Gastro888

Ooooh...that sounds heavenly....*drools* There's corn ice cream and ubi ice cream in Hong Kong. They also have my favorite, banana nut. At Gifford's, a local ice cream shop in Maryland, I tried the Swiss Chocolate for the first time last night. I'd never heard of it before and it was really good! Like whipped malted chocolate ice cream.

Thanks for the suggestions, tryska! I love mushrooms and this might be "safe" enough for people to eat! Cool beans, rock on! Kevin72-Mmm, sweet potato gnnochi. Man, they didn't know what they were missing. Speaking of dessert, that was the first course that everyone signed up for! That'll learn me for next time. Ok, would it be horribly wrong of me if I pulled a Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade receipe on their butts?!

Love to watch: Nigella - gorgeous. Met her at a booksigning. So gracious! Jamie Oliver -must confess to my weakness for British men. Why, lord, why? Tyler Florence - such a cutie! Met him at a booksigning. So cute and friendly! Alton Brown Rachel Ray Barefoot Contessa Tony Bourdain (Ok, I must add that the naive part of me wants to think that hey, maybe Nigella and Tyler are nice but the cynic in me thinks that it could just be part of the job of being at a booksigning.) Can't stand: Bobby Flay -eegads, he's so rude and full of himself.

Nah, I haven't reached the chip, dip and pop stage. Yet. As for ethnic things, I'm already bringing something ethnic to the gift exchange - we'll see how well that goes over! The roll ups sound like a great idea! Seems easy peasy and I like that! Unfortunately, I don't know how to make deviled eggs and I'm afraid I'd give the office food poisioning if I did. (Hmm...workman's comp?) Industrial food has its time and place and unfortunately it's here in my office. Don't get me started on the cheap a** sheet cake they got me for my birthday. Nasty "choco" flavor with unidentifiable "buttercream" icing. Thanks, everyone!

damn...this would have to be my last meal, because it would kill me to eat this bucket of slop. I'm sorry, but the British know NOTHING about good food. Yorkshire pudding?? Jesus Christ I've better tasting cardboard. ← Say it ain't so! You don't like Yorkshire pudding?! Oh wow...all that golden crispness with the eggy interior, drenched in beef drippings. The combo of flaky and soft in the mouth. Oh yeah.

Oy...pass the milk!

Wow, thanks for the suggestions everyone! Y'all are so helpful! peppyre, thanks for the sympathy. Yes, we are holding it in a conference room so I could definitely use Toliver's crock pot idea. As for the sterno and warming pans, honestly, if I was working with cool people who were true foodies, I'd be more than happy to throw it down! However, I work with people who make rude comments at the smell of black bean sauce... (Screw it, I'll bring in some durian. )

One time my friends and I were eating at the La Madeline in Georgetown. I was eating a roasted chicken and having some bread and jam on the side. The chicken was dry and bland...the strawberry jam was right next to it... I'm sure I grossed out some people but oddly enough, it tasted like a poor man's sweet and sour chicken!

Holla back! Those cheapo ice cream bar sandwiches are the bomb! I love it when the ice cream is especially fluffy. Oh man...haven't had one in years. Green tea mochi ice cream is tasty, too!

In 2 weeks, we're going to have our oh-so-lovely potluck holiday celebration at work. Our fair company is generous enough to let us bring in our own food as well as our own gifts to celebrate the holiday. Needless to say, I'm thrilled to bits. Having never done a workplace potluck before, what can one bring as an appetizer to a kitchenless office? All we have is a microwave to reheat items in. Does anyone have any suggestions? My previous potluck experiences at friends' homes involves cooking ethnic foods and that won't go over well here at all. Thanks in advance!

Depends on where you go. Unfortunately, there's a lack of decent Chinese (Cantonese) restaurants in the DC area. Northern Chinese food is definitely more oily and heavier by comparison. There are good Northern Chinese restaurants to be had in the Rockville, MD area. Best of luck to you! Don't forget the breath mints...

Ai ya!!! Thank you, ludja! I can't believe I FORGOT about this Hawaiian jewel. Oh, for sure your mom has to get you some of that. It's cheaper over there. You can get it at Whole Foods in Rockville, MD but it's hecka pricey. It's this thick, creamy, slightly grainy honey that is more like condensed milk than regular viscous honey. It is FANTASTIC on toast. It's sweet and has a slight floral note to it. If you like sweet things, you'll like this. Although my friend who drinks Southern style iced tea said this white honey made her teeth rattle! I will try and find out the name of the Maui soap company for you. That soap is so fragrant...man, you're making me want to head over there right now.

It's hard to get a GOOD bubble tea in the DC metro area. They just don't get it right. The only place where you can get a semi-bubble tea (which pale in comparison to the tea houses on Mott Street in Chinatown up in NYC) is at Ten Ren's in College Park, MD and Maria's Bakery & Cafe in Rockville, MD. To experience a GOOD bubble tea...no, make that a GREAT bubble tea, go up to NYC. And try the classic milk tea with bubbles. Ahhhhh....

In Oahu (perhaps on other islands as well) there are flavored mac nuts - honey roasted, sour cream and onion. Granted, you don't want to mess with a perfect mac nut but it's interesting to try the flavored kinds since we only get the plain or chocolate covered ones here on the mainland. Kona coffee is good. Maui sea salt is great on roasted chicken. On the non-food tip, I would ask your mom to bring you some tuberose soap from Maui. The scent is heavenly.

Hi Malawry, pls. RSVP me to attend. Thank you! As heat level preference, I have to go with mild...I'm a wuss in the chile world.

White sugar, baby! Yummm. Oh yeah, condensed milk and jam on toast is tasty. Sometimes if I have any left over, I make a roasted chicken skin sandwich. *sigh* You would think with all the skinless chicken breasts for sale in the world, someone could sell fried chicken skin without the pesky meat.

Hmm...y'all are making me think of all the more interesting foods I've had in my life: Duck Blood (the best out of all the bloods) Pork blood (too gamey) Duck tongue (stir fried w/ black bean sauce...OMG...yum!) Cow tongue Duck Feet Chicken Feet Pig's feet Fried quail's heads Pig's head Headcheese Kororesti (dry as heck...bleah) Patsa (Greek tripe soup...I got funny looks for ordering that. I guess they were surprised the non-Greek wanted some!) Tripe (cow...various types...good stuff) Pork intestines (small and large...stir fried and fried...) Lamb balls Jelly fish and finally: Snow frog secretions in coconut milk soup with Chinese herbs (otherwise known as-"10th aunt made it for you, it's so expensive...eat it and you'll have pretty, pale skin. Not like that brown stuff you have now!") The weirdest thing I know someone else eats is a whole wheat sandwich that has sharp cheddar cheese, mayo and peanut butter. EW!!!!!!!

When I worked at an Italian restaurant with a lot of a lot of Cambodian kitchen help, they all did the same thing --only with the dinner rolls - and warmed them up in the pizza oven. Maybe it's an Asian thing. ← Nah, I did the same thing but on Jewish Rye. In fact I spent a summer at sleep away camp where I had one at least once a day, but that is another thread. Chicken skin, turkey skin, duck skin. If I was really lucky I got the tush of the chicken on Friday nights (I can't remember the Yiddish word for it). ← Actually, all my other Asian friends (and non-Asian friends) think I'm off my rocker when I do my bread-butter-sugar bit. Before this forum, I've only met one other person so far (until now!) that did this and she was from Scotland! Wow, I didn't know that non-Asians enjoyed the chicken tail! My father and I love that part of the chicken. Growing up, I never liked it until one day I saw the light. I get flack from my relatives for liking it. OK, would it be strange to admit that I would like to have a meal of salt-roasted chicken tail au jus with rice?

Oh, thanks for the reminder, morela! I forgot about those. Yes, they are horrible!!! They look like something someone's evil kid made out of Play-Doh. The whole thing looks like it would taste clammy, cold and wet in your mouth. Ick.

Funny, we've never cooked with turkey in our Toishan house. For Thanksgiving, we've always had a roast beef. My parents think turkey's too dry. The only time I ate turkey was as a part of the Swanson's frozen turkey dinner. I always thought that was the pinnacle of turkey until I got older and learned better! Turkey jook sounds really good! Yum!

Sometimes, nothing hits the spot like a good ol' bowl of Chinese ramen noodles. Not the kind you get at the local supermarket that goes for 10 for a dollar. The real stuff that you get from the Asian supermarket that has all the mispelled English words! Top it with a lil' sesame oil and there's my breakfast. Although those pancakes look dang sexy!

Airline food in the coach section normally bites the big one, however, British Airways isn't too bad. Neither is Cathay Pacific. My friend who's been in first class on BA says the food's quite good in that section. When I get my sugar daddy, I'll know for sure! The worse food I've ever had was on Air China (the offical government airline of China, natch). Oh.My.God. Or more appropriately: Ai-friggin'-ya!!!! It was terrible. This unidentifiable brown meat glop atop of mushy rice with some limp pickles on the side. Great way to usher in my mom's first trip back home!

OMG, fried chicken skin. *drools* I could never understand people who DON'T like chicken skin. I love chicken skin...it's-just-so-delicious! When I was a kid, I would eat two Wonderbread slices slattered with butter or margarine and sprinkled with white sugar. Funny thing is that I learned how to eat this at my dad's Chinese carryout! I must admit, I still do this when presented with bread. When I go out to eat and there's a breadbasket with white or sourdough bread, you can see me breaking out this old childhood habit. (I swear, I only do this with friends around!!! I've never done it at a business lunch...perhaps I should do it when I want to cheese off our uptight department head.)

Ok, Starbucks isn't the root of all evil but it's no paradise either. At least at every Starbucks, you know what you're getting. It's a consistent cup of over-roasted coffee. Sometimes you may be lucky and get the occassional Starbucks drip coffee that is decently brewed. I must shamefully admit that when I was in college, I developed a wicked Starbucks iced mocha habit because I didn't know any better! On another vein, if anyone is in the Montgomery County, Maryland area they MUST go to Mayorga Coffee in Silver Spring, MD and Rockville, MD. The owner roasts his beans locally and it's the best damn cup of coffee I've ever had in my life. His coffeehouse has a great atmosphere as well.

Gotta love the salt 'n vinegar chips. Those are always a blessing as is authentic Cadbury chocolate with nuts (not the kind that's made by Hershey's here!). I normally am not a big fan of chocolate so when I wanna eat some, I know it's a sure sign...