sanrensho

Also available at Safeway. To be fair, my comments are based on the tapioca version. The stuff is thick enough to shape into a ball and throw at the closest wall/victim. To be honest, outright fear prevents me from buying sweetened sugar/cream rice that comes in a plastic container and is made in a plant tens of thousands of miles away. Do people not make rice pudding at home anymore? Is this like the long lost art of toasting bread or baking cookies?

Be a man and just whip up a batch yourself. I doubt you will be impressed by the Kozy Shack product.

The recipe that you posted looks good. BTW, the Japanese name for these nuts is ginnan, which might help when doing a search for recipes. The Japanese savory custard dish is chawan mushi.

BTW, Keith, I hope you didn't read anything into my example when I used your name. The most basic principle of business is survival. If your tables and till are full and your (Chinese) customer base is satisfied, there's no need nor motivation for the restaurant to spend the time/effort to create English signage and menus. Makes perfect business sense to me. Businesses are driven by sales and if sales are already good, why add more amenities? Of course, the lack of English signage could be the death knell for some restaurants doing borderline business. Those businesses are obviously missing out on an opportunity to fill seats. However, businesses have every right to be incompetent and run themselves into the ground. I see it every day.

Believe me, I have had the same experiences outside of Canada, so I understand where you are coming from. For that matter, since every Chinese restaurant I walk into assumes that I am Chinese, and since I (hopefully) do not look like a typical Japanese tourist/exchange student, they could very well be saying the same things about me. Of course, I have the distinct advantage of being oblivious to anything that might be said. The fact is, these restaurants are NOT trying to attract non-Chinese clientele, because they don't need to. The reason is simple economics, rather than some nefarious plot to exclude Keith Talent from tonight's seating. It seems to me that you're real beef should be with the non-English speaking customer base that enables such a restaurant to survive. I hope we never see Quebec-style language laws that require English or phoneticized signage, something that has come up before in certain city councils. What a waste of resources and taxpayer money that would be. Let the businesses decide what they want to do.

I'll go a step further. Someone please send me a list of all the places in Vancouver that have Chinese/Farsi/Japanese/Vietnamese/Turkish/Punjabi-only signs and menus. Those restaurants will be at the top of my list for places to find food that isn't watered down.

No problem. Adapted from a Donna Hay recipe, but there is really nothing to it except stirring. 1 cup Arboria rice 2 tbs butter 3.5-4 cups milk Vanilla to taste Semisweet chocolate Heat milk and vanilla to taste and keep at simmer. Brown arborio rice in butter until rice is clear. I like to brown slightly to get some nuttiness, so 2-3 minutes. Add simmering milk half cup at a time, stirring as often as your patience allows. When rice reaches desired doneness, stir in a handful or two of your favorite chopped semisweet chocolate to desire taste and sweetness. You could also shave some chocolate on top for presentation. In my opinion, the best thing about this recipe is the absence of eggs to avoid the gumminess that Canucklehead alluded to.

I totally agree with this. In the situations you described, you're actually much more likely to get extra attentive service.

I can completely sympathize. Never met a rice pudding I liked. However, I might have been converted via the chocolate risotto I made last night. Think of a warm version of a Crunky bar (the better half of Nestle Crunch). Pretty darn tasty, if I might say so.

My point was actually twofold: 1. Some non-Chinese people have a grasp of the (written) language, generalizations aside. In my case, I happen to be Japanese-Canadian. And I don't know a single native Japanese speaker (every one of them non-Chinese) who would hesitate for a second to walk into that establishment. 2. It doesn't matter whether the sign is in Farsi, Chinese or Vietnamese--if I the food is promising, I'm going in.

I'm not Chinese, but I can read Chinese characters. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to go there.

I'd also make fried rice. Quick, easy and open to endless variations.

Very interesting. Looking forward to more.

Thanks lannie. Exactly the info I was looking for.

Humiliating? I'd say you were lucky. Thanks for the tip, I've read about the steamed rice with lap cheong and will try that soon. Is lap cheong ever cooked and eaten solo and not with other ingredients? If so, would you steam it for best flavor?

Salt-packed anchovies are amazing and taste so much better than regular oil-packed anchovies. A little extra work rinsing and filleting, but absolutely worth the effort. Good wholegrain bread, slice of ripe tomato, and an anchovy fillet (or two) draped across--heaven on a plate. Sometimes I make an anchovy rosemary sauce--copious quantities of both buzzed with olive oil. Fantastic tossed with pasta or potatos, and freezes well.

Canucklehead, what is the typical way to prepare Chinese sausages on their own (rather for use in a recipe)? I believe the packages often suggest boiling, but this can't be the best way.

"Cake Bible" by Rose Levy Beranbaum. I don't have the "Pie & Pastry Bible" by RLB, but I plan to get it eventually. The Cake Bible fits all the criteria you listed.

"Buggers"? You're lucky to have a garden overflowing with tomatos. I could (and do) eat tomatos every day. My current fave is sliced and served on a half-slice of bread or crisp bread with an anchovy draped across. Some pepper, too.

Richmond is out of province, and even out of country for that matter. That's what makes it such a fun place to visit and go for food. (I grew up in Richmond before it became annexed.)

This sounds like what you describe: http://recipecircus.com/recipes/mbrook/CAK...Layer_Cake.html If you do a Google search with the keywords "danish" "layer" "cake" you will find lots of links.

Alright, so happens to that little round? Two-eyed egg?

Perhaps the (obvious) solution is to get them to the table sooner. I can sympathize, especially when you're making something like spaghetti carbonara where timing is everything. If it's something that needs to be served immediately, I usually start the countdown at 5+ minutes to go. The kids can pour their own milk and help with setting the table, which takes a few minutes. Another tactic would be to lure them in early with salad/appetizers.

The first one is obviously inspired by Hooters. Perhaps this is a sign that Hooters should diversify into a line of cafes featuring Hooter-like barristas. The second name, IMO, is awesome. Short/sweet, sounds good, looks good on paper, hard to forget. I'd go there and proudly tell all my friends about it.

I only make food that I like or want to eat. (Is there an echo in here?) Life is too short and making dishes that I have no interest in takes all the fun out of cooking. Picky eaters can stay home or find somewhere else to go.