Jaymes

Thanks. I had forgotten it was almost upon us!

It definitely is an interesting fruit. In one of my Filipino cookbooks, there is a list of substitutes for hard-to-find items. The calamansi entry: "Fresh calamansi juice - frozen or bottled calamansi juice." That makes it pretty clear that, in the author's view anyway, there is no substitute for calamansi juice.

Wow, Patrick...those photos are beautiful. So happy your box arrived intact with the calamansi still fresh. Was a little afraid you might open it only to find a box full of mush. One really interesting (to me, anyway) thing about calamansi is that the peel is sweeter than the flesh. Does make eating them whole a tasty treat.

Or, over in the "tuna" (prickly pear) thread, there are ideas for making a variety of tasty sweet treats. Assuming you're somewhere with a Mexican/Latin produce section, you could pick up some of those to mix in with one of your fillings. They'd not only taste and look great, they're certainly different enough to invite interesting conversation.

Of course, there's always the obvious - cactus jelly. But you can make a lot of lovely drinks with them. I've had delicious Margaritas made with them and, as goatjunky says, they're gorgeous. Here's a cake recipe that I saw a while back: http://www.mykitchensnippets.com/2010/11/prickly-pear-chiffon-cake.html Are the green ones xoconostle? If so, they're particularly prized and delicious. http://www.ehow.com/how_8519313_eat-xoconostle.html Another classic in Mexico is tuna paste. You probably have seen it for sale in sweets shops. It's wonderful with crackers and cheese, like you might have quince or guava paste.

Not sure. Would you happen to have a photo or two from those days lying around somewhere? I vaguely remember seeing bottles of an assortment of beverages offered and displayed on the table itself only at a few places (of the "dai pai dong" or "dai chow" types, never at high(er)-end restaurants) when I was growing up years ago in SE Asia, and those - IIRC - were both carbonated and non-carbonated drinks often locally produced or bottled. I guess when you say "soda pop" you would mean sweet carbonated types - like the quintessential one, Coca-Cola or Pepsi? I was lucky enough to get invited to several large parties and celebrations - receptions, weddings, etc. So everyone was sitting at large banquet-style round tables. Ten-tops. I asked someone what those drinks were and was told that they were "kind of like 7-Up," a lemon-lime sort of thing, and also, what we call in the south, "orange drank." I think they also had some kind of rice wine, and other potent drinks. I sure wish now that I had tried them. But they also had really great beers, so I was happy with that. However, now, years later, wish I had given them a go so at least I would know what they were.

I just bought a second "SimmerMat." First bought one a short while back on Amazon, but loved it so much that I just bought another. As to why, it's really difficult to be certain that the electric burner is low enough, and the heat diffused enough, to simmer a pot of soup, or whatever, without burning it. http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=simmer+mat&tag=mh0b-20&index=aps&hvadid=1691719276&ref=pd_sl_2k23slxmak_p Want to add that we also bought this one a few weeks back: http://www.amazon.com/Cast-Iron-Diffuser-Handle-Ilsa/dp/B0007T25ZC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1378161368&sr=8-3&keywords=simmer+mat Heavier than the SimmerMat and at first we loved it more. But it accidentally got left on a burner (under the pan so we forgot it was there) with the heat on as high as it will go. We were trying to boil a big soup pot of water. That really high heat caused bubbles to rise on the heat diffuser. We still use it, but it looks kind of ratty.

To each their own, and I would expect to read sometimes about your marvelous pairings of wine with lots of sumptuous food goodies. Out of curiosity, though, would you be one who wishes to have some sort of grape-based Western-style (i.e. French viticulture derived) wine when you are having a meal of fiery and mouth-numbing Mapo Tofu, "Water-cooked fish" (Szechuan-type, fish fillets cooked in chilli oil plus other stuff) and other such things? Or, for that matter, delicate Cantonese steamed fish and lots of similar examples? I ask because I have always been curious why so many folks in the West insist on having Western-style wine with foods that were never meant to meet with such beverages as conceived in their taste profiles. (Yes yes, I am quite aware of the interest in blending Western wine practices/preferences with non-Western foods that did not have Western wines in their taste profiles when they were brought into existence) I imagine also there is a fair bit of cultural conditioning involved - such as the expectation that wine (Western-type) be involved whenever a meal is to be thought of as "special" (if other than "routine" - see French and Italian cultural mores), no matter what the food type is. Just wondering. And so I've just had a thought... I very much prefer beer with the sorts of spicy foods you mention. But I also lived for a number of years in Asia (Philippines & Hong Kong) and often saw an assortment of what I'd call soda pop on the tables. The labels on these large bottles set in the middle of the tables were in Chinese or Japanese or Korean, etc., but they looked like soda pop to me. Were they?

Just as an aside - in your original post, you queried: "My wife and I had a discussion about the disappearance of milk from US dinner tables yesterday: when did it happen? why did it happen? And is our little sample of the world accurate?" Assuming that you don't really mean that the "disappearance of milk from US dinner tables" happened yesterday (in which case there may be something more ominous going on), I think the answer is pretty simple: Americans have learned to overdose on sugar. I remember eating out with my family many years ago. You'd look around the restaurant at the tables, and you'd never see sweet sodas at dinnertime. Although at lunchtime, you might see some adults drinking sodas, they were very definitely the minority. And very very rarely were children drinking sodas. Now? Look around the next time you're eating at a casual diner or "family restaurant." At nearly every table you'll see a gaggle of (often overweight) children and adults sucking down sweet sugary sodas. Usually with endless refills. I stay out of my children's family business, but my one daughter-in-law is a big fan of sugar. I have to bite my tongue every time I see her stirring some sort of chocolate or strawberry sugary goop into my grandchildren's milk. She says that "they won't drink it without it." Well hell no they won't. Not when you're standing right there holding that can of crap. Show me a six-year-old that would. When they come to visit me, I won't buy that stuff so, guess what, they drink the milk without it. And, this same daughter-in-law was putting honey on her children's ham sandwiches. I had never heard of such a thing. Adding honey to a ham and cheese sandwich? She said, again, well, they won't eat them without it. Except that at my house, my little granddaughter downed an entire package of deli-sliced ham. Without honey. So that's what's happened to the traditional American family dinner with glasses of milk sitting around. Not sweet enough for today's average soda-sucking American. And not as much profit in selling milk as there is for the big-advertising soda companies to get Americans hooked on their worse-than-worthless concoctions of artificial flavorings, sugary syrup and water.

My parents drank water or milk with dinner, depending upon what they were eating, and coffee (cream, no sugar - my parents were never big fans of sweet beverages) at the end of the meal, always, whether dessert was served or not. A nice Midwestern-style meatloaf, mashed potatoes, mac&cheese, green peas or beans, and a tossed salad, for example was always served with ice-cold milk. When my dad cooked one of his "gourmet" (as it was called back in those days) dinners, he would drink wine. My mother never cared for wine, so she'd opt for water. Us kids would get the sort of watered-down wine others have mentioned. My family lived for a number of years in Germany, so I guess that's where they picked that up. In the summers, especially if dinner was served early, like on a Sunday afternoon, my parents would often drink unsweetened iced tea. My father really liked some sort of after-dinner wine with cheese or fruit or something. He really loved port and he still does. He's 92 now and in a retirement home in Atlanta. He still usually has cold milk with dinner. Coffee (but now it's decaf) as he's finishing up dinner, and then he moves over to his comfy daddy-lounger chair in front of the TV where he polishes off the meal with some cheese and a glass of port. My former husband really loved milk, and he even put ice into it. I once asked him why and he said, "I want to be absolutely, positively sure that nobody else is getting their milk any colder than I am." Milk is what I served my own children as I raised them. They are all adults now, with children of their own and, with the exception of one daughter-in-law, they usually drink milk with their evening meals, unless the menu calls obviously for beer or wine. As for me, I still really love a glass of cold milk and undoubtedly would drink a whole lot more of it than I do, including with dinner, except for the obvious reason that it's got way more calories than water. So I'm making the water choice for reasons other than taste and preference. I do like wine, but just don't usually have it, unless I'm eating out.

Speaking of the occasional indulgence - a chocolate shake. Anyone else here remember a chocolate malt? That was sure my favorite occasional indulgence. Pretty rare these days. Even got into a brief snit with a young counter worker at a fast-food joint a short time back. Was thinking about having that occasional indulgence with my burger. Asked, "Do you have malts?" She said, "Yes, we do," so I ordered a small chocolate malt. Really looked forward to that first malty sip. But to my surprise, no malted flavor. So I went back up to her and said, "This isn't a malt." She said, "Yes it is." Me: "No, it isn't; there's no malted flavor whatsoever." She: "Well it's a milkshake and that's the exact same thing." A far cry from the days when there were "malt shops" on every other corner.

Turns out you're right... Here's one: http://www.compactappliance.com/EdgeStar-Portable-Stainless-Steel-Clear-Ice-Maker/IP211SS.html?cgid=Appliances-Ice_Makers-Clear_Cube_Ice_Makers

Same as you. Water, except for "nice" dinners, when it's wine; or spicy dinners, like Chinese or Thai or Mexican or barbecue or bold-flavored Italian, when it's beer. Never ever ever sodas. Would no more drink a sweet soda with an average dinner than I would a sweet wine. Yuck. Unless it's a hamburger, when the very occasional root beer might show up. Summer lunch is iced tea. But at dinnertime with the grandkids, we're definitely a milk family. And absolutely NOT with some sort of sweet sugary goop added to it. .

I've always understood that the only way to make clear ice is to first boil the water. Perhaps that's incorrect. But if it is correct, not sure how an ice-maker could make that happen.

And here's a tip. If you hate being bothered by unruly children whose parents see every irritating thing those children do as "cute," do not ever sit right by the fish tank in a Chinese restaurant.

I have a suggestion for anyone that doesn't have a spot to grow a potted plant. If you don't have a sunny balcony, or fire-escape, or patio, or other place to keep your potted calamansi in the summer, and a sunny window or "grow light" to keep it in the winter, I think you should consider your friends and family. Surely at least one of them does enjoy growing plants. And if I were you, I'd gift them with a couple of calamansi trees. As I said above, they're beautiful and easy to grow. I'd think your "green thumb" friend or relative will enjoy growing calamansi, and you'll have a ready supply. My son has done that with Keffir Lime. Although space isn't an issue for him, he can't seem to keep plants alive. But he's a great cook and particularly enjoys Thai recipes. So he bought me a Keffir Lime tree. It's thriving. And he harvests the leaves every time he comes for a visit.

Don't worry, there will be plenty of 'green' jobs to make up for it!!!! And think of all the trees it saves!!!! Not to mention the fact that a great many folks (like my sons) are working in the industries that produce the "eBooks and iPods and stuff like this." I mean, Holy Horseshoes, Batman!

I can happily accept people disagreeing about the usefulness of cookingbooks in ebook format. But justifying the use of paper-books by invoking the sacrilege of writing in books will definitely keep me awake at night thinking of the sheer horror To me, hand-written notes are a charming aspect of used books. It tells me that the book has been loved and used enough by the previous owner to have been important enough to her to annotate. I have my great-grandmother's handwritten notes in her one and only cookbook that are my only link to her as a living woman. While my handwriting is not nearly as elegant, I can only hope my own children and future grandchildren will see this the same way in my heavily used and splattered books: I cared enough to cook meals to please my family. And... I don't buy cookbooks for the resale value. I buy them to use them and to love them. I not only make those notes for myself to remember that I did this or that in any particular recipe; I make the notes for my children and grandchildren. I think that these personalized notes are what change any cookbook from just being some sterile hunk of paper and print into a living, breathing, individual thing. Besides, like so many of you here have said, actual print cookbooks are going to be going the way of the dinosaur before too much longer. So what difference will it make if my books are full of splatters and scribbles when they hit some future trash bin or compost heap. None whatsoever.

I doubt I would ever buy an ecookbook. If there is a particular recipe I want to investigate with an eye toward making it, I'll look it up online. But when I'm bored with my current kitchen endeavors and am looking for inspiration, I want to sit down with an actual book and leaf through it, jumping ahead, or back, as the mood suits. Also, like others, I do a lot of scribbling in my books. I buy other sorts of ebooks - novels, biographies, reference books, etc. But have never even been tempted to buy an ecookbook. Don't see that changing anytime soon.

They're very easy and fun to grow. They look beautiful and smell even better. Think you'll love having a pot or two. And I'm serious about sending you a box of some fruit. My trees are loaded. They're green now...not sure whether you prefer them green or orange. But if you want some, pm me.

Well, hey, I'll send you some, too. But I can't believe you can't grow them in pots. Try an Asian nursery, or order one (or two) online.

Lemon Squares/Bars. Very favorite sweet treat. Even more than chocolate chip cookies. Can never resist Lemon Squares.

Ah, calamansi. The one thing I never have trouble getting. Always have at least two or three trees full of fruit. Even when we lived in Alaska. Can't be without that. Want me to send you some?

That wouldn't work for me. Unless somebody else comes and picks up the remainder of the "individual servings." If I know they're there, I don't care how they're packaged. Like individual mini-cheesecakes in the freezer. If they're there...

And don't y'all bury things? Kimchi, eggs, etc?