liuzhou

Beef with Bitter Melon - 牛肉苦瓜 The name may be off-putting to many people, but Chinese people do have an appreciation for bitter tastes and anyway, modern cultivars of this gourd are less bitter than in the past. Also, depending on how it's cooked, the bitterness can be mitigated. I'll admit that I wasn't sure at first, but have grown to love it. Note: "Beef with Bitter Melon (牛肉苦瓜 )" or "Bitter Melon with Beef (苦瓜牛肉)"? One Liuzhou restaurant I know has both on its menu! In Chinese, the ingredient listed first is the one there is most of, so, "beef with bitter melon" is mainly beef, whereas "bitter melon with beef" is much more a vegetable dish with just a little beef. This recipe is for the beefier version. To make the other version, just half the amount of beef and double the amount of melon. Ingredients Beef. One pound. Flank steak works best. Slice thinly against the grain. Bitter Melon. Half a melon. You can use the other half in a soup or other dish. Often available in Indian markets or supermarkets. Salted Black Beans. One tablespoon. Available in packets from Asian markets and supermarkets, these are salted, fermented black soy beans. They are used as the basis for 'black bean sauce', but we are going to be making our own sauce! Garlic. 6 cloves Cooking oil. Any vegetable oil except olive oil Shaoxing wine. See method Light soy sauce. One tablespoon Dark soy sauce. One teaspoon White pepper. See method Sesame oil. See method Method Marinate the beef in a 1/2 tablespoon of light soy sauce with a splash of Shaoxing wine along with a teaspoon or so of cornstarch or similar (I use potato starch). Stir well and leave for 15-30 minutes. Cut the melon(s) in half lengthwise and, using a teaspoon, scrape out all the seeds and pith. The more pith you remove, the less bitter the dish will be. Cut the melon into crescents about 1/8th inch wide. Rinse the black beans and drain. Crush them with the blade of your knife, then chop finely. Finely chop the garlic. Stir fry the meat in a tablespoon of oil over a high heat until done. This should take less than a minute. Remove and set aside. Add another tablespoon of oil and reduce heat to medium. fry the garlic and black beans until fragrant then add the bitter melon. Continue frying until the melon softens. then add a tablespoon of Shaoxing wine and soy sauces. Finally sprinkle on white pepper to taste along with a splash of sesame oil. Return the meat to the pan and mix everything well. Note: If you prefer the dish more saucy, you can add a tablespoon or so of water with the soy sauces. Serve with plained rice and a stir-fried green vegetable of choice.

Beer Duck - 啤酒鸭 I understand that, unlike in China, duck is not a common meat in the USA, but it is worth searching out, especially for this dish from Hunan which is basically a duck stew, but full of exquisite flavors. I'm told that frozen duck meat is available in larger supermarkets or Asian markets in the US, but of course, as always, fresh is best. So much so, that your average Chinese home cook will buy the bird alive! Ingredients Duck. 1 lb. This dish calls for cubes of duck meat, preferably from the legs/thighs but breast meat will work too. Beer. One large can (16oz). Ideally you would choose a Chinese beer. Tsingtao is the most widely available internationally. Here in Liuzhou it would be Liquan Beer from Guilin. But actually, any well-flavored lager type beer will do the job. Cooking Oil. Vegetable oil - but not olive oil. If you have duck fat to hand, this is even better. Doubanjiang. 1 Tablespoon. Also called toban-djan or similar in the USA. This is a chile paste made with broad beans. Garlic. About 6-8 whole cloves Ginger. One thumb sized piece, finely chopped Dried Red chillies. One or more to taste. If you can source them, 朝天椒干 (cháo tiān jiāo gān, pointing to heaven peppers) or 七星椒干 (qī xīng jiāo gān, 7 star peppers) are best, otherwise long Indian peppers; not Thai or bird's eye chillies. Dried Tangerine Peel. One large piece - available from Asian markets and stores. Star Anise. One Light Soy Sauce. 1 Tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce. 1 Tablespoon Scallions. Salt. Method Wash and thoroughly dry the cubed duck meat. Heat oil or fat and add the garlic and ginger. When you detect their fragrance, add the duck and stir to brown the meat. When browned, add the doubanjiang and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the two soy sauces, the chillies, star anise and tangerine peel. Cover with beer. Add salt. Cover the pan and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes, adding more beer if it begins to dry out. Finish by discarding the star anise and tangerine peel, but adding thinly sliced scallions and serve. Accompany with steamed rice and a stir fried green vegetable of your choice. I like spinach. Drink any remaining beer! You didn't just buy one can, did you?

Stir-fried Squid with Snow Peas - 荷兰豆鱿鱼 Another popular restaurant dish that can easily be made at home. The only difficult part (and it's really not that difficult) is preparing the squid. However, your seafood purveyor should be able to do that for you. I have given details below. Ingredients Fresh squid. I tend to prefer the smaller squid in which case I allow one or two squid per person, depending on what other dishes I'm serving. You could use whole frozen squid if fresh is unavailable. Certainly not dried squid. Snow peas aka Mange Tout. Sugar snap peas can also be used. The final dish should be around 50% squid and 50% peas, so an amount roughly equivalent to the squid in bulk is what you are looking for. De-string if necessary and cut in half width-wise. Cooking oil. I use rice bran oil, but any vegetable cooking oil is fine. Not olive oil, though. Garlic. I prefer this dish to be rather garlicky so I use one clove or more per squid. Adjust to your preference. Ginger. An amount equivalent to that of garlic. Red Chile. One or two small hot red chiles. Shaoxing wine. See method. Note: Unlike elsewhere, Shaoxing wine sold in N. America is salted. So, cut back on adding salt if using American sourced Shaoxing. Oyster sauce Sesame oil (optional) Salt Preparing the squid The squid should be cleaned and the tentacles and innards pulled out and set aside while you deal with the tubular body. Remove the internal cartilage / bone along with any remaining innards. With a sharp knife remove the "wings" then slit open the tube by sliding your knife inside and cutting down one side. Open out the now butterflied body. Remove the reddish skin (It is edible, but removing it makes for a nicer presentation. It peels off easily.) Again, using the sharp knife cut score marks on the inside at 1/8th of an inch intervals being careful not to cut all the way through. Then repeat at right angles to the original scoring, to give a cross-hatch effect. Do the same to the squid wings. Cut the body into rectangles roughly the size of a large postage stamp. Separate the tentacles from the innards by feeling for the beak, a hard growth just above the tentacles and at the start of the animal's digestive tract. Dispose of all but the tentacles. If they are long, half them. Wash all the squid meat again. Method There are only two ways to cook squid and have it remain edible. Long slow cooking (an hour or more) or very rapid (a few seconds) then served immediately. Anything else and you'll be chewing on rubber. So that is why I am stir frying it. Few restaurants get this right, so I mainly eat it at home. Heat your wok and add oil. Have a cup of water to the side. Add the garlic, ginger and chile. Should you think it's about to burn, throw in a little of that water. It will evaporate almost immediately but slow down some of the heat. As soon as you can smell the fragrance of the garlic and ginger, add the peas and salt and toss until the peas are nearly cooked (Try a piece to see!). Almost finally, add the squid with a tablespoon of the Shaoxing and about the same of oyster sauce. Do not attempt to add the oyster sauce straight from the bottle. The chances of the whole bottle emptying into your dinner is high! Believe me. I've been there! The squid will curl up and turn opaque in seconds. It's cooked. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of so of sesame oil (if used) and serve immediately!

Clam Soup with Mustard Greens - 车螺芥菜汤 This is a popular, light but peppery soup available in most restaurants here (even if its not listed on the menu). Also, very easy to make at home. Ingredients Clams. (around 8 to 10 per person. Some restaurants are stingy with the clams, but I like to be more generous). Fresh live clams are always used in China, but if, not available, I suppose frozen clams could be used. Not canned. The most common clams here are relatively small. Littleneck clams may be a good substitute in terms of size. Stock. Chicken, fish or clam stock are preferable. Stock made from cubes or bouillon powder is acceptable, although fresh is always best. Mustard Greens. (There are various types of mustard green. Those used here are 芥菜 , Mandarin: jiè cài; Cantonese: gai choy). Use a good handful per person. Remove the thick stems, to be used in another dish.) Garlic. (to taste) Chile. (One or two fresh hot red chiles are optional). Salt. MSG (optional). If you have used a stock cube or bouillon powder for the stock, omit the MSG. The cubes and power already have enough. White pepper (freshly ground. I recommend adding what you consider to be slightly too much pepper, then adding half that again. The soup should be peppery, although of course everything is variable to taste.) Method Bring your stock to a boil. Add salt to taste along with MSG if using. Finely chop the garlic and chile if using. Add to stock and simmer for about five minutes. Make sure all the clams are tightly closed, discarding any which are open - they are dead and should not be eaten. The clams will begin to pop open fairly quickly. Remove the open ones as quickly as possible and keep to one side while the others catch up. One or two clams may never open. These should also be discarded. When you have all the clams fished out of the boiling stock, roughly the tear the mustard leaves in two and drop them into the stock. Simmer for one minute. Put all the clams back into the stock and when it comes back to the boil, take off the heat and serve.

I only used it as an alternative name, which some, probably a minority, in the US do know. I gave the better known term in the US, first.

I did suggest 8-10 and said littlenecks are similar. I don't think that matters too much. I have suggested that ingredients are best sourced in Chinese supermarkets (although Indian markets are good for bitter melon). That's odd. The two American friends I consulted here both used it. One is from New York; the other California. I have clarified the mustard green type and also noted that I mean fresh chiles. Thank you.

Not annoying in the least. Thanks for your feedback. The brief was to describe how some dishes are made here, so I suggested very few substitutions (unless they were minor). Chicken could, I suppose, be used in the duck dish instead, but it would radically alter the final outcome. Beer chicken is not something I've ever heard of. In retrospect, a pork dish would have been good, but it is so common here I overlooked it. I was trying to think of things more usual to outside eyes. This also explains the lack of tomato and egg. After all, it is just scrambled egg with tomato. Not so interesting in the long run.

This is my regular breakfast coffee cup. Made from rice husk fibre.

Still true.

Most people don't.

Yes! I was planning to, but was looking for you guys to spot any horrendous errors first! I'll do it tomorrow.

Not, I stress, that I frequent Starbucks. 'Twas a gift, but has never been used.

Thanks to everyone who answered my plea! You helped more than you may know. I agree that few people there may actually go on to make any of these dishes, but some may find them interesting anyway. Here, in recognition of the debt, is what I finally submitted. I am sure there are still some errors. Feel free to point out any you spot! Edited to note: This was the first draft. The full edited recipes (incorporating suggestions given here) are now on the RecipeGullet Forum. September 12, 2020 车螺芥菜汤 Clam Soup with Mustard Greens This is a popular, light but peppery soup available in most Liuzhou restaurants (even if its not listed on the menu). Also, very easy to make at home. Ingredients Clams. (around 8 to 10 per person. Some restaurants are stingy with the clams, but I like to be more generous). Fresh live clams are always used in China, but if, not available, I suppose frozen clams could be used. Not canned. Live clams should be kept in cold water until you are ready to cook them. The most common clams here are relatively small. Littleneck clams may be a good substitute. Stock. Chicken, fish or clam stock are preferable. Stock made from cubes or bouillon powder is acceptable, although fresh is always best. Mustard Greens. (A good handful per person. Remove the thick stems, to be used in another dish.) Garlic. (to taste) Chile. (One or two hot red chiles are optional). Salt. MSG (optional). If you have used a stock cube or bouillon powder for the stock, omit the MSG. The cubes and power already have enough. White pepper (frehly ground. I recommend adding what you consider to be slightly too much pepper, then adding half that again. The soup should be peppery, although of course everything is variable to taste.) Method Bring your stock to a boil. Add salt to taste along with MSG if using. Finely chop the garlic and chile if using. Add to stock and simmer for about five minutes. Make sure all the clams are tightly closed, discarding any which are open - they are dead and should not be eaten. The clams will begin to pop open fairly quickly. Remove the open ones as quickly as possible and keep to one side while the others catch up. One or two clams may never open. These should also be discarded. When you have all the clams fished out of the boiling stock, roughly the tear the mustard leaves in two and drop them into the stock. Simmer for one minute. Put all the clams back into the stock and when it comes back to the boil, take off the heat and serve. ___________________________________________________________ 荷兰豆鱿鱼 Stir-fried Squid with Snow Peas Another popular restaurant dish that can easily be made at home. The only difficult part (and it's really not that difficult) is preparing the squid. However, your seafood purveyor should be able to do that for you. I have given details below. Ingredients Fresh squid. I tend to prefer the smaller squid in which case I allow one or two squid per person, depending on what other dishes I'm serving. You could use whole frozen squid if fresh is unavailable. Certainly not dried squid. Snow peas aka Mange Tout. Sugar snap peas can also be used. The final dish should be around 50% squid and 50% peas, so an amount roughly eqivalent to the squid in bulk is what you are looking for. De-string if necessary and cut in half width-wise. Cooking oil. I use rice bran oil, but any vegetable cooking oil is fine. Not olive oil, though. Garlic. I prefer this dish to be rather garlicky so I use one clove or more per squid. Adjust to your preference. Ginger. An amount equivalent to that of garlic. Red Chile. One or two small hot red chiles. Shaoxing wine. See method. Note: Unlike elsewhere, Shaoxing wine sold in N. America is salted. So, cut back on adding salt if using American sourced Shaoxing. Oyster sauce Sesame oil (optional) Salt Preparing the squid The squid should be cleaned and the tentacles and innards pulled out and set aside while you deal with the tubular body. Remove the internal cartilege / bone along with any remaining innards. With a sharp knife remove the "wings" then slit open the tube by sliding your knife inside and cutting down one side. Open out the now butterflied body. Remove the reddish skin (It is edible, but removing it makes for a nicer presentation. It peels off easily.) Again, using the sharp knife cut score marks on the inside at 1/8th of an inch intervals being careful not to cut all the way through. Then repeat at right angles to the original scoring, to give a cross-hatch effect. Do the same to the squid wings. Cut the body into rectangles roughly the size of a large postage stamp. Separate the tentacles from the innards by feeling for the beak, a hard growth just above the tentacles and at the start of the animal's digestive tract. Dispose of all but the tentacles. If they are long, half them. Wash all the squid meat again. Method There are only two ways to cook squid and have it remain edible. Long slow cooking (an hour or more) or very rapid (a few seconds) then served immediately. Anything else and you'll be chewing on rubber. So that is why I am stir frying it. Few restaurants get this right, so I mainly eat it at home. Heat your wok and add oil. Have a cup of water to the side. Add the garlic, ginger and chile. Should you think it's about to burn, throw in a little of that water. It will evaporate almost immediately but slow down some of the heat. As soon as you can smell the fragrance of the garlic and ginger, add the peas and salt and toss until the peas are nearly cooked (Try a piece to see!). Almost finally, add the squid with a tablespoon of the Shaoxing and about the same of oyster sauce. Do not attempt to add the oyster sauce straight from the bottle. The chances of the whole bottle emptying into your dinner is high! Believe me. I've been there! The squid will curl up and turn opaque in seconds. It's cooked. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of so of sesame oil (if used) and serve immediately! ___________________________________________________________ 啤酒鸭 Beer Duck I understand that, unlike in China, duck is not a common meat in the USA, but it is worth searching out, especially for this dish from Hunan which is basically a duck stew, but full of exquisite flavors. I'm told that frozen duck meat is available in larger supermarkets or Asian markets in Cincinnatti, but of course, as always, fresh is best. So much so, that your average Chinese home cook will buy the bird alive! Ingredients Duck. 1 lb. This dish calls for cubes of duck meat, preferably from the legs/thighs but breast meat will work too. Beer. One large can (16oz). Ideally you would choose a Chinese beer. Tsingtao is the most widely available internationally. Here in Liuzhou it would be Liquan Beer from Guilin. But actually, any well-flavored lager type beer will do the job. Cooking Oil. Vegetable oil - but not olive oil. If you have duck fat to hand, this is even better. Doubanjiang. 1 Tablespooon. Also called toban-djan or similar in the USA. This is a chile paste made with broad beans. Garlic. About 6-8 whole cloves Ginger. One thumb sized piece, finely chopped Dried Tangerine Peel. One large piece - available from Asian markets and stores. Star Anise. One Light Soy Sauce. 1 Tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce. 1 Tablespoon Scallions. Salt. Method Wash and thoroughly dry the cubed duck meat. Heat oil or fat and add the garlic and ginger. When you detect their fragrance, add the duck and stir to brown the meat. When browned, add the doubanjiang and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the two soy sauces, the star anise and tangerine peel. Cover with beer. Add salt. Cover the pan and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes, adding more beer if it begins to dry out. Finish by discarding the star anise and tangerine peel, but adding thinly sliced scallions and serve. Accompany with steamed rice and a stir fried green vegetable of your choice. I like spinach. Drink any remaiining beer! You didn't just buy one can, did you? ___________________________________________________________ 牛肉苦瓜 Beef with Bitter Melon The name may be off-putting to many people, but Chinese people do have an appreciation for bitter tastes and anyway, modern cultivars of this gourd are less bitter than in the past. Also, depending on how it's cooked, the bitterness can be mitigated. I'll admit that I wasn't sure at first, but have grown to love it. Note: "Beef with Bitter Melon (牛肉苦瓜)" or "Bitter Melon with Beef (苦瓜牛肉)"? One Liuzhou restaurant I know has both on its menu! In Chinese, the ingredient listed first is the one there is most of, so, "beef with bitter melon" is mainly beef, whereas "bitter melon with beef" is much more a vegetable dish with just a little beef. This recipe is for the beefier version. To make the other version, just half the amount of beef and double the amount of melon. Ingredients Beef. One pound. Flank steak works best. Slice thinly against the grain. Bitter Melon. Half a melon. You can use the other half in a soup or other dish. Salted Black Beans. One tablespoon. Available in packets from Asian markets and supermarkets, these are salted, fermented black soy beans. They are used as the basis for 'black bean sauce', but we are going to be making our own sauce! Garlic. 6 cloves Cooking oil. Any vegetable oil except olive oil Shaoxing wine See method Light soy sauce One tablespoon Dark soy sauce One teaspoon White pepper See method Sesame oil See method Method Marinate the beef in a 1/2 tablespoon of light soy sauce with a splash of Shaoxing wine along with a teaspoon or so of cornstarch or similar (I use potato starch). Stir well and leave for 15-30 minutes. Cut the melon(s) in half lengthwise and, using a teaspoon, scrape out all the seeds and pith. The more pith you remove, the less bitter the dish will be. Cut the melon into crescents about 1/8th inch wide. Rinse the black beans and drain. Crush them with the blade of your knife, then chop finely. Finely chop the garlic. Stir fry the meat in a tablespon of oil over a high heat until done. This should take less than a minute. Remove and set aside. Add another tablespoon of oil and reduce heat to medium. fry the garlic and black beans until fragrant then add the bitter melon. Continue frying until the melon softens. then add a tablesoon of Shaoxing wine and soy sauces. Finally sprinkle on white pepper to taste along with a splash of sesame oil. Return the meat to the pan and mix everything well. Note: If you prefer the dish more saucy, you can add a tablespoon or so of water with the soy sauces. Serve with plained rice and a stir-fried green vegetable of choice. ___________________________________________________________ 大盘鸡 (dà pán jī ) Big Plate Chicken This very filling dish of chicken and potato stew is from Xinjiang province in China's far west, although it is said to have been invented by a visitor from Sichuan. In recent years, it has become popular in cities across China, where it is made using a whole chicken which is chopped, with skin and on the bone, into small pieces suitable for easy chopstick handling. If you want to go that way, any Asian market should be able to chop the bird for you. Otherwise you may use boneless chicken thighs instead. Ingredients Boneless skinless chicken thighs 6 Light soy sauce Dark soy sauce Shaoxing wine Cornstarch or similar. I use potato starch. Vegetable oil (not olive oil) Star anise, 4 Cinnamon, 1 stick Bay leaves, 5 or 6 Fresh ginger, 6 coin sized slices Garlic. 5 cloves, roughly chopped Sichuan peppercorns, 1 tablespoon Whole dried red chiles, 6 -10 (optional). If you can source the Sichuan chiles known as Facing Heaven Chiles, so much the better. Potatoes 2 or 3 medium sized. peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces Carrot. 1, thinly sliced Dried wheat noodles. 8 oz. Traditionally, these would be a long, flat thick variety. I've use Italian tagliatelle successfully. Red bell pepper. 1 cut into chunks Green bell pepper, 1 cut into chunks Salt Scallion, 2 sliced. Method First, cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and marinate in 1 1/2 teaspoons light soy sauce, 3 teaspoons of Shaoxing and 1 1/2 teapoons of cornstarch. Set aside for about twenty minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Heat the wok and add three tablespoons cooking oil. Add the ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns and chiles. Fry on a low heat for a minute or so. If they look about to burn, splash a little water into your wok. This will lower the temperature slighty. Add the chicken and turn up the heat. Continue frying until the meat is nicely seared, then add the potatoes and carrots. Stir fry a minute more then add 2 teaspoons of the dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of the light soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of the Shaoxing wine along with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium. Cover and cook for around 15 minutes until the potatoes are done. While the main dish is cooking, cook the noodles separately according to the packet instructions. Reserve some of the noodle cooking water and drain. When the chicken and potatoes are done, you may add a little of the noodle water if the dish appears on the dry side. It should be saucy, but not soupy. Add the bell peppers and cook for three to four minutes more. Add scallions. Check seasoning and add some salt if it needs it. It may not due to the soy sauce and Shaoxing. Serve on a large plate for everyone to help themselves from. Plate the noodles first, then cover with the meat and potato. Enjoy. ___________________________________________________________ I also sent them my recipe for Rou Jia Mo, a slightly rewritten version of the one here.

Made too much rice last night, so refrigerated it and tonight was shrimp fried rice. Also includes garlic, ginger, chilli, shimeji mushrooms, scallions, curry spices and turmeric. No egg or soy sauce - I am not a philistine!

I am delighted to report that I have zero experience of such things and fervently pray that, in my remaining years, I never do.

This is a dish I used to make often, but haven't done for years. I don't really know why I stopped, but anyway I was in the market this morning and saw these and thought "Yes!" I selected enough to satisfy my needs and the lovely lady prepared them for me, as she does. Stir fried them with garlic, ginger, chilli, Shaoxing, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Finished with scallions. Served with rice, greenery and lots of kitchen paper. Finger food. Sweet and spicy. Like me!

The sister city relationship also conducts exchange programs. Teachers, librarians, public park designers and gardeners and yes, chefs. And more. That said, the current endeavour is aimed at home cooks.

Duck is the cheapest meat I can buy in China, which suits me just fine! Not that I'm cheap! It is just my favourite meat (apart from seafood).

Perhaps, but the close relationship between the two cities has been going on for 32 years. Duck is "exotic"?

OK. Interesting. Many, if not most in the UK do list their stock. Thanks. That is helpful.

Thanks. Chilli is simply an alternative spelling for chile. Chile is only really used in America. Both the meat stew and the spicy plant are called chili or chilli in other parts of the world. Chilli or chili or chile does not grow on vines, but bushes.

I found traces, but that's all and wasn't sure if they still exist. Thanks, but unfortunately, other than a vague paragraph, their website doesn't list what they actually sell. _______________________________________________________ Thanks everyone. As far as the Cincinatti specialties are concerned, all very interesting but not what I asked. Specific questions for now are: Are fresh clams easily available? Ditto squid? How easy is it to buy duck? Bitter melon? Also what is the locally preferred spelling of what I call chilli? Chili? Chile?

I didn't say or mean to imply that I somehow disapproved of pie flipping - I was just intrigued. If I were have difficulty removing the pie from the original container, I would double flip. I just think it looks better not upside down (upside up?). Make no difference to the taste, of course! Right now, I wouldn't care if the pie were up, down, sideways, inside-out or mirror-imaged! I want pie!

A man can dream - London 1996.

Liuzhou is actually the name of the Chinese city I call home. Since 1988, it has been in a very active "sister city" relationship with Cincinnati. For whatever reason, the local government department here in China which looks after such matters has decided to produce a booklet on Chinese home cooking to be issued in English and aimed at Cincinnati residents. They have dragged me on board, kicking and screaming, to be a general consultant and write a few recipes. Not a great problem. However, I do have one major concern. There is no point including recipes for which the ingredients are simply unavailable. Obviously. I don't know Cincinnati at all or if there are any members here who are in that city. I just want to maybe ask the occasional question starting with any information on general availability. Are there any decent Asian markets / supermarkets? I have Googled, but a lot of the information is rather old. Also, one list of the top Asian markets included a Mexican market! Someone got lost or failed geography! If you are in or near Cincinnati or know the city well, I'd be grateful for any assistance. Thanks