liuzhou

I don't think it's deliberate fraud as such. As you say, who would they be defrauding? Not the locals. And there are very few non-locals likely to run into it - especially in these times. I think it's just more of something I encounter literally every day. Well two things really. a) They don't care. They just think having an English name looks exotic. They know at least 90% of people won't understand. b) They do care. A bit. They want a translation, but they don't want to pay for a professional one because the janitor's daughter studied English in high school and she can do it for the price of a hamburger and a flat Coca Cola lookalike from a fake McDonald's. Me bitter? Not a bit! But it's not only China. I have seen it all over the world. Not just about fish. Anything. In both directions. A very close friend who is Chinese, but has lived in England for many years tells me that she wants to scream every time some idiot in England asks her what their 'Chinese' tattoo means. "What moron gets something they can't understand tattooed on their body?" she asks. Then points out that 75% of the time the tattoos aren't even Chinese! Usually random Japanese words (she speaks that, too. Not the random variety). I'm sure you must see similar in Costa Rica. I've long resisted posting some of the more ridiculous mistranslations I see. It would take up too much time and I don't generally think mocking someone's ability in a language other than their own is a cool thing to be doing.

I have a Hush Puppies trouser belt, but you can't have it. It's holding me together. I dont know if these are what you want, but the only edible hush puppies I've eaten are these from Jamie Oliver. Made by a friend. Rather good, I thought.

Simple chicken, leek and mushroom soup. Had a garlicky, spicy stock made from some chicken wings in the freezer. Poached a chicken breast in the stock. Added the leeks and button mushrooms. Happy mouth.

When I saw this in the supermarket freezer this morning, I was immediately suspicious. Frozen pollock? Pollock is a species from the north Atlantic and, as far as I can tell, isn’t farmed. But the sellers screwed up their pitch by giving the scientific name on the packaging. This is 狭鳕鱼 (xiá xuě yú), Cololabis saira, Pacific saury. They do give the correct name in Chinese, although they are sometimes also known as 秋刀鱼 (qiū dāo yú). And of course, they come from the Pacific. These were landed in Shenzhen in Guangdong, right beside Hong Kong. AquaMaps (2019, October). Computer generated distribution maps for Cololabis saira (Pacific saury), with modelled year 2050 native range map based on IPCC RCP8.5 emissions scenario. Retrieved from https://www.aquamaps.org. ‘Pollock’ in my terminology is Pollachius pollachius – end of story. I read that, in America, the name ‘pollock’ is also used for Pollachius virens but in the UK we call them ‘coley’. Anyway, I bought a packet to try them out. Cost me a whopping $2.60 USD for 180 grams / 6.4 oz. Examining the packet rear, I find a bizarre recipe which I won’t trouble you with. It is given in Chinese and in what someone imagines is English. It utilises some discordant and non-Chinese ingredients and, most memorably, it advises cooking carrots and asparagus ‘until they are broken’. I’ll be giving that recipe a miss. Whatever I end up doing will show up in the dinner or lunch threads very soon. They are also popular in Japan, where they are called サンマ (sanma) and can be used in sushi and as sashimi, but are often salted and grilled.

We called it square sausage, too. In fact, I never heard anyone call it Lorne sausage in Scotland! I guess you could use the Dutch rusks, but I have no experience of them. When I was in the UK, I used to get it from my friendly local butcher, Norman. It was virtually free.

A history of the square sausage, including a recipe for making your own

Caspian

Absolutely. If not better. And the sturgeon are not endangered as the Russian and Iranian was until it was largely banned.

All the more for me then! Many years ago, I did some work with the then-USSR government and spent a week eating caviar by the kilogram in the Soviet Embassy in London. Heaven! More on that here. I can usually buy salmon roe online, but last time I tried it was out of stock. Covid related supply chain issues, methinks. I should try again.

Flying Fish Roe I’m fairly certain that 鱼子 (yú zǐ) Roe only became popular as part of the Japanese style sushi restaurant fad about fifteen years ago. It is found on the sushi counter in one of my supermarkets. We get various types. I’ve mentioned capelin roe before, but more common is flying fish roe (飞鱼子 - fēi yú zǐ). Then crab roe (蟹黄水 - xiè huáng shuǐ). Crab Roe Only rarely do we see lumpfish roe (圆鳍鱼子 - yuán qí yú zǐ). To be honest, they all taste pretty much the same and are used more for decoration than flavour. Scrambled Egg with Red Crab Roe Spaghetti Prawn with Flying Fish Roe Then I must mention true caviar. It is little known, but China is now the largest supplier of caviar in the world, with one company in Zhejiang province alone supplying 30% of the world market. Eat in a 3-Michelin starred restaurant in Paris and there is a high probability that the caviar will be from Kaluga Queen. In 2017, out of the 26 3-star restaurants in Paris, 21 served Kaluga Queen caviar. This is a can of their 7-year old eggy delight which I have in my fridge for Christmas morning. 10 grams / 0.35 ounces for the equivalent of $21 USD. P.S. The same company also sells its smoked sturgeon which is to die for. Smoked Sturgeon with Caviar

I have no idea what's going on. Situation normal. Today, I went to the local supermarket to pick up some minor essentials and the woman at the checkout threw a bunch of greenery* into my basket, saying "It's a gift!", except she said "送给你" which is the Chinese, of course. I thanked her and asked politely why. She just smiled enigmatically. * Bitter Hemp

4-5 days

Yesterday evening, I was in the local convenience store and saw that the couple who own it had hung up their spicy, home made sausages to dry, as people do every winter. I took the picture below and the man of the shop lifted them down and gave me half of them!

Last night. Spicy pork meatballs with tomato sauce over bucatini (because that's what I had).

How precisely do you tell a "local Asian" from a visiting one? And why would Chinese visitors want to buy something they can easily get at home for much less money?

The crabs we see here most often, by far, are what appears to be 蓝蟹 (lán xiè), Callinectes sapidus or the Blue Crab. I guess that these, being native to the Americas, have been introduced at some point to local waters. They are slightly less available since the pandemic, but I have no idea what causes that given that other aquatic supplies from the same area are still plentiful. Maybe coincidence. My lovely seafood gal in the market sells them live, but will clean them for me in seconds if I require, which I nearly always do. I can do it myself, but it takes me longer. Cleaned Crab The biggest compliment I was ever paid was a few years back when I was invited to a family Chinese New Year dinner and the hostess, a proudly wonderful cook asked me to cook the crabs as “you do it best!” For a Chinese cook to hand over her kitchen, even for one dish out of many, is a rare honour. Yet, what I cooked is actually quite simple and I had shown her several times how I do it. Simply fry some garlic, ginger, chilli (lots) and fermented black beans then add the crab. Stir fry until almost done and add oyster sauce and soy sauce. How much? The correct amount, as every Chinese language cookbook advises! Finish off with some Chinese chives. Ken's Killer Krab

Absolutely. Some serious over thinking going on here. There's champ. too!

Black pepper is rarely used in Chinese cuiusine, so yes, I'd bet on it being white pepper. Depending on the region Sichuan peppercorns are also a possibility, but as I noted they aren't normally a feature of Cantonese cuisine. There are a number of braised dishes in the Chinese kitchen, although it is not as common as in western cooking. I guess the reason for that goes back to the fuel-saving idea that led to the stir-fry wok culture. Braising would have been seen as too fuel-guzzling.

Dried citrus peel is very common, usually tangerine or orange. Everyone dries their own, including me, but if you forget or run out, every store also sells it. Unlikely to be peppercorns in Cantonese cuisine.

I've never made a master stock, although I've eaten plenty. It is a Cantonese concept, and Cantonese cuisine is far from being my favourite of China's regional cuisines. I can't see it being the herbs or spices causing your problem. What else is in there? I know it usually contains rock sugar (which in China is considered to be a spice (as it is elsewhere).

Today: Buttery scrambled eggs on wholewheat toast.

Do you eat them from the pot, too?

Yes. On the plate for me.