still flush at the top (i.e. the pieces around the perimeter are 3/4" longer). This is done to allow for scribe - shaving of part of the bottom edge of the outer frame in this case, which will allow you to make the ladder box nice & level. You'd shave off the bottom edge of the ladder box in places where it sits high on the floor. This is definitely a time when a picture would be worth 100 words, and a carpenter would be worth a picture or two! A.

I knew there was a carpenter on this board somewhere!! Those legs have a tendency to snap off when handled by less-than-carefull installers. Did I mention I love ladder boxes? Recessed kicks wherever you want them, cabinets all perfectly level. sigh A.

... or you could buy some legs. A.

Did someone mention food? Like I said, let's discuss on the 5th. A.

What you need to do is build what is refered to as a "ladder box." Rip some 3/4" plywood to 4" (or however high you need to raise the cabinets). Cut some of the 4" material to the depth you need the kick space (typically the cabinet depth less 2"). You'll need one of these "cross rails" to start, and then one for every 18". Now, using the some of the longer material you ripped for the front and back, construct a box: Make sure the ladder box is level before securing it. Now just place the cabinets on top of the ladder box, and everything will be at the correct height. A.

What do you mean by this? What are typical Shanghainese flavours? ← Talk about your embarrassing admission eh Keith? I've lived here my entire life, and the only distinct Chinese I know of is Szechuan, and if it weren't for Iron Chef Chen Kenichi, I wouldn't even know that! You'd figure we'd be more aware of those differences considering the Chinese community in the Lower Mainland. I'm all ears Gary ... A.

Do I detect another dinner coming on?? Let's discuss on the 5th. And napping is bad because ???? Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode with George and his live-in desk A.

Not being an NFL fan, the comparison will have to be taken on good faith Keith My list of non-attendance (better sit down and relax ... it ain't pretty ): West, Cru, Bishop's, Tojo's, Le Gavroche ... wait a minute, I'm feeling faint ... Le Crocodile, Pastis. My excuse is simple: I've only recently arrived at a point in life where my desire to enjoy such establishments and my ability to afford them are in alignment. That being said, I'm still not able to make them all up at once. So, I have this list on my Palm Pilot (geek!) and check them off as I go. Yes, Phnom Penh was on the list. A. edited cuz I didn't know how to spell Phnom Penh. Never been there remember??

Wife went shopping yesterday, so I spent the day cooking ... then grocery shopping ... then cooking ... then grocery shopping for what I forgot. When J returned (with a girlfriend & my sister-in-law), the wine was chilled (Banrock Station Unwooded Chardonnay) and dinner was ready. Soup, Judias Blancas y Mentas ... Smoked Ham Soup with White Beans & Mint: Really good! Smokey pork goodness from the ham hocks, and the dogs got to enjoy the bones and skin afterwards! Main course consisted of Cerkeez Tavugu ... basically poached chicken in a walnut puree (Turkish) ... although since I'm alergic to walnuts I used pecans. A bit rich for this meal, but good all the same. Next time I'd made a taboule (sp?) salad and serve it with pita. Also, Patatas Bravas ... There were green beans too ... quickly sauted with roasted tomatoes and finished with a squeeze of OJ. We were hungry so I missed the picture. Pictures are a bit dark ... but then I tend to eat dinner in the evening A.

Wow Daniel, you are so pompous! (kidding) I would only add that expectations can be built up over time, i.e. if I have been into a restaurant a number of times, and have come to expect a certain level of quality, I expect that level of quality to be maintained. I bring this up as an addition to Daniel's excellent answer, to account for a number of little places I frequent throughout the city. If you were to walk into them for the first time, you would have very low expectations. But I can assure you those expectations would change after your first visit. So I suppose I am adding an expectation of consistency to Daniel's reply, and making it my own. A.

The "less skill" comment made me raise an eyebrow for a second, until I realized that most of my exposure to Asian cooking has been through Iron Chef and The Rickshaw. My perceptions as such were that Cheinese cooking was more about noodles and dumplings, while Japanese cooking was something more akin to high art. Yet, while Iron Chef does its best to push Japanese as the ultimate cuisine (it almost always reigned supreme ) Chef Kennichi introduced me to a whole other world of Chinese cooking. Back to the topic at hand ... I think another reason Japanese cuisine may have out-performed other Asian styles has to do with texture. Sushi aside, items like tempura and kaatsu are closer texture-wise to Western textures than say ... some of those jellied creations I see in authentic Chinese food. The texture of sushi, while not completely familiar at the time to Western palates, was not "icky". The bottom line is that I don't know if I would like high end Chinese. I've never really had it (I must try Shark Fin soup one day) but my perception is that it would be something I would have to get used to. A.

Not that I want to rain on any parades here ... BC is looking at doing the same thing ... but since when is it the school's job to determine what my kids eat? The point about high school students Jake made is a good one. I couldn't buy pop at school, but I was at the local Wendy's at least 2-3 times a week. Good for the school's for doing what's right. My fear is that some parents will figure there kids are safe because of any new legislation, and slack off on the job of parenting. A.

CORRECTION ... WE'RE SOLD OUT! Thanks everyone! A couple of you still need to get in touch with Neil and pay up (you know who you are ... ) I'm really looking forward to this. See y'all on the 5th! A.

J & I have only been married for 3 years, and we have the same Friday night tradition. I hope that's a good omen! Wow, 40+ years to a Dane! I'm Norwegian, so I know that's no easy task! A.

Hear hear! Dark meat rules! A.

... add sugar to whipped cream without first making sure it's not salt This happened at a Thanksgiving dinner when my eldest was 4 ... and bless his innocent little soul, while I was busy being upset, he suggested we use the salty whipped cream on the mashed potatoes! Yummmmmmmmmmmmm! A.

Updated Guest list is up. Check here for the latest! There are still a few seats left! PM me if you'd like to come join the festivities. We're hoping to get everyone confirmed and paid by tomorrow. Cheers! A.

So I'm thinking I need to get Tony to sign my book with some sort of sauce then. Any suggestions as to what a good food alternative to ink might be, appropriate to the book's author and contents? A.

Fat Guy makes a good point. My concern with the article, and indeed some of the posts in this thread, is the tendency to lump people into us & them. As a Canadian, I am particularly good at this. It ain't helpful. And so we get to the crux of it all. It's not about food. Food just happens to be how the real problem manifests itself. The problem, in a word, is consumerism propelled by guilt and disatisfaction. Diets aren't about food or losing weight ... they're about buying diet food. Ask the Atkins folks. Guilt is the grease that gets the wheels moving. Pretty soon, we'll become disatisfied with Atkins ... another diet will show itself to be the true way and a whole new industry will take over. We don't eat crappy processed foods because life is getting busier . We were already busy. We feel guilty being busy about and somebody convinced us that buying Hungry Man dinners would buy us more time with the family. Even "foodie-ism" is being sold back to us, showing us how much better our life would be if only we would crack open a nice Merlot and drizzle a little truffle oil on dinner. Hell, even my business is based on dissatisfaction. I blame Martha Stewart. I know this is pretty conspiracy-minded, but the patterns haven't changed in 25 years. Those of us who have learned to stop and smell the roses along the way are fewer in number, but there's more food for us. A.