SobaAddict70

Let me clarify: 1. I'm actually interested in family meal patterns -- how people eat during the course of the day, whether mealtimes are regular or varied, etc. Japan is one of those countries that seems to defy expectations about modernity. I mean, the nuclear family is probably one of the oldest and most stable institutions, even now in the 21st century, and while many countries seem to have this institution intact, I'm asking this question on this board because I'm particularly fascinated with Japanese food. 2. As to the other part of my question, I'm interested in hearing about whether snacking is patterned after the US (which btw must be the world leader when it comes to snacks of all sorts, but with a penchant for unhealthy snacks), and if so, how it applies to children and teenagers. thx, Soba

It might be Indian to them, but it's definitely not Indian to the rest of us. Indian in concept, French in execution is a more accurate assessment. Why we are comparing a Seville orange to a Granny Smith apple is beyond my comprehension. Soba

Um, the audience that the kitchen is catering to is different, from say, an audience that an Indian restaurant is catering to -- like for example, any of the Indian palaces on East 6th Street or those in Murray Hill or in Queens, or even Diwan. If I wanted to go have Indian food, either authentic Indian food, mediocre Indian food or even poor renditions of Indian food, TBB would be the last place I'd have in mind. If I, or someone else, say an Indian food newbie, wanted Indian food, TBB would be far far down on whatever short or long list there was. At least, I hope so. But this is e-gullet, where subjective preference reigns supreme. The peanut gallery has spoken. Soba

I'm amazed that this thread has grown to past one page. Tabla/TBB is not even remotely an Indian restaurant. It's influenced by Indian cuisine, but on an authentic scale, not even close. The differences people have experienced are for the most part because the audience that Floyd Cardoz and company are catering to, are not there to eat authentic Indian food -- they're there to eat reinterpretations of Indian food (although the biryanni at TBB is pretty good, I'll give them that). The food at Diwan is to my mind, more elevated than that of most Indian restaurants in New York City. It may be that I haven't eaten at good, competent Indian places, but the food at Diwan is neither overspiced nor overcooked. For example, the lemon rice is amazing. You'd be hard pressed to find that at most Indian palaces in NYC. btw, I failed the course on P-ism 101. Pity there isn't a remedial version. Soba

Reading about Kristin's and Jin's family experiences, especially Kristin's dinners made me wonder if meal patterns, in particular snacking, are significantly different in Japan. Are children and teenagers inundated with food advertisements or media that caters to them and their tastes, to the extent that they are in the U.S.? Describe how your family eats in a typical day (assuming you live in Japan). Inquiring minds want to know! Soba

I've never had buttermilk. What should I expect? What can you do with it? What are the best uses for it? Your stories please. The thread on butter made me recall the first time I heard of buttermilk, which was in one of the Little House books where Laura reminisces about making butter, by hand churn, coloring the milk with grated carrots through a cheesecloth, and churning the milk until a solid lump of butter formed. Soba

Pork is the new chicken. Soba

Jean-Louis Palladin used to serve shad roe, sauteed in butter with some asparagus and morels on the side. I remember seeing one of his preparations on one of the Great Chef series on PBS. I think it might have been his place in DC, not sure though. Soba

Recovering from a week of pure hell. Nothing extraordinary. Slept all day Friday and didn't wake up until Saturday afternoon. Basically made comfort food all weekend -- note that comfort food for me is anything simple I can whip up in a jiffy. Comfort food for guests is a completely different animal. Saturday: A quart of chicken stock from a local takeout Cantonese palace, some blanched veggies and cubes of tofu, and blanched udon noodles got turned into a nice steaming pot of soup. Tossed a bit of shredded cold roasted chicken, a sprinkle of chopped scallions, some sesame chili oil and a little chili paste. LOTS of green tea. Midnight snack: steamed tofu, orange blossom honey. Very simple Chinese dessert -- try it sometime. Perfect for work-induced lethargy. Steam a block of silken tofu until heated thoroughly, top with honey. You can warm the honey if you like, so that it pours easier, or you can serve it with honeycomb as I sometimes do. -------- Sunday: Congee topped with slices of poached chicken, slivered ginger, chopped scallions and chopped hard-boiled eggs. Sesame oil and togarashi to taste. Jasmine tea. Steamed red bean buns for dessert. (Ok, the buns were from a takeout palace.) Soba

I was wondering -- would fruit (no not lime juice, I mean actual diced fruit or brunoised fruit) enhance larb? I mean, certain types of fruit and pork go very well together. Just a thought. Not sure when I'll be able to resume a normal life. Work this week is totally consuming me. Soba

Can't explain the science, but we do this with mangoes and papayas all the time as well. Soba

According to El Gordo, GSI (or is it GS Chelsea? (I can't remember.)) makes a pretty good char siu bao. (Of course, I've never been. ) However, I can tell you who makes a really awful bun -- Our Evergreen, located in the lower Upper East Side. Could've been an off night though. The bun in question was really bready, and not even the right size. Soba

You know, I'm gonna have to get this into my pantry now. Bad Kristin!!! Behold, my new addiction. This, from someone who used to snack on cold rice, sprinkled with a little soy and sesame oil when he was a kid. Soba

I haven't been cooking much lately -- been consumed by work, but hopefully that will change soon. Saturday: Pici with chicken livers, garlic, sweet peppers, and EVOO. [herbed fried bread crumbs]; sauteed escarole, with EVOO, caramelized onions, red pepper flakes, fennel seed and raisins; Lurisia fizzy mineral water. Midnight snack: raisin biscotti, almond spice tea. -------- Last night (after waking up after a sleep marathon from a 27 hour day): Pastrami hero (roasted red peppers, romaine lettuce, pastrami, salami, Virginia ham, sliced red onion, cranberry honey mustard, sliced plum tomatoes, all on a nice baguette), a couple of half-sour pickles, LOTS of Poland Spring. Then went off to bed -- I didn't wake up until this morning. *sigh* This had better be over by Friday. Soba

Note: Below you will find the collection of digests in chronological order. For the latest digest go to the end. Enjoy... Soba ---------- Amanda Hesser on Antipasti Restaurants on the Fringe R.W. Apple on Gidleigh Park William Grimes dines out at Agave Eric Asimov: Fish Marian Burros: Newman's Own and McDonald's Upcoming Chefs: Helene Darroze Frank Prial: All About Serendipity Jason Epstein: A Buyer's Market Mark Bittman: Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Grains for Breakfast Florence Fabricant: Vietnamese Artifacts, Soup on the Side Bits and Pieces Letters to the Editor The Oops File

Who needs the NY Times and the internet when you have e-gullet? Sometimes I just pull up a chair and watch the fireworks explode. Much better view, natch. Soba

Try it in a flan. Maybe a little white truffle shaved on top. (it doesn't need that really though) But then again, I love savory flans, so that's just my bias speaking. Soba

On McD's pricing: being that each store is owned separately even though its a franchise, I would think that the price of a 6 piece varies depending on the store's location. For instance a #1 Value Meal which is, for the uninformed, a Big Mac, fries and soda is $5.36 (w/o tax) at the McD across the street from my job, but at a McD in Chelsea, on 6th Avenue and 20th Street, it's $5.19 (w/o tax), and at the McD a block away from my apartment in midtown Manhattan, its slightly more expensive than the downtown McD. (Yes, I eat them on the sly, although not as often as the Gang of Two. ) On Mystery Chicken: Maybe there's hope for a McFish Nuggets in the future? Soba

Thursday: asparagus flan, green salad dressed with a white wine viniagrette, a baguette. Poland Spring. Leftover roasted pears over French vanilla Haagen-dasz. (FYI, I buy a six pack of Poland Spring bottled water every weekend -- these are the fat bottles which are each good for about three to four glasses of water a piece -- I don't want to give the impression that I don't drink NYC tap, but there are times, especially when dinner is like the above that plain old NYC tap won't do. Besides I happen to like Evian for its mouth feel (like drinking liquid silk) and Poland Spring for its clean crisp taste. But that's just me. ) Midnight snack: a nice bowl of leftover borscht. [Memo to self: make a beet-less borscht one of these days and compare.] Soba

A question -- do you eat your meals using thalis? Are thalis (pls correct me if I'm wrong about the plural form) common outside of India? I have yet to see a meal served in the traditional style, here in the U.S., and especially here in NYC. Soba

I'm VERY tempted to change my signature now... A pity that the French concept of "salad" is so rarely served these days. Soba

Last night: broiled skinless boneless chicken breasts, rubbed with a bit of Patak's eggplant chutney and some EVOO before popping it into the oven; scatter of chopped onions, mushrooms and bell peppers on top; steamed broccoli. Poland Spring. Roasted pears, topped with a little half and half and a sprinkle of cracked black pepper. Tuesday: stuffed cabbage (ground pork, rice, sauteed and browned onions), with mushroom sauce; beet puree spiked with horseradish; kasha varnishkes. Peppermint iced tea. Oranges. Monday: borscht, with sour cream and pumpernickel bread. Evian. Indian spice tea with honey and milk. Oranges. Sunday: tom kha gai (Thai chicken soup with coconut milk, straw mushrooms and lemon grass); sticky black rice with chopped scallions, chopped peanuts, crispy fried shallots, and some minced jalapenos (for kick) sprinkled on top; poached shrimp, with dipping sauce (Chinese rice wine, mushroom soy, minced jalapeno, sugar, sesame chili oil); steamed tofu topped with orange blossom honey. Jasmine tea. Evian. Soba

You know you're in the Twilight Zone when the restaurant has a SYMBOL for its name. Maybe that's the next trend? Town, Craft, WD-50, 66, Zola -- move over!!!! How about " " for a name? Any takers? (j/k) Soba

I'm surprised no one spoke up and told them to pipe down. (I would've.) Further proof that the cell phone ban is a much needed breath of fresh air. I think the menu probably won't change -- at least for the time being. The old menu WAS a lot of food, not to mention they probably lost revenue due to the number of items served, in proportion to the cost spent. I kept feeling that for $100, not including what one would have spent for sake and wine, that the top option was priced amazingly low -- and that a more appropriate cost would've been something around $120 to $130. Ah, the introspection that hindsight brings.... Soba

Ok I just read it. Feel the pain!!!! Ugh. Silly question #1: What is a pan roast? I've never had one. Soba