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Probably Szechuan Gourmet. I wrote an article for Time Out New York that mentioned it. I thought it was pretty good. ← That sounds like the one. Thank you. Will have to visit and sample their tendon.

I've always been happy with Grand Sichuan (at least, I have to say, in Chinatown and the West side). Recently a friend mentioned "another queens sichuan restaurant has opened in midtown." I can't track it down. Does this ring any bells? (I could ask my friend. I'm asking you instead).

Well -- not entirely ruined, but I haven't had a tuna fish salad sandwich which measures up to the platonic ideal of a tuna salad sandwich. Mostly because in New York diners the tuna tastes like it comes out of a tanker truck. Ever hopeful, I have one about once a year.

Between 4 in the morning and noon (or thereabouts) beer sales are forbidden in NYC. I suspect the liquor stores can open earlier than that. Of course you can't buy beer in a liquor store.

Curried Avocado soup. Soba. Cucumbers. Gin and Tonic.

Has anybody eaten at "Chinese Mirch" (120 Lexington Ave, NY) which apparently serves Chinese food in the Indian style? I've had such food in London and Calcutta and found that, to me, it is easier to think of as a subset of Indian food, rather than a subset of Chinese cuisine (in the same way that Chop Suey is an American food). Elements of the cuisine seem to be the substitution of paneer for tofu, and the liberal use of chillis. Here's the press release for the place.

Thanks, Heather. What are DHA and ARA? From their website: DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ARA (arachidonic acid), important building blocks of a baby's brain and eyes These are present in breast milk, and have been used in Europe for several years. They have only been added to US formula within the last year or so - after lengthy review by the FDA. The formula companies charge premium prices for the varieties that have DHA and ARA added, guaranteeing that only kids whose parents have more income will get the added nutrients. I believe that DHA and ARA are present in fish oils (as well as breast milk). I seem to remember some evolutionary biologist on TV being excited because humans synthesized something that starts, in the food chain, in the ocean. His excitement was something to do with the origin of human intelligence begining with the eating of fish. Otters and Dolphins, who seem keen-eyed and brainy, also eat a lot of fish, and as did Jeeves (the super-brainy gentleman's gentleman of fiction).

5lb pork shoulder (not lean. Not at all) braised in a Dutch oven (lid half on) @ 310 ish degrees for four hours. Braising liquid was orange juice 3 cups, dark brown sugar (2 tbl spoons), and Chipotle peppers in adobe sauce (half a small can), blended together. And for some reason a hand full of dried pineapple (unblended). Whatever was on hand, e.g. worked out great, meat v. tender, and a thick sauce. Usually I'm not a big fruit in savory food fan. But pork responds well to sweet. It required v. little attention (although I had to make sure the liquid didn't evaporate.) Next time I'll cook it longer with less heat, perhaps. and perhaps finish it with a handfull of chopped cilantro.

Yes. I have to say the mind boggles when considering the possible role of leftover Barbecue in erotic entertainment. Not that something along those lines hasn't been done. The world, if not wicked, is pretty weird.

Personally I always bring back as many boxes of Marks and Spenser's Red Label tea bags as I can fit in my suitcase. But thats an addiction. The good thing about Neal's Yard is that they will be able to tell you what is legal to take into the US. They sell mini-wheels of some of their cheeses, which travel with ease. Something which I enjoy and can't find in the US is Gentleman's Relish, a anchovy/butter mixture favored by British officers as a hardship ration (it's spread thinly on toast, or in a pinch, grilled mice) . Seriously, though, good on toast. Wood's 100 proof Navy Rum (available at Heathrow, but not in the US) makes a fine grog. Plymouth Gin at 100 proof is not available in the US, and is unusual (in that it's 100 proof).

If you are talking pulled-pork, how about a barbeque Pastie (the savory turnover things they make in Cornwall and Northern Michigan)? Or a barbeque Samosa? Would it be so wrong?

I returned a few days ago. One meal, and lunch at that, does not provide a fair assessment of a restaurant. That said, the service was pretty whacked out, albeit charmingly so. I had a avocado dip (which did not differ greatly from guacamole although it was served with crisp fried plantains), followed by a 'black sausage.' Which I imagined was going to be along the lines of black pudding or boudin noir, or any of the blood sausage family (great name for a slasher movie), and it was except for being chewy. Sinewy, really. I suspected the addition of tripe or other innards. Tasted good though. I got the impression that many of the people involved in the restaurant were new to the business, but I could be wrong.

The nurse who talked to us about breast-feeding at the hospital just before we went home with our boy told us that the more varied the mothers diet when breast feeding, the wider the range of tastes the child would have later on. Which suggests that the taste of breast milk can vary quite a bit depending on what the mother is eating. My wife ate lots of different foods while nursing, and our child never objected to the taste of the milk (not even post-chilli), and at seven months he's enjoyed everything he's tasted which isn't breast milk. Then again he spends a lot of time trying trying to eat the TV remote control, so I'm not claiming he's a gourmet baby or anything.

Our household used to enjoy ordering in from (a long-closed) Upper West Side chinese restaurant. In particular they cooked a fine deep-fried soft-shell crab (in the salt and pepper style I seem to remember, but it may be an overactive imagination). However our culinary idyll ended when we found a battered and fried water-bug along with our crabs. Bad enough in another dish, but it really doesn't help to be reminded of insects when eating soft shell crabs.

Could it be, also, that the classic 6th street formula of bad food at cheap prices has become somewhat outdated. Not that I haven't enjoyed my share of meals at Panna (I not II), but the cuisines of the Indian sub continent are, perhaps, not shown at their best on 6th Street, whereas there are some really good places to have various Indian foods in NYC these days.

Bugs. Pets. Fast-Food Pizza (well, the last, on occasion, but strictly from hunger).

I went there in its early days, and was impressed by my depth of ignorance about Peruvian food. Potatoes are central, which makes a lot of sense as the tuber originates in the Andes. I remember several ceviche choices, and the one I had was tasty. The impression I have is that the menu has been evolving to attract local custom (now featuring Pollo a la Brasa-which is Peruvian-and brunch). The sign has been evolving too -- getting bigger and brighter.

I don't know about jaded. It's not lark's tongues or bear's genitals, treats of the late Roman emperors. Stuffed Crust Pizza. Now that strikes me as pandering to a jaded palate.

Yes - also in Kyoto. As i remember it (it was 1985) the sashimi included breast meat, what was described as chicken stomach, and chicken liver. On the same visit I was served and ate what I later learned was raw Whale. Spongey. There is (or was?) a restaurant on the Tottenham Court Road in London (downstairs, and next door to the Scientologists) which served raw chicken.