liuzhou

I can smell and taste the peanuts in peanut oil. Fine with some dishes, but not all. A fried egg done in peanut oil is horrible. Obviously, I never use c@rn oil! Most of my cooking is done in rice bran oil*. Truly neutral in smell and taste. * I do use olive oil where called for; never in Asian dishes.

Shanghai’s upscale Da Vittorio brings back outdated ‘ladies’ menu’ I can't say this surprises me. China is very sexist despite Mao allegedly saying "Women hold up half the sky", so they maybe thought they would get away with it.

One long gone, unlamented legacy member once tried to convince me that mussels were vegetables, as I recall. But that oysters weren't. Or vice versa. Also, one website promoted the top 10 vegetarian Chinese dishes. Half of them contained meat or meat by-products.

I was long convinced I could taste the difference between red dragon fruit and regular dragon fruit. Then, with a friend's help, I did a blind tasting. I hadn't a clue. I'm convinced now that a large part of taste is decided by expectations - especially visual.

The world’s oldest unopened bottle of wine. Dated to AD 325, the so-called Speyer wine bottle is a sealed vessel, presumed to contain liquid wine. It was found in 1867 when archaeologists discovered a Roman tomb near Speyer. The bottle has handles shaped like dolphins. found via Twitter @carolemadge

I think it's a stretch for food!

Ah!, but did you then hedgehog cut the olives à la mangue?

Tonight, I made a shrimp risotto after buying some imported arborio rice online at an exorbitant price. Then managed to forget to take a photograph! Plenty of rice left, so next time!

I can't say I'd know the difference between a yellow and a regular in a blind taste test, to be honest. That's just maybe my poor palate. I've never encountered a seedless watermelon, so I prefer the ones with seeds!

Fish in a tomato broth with kelp (Japanese: 昆布 (konbu) often rendered as 'kombu' in the west; Chinese: 海带 (hǎi dài), literally 'sea belt'.

Jamaican tangelos aka Ugli Fruit. These have recently been introduced to China where they are known as 牙买加丑橘 (yá mǎi jiā chǒu jú), literally 'Jamaican ugly tangerine'.

If you can't aim the end of a chopstick into an olive at point blank, no tool is going to help you.

Quiche Lorraine always has cheese, no? Other quiches may not (but usually do.)

Daikon is commonly used in Vietnam, but not so much as a sub for cucumber, more in addition to. I've never seen celery in a bánh mì in Vietnam, that I recall.

Looking forward to reading (inactive) eG member @Carolyn Phillips's new memoir / cookbook, At the Chinese Table: A Memoir with Recipes (eG-friendly Amazon.com link), due June 15, 2021 .

The first "one use" kitchen tool I ever bought was an olive pitter in a market in Desenzano del Garda, Italy in the eary 1970s. I still have it, but it's on the other side of the planet. Here, I use this one which came free with a box of cherries when I was hospitalised 4 years ago. Prior to acquiring this, I used the usual Chinese method of holding the olive ot cherry between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand and pushing a chopstick into the blunt end. Probably quicker than the dedicated tool and a chopstick is easier to clean!

Pork and mushrooms with soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, ginger, chilli, salted, fermented black beans, scallions. Pan roasted asparagus with sea salt and ponzu dressing. Rice.

They do seem to have tendency to serve carbs with carbs. Looking back, the last three meals had double carbs. Wouldn't do that myself but...

Yellow Watermelon

Is this funny or just cute? Or both? It made me smile, anyway. Some kids can't sleep without their favourite soft toy or Linus-like security blanket etc. My friend's daughter can't sleep without her bag of beef jerky! She doesn't know, but Mama replaces the bag with a new one every now and then.

Clam and mustard greens soup. Chicken and okra with a olive oil, lemon juice, gnger, garlic, chili and green onion dressing.

Another Xinjiang dish which most visitors wind up eating in Xi'an, where it has been adopted, is the well-known Big Plate Chicken - 大盘鸡 (dà pán jī). Many of those visitors assume that they are eating some ancient, traditional Muslim dish but they are wrong. While it is agreed that it is a modern dish, there are two conflicting theories as to its origin, neither of which are related to any Muslim cuisine or tradition. The most widely accepted story is that the dish was invented in the north Xinjiang county of Shawan (沙湾县 - shā wān xiàn) in the early 1990s by an immigrant from Sichuan who was trying to recreate his home town flavours, but using locally available chicken and potatoes. The inclusion of Sichuan peppercorns in nearly all recipes supports this theory as Sichuan peppercorns are not otherwise part of Xinjiang cuisine. The second story is more sketchy - it suggests that the inventor was from Hunan instead and that it was invented near Ürümqi (乌鲁木齐 - wū lǔ mù qí), Xinjiang's capital. Whichever story you believe, the dish became popular in the mid to late 1990s. I remember being introduced to it in Xi'an in 1997, when it was described as a 'new dish'. The dish caught on in its birthplace, then spread out along what was the Silk Road to Xi'an, then all over China. Some say it was aided in this by its popularity with long distance truck drivers. So what is it? Simply a delicious stew of bite-sized chicken cooked and served on-the-bone with potatoes, onions and bell peppers. It is, of course flavoured with the traditional Chinese holy trinity of garlic, ginger and chilli and spiced with star anise, cumin and the Sichuan peppercorns. It is usually served with wide, hand-pulled noodles known as 拉条子 - lā tiáo zi in Chinese or laghman in the local languages of Xinjiang. These may served with the dish or after the dish has been eaten, to mop up the remaining sauce. Alternatively, it can be served with naan bread (馕包大盘鸡 - náng bāo dà pán jī), my favourite way to have it. Again, the bread is to soak up the sauce. A word of warning. Most restaurants serve this either large or small. Yes, small big plate chicken! The small version (shown above) is easily enough to feed two to three people. Or more when served with other dishes. A large one will feed your entire extended family including the dog. I have often seen noob customers order the large for two,usually a couple with the man saying "I m hungry! Lets get the large one!" It keeps the restaurant staff amused when, to the customers' shock, they deliver enough food for the week.

It must be my birthday or something (it isn't). Dropped in to visit a friend this evening and was presented with this. 荔枝蜜 (lì zhī mì), lychee honey from her family plot and apiary. 100% organic and 100% orgasmic!

Looking for something else, I just came across this menu with an interesting item. Rabbit orzotto with broad beans & wild garlic I'd be having that if I were anywhere near the restaurant.

Indeed. A lot of Chinese liquor comes in exceptionally attractive bottles. The blue and white one, in particular, is a true work of art, I think.