Peter Green
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Posts posted by Peter Green
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I was given a copy of the 1967 Branded To Kill awhile ago, but I 'd been waiting for Yoonhi to get back to watch it.
This was Seijun Suzuki's last film for Nikkatsu. They basically stated "your movies don't make sense, and they don't make money. You're fired."
There's a series of scenes in here where the lead, Jo Shishido (he of the chipmunk cheeks) will obsess over the smell of fresh steamed rice.
It's not really an eating film (although the shot of Jo plowing down a bowl of rice reminds me of my nephews when they were young....and my kids) but it does bring back that inexplicable smell of fresh rice as its cooking. Not jasmine or the others that are well known for their smell, but rather that very fresh, very thick and full smell of good rice finishing its transformation.
Sorry, I've gotta go and get some rice now.
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Anyone else watching this drama? I watched the movie that it was based off of and boy was that terrible.
What do you think about it?
btw: didn't really know if this thread should be here or anywhere else, but since it's Korean I thought I'd just add it here.
I just watched the episode with the fatty snowcrabs and boy did that bring back some memories. Luckily my mother's friend just made me some soy sauce crabs so that tied me over for a bit
eta: I know I haven't been here in a while....hi doddie and peter!
Hi, Sheena!
Can we find this on YouTube or somewhere? Is it operating under any other names?
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WHOO HOO!
Yoonhi's brought a new toy back from Canada.
A tabletop magnetic induction (MI) unit.
I'd been thwarted in my attempts to try this out back in February, when I'd passed on the chance to buy one in Texas, and then couldn't find it in Calgary. So, with Yoonhi home for the summer, it had to happen.
I have a good wife.
This make is Eurodib, so you know it's made in China. $130 (at Genesis in Vancouver, out on Powell St). They had a new model in, US made, for $500, but my intent is to battle test this first.
We ran through a series of test on different pans, and it worked with the ones we expected, and not with the ones it shouldn't.
There's lots of tech talk to be worked up, but let's concentrate on food.
I've been fantasizing about two things: Korean table top cooking and Sichuan hot pot.
For an inauguration, it was going to be Korean.
So gum gui.
I had them pick up a rib roast for this. We tossed it in the freezer after lunch, and then I used the santoku to thin slice the meat.
That, tossed in the pan with some sesame oil and about $30 in garlic (by Tokyo prices), and we have the makings for a good meal.
We tend to hit the meat with a bit of salt and a lot of fresh black pepper, which the meat clings to and shrivels about as it pulls in with the heat.
Spring onion with gochugaru (chili powder) and sesame oil,, little plates of sesame oil for dipping, kim chi,
and piles of rice.
You gotta have rice.
Comments on the IM unit: I need a bigger pan. The metal came to heat very quick, and very hot, so I'm in love with the cooking portion. But the skillet was cramped for what we needed to do. I need a big flat metal pan.
Overall, I'm content.
But I've only used it once.
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I thought that the Aryans lost access to Soma as they expanded into the lowlands of the Indus Valley and the ritual morphed from quaffing amanita muscaria tea into a more abstract concept of religion.
I dunno...the magic mushroom link to soma is debatable. General thought (at least the thoughts of those generals I've asked, as well as Cyrus) is that it was booze.
Fermentation is one of the oldest and easiest methods of transmutation, and, to paraphrase Ben Franklin's quote on beer "it's the proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy".
I guess you never went to a 1960's style pot party.
The 60's? I was still riding my wagon down the hill out front in the 60's!
I'd say that the alternatives that drugs offered took away some of the generational ties that had existed before. Maybe that's why the old folks balked so much at drugs? They were alien to their way of life, and didn't fit into the worldview they'd existed with under their parents?
In N. America I do tend to blame the drunk driving problem on the demise of the corner bar. I blame the demise of the corner bar on prohibitionism in our zoning departments. "Drugs" may have contributed a little to the demise of the cocktail hour but only because they provided alternatives. I think the expanded living space of our homes is partly to blame - in the past pubs and bars served part of the function of our living rooms as the social interaction space. We shot ourselves in the foot when we got bigger houses with more awake-space and found there was no one else around to be social with.
I like this point. It makes sense. We seized the opportunity to have the elbow room we'd never had before in a home, and we did away with our need for a shared space..... and in so doing lost something we won't get back.
It all leaves me pining for a good Bacchanal.
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Kobe Beef Tartare with Shaved Truffle Scented Foie Gras
Quail Egg and Chive Shallot Emulsion
I become fixated on synchronicity (and don't get me started on the number 42).
After Houston and Japan, I've been thinking that the best thing to do with really, really good beef is just eat it raw.
And then Michael Ginor has this on the proposed menu for the 23rd.
16 days until I get on that plane.
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Cook them?
Why cook them?
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Yes, the schedule is out indeed. I'm a glutton, as you're aware, so I was going to do everything. But let me scribble some thoughts ahead of writing anything more formal in the thread. I'm doing this in the order I'll do the dinners:
1.
Siggi Hall - this looks interesting. Hall has a good rep, and I know nothing about Icelandic/Scandinavian cuisine other than that herring are generally involved (but that's only based upon one trip to Denmark in the 80's). What has me excited, though, is that Sileni from Hawkes Bay in NZ is doing the wine. They've been out before, and I like what they do.
Given that it's an alien cuisine for me, this is a cooking class I'm interested in.
2.
Michael Ginor - the foie gras dinner is always a highlight for me, so neither Yoonhi or I would miss this.
Plus, we might get to see the PETA girls if they're on tour!
3.
Glenn Ballis - The Australians are always sure to put on a good show, so his cooking class may be the best of the lot. Plus, he's coming from Moscow. There'd been talk of a Russian sourced chef last year, but that fell through. Ballis could be very good, or could just be a mish mash of fusion. It depends on how much caviar he brings with him. His cooking class may be the best of them.
4.
Celina Tio - I've read very good things about her. But I'm unsure. A lot of what is written defines her technical brilliance, and her discipline. But she'll be working here with a foreign staff, in a strange kitchen. And I don't read that much about what she cooks. From a technical standpoint I'm interested in both her dinner and her class. I'm trying to talk Yoonhi into letting me take Serena to this class, as I think Celina would be a good role model for the Girl to see, but Yoonhi thinks Serena will be bored. Mixed feelings on this.
5.
The Gala - this is always fun, but it's the most expensive. At a good WGF the chefs all work well together and the wines are outstanding. At a troubled WGF, they fight with each other and duplicate dishes, and the wines are......well....not memorable. If it's good, it's very good. If it's not good, my Scottish blood bridles at the value for money aspect.
6.
Jeffrey Jakes - this is the one I'm probably the least enthusiastic about. I can't really say why, but there's nothing about the bio that thrills me. Like Manzke a couple of years back, it'll probably be a good meal, but I'm having difficulty seeing what will make it work in advance. Likewise, the cooking class may or may not work out that well.
7.
Maurizio Quaranta - This could be the top dinner. Plus, I like to end in Biscotti. The room has an excellent buzz when they've got a top Italian chef in the place. I've never felt bad about the Italians who come, particularly the Piedmontese. And, they're a lot of fun in the cooking class.
I should go back and check over the other wines, as well.
26 days to go.
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Well, you certainly get points for trying.. I think anchovies work best for marinating.. For sardines, I just grill them with some salt, maybe throw some herbs on the inside.. Sardines dont need much help they are amazing grilled.
Grilling would've worked a lot better, I agree.
But it's hard to spend days overthinking grilling. (I am in unrestrained bachelor mode right now)
Maybe I should try smoking some?
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Brining! That's something I should get back to. Like garlic, you can never have too much salt.
I'm counting out my remaining hours of bachelorhood here, and so it occurred to me that if I'm going to experiment, I'd best do it now, before my critics return.
Hungry critics can be very unconstructive.
Tonight was a relatively simple affair.
Relatively.
I picked up some sardines the other day, and I remembered that marinated sardines always look so pretty on the food shows.
I followed the instructions (it's a guy thing), sauted the fish in herbs, garlic and olive oil, and then submerged everything in oil, vinegar, fish stock, peppercorns and whatever else was called for. The whole thing was then held down by the weight of sliced lemons atop.
The result, tasted now, was unfortunate.
The fish lacked any texture...mushy like peas but without the good memories might best describe the meat. And there was no joy in the flavour either. Perhaps it's this version of sardine - large (hand sized) - with the bitter disagreeability of the nasty part we remove from large mackerel steaks.
Excuse me a moment, while I try to wash that away.
The simple parts of the meal were much better.
I parboiled the potatoes, and then sauted them in good olive oil, garlic, and oregano, with some fresh ground pepper. Then I had some aioli I'd mixed up to go with them. (garlic....gotta have garlic).
I used these to counter some fresh radishes that I just had cleaned and sliced, taken with a small mound of pink salt.
The bitterness in the radishes was, in turn, softened by the aioli and olive background of the potatoes.
But, damnit, I can still taste the nasty part of that fish.
I'll be traumatized for days.
This is why it's good that Yoonhi and Serena aren't here.
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I can't talk about specifically what was eaten. You could guess a good many. There's one major surprise food in there, which I didn't know existed in Korea and, of course, didn't eat until the show filmed it. It was expensive, too.
See? Now I feel compelled to guess. Anyone else like to play along?
I'm guessing:
saeng nakji (d'uh)
bbeonddaegi
sea slug
bosingtang
dolphin and/or whale
loach (just for the name)
periwinkles
soondae, not because I think it's weird, but many people might from the look of it.
live steamed shrimp
...pretty much anything they sell in those seaside restaurants, actually - the stuff that dwells in tanks...
Cass and Hite.
Chocopie.
You got a couple of them and one that was planned but turned out to be a bust. I'll tell right off that Andrew doesn't drink, so he didn't try any alcohol. That didn't mean that his fellow diners didn't.
There's gotta be some kopjang, yes? Everybody loves kopjang.
How about the raw minced chicken feet they do in Kwangju?
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"How do you get home" indeed. I think that's cut back on the element of excess that used to exist.
The "native style" side of things does hinge upon an element of proximity. At university (where much of this begins) it's usually confined to a tight geographical area. In the Dashiell Hammett era of the Thin Man (I do prefer the written stories to the films, they're much more nihilistic), people of common classes generally lived in clusters (and, of course, you could have your driver get you home) and the Bacchanal reinforced the tribal ties.
(The role of Dionysian mysteries and the Bacchanalian orgies in the growth of Greek and Roman cultures is talked about less and less these days, I must say. Nor is the use of "soma" in the Aryan expansion into the Indus Valley brought up about the coffee urn at work anymore
*)The more egalitarian 50s led to new needs. In suburbs thrown up to accommodate an influx of people moving to urban centers, the cocktail hour of the community acted to quickly develop new bonds amongst people from disparate climes.
But this slowly passed as we moved into the 60s and 70s. I blame drugs, myself, which have less of a social element about them (that's only my rather ill-inforrmed opinion, however).
And then this was capped with the blight of suburban sprawl that came in the latter part of the lst century. I know, when I moved to Houston in the 80s, that a common lament was the "lack of friends like at home". Bonds developed at the workplace generally withered over the commute, as responsibility and common sense cut back (slowly) the swath of carnage that drunk driving was wreaking upon our increasingly mobile society. You really can't cut loose after work with your coworkers ( in the Japanese salaryman sense) when you're facing a one hour drive on freeways at 70 mph.
And so, like cockroaches dispersing in sudden light, the ties of alcoholic bonding were shattered as the men (primarily) of this modern age found themselves scurrying in different directions, to arrive home late in the evenings to their domesticity, and, perhaps, their lone cocktail taken broodingly in the dark of a veneered "den" as they dream of the camaraderie of their collegiate days.
Abroad, it's another story. It may be only a part of the mix, there is the element of shared trauma and such as well, but you do find that expatriate enclaves mirror the times described by Hammett. Where dinner parties are still the rule of the day, and large gatherings commonplace, and where friendships made last for decades beyond the posting itself. As Kent noted, you do have to worry about getting home, and in such places you're never too far away.
* - for the role of substance abuse in ancient history, I recommend The Code of the Warrior by Rick Fields. Also, on the subject of soma, have a chat with Cyrus Todiwalla at Cafe Spice Namaste (and other venues) in London some time. He's a good man to chat with.
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"There just isn't a big stigma attached to getting bombed"
Stigma? There's a stigma involved?
Note: I did take that quote a little out of the NO context, I must admit
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See? Now I feel compelled to guess. Anyone else like to play along?
I'm guessing:
saeng nakji (d'uh)
bbeonddaegi
sea slug
bosingtang
dolphin and/or whale
loach (just for the name)
periwinkles
soondae, not because I think it's weird, but many people might from the look of it.
live steamed shrimp
...pretty much anything they sell in those seaside restaurants, actually - the stuff that dwells in tanks...
Cass and Hite.
Chocopie.
Dongdongju!
And soju.....lots and lots of soju!
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It's cominggggggggggggg!
WGF IX at the Four Seasons Bangkok.
September 22 - 28
I know where I'm going to be.
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Hey, it's a good trait to be able to keep a secret.
It gives me something to look forward to next year!
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It's the same with kitchen knives -- you need a big one and a small one.
Different materials and sizes are just nice to have. There are several in my kitchen but it's the big stone mortar and pestle that I use most. The wooden ones are rarely used.
The small marble one is for kitchen apothecary where a small amount of seeds/spice/nuts/whatever is required. It's white, smooth and deep which helps minimize waste.
Yup, it's the same for us. Yoonhi has a smaller ceramic Korean one with a lid (with a hole for the pestle) that's only used for pounding sesame, and we've got a small marble one for grinding spices, and then we've got the 25 lb monster granite one for when you really want to punish something (and which I love for grinding down peppercorns).
I also like the texture in the granite one, rather than a polished mortar, as it gives more purchase for breaking things down (but that's just me).
As a note, Yoonhi forces me to put a pad under the mortar before using it on the counters.
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Just a note that Eun Jeong and I at the ZenKimchi Korean Food Journal have been helping "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern" scout locations, give food suggestions and supply Korean guides for their shoot in Korea this past week. I've kept up with the production and have tagged along with the crew on a couple of shoots, and I can say right now that it's going to be a good show. Much better than "No Reservations" in Korea (Bourdain still rocks).
As a bonus, Eun Jeong represented ZenKimchi for an entire act and got a lot of face time on camera. Poor girl ate some stuff that she had never had before and complained that she had never eaten so much food in her life afterward.
I'll also note that Zimmern is quite entertaining on and off camera and has a generous demeanor.
Okay, enough starstruck fanboy talk. Just had to let it out.
Oboy! Have they said when it'll be aired?
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I started doing a little legal research on this issue. This research is only relevant under US law, however this is an interesting summary from USA Today:You can take photos any place that's open to the public, whether or not it's private property. A mall, for example, is open to the public. So are most office buildings (at least the lobbies). You don't need permission; if you have permission to enter, you have permission to shoot.
The article also contains some links to more technical legal sources.
A lot might hinge on "open to the public". If the assumption is that you are a paying patron, as opposed to someone that's allowed to wander through (as in a mall), then does a restaurant fail this test of "public venue"? As would a movie theatre?
I believe there are still issues even in public spaces of securing release agreements from individuals who may be in the shots. I know this is a problem with videographers trying to build up stock footage in parks. But this is a commercial item. The police don't worry about the family with the little palm-corder, but you can be approached by the folks in blue if you're shooting the kids with a big Canon or Panasonic 'corder synched with a boom mike in Central Park.
That would explain why many restaurants are okay with you taking pictures, as long as you're sensible about not including any other patrons in the shots.
Also, I'm not certain about the US, but many malls I've been in where I've wanted to shoot, I've been told in no uncertain terms by security that cameras are not allowed. This may just be an issue about wanting to control information so that "casing" is more difficult.
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how on earth does one get caught without a corkscrew?!
That was my first thought -- there's a travel Screwpull in both our cars. But then I remembered being at a friends' place when their lever-type corkscrew, the only one in the house, gave up the ghost. If I hadn't kept the Screwpull in my car, it would have been time for Plan B (a difficult choice between pushing in the cork or a trip to the 24-hour Meijer).
I agree~ I keep at the very least, those cheapy hotel corkscrews in every one of my handbags, in my luggage and in my car; you never know when you're going to want to "test" a bottle out in the parking lot of Trader Joe's before going back in to buy a case
.The Swiss Army Knife.
Don't leave home without it (although you have to pack it in the luggage now, not in your hand carry).
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I can name two places in a flash:
Kadowaki in Tokyo. I asked first, and got the crossed fingers sign, so I put the camera away and made a lot of notes instead.
The waiter in T88 in Shanghai was quite rude about it, but then the chefs (we were eating at the bar onto the kitchen) told us it was no problem, as long as it was just the food. There I think it was a question of "scouting" of designs and staff that they were concerned about.
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robyn,
Given all of the exotic and luxurious locales that you visit and influential and interesting people that you meet, it sounds like you have a fabulous life.
Since my life is less fabulous and more mundane, I will go on record as saying that I really enjoy the pics people post on eGullet. I really enjoy them. Pics from posters like David Ross, Chufi, Kim Shook, Dr. J, Marlene, (I could go on and on) really inspire me to be a better cook.
I agree with CDR. I think my life would be the poorer without such items as DocSconz's Peruvian Guinea Pig holocaust pictures and many of those others that I've seen here on eGullet. I enjoy seeing what's out there. Not everyone does, but they're free not to look.
If it makes you happy (and part of that is making others happy), then just follow the rules of etiquette. Don't disturb others, don't do things you're asked not to (I get very annoyed when people are madly clicking away in monasteries and mosques when they've been clearly told not to), and don't lose track of why you're doing what you're doing.
I am enjoying this discussion, I must say, as it goes to the heart of the eGullet membership. It's a sign of a healthy community.
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It's hell, but someone has to do it.
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Honor,
A very nicely written piece. Thank you.
With the Korean connection that I enjoy, I'd long heard of dog, and it's interesting that the pattern of it being a "manly, warming" meal seems to be contiguous through the Confucian states.
We finally did it in Guilin the other year, just the Boy and I. Serena refused to take part, and seemed particularly unhappy with Scud and I singing "how much is that doggy in the window" over and over.
Go figure.
Thanks again!
Peter
P.S. - darn! Now I want to go back to Vietnam. I need more vacation time.
(note: edited for the photo. If I'm going to be graphical, I might as well have graphics)
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Being a day off, it was a somewhat extended affair.
Being a bachelor (temporarily) it was an extremely messy affair.
I started off with a nice steak of kingfish I'd found at the market.
Fried in chili and garlic, and then finished with ginger, soy, honey, vinegar, and a bit of basil.
Then I took a break. It's exhausting being on one's own.
After the break, I dug up a pork belly.
This had a good bit of braising to it. I seared it in some oil to begin, and then transferred it and the stock to a tangine for the oven
A couple of strains and drains later, and the meat quartered and ready to take.
As a finale, I've got some cinnamon ice cream chilling out in the freezer, and that'll go with some b&w Japanese films later on.
It's hard being on my own.
Chinese Eats at Home (Part 3)
in China: Cooking & Baking
Posted
Yes!
Following the (relative) success of using an MI unit for doing Korean beef at the table (so gum gui), last night I tackled something I'd really been missing since Chengdu.
Hot pot.
I tried out the pot just once before, and found that, with our kitchen layout, communal dining just didn't work right. Now, with the magnetic induction unit for the table top, we were in business.
The nice thing about hot pot is you can toss just about anything into the broth. I couldn't find any cuttlefish or squid, but the prawns are in season, and I picked up another ribeye roast, froze it, and then slice it thin. Same for the chicken breast.
Chicken broth as a base, with one side kept mild for Serena, and the other lightly spiced for Yoonhi and I.
We finished up with some udon noodles we found in the freezer (no picture, they're just noodles), and then set aside the leftovers.
As a finishing note, my third test worked very well. That was just a quick wok stir fry of the leftovers for lunch today. Very hot, very fast. My quibble is that I've got to relearn my cooking, and use the temperature controls. I understand the physics, but that doesn't stop my hands from wanting to shift the wok about (which breaks contact).
Technology is so much fun.