Peter Green
-
Posts
1,999 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by Peter Green
-
-
At the WGF in Bangkok back in 2006 a couple of teenagers got into Michael Ginor's foie gras dinner at the Four Seasons. But then it was more of "Shame on you, shame on you" followed by some giggles on their part. Michael was very keen on talking with them after, and tried to have a rational discussion, but it was obvious that they weren't there for a discussion or a debate.
Bangkok was fairly benign, more of a lark, than anything else, but the thugism that is raising its head now over this is far uglier. The objective is not to stop the production of foie gras, nor to adjust the handling of animals, but rather to attack what they perceive as a particular "class" of society.
And, you can try to have a rational discussion on the pros and cons, on the merits, on the far-from-elevated position in society that many of us enjoy who do like foie gras (although that can be a bit of a stretch....still, we prioritize), on what is and what is not "humane"...
But, in the end.....
It's obvious that they're not interested in discussion or debate.
-
I've been challenged to create a cake or cookies using coca cola.
So far, all I've been able to find is the traditional Southern cake version (with miniature marshmallows), which seems a bit over the top.
I think a cookie version would be very cool.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks.
Neal
Is the Southern version you mention the deep fried cake. Is that the county fair one that was posted awhile ago as "deep fried coke" or something like that, I did a quick search for the thread, but couldn't find it - but it's out there somewhere.....just lurking and waiting for the unwary.
-
Indulgence, 14 Jalan Raja Di-Hilir, Ipoh Perak 30350
I came in only for a dessert, particularly their signature tiramisu. Disaster - if there is any mascarpone or alcohol here, I didn't taste it. It's topped with crumbly cheap-arse chocolate nibbles and has as much textural interest as a soggy pile of cardboard. Appalling value at RM9 a slice. A fruit-like cake my friends share is thrice as sweet and just as ordinary.
My better half, Yoonhi, considers tiramisu as one of the standard tests of a kitchen. It sounds like this place doesn't make the grade.
-
I haven't been since the summer of 2006, and that was for lunch, which I quite enjoyed.
Yoonhi was there last summer with friends, and liked it enough to go back.
My impression was that they did a very good lunch crowd (with a location that suits it, tucked back around the corner from the offices) but that the same location, out of sight of the evening crowds, doesn't help them much.
If I was living in Vancouver, and had the occasion to be around that part of Robson, I would be including them in my options.
-
Here's a quote from my last Korea trip.
Mr. Pizza is advertising their new Hancho Gold pizza, with squid and sour cream topping.That got me looking. I just went to Mr Pizza's web page and found
Grand prix
(shrimp+potato)
surprising combination of European cookies and pizza!
Sprinkling the crust rings with sunflower seeds,
pumpkin seeds, and raisons,
this one-of-a kind pizza which tastes like
European soft cookies, will have you craving for
more! And that's not all. With Grandprix,
you can have our two best toppings,
shrimp and potato, on one crust.
And when you're done, dip the rest of the crust
into our irresistible blueberry sauce for dessert!
-
This is sad. It was a gift, honest and it will be again.
Aunt Bee's Mayberry Cookbook
Actually, could you give us a list of some of the recipes? That sounds interesting!
-
For Whistler, the chef at Bearfoot Cafe has been doing well for herself in the Canadian competitions.
Also, check on Quattro to see if they've got any visiting chefs in. I caught Vivalda from Piedmont there two years ago just after his place in Italy took a second star. Plus, the hotel there isn't a bad price, and it's easy walking about the village. (Araxas wasn't bad, either, but we just did lunch).
For Vancouver, part of it is picking out places that will fit in with touring around the city.
Nibbling around Granville Island is always good, and, if you're travelling over 2nd Narrows (rent that car) to go to Lynn Valley or Deep Cove or one of the other scenic parks cum film sets, then you could always stop in at T&T Market on 1st to ogle the fresh seafood and pick yourself up some good food for the drive. And the Raven over towards Deep Cove is a nice pub (but not quiet).
Back in Kits, I am fond of Moderne Burger, but they always seem to be closed for renovations. also in Kits, I like Kibune (down by the beach) for Japanese. The regular assortment is good, but ask for what's on the boards for the evening. Aurora at Broadway and Main can be good, as the guys there look to try different things. And Argos Cafe on Ontario is a handy location if you're moving across town. It's only open for lunch, but the chef there is having fun. Plus, you get a happy kitty waving its arm up and down.
For cocktails, I'd recommend you check with dipsophilia.com They're Vancouver based and try to cover the cocktail scene....
Darn! I just remembered! The Waldorf opened up the Tiki Room again! I don't know if it's every day, or just on weekends.
Beware, I haven't been back since summer of 2006, so I'm a little out of date on things (Feenie still had Lumiere then).
For really good Chinese, you are going to have to go across the bridge to Richmond. I shudder at the thought, though.
Have fun, and let us know what you find.
Peter
-
Following fast on the heals of the last post.....
In The Kitchen With Rosie Oprah's Favorite Recipes by Rosie Daley.
1. When I did the blog, someone spotted it on the shelf
2. You always have to explain it was a gift
3. Because it was a gift, I feel bad about tossing it
Honest, it was a gift! From people I like and who come over often! What can I do?
(it was a toss up before Daniel's post of this or Cleansing Food which just sounds like something you'd put in your body with a hose)
-
Hmmmm......Wattay in Vientiane always had very nice beignet and espresso. There are some good noodle spots in Souvarnabhoumi in Bangkok (although pricey).
And, of course, I still think that the bar in Bahrain up on the 2nd floor serves a very good bacon lettuce and tomato sandwich.
-
This week from Heritage Foods comes a breed of cattle from Japan that I have never heard of. From the newsletter:Akaushi Beef
*Pure-bred Akaushi is a national treasure in Japan.
*Japan Association of Akaushi registers all data related to the breed and traces the genetics of the herd we are selling back forty generations.
*These cattle are so delicious that they are the only breeds allowed to graze freely in Japan where property is not easy to come by. They roam the sacred mountain of Aso where they are protected by the Japanese government.
*The high percentage of intramuscular fat produce marbling unlike any seen in other beef.
*Akaushi beef has been proven to have a lower level of cholesterol than fish.
*While “Wagyu” simply means “Cow”, “Akaushi Wagyu” means “Red Cow.”
So, apparently it compares to the Waygu we are more familiar with, and certainly the prices seem in line with that! Anyone familiar with this breed? Tasted them?
Chris,
Tony's in Houston is carrying Akaushi.
Here's the link to the dinner itself.
I, being me (something I'm just going to have to learn to deal with), screwed up on two counts.
The first was major. I forgot the camera.
The second was minor. If I'd been thinking, I would've ordered this as a tartare. But, as it tasted really good as a steak, I'd say was only minor.
(Really, I screwed up a third time by not managing another dinner at Tony's).
Now, isn't wagyu the generic term in use for that specific Japanese grade of beef? When they refer to akaushi, they're refering to the specific bloodline/breed, I thought?
As I understand it, this breed is now raised in Texas, and the papers are all in order (and certified through the Japanese authorities). This places wagyu in production in Texas, Alberta, and Australia (sorry, I don't know which state). I've had the Australian, and it was excellent. Like eating butter....or horse.
I've still got to try the Albertan.
Peter
P.S. - Are you still thinking about living in Oklahoma City, a slave to Fedex?
-
I dunno if this is wise..............
Ordinary kimchi is teeming with microbes, like lactic acid bacteria, which help fermentation. On Earth they are harmless, but scientists feared they could turn dangerous in space if cosmic rays and other radiation cause them to mutate.Another problem was that kimchi has a short shelf life, especially when temperatures fluctuate rapidly, as they sometimes do in space.
“Imagine if a bag of kimchi starts fermenting and bubbling out of control and bursts all over the sensitive equipment of the spaceship,” Mr. Lee said.
I still have visions of a giant, eternal, cosmic ray mutated mass of kimchi taking over the space station, and from there invading earth!
Hmmm......that'd make one heck of a film script. After appropriate scenes of devastation, destruction, and fermentation, in the end humanity is saved by Yoonhi and the kids consuming it in a series of meals, culminating in the last little bit being chased down by Serena, who washes it off and has it with rice and seaweed.
I've gotta write this down!
-
Thank you, Ilana. I've enjoyed this week.
Peter
-
Holly,
Thank you for this thread.
Like a lot of us, my primary memories of McD's are from the 60's and early 70's (I try to blank out the trauma of time spent in Kid's Rooms that I went through with Scud in the 90's).
Of course, being Canadian, it was more climactic for us. We had spent a few years with J.P.Patches and the crowd on KIRO (I think that was the channel, or was it KING?) out of the States extolling the virtues of the Golden Arches, so when the invasion rolled north across the border, we were already in submission, waiting to be taken.
But, I remember when the filet-o-fish came on the menu. It was great. Truly great. I do recall that it was the one item at the time you couldn't just get from the tray. Every one we had then entailed a wait, which meant it was fresh when you ripped the wrapper off in wild abandon.
Like you said, the bun was steamed to a point of soft compliance, the fish was crisp. And that bit of cheese rounded out the fatiness of the whole product with the tang of the tartar sauce to lift the edges of your smile. When my nephew got us on tuna-Velveeta-ramen in Seoul, this is the sort of feeling I was getting.
And, even in those dark, horrible days when I was being told by the McDonald's staff to control my child in the ball pen, the filet-o-fish (and the chips, when they were still deep fried with beef fat) was the item that would anchor my tenuous sanity.
To find out now how the miracle of the tartar sauce was accomplished, to know that the bun was steamed to give it that texture to match the fish, and to be aware of it being only a half slice of cheese......
Well, my life is complete.
Again, thank you.
-
Don't give up! You never know until you try.
I had an extremely depressing mindset heading to Midland, TX.
And the supportive comments I'd received in advance were, well........challenging.
But, having tried it, I found things I kinda liked. Funky approaches that you won't get in the big cities. And people like us who've chosen to bring interesting ideas back home.
Of course, if you tried to force me to live out there, I'd probably have to hurt you.
-
Okay! I've just rescued today's egg carton before it was thrown out! What an excellent idea for taking the oil away from fried eggplants.
-
I'd have to go with the Asians, if I was putting something together in a hurry. A bit of minced pork can be marinated pretty quick (15 minutes of soy, garlic, ginger juice, salt, pepper, and papane - use either some papaya or pineapple if you can't get the Chinese bean/corn flour mix) and then you can use that smother some fried eggplant or whatever else is at hand.
Likewise, a curry's a fast thing to put together if you've got some pastes already on hand (and a kaffir lime leaf in the fridge), or you could go for any sort of rice noodle dish (chow fun, phad Thai, etc). Either fresh noodles (if you're lucky) or rehydrated dried rice stick.
As an appetizer - but I don't know the cost in Amsterdam (they're expensive here) - Lior's current blog onAshkelon got me thinking again about artichokes, and how pleasant it is to sit with my friends and just slowly work through steamed 'chokes with dipping sauces.
Also, back on the Asian side, a pork tenderloin, quickly grilled then sliced, and served cool in a salad with lime, chili, and nampla dressing is very fast and easy, and people come away happy (which is the most important thing).
Among the stuff already posted, I like the quesadillas. Chicken tortillas are simple, too, and have the social aspect of everyone building their own.
Actually, for an informal dinner, give me something that will either involve everyone together in the kitchen, or else have everyone active at the table.
Cheers,
Peter
-
Peter, thank you, again, for a wonderful travelogue.
I feel they are truly among the best stuff here on eGullet.
I doubt that I will ever get to Bogota, but thanks to your pictures and great writing I've learned some things about it! Thank you and please never stop travelling, taking pictures, eating and reporting
Thanks, Chufi!
I felt that I would never get to South America, too. At least not from this hemisphere. But, having done it once, I'm itchy to get back and try some more (especially the potatoes).
Life is too short.
I'm going to go away and blush for awhile now.
Cheers,
Peter
-
I wish I had a seven-foot folk art Lanny Macdonald.
Doesn't everyone?
-
I just finished Kingsley Amis' On Drink a few days ago, and have taken up The Imjin War to give me a background on Korean Japanese relations. Next is Year of the Chicken.
I enjoyed Amis' work. Words to be pickled by.
-
too bad i didnt see this earlier tupac im expat in bkk, left the kitchens at alto and limpero in nyc to move here,,,,,, got alot of cool eats here, most wont ever show up on these boards or in guide books,,,,, next time your on your way here let me know,
Ahem...I'll be in BKK next winter, probably, and my BKK cousins are too posh to eat at the places I want to eat at. Hint hint...
Well ill be here with a brand spanking new restaurant by that time,,,,, and more new cool places to eat,,, my favs are the monster river prawns,,,, then they make fried rice with the delicious bright yellow internal organs,,, mmmm speaking of,,, gonna go to the river now
Mmmmmm...Silver Spoon at Tha Thewet used to do those exceptionally well. I wonder if that places has finished falling into the river yet?
-
Oh, fresh artichokes! The last time I was out west to Cairo I packed my suitcase with fresh artichokes, brought them home, and we ate them with garlic and butter.
That was too long ago.......
-
That's ok, Peter. All of your pictures have more than made up for the cheese lol. As I read all of your adventures, I sit here and marvel at your stamina and your ability to eat all of that gorgeous food. If that were me, I'd weigh 500 lbs.
I hope you're getting some well deserved rest!I really do feel bad about not getting back for that cheese.
Thanks for sticking with me through this, Shelby. It's been a long, long trip, marred by the fact that my company expects me to do some work when I'm on these junkets.
It is nice to be home, with my own kitchen, my own ingredients, and my own schedule.
And there is some extra me there around the middle that I'll have to do something about.
At least, I'd better do something about it before the next trip.
-
Final Exit
You wake up some mornings with serious regrets.
First and foremost among these is having woken up.
Luckily, this was not a dawn patrol morning. Leaving the Palliser at 8:30 a.m. would ensure plenty of time at the airport to catch the flight to Toronto, which in turn had plenty of time to get me to Amsterdam, and so on.
But as I came to rest in the lounge at the airport, looking out on the thaw that was beginning to break the hold of this resurgent winter, I thought on the things that I hadn’t accomplished.
Being a Rat (this is my year) my most pressing agony was not having gone back for cheese at Divino’s. (Sorry, Shelby) And I chastised myself for failing to ensure reservations in advance for Capo’s.
More mortifying was my holding up the others in Bogota that morning, running late and reeking of mojitos.
However, as soon as that image crept into my mind, I couldn’t help but smile.
So much for regrets.
I recalled that they won’t serve beer here until 11. However, the sly among us know that there’s often some still left in the lines. I coaxed a Guinness out, poured a cup of coffee, and considered the high points of this four week marathon.
First, I was, by going back to my early mission statement, a failure. I had hardly done serious damage to my expense account, with the food element of most meals seldom getting above $70. Tony’s in Houston was probably the only major blow out, and that due to the wagyu. If I’d gone with my second choice, the duck for two, I still would have been under $100.
Houston, itself, I grow fonder with each passing trip. I think part of it is the surprise of discovery. The city itself is a fractal – self repeating patterns – that can cause people to rest in their locales and never leave. Why drive twenty minutes just to get to the same selection of shops and stores that you have right here? But food is the joker in the deck, and there are enough people in Houston that love making good food, and that love eating good food, that you have a reason to explore the town, looking for things that break the mold. Finding Hugo’s and Café Montrose face to face across Westheimer, expressing different continents and common threads, is something I could write a book on.
Didn’t Doddie call me verbose back there somewheres?
Midland I was prepared to pick on (I had another word, but it may not be politically correct), but I liked the Wall Street Bar & Grill. And Johnny’s BBQ was a good lunch (and a great price, which again didn’t help my expense account total). In particular, though, I liked what Scott Gunn was doing with his place, The Bar. He’s a man after my own heart, bringing new food ideas back to his own kitchen. Okay, I’m not as big an Elway fan as he is – carving “Elway” into the floor and naming his dog after him – but I admire a lot more of what I saw of this guy who worked his way up from deliveries.
Calgary has become a very interesting experiment, with a food scene that borders on the incestuous – chefs trading off from one restaurant to another, partnerships formed, expanded, curtailed. As before, I had some very fine meals, and was struck at the fun people have with their food (okay, they didn’t want me making snowballs of the rice….)
But Bogota. Bogota was the real gem for me. Perhaps part of that is just the novelty of being in South America, a land mass that I’ve only skirted the coast of (and that’s something so long ago I can’t remember)? But exposure to the southern part of America has put me in a mind of potatoes (and a good thread here on a BBC article) and of meats. Of sausages and arepas and empanaditas and ceviche and stouts. Of a sophisticated and passionate people.
And, of course, of mojitos.
And that just makes me smile again.
Final tracking point for this trip
Part 4 - Calgary (just for the sake of being complete)
and
www.dipsophilia.com for the boozing
-
Okay, the answer is in from the magic of the information superhighway!
I was listening to Scott Nolan, and I was drinking Thirsty Beaver.
Seek, and ye shall find.
Chiang Mai Thailand: Dining and Food
in Elsewhere in Asia/Pacific: Dining
Posted
Hi, Chris,
I'm partial to the Good View. It's on the other side of the Ping, a large open air restaurant alongside the river. Live Thai rock/pop in the evenings and a very pleasant ambiance. They've done well enough here with Northern Thai cuisine that they've opened a place in Bangkok now, as well.
Also on that side of the river is Kitchen Hush (it may be easiest to get there by cutting through Wat Gate, on the other side of the footbridge). An old house with a good menu of home-cooking Japanese dishes.
There's a string of places up Charoenraj Road, up past the Good View.
For breakfast we'd just go to the market in Chinatown and grab a bench at any of the kwayteow stands. But for really good noodles, I'd go to Dr. Noodle out on Nimmanhaeman Road (out by the Uinversity) is excellent (it was set up by a female doctor as a side business). Also out here is Hong Taew Inn, which had some very good pork dishes.
That's what I can remember off the top of my head.
Cheers,
Peter