touaregsand

A fantastically well researched article by Rachel Lauden a.k.a. Caroline on egullet. I've had mole on the brain these days and was considering making it sometime this week when I saw this thread.

It's only a matter of knowing what a gâteau breton is or is not. A gâteau breton remains a gâteau breton wherever it is made, Paris or Hong Kong. Including it in a book as "Parisian home cooking" seems a bit weird. I make a pretty good pho soup at home and I've been making it for years, but I wouldn't describe it as "Parisian home cooking" if I were to write down the recipe for a book. ← Why not? Aren't there Parisians of Vietnamese decent making pho at home? Isn't Paris the most culturally cosmolitan city in France (possibly in all of Europe, although London is probably more commercially cosmopolitan)? Would you include couscous in a book on "Parisian home cooking"? Just curious.

Like this.. I think Ms Pickett is setting herself up as a the straightman a bit. She sets the 'stage' for RR's punchlines in the piece.

It hasn't played itself in Santa Monica where I used to live. I'm inclined to agree with Russ Parsons. When I went to Dallas all I really wanted to try was great bbq, but these people who were showing me around insisted on taking me to a French restaurant. I gently explained to them that I am married to a French chef, have been to France many times and have also cooked in French restaurants. They insisted, they wanted to show off 'gourmet' Dallas. I gagged on the steak au poivre that was slathered with...um...bbq sauce. As for Midwesterners being so insecure they care what a New Yorker thinks... I've wondered why New Yorkers sometimes care what a French writer or critic thinks. But that's a whole other thread(s).

An Indian girl who I went to school with brought parathas to school almost every day. Her mom made them quite thin, but they were layered and had some spices incorporated into the dough. We begged her for pieces of the bread. Well I never begged, not my style but the other kids did. Obviously it wasn't the her mom's job to make paratha everyday for all of her friends. So I bought my first cookbook just for a paratha recipe. The girl's mom refused to teach me how, said it was too difficult. Anyway I figured it out.

LA markets tend to be Italian-American from at least 2-3 generations ago. The prepared foods and delis especially reflect the big meatballs in lottsa tomato sauce oozing with mozzarella and spicy cold cut submarine sandwiches.

Mario's Italian Market 740 E. Broadway St. (Glendale St.) Glendale, CA 91205 818-242-4114 Pretty good to great prices. They have a deli that serves Italian-American food. They also have imported Italian sausages, cold cuts, cheeses. There is also Claros. Pretty much the same as Marios. They both been around ever since I can remember.

I wouldn't worry about law suits. I'm not a lawyer but it seems to me that they would have to prove that they were given food that had already gone bad. Food going bad while in their posession is different obviously. If I order food at a restaurant and leave it out for 2 days before eating it and I get sick it's my fault.

owfff! i have had very little exposure to french cuisine, though i know it is seen as a worldwide standard for high excellence. but if what you say above is true and most french cooking is bland, then i fear i may never get to know it better...... sorry if i sound unappreciative of a high cultural trend, but i don't know what else to say. ... curiosity: i really enjoy various mediterranean food (e.g. north africa, italian food, some greek food, etc. though i liberally use the red pepper shaker). how does french cuisine compare with these? milagai ← Where France borders Italy and Spain there is some overlap in style. I know a French couple, the woman is from Alsace and the man is from Le Pays Basque (this is in France) and she told me that when they first met, it seemed to her everything he made reeked of garlic. So there are regional differences that are not well represented outside of their respective regions. Marseilles in particular has a huge North African population so there is a naturally evolving bit of culinary fusion happening there.

It's most likely true that they just didn't have it, not even in the back. Hot sauces or hot pepper has little or no use in French cuisine. I've only seen harissa (North African chili paste) used occassionally, in an aioli for instance. But that's about it.

I've known a few people who were extremely tit for tat. Every favor or gesture was expected to be returned. It was very uncomfortable for me. I could not be 'friends' with people who had strings attached. I even blurted out to one of them, "What do you want an eye for an eye?!?!?!" Overall I tend to be more generous than I am a taker. But I have two small children and a very busy schedule, especially when I had my design studio. I would get slammed with orders at unexpected times and simply could not follow up with reciprocal gestures in a narrow window of time. A year is good or eventually. As a hostess I don't expect tit for tat. But the prolonged moochers eventually fall off the invite list. By moocher I mean someone who never reciprocates with anything! It doesn't have to be food related. A few people on egullet help me occassionaly with research. One of them even obtained on loan a nearly impossible to find cookbook for me and my husband to look at. He also sends me web links. He brings Chinese candy and almond cookies for the kids. I always bring something when I am invited, it's something my mother pounded into my head. But do not expect others too, another thing my mother pounded into my head. I was told by a French Basque friend that in certain circles in France it is actually considered rude to bring something as a guest, it suggests that the host will not be prepared. Alot of North Africans are the same way. There are cultural differences in what is expected from the guest and in return. In some cultures tit for tat is an absurdly rude concept. The worst moocher I knew asked if I could buy some beer because he doesn't like wine. I mean really, the man can just bring some beer for himself. Has anyone experienced something similar? I do ask guests before hand what type of cuisine they want to try. But this request came out of the blue and I really took it as "buy me some beer."

What do you all think of deep fried spatzel? A colleague of my husband's thinks it great to serve with goulash. We both think it's too heavy.

I hardly ever add salt at the table to my food except in cases where the diner is supposed like the Korean soups that Pan mentioned. So to those who salt food at the table, what do you salt? How often do you find yourself needing to add salt to food when dining out? How many restaurants have you dined at that resist giving customers salt? Carrying around salt sort of seems like carrying around a life vest on dry land. I just don't get it.

So your avatar is an actual photo of you? The holiday merchandising makes me crazy. Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas blur into one huge store display. I wonder if you've ever written an article about Christmas regarding traditional garb. I get a good laugh from those goofy Christmas sweaters. Christmas around the world seems pretty obvious. In Korea for instance, Christmas Eve is a bit of a party night. When I was little hardly anyone ever celebrated it. But with the rise of converts it has become a national holiday (very loosely) of sorts, not a terribly religious one. Also in Korea (I wonder if this is happening in other Asian countries as well) Chinese New Year and Western New Year are both celebrated now with time off for workers. This wasn't the case say 15-20 years ago. I have no idea if you have any interest in Korea. An article on evolving tradtions sounds pretty interesting.

Korean curry This is the brand that came to mind yesterday, but I wanted to be certain. Korea became industrialized later than Japan for historical reasons I won't get into. I think this company began in the late 60's or early 70's. My husband used to get all of his meat from a Halal butcher in Korea for a restaurant he ran that was also a French/European chef hangout. He eventually hooked up the butcher with all the chefs he knew. They mostly ran the big hotel kitches. He made the butcher very, very happy needless to say. I haven't studied the history of Arabs in Korea so much, there isn't that much information out there. But they were there in large (if not significant numbers) to become part of the folklore in certain regions. The story in my family is that my mother side possible has some mixture way back when. Lots of family members with large eyes and more angular features and a tendency to have curly hair. Although the curly hair can also come from the Mongolian line in Korean history. As for an Arab culinary influence in Korea is concerned, it's hard to say. I'm inclined to say that it has to with bringing certain ingredients into the country. But that's a huge historical ball of wax to get into...

There are two variables in this scenario that allow onions to become 'golden' in 5 minutes- heat and quantity of oil. If you've got some serious restaurant-style BTUs being cranked out and use a very liberal amount of oil, 5 minute golden onions are a piece of cake. If you ever watch these celebrity chefs saute onions, invariably the oil is decanted into the pan in multiple glugs. If the onions aren't swimming in oil, then yes, 20 minutes, minimum. ← The traditional home kitchens in Asia and Africa had some serious heat.

Trick-or-Treat was the least of my worries that evening, Genny. Given that it was Halloween, I figured I could use the restaurant's mens room without much fuss. So I used the facilities and was washing up when a youngish guy walked in, looked at me and screamed, "AAAAAUUGHHH!" Then he ran out the bathroom door so quickly he forgot to open it first. I thought to myself, "Maybe he thought it was the ladies' room instead." So I sauntered back to the table where he and his friends were seated and said in my best basso profundo, "Hey, Man...there's plenty of room in there." This poor chap was cowering in fear, bleating, "Nooo! Please nooo!!" He was curled up in a little ball while the rest of his table convulsed with laughter. So I ask you ladies: the next time I dress up as Heather Duster, should I powder my nose in the ladies room instead? And do I get to claim PMS as my excuse? ← Fresser- Why, oh why? I'm tempted to re-work my interpretation of the lunch box dream.

Yes there are some Korean brands. I'll get the names sometime this week. Come to think of it I don't know if they are available in the States. Anyway, I'll get some info back to you this week. Btw, Arab traders made it to Korea.

Welcome to egullt Linda! Great introductory post. I did a quick search and according to this site further in this site Reminds me of ginko nuts and my parents warning me not to eat too many. (a small child died fairly recently from eating too many of those). Just don't eat too much.

I live in Los Angeles too and I am familiar with the area you are referring to as well as the restaurant. I've not been in that area for a while though. East African food is under represented in Los Angeles. And I've not really tried much of outside of the homes of friends or aquaintences. If you are looking for specific restaurant recommendations it's better to post in the California forum. If you are looking for historical information this forum is the place. Welcome to egullet halalsushi!

Korean style curry is made from the same mix as Japanese style curry. S&B or Vermont House curry mixes. Although I have to say most 'Korean' curries I've had are pretty straight forward with just beef or chicken, potatoes, carrots and onions. The Japanese get more creative. There is a thread in the Japanese forum covering this as well as a bit of info regarding how this type of curry made it Japan. As far as how it got to Korea, well we got it from the Japanese. I make it at home with chicken by boiling a whole chicken first, taking the meat of the bones and shredding with my hands and using the cooking liquid as a base.

My parents do this sometimes. It removes alot of the blood in the meat.

Presumably the steam from steam ovens comes from water. I didn't intend to get into a discussion of sous vide here, there are other threads for that. I was casually pointing out that water is involved in sous vide. EDIT: you are correct Sam.

I don't think boiling water is required. I think that was the boil in a bag meals in the 70s! However, the ingredients are vacuum sealed. I've not tried it myself; but, from everything I've read, a long slow cook using this method should make the meat more tender, not less. simmering water.

Is it possible for your friend to freeze some entrees in plastic containers? Soups and stews obviously come to mine. If it's possible to obtain some ice chests or even those soft sided insulated bags than the frozen dishes can double function as cooling devices to keep other foods at a safe (relatively safe ) temperature for a little while anyway. Free cycle and craigslist.com are good sites for free stuff. My family didn't have a refrigerator untill I was 5. My husband spent his entire childhood without one. It's not we both come from poor families, it has more to do with where we were born. Another thing to consider is adding spices and herbs to soups and stews to help extend shelf life so to speak. Hope this helps.