sanrensho

Your first definition sounds right to me. I'm sure there are "light, flaky breadcrumbs," but that does not necessarily make them panko. Cricklewood's explanation about how panko is made is correct. They are not "crumbs from bread" in the literal sense, but a Japanese breadcrumb product made for frying. Literally, panko means bread (pan) crumbs (-ko) in Japanese. At least I'll know to avoid this "organic panko" product in the future. Thanks for taking one for the team.

IMBC = Italian Meringue Buttercream

Wow, great job. That's quite a spread. If you and LordBalthazar got together...I'd better not go there. With so many desserts to choose from, which ones stood out for you personally?

Nordljus. Some of the best photography I have seen. Not the most prolific blog, but more than makes up for it with stunning photography.

So you're saying they had the "brioche-style" buns when you went last? We sometimes buy the frozen Swedish meatballs for our kids' school lunches.

I've got a question for you Ikea regulars. Do your local stores carry the cinnamon rolls (sticky buns)? More importantly, does your local Ikea carry the "brioche-style" (I use the term loosely) rolls, or standard yeasted bread-style cinnamon rolls. By the latter, I'm referring to the type of bready cinnamon roll you would typically find at any supermarket. The Ikea stores here in the Vancouver (Canada) area switched to the latter at some point last year. The "brioche-style" cinnamon rolls were a nice deviation from standard cinnamon rolls, and of course a bargain at a buck a piece.

Almost never bothers me. For instance, foreign loans words are consistently hacked when they're adopted into another language. If I let that stuff get to me, I'd be dead by now. There is no "SOOO-shi" (sushi), "ki-MOH-no" (kimono) or "sa-SHEE-me" (sashimi), just to cite a few examples. Then there are regional variations that are perfectly legitimate in their own right ("rOOf" vs "ruf").

I see you've got your dairy priorities right. Whipping cream container as large as your milk container.

Thai basil usually starts going brown and wilts after a few days. It goes a lot quicker than regular basil. Rather than trying to freeze Thai basil directly, I usually make a large batch of Thai curry with the basil, then freeze the curry. Kaffir lime leaves freeze perfectly well. I always keep some in the freezer and take out as needed. Roll the leaves up lengthwise and chop into the thinnest chiffonade you can.

For baking (not breadmaking), I use a digital Salton scale. London Drugs periodically has them on sale. Never had a problem with mine. It has the usual tare and grams/oz conversion features.

If your daughter likes to eat, it can be a good motivator! ← Yes, the eating part won't be a problem. So tell me, was there some sort of sliding scale involved, or was it a "good/bad report card--go/no go" system? Inquiring minds want to know!

Aren't they great? From now on, you might want to drop hints with all of your Japanese students that you're a big fan of Shiroi Koibito cookies. We discussed them briefly in this thread.

I'm excited to see a blog from one of our local Egullet members. Good luck with your reno! And I like the idea of those Report Card Dinners. We may have to adopt a similar strategy for my older daughter.

The more that I think about it, the more I prefer "international market(s)." "Ethnic market" obviously invites some misunderstanding judging by the number of posts here that try to hone in on its precise meaning, so there is obviously a better way to describe it. (I'm not trying to be PC here, so much as I prefer precise language that invites minimal misinterpretation.)

How about adding in a cold noodle salad flavoured with sesame and cilantro ("Asian noodle salad")? Vietnamese beef salad? Thai noodle salad using rice vermicelli?

Well, I think this illustrates how the use of "ethnic" as broad shorthand can say more about the speaker using it than the subject. For instance, as a Canadian, I don't consider any one culture as "non-Canadian" as much as I see how many cultures have had their imprint on the fabric of our country. I don't see it in "us" or "them" terms, so "ethnic" has limited usefulness in my vocabulary. Back to my original point, though. I still have problems with making generalizations about "dirty ethnic ____." Suzy, do you happen to live in Honolulu or Oahu? There are indeed some grungy markets in downtown Honolulu, yet not far away there is an "ethnic" Daiei supermarket (I would just call it a "Japanese supermarket") that is as clean as any mainstream market found elsewhere in Oahu.

Good luck with your venture. It's good to see a business that is tightly focused in its product line, yet still able to offer variety and future variations. I think you will do well as long as you keep your focus and vision, and are able to convey that to your customers and clients. Plus you have the perfect name for a baking outfit.

I noticed zero differences from eating Activia--but I wasn't expecting anything either. However, it is a tasty yogurt so I will continue to buy it.

One thing I'm curious about is the pervasiveness of terms like "ethnic market." Do people really use the term that often? I can't remember the last time that the word "ethnic" even popped out of my mouth. "Vietnamese/Japanese/Chinese/Korean/Hispanic market" yes, "ethnic market" never. For the same reason, I don't refer to "ethnic bakeries" or "ethnic restaurants."

Furthermore, if you have Egulleters coming into your "ethnic" store expecting better than supermarket prices, what incentive is there to raise prices and funnel the extra profits into upgrading the store appearance and furnishings? The whole notion of making generalizations about "ethnic stores" strikes me as silly. I've been in "ethnic" Japanese and Korean grocers here in North America that were as well-kept as any mainstream supermarket. I've also seen my share of dirty, dusty "non-ethnic" stores. If a store is unkempt, it has nothing to do with nationality or ethnic origin. It's just an unkempt store.

Thank you! Please keep the great posts coming.

For food, definitely. For a nostalgia trip into what used to be Vancouver's Chinatown (that title having long been bequeathed to Richmond), I would say it might be worth a tourist visit. Also, Phnom Penh is worth a visit for the food. Beware that the surrounding neighbourhood can be pretty rough.

I wouldn't rule out sushi (raw fish) completely, although it's your decision to make. IMO, the risk is negligible is you decide to have a few pieces at a place you trust, on the odd occasion. For Chinese food, I recommend making a beeline for Richmond rather than Chinatown.

Guppymo, what is the Vietnamese name for the beef salad? I'd like to look it up so I can get an idea of the proportions for the dressing.

Thanks for the info. I'll probably wait a month or two before heading out then, as I was pretty enthralled with the selection last fall (a week or two before the market closed for the season). I'll also check out the Lonsday farmer's market. Staying on the Shore, I believe that the Dundareve farmer's market is starting up this weekend.