touaregsand

I comfort a broken heart with more wine. But I tend to drink more wine when I'm happy too. I also drink more wine when nothing extradordinary is going on in my life. Before marriage and kids it was more like " I smoke two before I smoke two more then I smoke two more." As for food I go back to childhood favorites, splurge on luxury ingredients or go on a 'health kick" of sorts. It's all about ME ME ME! To get out of the ME mode and get on with my life I cook time consuming and elaborate meals for family and friends. Another option is a rebound or transitional relationshp. But that's not too food related...

Don't some Jews consider gelatin from pigs as well as enzymes from pigs in cheeses to be kosher? (I know, I know two Jews, three opinions. ) I wonder if Pam is concerned about this in her kitchen. As for the meat many Muslims consider it okay for the animal to be slaughtered by a "person of the book" a Christian or a Jew is fine. But Halal rules are pretty clear about each animal being blessed and not just the general slaughter area. Going the other way, it wouldn't be possible to prepare Kosher in a halal kitchen.

According to the website the teams compete in four categories. 1. Baguette and specialty breads 2. Sweet dough. 3. Savory selection. 4. Artistic piece on the theme: "Your country's emblem through bread." I think the Americans edged out the French with donuts. Of course Japanese crepes are pure genius.

Halal too? I suppose the salient differences for a Kosher kitchen to be aware of when preparing halal foods are that gelatin must be from halal animals or any fish, alcohol is haram, enzymes in cheeses must be from halal animals and in Islamic slaughter practices each animal is blessed. Meat and dairy combinations, milk from camels and ritually slaughtered camel meat and shellfish are halal. There's more but I'm trying to keep within the parameters of whats been already mentioned upthread. Am I correct in this?

I remember the posters. I also remember food posters in general popping up in Mid range to casual places around the same time or shortly after. A link to more of Neubauer's photos.

Hi Vmilor- Thank you for the detailed report. No I am not a chef. I'm married to one. As a result I've worked in commercial kitchens doing pretty much everything on the kitchen line as neccessary, sometimes filling in for the chef. As for Burgundian spices off the top of my head I think of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, anise, allspice and ginger. Although I suspect that Olivier Roellinger probably uses a greater range than this.

The pastry chef wears black pants as well?

Now I'm curious. What do you mean by beef tartare? Initially I assumed raw beef dishes in general. Now I'm not sure.

I read this in another thread. Why is it not available? Lack of demand seems like an obvious answer given the time constraints of Passover baking. Could you order it through a company that makes Matzoh? Also is Kosher salt itself Kosher in some way or is it called Kosher salt because it's used for Kashering? I grew up with a lot of Jewish friends who were barely Kosher or just acted Kosher when they were around their grandparents or for holidays. I'm not entirely unfamiliar with the 'culture' so to speak, but Passover Kosher is just blowing me away.

You're hanging with the wrong crowd. I've never tried that particular dish. I remember when I was a kid I was at a friend's house and the whole family got really excited about umah making her special mul nengmyun with 7 up. Turned me off to noodle dishes with soda in the broth forever. Hey soup- I've never tried rice, bacon and kimchi. But it doesn't sound like it would too different from other Asian-American favorite combos like spam, rice and kimchi or sausage, rice and kimchi.

This reminds me of a conversation I overheard in a Paris Bistro. I was there with my husband and daughter. Two gay men were talking about how they dream about moving to Los Angeles so that they could be freer. Neither one of them had evern been so the conversation was more like, "I hear we can do what we want, we can be affectionate, we don't have to hide." I'm from Los Angeles, I suppose I take some social issues for granted untill I read a horrifying story in the papers. Anyway, my husband and I feel that it's actually necessary to have at least one gay server on shift. It's not really an effort to make the place more gay friendly or to attract gay dollars , for us it just adds to the overall vibe of a restaurant. I'm getting a little into stereotypes here, but an outgoing, funny, friendly gay male server puts customers at ease, whether they are gay or not. I suppose that reflects on liberal LA attitudes. I'm also talking about a more "hip" place. The last place my husband worked had an open kitchen and he is a gay magnet. French accent, dark Med complexion, slender but athletic build and a North African ass. He had a steady gay customer base, almost groupies many who would come in everyday to eat and blurt out "I love you!"

Koreans treat dandelion greens as a vegetable and an herb. To me they taste like chicory and endive, with a more bitter tinge and heartiness. They can be used in salads, steamed, sauteed, added to soups/stews, raw as part of greens and herbs in a ssamg jang spread, added to hwedupbap... We used to grow them in our backyard in the mid 70's when they weren't available at supermarkets around here.

At about 50 degrees 20 days (more or less ). In your basement at 64-66 degrees, maybe 15 days. Depends also on the size of the mu and the initial brining. If you dig the seltzer effect ferment longer. Look at it, smell it, taste it. If it doesn't suit your palate, let it ferment longer.

I emailed mongoliacenter.org regarding airag and arrak. The response was swift! This is from Chris Atwood of Indiana University One of the top scholars of Mongolian Studies

Which spices did he use? Saffron comes to mind immediately, maybe a hint of fennel?

That's why I recommended 10-20 days. By the way, the two most important techniques to be aware of when making kimchi is the brining and fermentation process. Recipes are not so important.

Maybe you'll like Korean beef tartare. It's my favorite and I'm not alone..

Tongchimi- Ingredients: 1 1/2 Kg of mu (the small round ones with stems on. I think the greens give it that extra kick or "tang" if you will) 100 grams of coarse salt (korean pickling salt) garlic to taste Fresh ginger (the size of a thumb) 50 grams of green onions (the very thin kind) 50 grams of Korean pickled green peppers (optional) Method: Trim the stems off the mu and wash thouroughly in cold water. Coat the mu evenly with salt, place in jar and cover with cool water. Let the mu soak in brine for about two days. Discard the initial brine. Slice the ginger and garlic, place in a muslin bag or wrap in cheese cloth. Place the mu, green onions, mu stems and pickled green peppers in alternating layers into a clean jar. The garlic and ginger should be placed in the center. Sprinkle a little bit of salt on each layer. The top layer should be composed of the green onions and stems. Cover with cool water. The fermentation takes 10-20 days depending on the weather. To serve slice the mu and cover with cold water (add a bit of the pickling brine to taste). A way to add more 'kick' is with mustard greens. You can also add quartered Korean pear for a touch of sweetness.

Nengmyun? Is that what you mean? It can be made at home. The noodles cook up very quickly, less 2-3 minutes. Stir every minute or so. Drain, immediately plunge into ice water, work the noodles with your hands, you will feel them 'tighten' up (this is the cholgi cholgi texture that nengmyun noodles should have). The yooksoo that is traditionally with hoeng hweh is white beef broth. Nengmyun is a North Korean specialty.

I'm not familiar with the area where you live. But I think in the D.C. forum there are a few threads discussing local Korean food. SooJaeBee is really easy to make at home. You can even buy the "pasta" premade at a Korean grocery store. My favorite though is gamja soojaebee. Think of Korean gnocchi of sorts. The dough is made with boiled and gently mashed pototoes to which the smallest possible amount of flour is added, just enough so that it will "hold" together. The soup base can be anchovy/dashima broth or white beef stock.

Facts? Let's just keep feuding. Seriously though it can be so bad that I once saw a Japanese and Korean man on a flight to Seoul get into a fist fight over who did what first. We were in business class too. I think my generation of Japanese and Koreans have different attitudes than our parents did. History of Japanese cuisine from the Yamasa student network. What I've read points to the Chinese or Koreans introducing the "old type" sushi to Japan. I suspect that the Chinese influence might be clearer in Osaka. The sushi as we know it today in America is a Japanese modification/creation. Sushi history in Japan. In Korea as I mentioend upthread there are traditional Korean hweh and chobap restaurants and newer Japanese style sushi restaurants. EDIT: Sorry, I didn't make myself clear. The origins of sushi point to Southeast Asia. It's thought that it got to Japan via China or Korea or both.

It says alot about the Chef's abilities to have a destination restaurant in a part of LA that isn't considered by most Los Angelenos who aren't residents of the Valley to be fairly remote.

Welcome to egullet Soup! I wonder if you have any Korean restaurants in your area that specialize in bibimbap, especially jeon-ju or dolsot bibimbap. Even when I'm in Korea I only order it places that specialize in the dish. At a 'general' Korean restaurant it's bound to be dissappointing.

Fantastic report. Your descriptions are so vivid I feel like I was there with you, even the details about getting directions. The last photograph in particular, the sun, sand and shadows of the landscape were a perfect ending to the story. It's a snapshot of memories and dreams. Chef Haouri's cooking looks honest, with the sort of care that only someone who truly loves his heritage and food can produce. What an experience to have such a talented chef cook for you!

I see what your saying Nullo... BUT... Feeding the world is a matter of distribution that isn't hindered or stalled by politics. There is enough food already to "feed the world".