richie

How would you say the customers of Ouest, or in Vancouver in general, compaire with those in Europe? Is there any difference, manners-wise or knowledge-wise? Do customers in one area tend to order a certain dish or style of dish more than another? thanks. and by the way, hi! This is that child who harassed you.

From my travel diary, from the chapter "La Casa" As we drive towards tonight’s final destination [other than the hotel], we can see the city lights. It’s still relatively bright outside, even if it is past 9:00. And also relatively warm; Vancouver, at least while we have been here, seems to have the most mild and static and pleasant temperature of anywhere. The city lights look beautiful underneath the clouds and the magnificence of the towering purple mountains. The final destination is La Casa Gelato. “198 Flavors,” the sign says. I had heard about this place online, and we had to check it out. Outside there are people sitting in chairs, licking every frozen treat color and flavor imaginable: light blue, white with red spots, pepper-color. What lies inside reminds me as to why I think that, along with music, the only thing that can save the world is food. The place is packed. People are crowded around the vast display cases of ice cream, delighted looks on their faces. Within everyone is the wish to go to a candy land of sorts, a Willie Wonka world. This place does the job quite nicely, with the kaleidoscope of colors, the paintings on the walls, and its legendary status. I look around. Taro root, wasabi, jack fruit, white chocolate raspberry, caramel, green tea, sesame seed, death by mango. These are just some of the flavors. They also have vanilla and chocolate, but where is the fun in that? I jump for the durian flavored ice cream without hesitation and without sampling. I am very curious about this fruit; very popular in parts of Asia, and apparently very tasty, despite its infamous stench. The containers are sealed, perhaps so as not to let the stench float out into the store. The color looks a bit like French Vanilla. As I open my mouth around it, the gasses seep into my nasal system and fill my mouth. The stench evokes thoughts of sweet onions and urine. And it tastes pretty much the same, as well. Everyone in my family thinks it smells terrible. The more you eat it, the subtler the taste of the onion flavor, and the creamier it seems. Really, it just tastes a little like vanilla with an onion aftertaste. Is it good? Well, yes and no. I like it and I dislike it. I eat it all, and it tasted quite good, but it leaves an unpleasant taste in your mouth. Most certainly, it’s an acquired taste. We have to go here again, I tell Dad. From the chapter "Of Dinner and Dessert" Afterwards, we go to La Casa Gelato again. I have mangoteen this time, some sort of exotic fruit flavor again. It tastes like mango, though not quite as yellow, or not quite as orange. If that made any sense.

Last summer, I went to Seattle. We went to the locks, that place where the salmon travel through, and outside was a man offering free samples of cherries. I don't know which type they were - red/yellowish - but they were absolutely delicious. Mom and I walked around with purple-red stains on our clothing and hands after eating them. Sorry to walk down memory lane there.

Well, wasabi I find merely okay.

Don't worry, Wilfrid, you're not entirely alone. I don't like raw tomatoes myself. Cooked, they're delicious, but raw.. it's just not as appealing to me. And oysters. The first I tried, which was at Fuller's in Seattle, came with a 'Seafood Appetizer'. After my brothers and I had devoured the other two offerings, all that remained were two oysters. I took one, deciding, might as well try it. I gulped it down with a cringe on my face and proceded to take many sips of a beverage. And I'm sure I'll get a lot of criticism for this, but I wonder, is the hype surrounding foie gras justified? I tried it and thought it tasted, well, bad. The texture is desirable, the way it melts in your mouth, but otherwise.. yuck. Is the texture, like caviar, the main draw?

Ello. I recieved your book - A Cook's Tour - for my birthday, and I hope you're not sick of all the praise heaped upon it, but it truly was a delight to read. And I have two questions (though feel free to ignore them): 1. Of the places you travelled to, which do you find yourself wanting to go back to most, if any? Or does it say in the book and I'm just forgetting something? 2. What method do you use to write about your experiences? Do you take notes? Do you rely on the film taken by the Food Network? Or just mere memory? I'm a bit of a writer myself, and did an amateur diary of sorts documenting a trip I took to New York - I relied on note taking (looking like an utter fool) and memory. Just wondering how you went about this.

I'm not a soufflee expert in the slightest, so my opinion might be severely wrong but but but.. there's this place called Capsouto Freres that I went to on my trip to New York. I had a wonderful raspberry offering. Yum.