liuzhou

I'm not surprised at all. Most people in China have never heard of them! They are very rare - and I'm not sure I'd call them noodles!

How much does a basic mortar and pestle cost? A lot less than a Mala grinder! This makes no sense. And I'd wager you would find other uses for a mortar and pestle if you had one. I have several.

A good healthy British breakfast. Heinz Beanz on Toast.

Ì just learned after three weeks that my six cans of sardines have left the Shanghai depot and are on their way to me. Also, and more importantly my friends' situation in Shanghai is much improved.

Titanic 3rd Class Menu, April 14th 1912

@Annie_H Here are some of the red shrimp uncooked. They were alive when I left the market, but it took me a while to get home and they didn't make the trip. Still damned fresh though. I think you can see they don't look much different from when they are cooked. They are wild caught in the Tonkin Bay just by the border between China and Vietnam.

While asparagus is a recent addition to the Chinese vegetable table, white asparagus has been totally absent. Until very recently - like weeks. Grown in China's north-eastern Shandong provice, I can only get it online. My first delivery landed today. It is known locally as 白芦笋 (bái lú sǔn) which is a direct translation of 'white asparagus'. Most Chinese are convinced that asparagus in general is some kind of bamboo. Of course it is totally unrelated.

They look much the same uncooked as they do cooked - perhaps a shade lighter. It makes them harder to cook as it isn't visually easy to judge how well done they are. I'll post a pic next time I have some. It won't be long.

Unusual for me, but I made a starter and a main. Starter: Pan-fried head and shell on, wild red prawns with garlic and scallions. The prawns were bought live - as is usual for me. Main: One-pot slow cooked chicken leg, potato, onion and mixed wild mushroom stew.

What I meant was that it is a bit unreasonable for me to complain that I can't get a relatively luxurious ingredient when so many people can hardly get anything at all.

I don't often use a timer, but when I do It hangs round my neck.

No doubt you have been reading or hearing about the severe lockdowns in Shanghai. I have no intention of getting into the politics behind what is being reported, but I will say there have been some wild inaccuracies. I'm in near-daily content with friends in Shanghai who are telling a somewhat different story. I'm told that although no one likes them, most people acccept the need for the lockdowns. What they are complaining about is the shortage of food. They have received food supplies from the government, but they have been irregular and meagre. Four such deliveries since April 1st. April 1st April 5th April 13th May 2nd Each household gets this, irrespective of number of residents. It is used to supplement what little is available in the markets. This morning a friend in Shanghai informs me that as of last night, they can now buy from a limited selection of 200 items for delivery via this organisation. She is delighted as she can buy what she wants instead of what she is sent without choice. Her first choice was potato crisps/chips for her 12 year old daughter! Then some flour, yeast and baking powder. And she got some toilet paper! Heaven. I have felt frustrated because I can buy anything - no shortages here - and wanted to send her stuff, but it just wouldn't arrive. Deliveries aren't being made. My big worry now is that I am running low on my favourite imported, canned Portuguese sardines. I ordered some weeks ago, but they are stuck in Shanghai! But I can't really complain, can I?

This arrived this morning. I ordered ten packs of smoked sturgeon online. Eleven turned up! Bonus. Ten are in freezer; one is in me. Perfect straight from the pack. Better with a little of its own caviar.

Right next door to my apartment is 5-star hotel complete with a number of restaurants. The main banqueting restaurant does an amazing roast suckling pig. Of course, I don't eat banquets every day or even every month so I don't get it that often. But I do smell them cooking. Torture! As to lamb, the best I've ever eaten was Gower Salt Marsh Lamb from Wales. To die for.

This one of the aprons I never wear. It was a gift. The Chinese means "Kitchen God". Flattery will get you fed!

And more here.

I think it may be hereditary. My father was the same, but my mother was capable of getting lost just trying to get out of bed! She certainly couldn't find her way around a kitchen!

I am one of those people (and they are thousands of us if not millions) who always know where north is, which means where every other compass point is. Blindfold me, drive me for days to somewhere I've never been, spin me around until I'm dizzy and ask me to point to the north and I do it every time. I don't know how. What bugs me is not so much colour. Yeah, white text on yellow is just stupid but it's not really about colour. It's about contrast. And online restaurant menus are among the worst! At least in the EU and I think still the UK there is legislation to ensure website are visually accessible. I am not sure how well that is enforced, however.

Some stunning images from the international food photo contest - via the BBC.

Liuzhou Luosifen

Perhaps an odd choice for breakfast. No apologies. Simple bucatini with homemade pesto.

Yeah, definitely saltwater fish.

Hmmm. If you do look in the Asian market, you want 糙米(cāo mǐ). It is used for porridge making, often mixed with other grains and not often served as rice accompanying other dishes. This means that in my local supermarkets it is found with the other porridge grains and not with the regular rice. Asian markets may be the same. Brown rice also comes in two types - glutinous (糯米 (nuò mǐ), 粘米 or 黏米 (nián mǐ)) and non-glutinous. I hope this is helpful and not even more confusing.

Probably related, yes, but with so many (>30) fish known as mackerel, which species remains a mystery.